PLANNING ON HEADING to the cinema this weekend?

There are a few new movies out, but which is a must-watch, and are there any you should avoid?

We take a look.

Everybody Knows

What we know

Director Asghar Farhadi is back with this film starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem as former lovers who reunite in Spain for a wedding. But when Cruz’s character’s daughter gets kidnapped, a web of secrets is uncovered.

What the critics say

• “This is a movie about a devastating external blow to a family, delivered with almost supernatural accuracy, a blow which exposes all sorts of cracks and weaknesses and fault lines, and does so with such pitiless efficiency that it is almost as if these secrets and lies are a kind of sin which has called forth an inevitable punishment.” – The Guardian
• “The plot turns several times on mistaken assumptions about what is and isn’t common knowledge, and on the disruptive, destructive power of unspoken grudges and half-buried memories.” – The New York Times

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 74%
• IMDB: 7.0/10

The Kindergarten Teacher

What we know

Maggie Gyllenhaal starred in this remake of a 2014 film about a kindergarten teacher who becomes obsessed with a pupil who she believes is a child prodigy.

What the critics say

• “Gyllenhaal’s soft, measured speech patterns and her character’s genuine passion for art and beauty, make for a fiendishly ambivalent film that segues from poetry appreciation and mid-life crisis drama into flinching thriller.” - The Irish Times
• “Although it remains largely faithful to the original, there’s a fresh source of vitality to be found in Gyllenhaal’s presence. She’s present in almost every shot of the film, yet the camera often keeps its distance. It feels hesitant of her, unsure as to whether she’s the hero or the villain of her own story.” – The Independent

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 88%
• IMDB: 6.8/10

Maiden

What we know

This documentary tells the story about an all-female crew who sailed the Whitbread around the world race – at a time when it was highly unusual to have women to take part at all. Their adventure and challenge was all captured on film.

What the critics say

• “Condescendingly little was expected of the “girls” who dared to crash this particular boys’ club nearly three decades ago, but their respectable showing during the intense nine-month race changed the sport’s hitherto extreme gender bias for good.” – Variety
• “Mixing archival material and fresh interviews with Edwards and her crewmembers, Holmes creates an engaging, suspenseful story with layers of social resonance.” – Hollywood Reporter

What’s it rated?

• RottenTomatoes: 100%
• IMDB: 8.3/10

Which one would you go see first?

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