The Holdovers (15)
Directed by Alexander Payne
★★★★

ACCLAIMED director Alexander Payne returns to sparkling form in this gentle yet bittersweet and charming comedy drama about three lonely people who are in desperate need of human connection and in search of a family at Christmas. 

Set in 1970 in the New England prep school Barton Academy, it stars the sublime Paul Giamatti, who reunites with Payne for the first time since 2004’s Sideways, as a grumpy history teacher Paul Hunham, universally hated by students and faculty alike, who is lumbered with babysitting those pupils who cannot go home for the holidays.

Slowly he forms a surprising bond with smart but troubled student Angus (newcomer Dominic Sessa) and the school’s head cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who is grieving the loss of her only son, killed in Vietnam. 

Written by David Hemingson and directed by Payne, who is masterful at combining comedy with pain and drama, this stunning three-hander is led by Giamatti who delivers a masterclass in acting, and witty and biting comebacks. Sessa is also truly impressive in his first ever film role, holding his own opposite Giamatti, as well as Randolph, who is a revelation. 

Capturing the 1970s to perfection, from the opening credits the film explores loneliness but also the greed and tone-deaf entitlement of the wealthy and privileged. Hunham, a Barton man, is being punished for failing a high-profile student to the indignation of his rich and influential school donor father. Meanwhile, Mary’s son could have avoided the war like his Barton classmates if he had had the money to go to college. 

Full of humour and pathos, the film highlights the humanity of these characters and ends on a heartfelt note. Why this wasn’t released at Christmas is a mystery. 

Out in cinemas January 19.

The Kitchen (15)
Directed by Kibwe Tavares & Daniel Kaluuya
★★★

SET in the near future in a dystopian London, Kibwe Tavares and Oscar-winning actor Daniel Kaluuya’s thought-provoking directorial debut feature makes a bold stand against gentrification. 

Like the Fast and the Furious franchise, it is also all about the importance of family and community. 

Co-written by Kaluuya it centres on working-class anti-hero Izi (Kano), a self-imposed loner, who has lived all his life in The Kitchen, the last social housing standing. Yet he refuses to jeopardise his impending move to a luxury apartment building by helping his neighbours defend their homes against the corporate powers trying to destroy them.

When Benji (Jedaiah Bannerman), the orphaned young son of his ex girlfriend, suddenly enters his life it completely up ends it, forcing him to think about someone other than himself. 

Kano gives a mesmerising performance as this guarded man with intimacy issues while newcomer Bannerman is captivating as Benji and the pair are magnetic together. 

Gritty and violent, it is a haunting drama in which the banging of pots from windows sparked disturbing flashbacks to our own support of the NHS under Covid, and how it has been abused by the current Tory government.

Out in select cinemas and on Netflix January 19.

The End We Start From (15)
Directed by Mahalia Belo
★★★

IN another dystopian drama set in London — this time against the backdrop of an environmental crisis in which the city is submerged in flood waters — a first-time mum has to battle the struggles of motherhood and the end of the world. 

It centres on Jodie Comer’s quietly understated but magnetic performance as a mother who has to cope with her newborn baby on her own when they become separated from her husband and the child’s father (John Fry). It is anchored by an extraordinary performance by Comer as she has to tend to this helpless and needy being, which is totally frightening. 

It is a compelling and an impressive directorial debut feature by Mahalia Belo based on Megan Hunter’s novel, adapted by Alice Birch (Lady Macbeth).  
There are no flashy apocalyptic effects, but just Comer and the people her character meets on the road who are played by a host of stars including Benedict Cumberbatch. 

Though it sounds bleak, it is surprisingly hopeful and uplifting. 

Out in cinemas January 19. 

Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (15)
Directed by Thomas von Steinaecker
★★★★

 
“WERNER is a truly mythical character. A kind of The Lonesome Rider,” states German director Wim Wenders about master film-maker, auteur, poet, actor, voice artiste and the legend that is Werner Herzog. 

Wenders is one of a series of directors, Hollywood stars (including Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson and Christian Bale) and musicians who, along with Herzog’s current and past wives, provide an insight into this visionary film-maker whose presence has even reached into the pop culture of The Simpsons. 

Featuring exclusive behind the scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare archival material and an interview with the man himself, Thomas von Steinaecker’s eye-opening documentary provides an in-depth portrait of this extraordinary artist, his work and his life. 

It is gripping and awe-inspiring and a must-see for staunch Herzog fans as well as those who know little to nothing about him. 

Out in cinemas January 19.