Mescal, Fassbender, Driver: 12 must-see films to catch in the coming months
Some of our screen selections for the coming months
His music-themed dramas Once and Sing Street both became international smashes. Can Irish filmmaker John Carney do it again? Certainly, early word of mouth has been strong for Flora and Son which was shot on location in Ireland. Fresh from the success of Bad Girls, Eve Hewson plays the title character, a working-class single mum who does not know what to do with her wayward teenage boy. In a bid to find him a hobby, she organises lessons for him with a washed-up LA musician (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). Will the redemptive power of music win through? Supporting cast include Orén Kinlan and Jack Reynor.
The legendary Martin Scorcese captures a period in American history in his latest. Adapted from the book of the same name and based on historical facts, it’s set in 1920s Oklahoma and tells of the events surrounding the targeting of the Native American Osage Nation. The oil-rich region led to a series of murders that were investigated by the FBI. Leo Di Caprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone feature among the starry cast.
Set to have its world premiere at the New York Film Festival later this month, Foe stars Irish Oscar nominees Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal as a young married couple in a challenging and uncertain world. Adapted by Garth Davis (Lion) from the best-selling novel by Iain Reid, the sci-fi thriller is set around the young couple, who farm on a secluded piece of land in the countryside. But their lives threaten to be upended when an uninvited stranger arrives with a startling proposal. According to the producers, the movie engages with the nature of both humanity and artificial humanity.
Early festival reviews are raves for Irish actors Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal in this drama set in contemporary London. They play two men who have a chance encounter, leading one of them to reflect on his own past and family. The film is written and directed by Andrew Haigh, the highly regarded filmmaker whose previous successes include Weekend and historical series The North Water.
Two of the best actors of their generation - Riz Ahmed and Killarney’s Jessie Buckley - join forces in this blend of science fiction, romance and psychological drama. It tells the story of a couple who have found true love, according to a controversial new form of technology. But there’s just one problem - Anna (Buckley) isn’t sure, so she takes a position at a love-testing institute, where she meets Amir (Ahmed). Greek filmmaker Christos Nikou, whose film Apples was critically acclaimed, makes his English-language debut.
Buzz is growing for the latest from David Fincher (Zodiac, The Social Network) which sees him reteam with German-born, Killarney-raised Michael Fassbender. He plays a yoga-practicing assassin whose world - and that of his clients - is upended following a fateful near miss and a crisis of conscience from their hitman. Cue an international manhunt that both the assassin and his adversaries claim is nothing personal.
Following the success of A Star is Born, Bradley Cooper returns to directing in this drama he also co-wrote and plays the lead in. The film focuses on the relationship between legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). Notwithstanding the controversy about Cooper’s use of a prosthetic nose in the role, the film debuted at Venice Film Festival to almost universally good reviews. Cooper has described the film as a love letter to life and art.
Acting powerhouses Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore join forces in the latest from director Todd Haynes (Carol). It revolves around a Hollywood actress who is set to play a real-life character in a film, two decades after her notorious romance gripped the nation. But under the gaze of the outsider, the impacts of what happened begin to reveal themselves to dramatic and disturbing effect.
Top director Michael Mann (The Insider) blends sports biopic with thriller elements in his film about racing driver turned car manufacturer Enzo Ferrari. Set during the summer of 1957, it centres on a period of crisis in his life. The company he and his wife Laura founded is facing bankruptcy amid a trying time in their marriage. With the odds stacked against him, he puts all his chips on one iconic Italian race - the Mille Miglia. Mann has assembled an impressive cast that includes Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley.
Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) turns to a quirky real-life story for his latest offering. Based on the documentary of the same name, it tells the story of one coach’s efforts to realise the unlikely dream of bringing the American Samoa team all the way to the 2014 World Cup finals. A challenge at the best of times - but the team is widely regarded as one of the weakest football teams in the world. Michael Fassbender plays the coach up for the task in the movie, also starring Elizabeth Moss and Will Arnett.
Acclaimed filmmaker Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) trains her lens on the little-told story of the woman behind one of history’s most-iconic music stars. Based on Priscilla’s memoir, it centres on how they first met and the love story and turbulent marriage that followed. Coppola’s film has been described as an empathetic look at how Priscilla is treated by the men in her life. Actors Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi play the high-profile couple.
Irish production company Element Pictures has been involved in every English-language feature film from maverick Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. Successes have included Killarney-shot The Lobster, The Favourite and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Here, Lanthimos directs Emma Stone in the tale of a young woman brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, with crazy and debauched results. Stone is getting the best early reviews of her career for her performance in the movie, which also stars Mark Ruffalo and Willem Defoe.
