WATCH GREAT CINEMA

The first Nigerian film ever to screen in Official Selection at Cannes, this prizewinning debut feature from Akinola Davies Jr. is steeped in feeling and lyrical imagery. Bathing the father-son bond in a tender glow, this vibrant coming-of-age tale gathers up precious things amid political tumult.

Iconic auteur Jim Jarmusch’s acclaimed return to anthology filmmaking abounds with wryly resonant observations on the family unit. Sketching finely detailed portraits with its starry ensemble cast (including a gloriously rumpled Tom Waits), this offbeat triptych finds universals in idiosyncrasies.

Chapters one to three of Julia Loktev’s unmissable five-chapter documentary encapsulate the Russian government’s crackdown on perceived enemies of the state. Seeing more than paranoia, the director’s close rapport with her subjects surfaces defiant camaraderie and unwavering commitment to truth.

Past and present, flesh and ash, enormity and the infinitesimal: Gianfranco Rosi’s astonishing, Venice-prizewinning documentary is a marbled study in high contrast. In bone white and velvety black, pin-sharp chiaroscuro photography screens an active volcano for the elemental geometries of life.

Unfolding within the splendorous walls of grand palaces and presidential homes, Paolo Sorrentino’s stylish drama ruminates on fatherhood, legacy, and doubt. Winner of the Best Actor prize at Venice, Toni Servillo captivates as a national leader shaken by the weight of an impossible moral dilemma.

Instincts both maternal and carnal clatter like shards of glass in a blender in this uncompromising portrait of a woman on the edge from director Lynne Ramsay. Starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson in a frenzied pas de deux, Die My Love inflames the exposed nerves of delirium and desire.

With an artful eye and jazzy unpredictability, Kelly Reichardt unravels the threads of the heist film in this standout from Cannes. As an antihero kicking about on the brink of the ‘70s, Josh O’Connor is unmissable, lending rumpled discontent to this ironic, wry vision of American individualism.

Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor star in this nostalgic, aching romance, lifting a profound story of yearning in exquisitely tender performances. Interweaving timeless folk tunes with sumptuous, autumnal images, director Oliver Hermanus chronicles a love whose reverberations are felt for a lifetime.

With sharp wit and cathartic intensity, Coralie Fargeat turns toxic beauty culture inside out in her Oscar®-winning latest feature. Powered by a career-best performance from Demi Moore, The Substance fearlessly bulldozes its way into the midnight-movie pantheon and the feminist canon.