Along Came Love (15)
Directed by Katell Quillevere
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆

SET in France after the liberation in WWII, this complex melodrama begins on a brutal and harrowing note as young women accused of sleeping with German officers and soldiers are paraded in town squares where they have their heads shaved, and are hosed down and beaten. 

The camera follows the shaven-headed Madeleine (Anais Demoustier) who has also had a swastika daubed on her stomach which shows signs of a bump. Years later she is working as a waitress in Brittany with a young son in tow having been exiled by her family. 

The film, co-written and directed by Katell Quillevere, was inspired by her grandmother who had an affair with a German soldier during the occupation and became pregnant. She met her husband on a beach in Brittany who adopted her child and kept her secret. 

In the drama Madeleine falls in love with Francois (Vincent Lacoste), a rich student, who is gay. They both have personal secrets and are escaping their past as they embark on a relationship. Francois takes charge of her son Daniel, who is desperate for his mother’s love and attention. Madeleine can barely look at him, let along hug him, and he spends his life devoid of affection and wondering what he did wrong. 

The film follows all three over 20 years as the couple run a bar in another town and become very close to an US GI (Morgan Bailey). 

Driven by captivating and heartfelt performances by the leads, this proves a compelling drama about survival and the compromises that are made to make a marriage work. 

In cinemas May 30.

The Ballad of Wallis Island (12A)
Directed by James Griffiths
⭑⭑⭑⭑☆ 

 

A two-time lottery-winner hires his favourite but disbanded indie folk-rock band to come and play at his remote island home in this deliciously quirky yet heartwarming comedy drama. 

It is directed by James Griffiths and co-written by Tom Basden and Tim Key who based it on their 2007 short The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island. 

Basden also plays McGwyer (of McGwyer Mortimer fame) who is offered half-a-million pounds by super-fan Charles Heath (Key) to perform a special gig on Wallis Island, a fictitious isle off the Welsh coast. 

Charles is eccentric and disturbingly intense as he welcomes McGwyer to his house following him everywhere, cracking awkward jokes. While exceedingly funny, it is uncomfortable to watch. When Nell Mortimer (a phenomenal Carey Mulligan), McGwyer’s former partner and lover, suddenly arrives with her husband in tow things become even more awkward and insane. 

While Charles seems like a weird stalkerish fan with serial-killer vibes, as the drama unfolds you learn his motives are genuine and quite heartfelt. Basden and Key make a formidable double act in this gentle but bonkers comedy which is a definite must-see.

In cinemas May 30. 

The Ritual (15)
Directed by David Midell
⭑⭑☆☆☆

ALTHOUGH this may seem like another run-of-the-mill exorcist-style film, it is actually based on the true story of the most infamous and best-documented exorcism in US history which spawned umpteen horror films.

It depicts the ritual performed in 1928 on Emma Schmidt, apparently one of the few cases officially recognized by the Catholic church.

It stars Al Pacino as Theophilus Riesinger, a mysterious Capuchin friar who was appointed to perform the exorcism on Emma during the course of a month at a secluded convent in Earling, Iowa. He enlisted the help of the young parish priest (Dan Stevens) and some of the nuns. 

Co-written and directed by David Midell, there is nothing groundbreaking about this exorcist film as it all feels like deja vu. There are a few jump scares but nothing to write home about, though watching Pacino and Stevens go head to head was a delight. 

In cinemas May 30.

Karate Kid: Legends (12A)
Directed by Jonathan Entwistle 
⭑⭑⭑☆☆

THE original karate kid Ralph Macchio teams up with Jackie Chan to train the new karate kid on the block, played engagingly by newcomer Ben Wang. 

This is the sixth film in the franchise and while it is the same story throughout (slightly retweaked each time) this one breathes new life into the old dog, thanks to the brilliant chemistry between Macchio, Chan and Wang.  

The scenes between Macchio and Chan are hilarious and the highlight of the film. Chan returns as Mr Han who teaches Li Fong (Wang) the jacket on, jacket off mantra as he faces off with his kung fu/karate nemesis Conor (Aramis Knight) in New York. 

Directed by Jonathan Entwistle, this is a hugely entertaining ride full of humour, great fight scenes and nostalgic nods to the early films. 

Karate Kid fans won’t be disappointed. 

In cinemas May 30.