Iris et les Hommes

A fun comedy about a woman who has everything: a wonderful husband, two perfect daughters, a successful business - but no sex life.

Iris (Laure Calamy) has a busy life with a loving husband and two daughters living in a beautiful Parisian apartment. She is a successful, if somewhat eccentric, dentist. But, and it’s a big BUT, Iris has not had sex with her husband for a long time. The spark has gone. A mother at parent-teacher night overhears Iris complaining on the phone about the lack of sex and quietly suggests she take on a lover. So “pourqoi pas?”, Iris begins to delve into the world of dating apps for married people and after an awkward start, embraces this advice with gusto. This is cheeky, joyous and a feel-good summer delight of a film which includes an all-singing all-dancing French version of ‘It’s Raining Men’ where Calamy shines bright. (Subtitles)

France 2023 Caroline Vignal 98m

After garnering acclaim with ‘The Great Beauty’ and ‘The Hand of God’, Paolo Sorrentino, known for his stunning visuals and meditative storytelling, dives once more into themes of memory and regret, painting a story as visually stunning as it is emotionally raw.

The film’s title character, Parthenope (Celeste Dalla Porta), is a stunning young woman named after a mythological siren inextricably linked with the city of Naples, where she lounges through idle summers and on the nearby island of Capri. There, five years later, she encounters the writer John Cheever (Gary Oldman), an author she’d been reading and quoting for years. Sorentino’s last film, 2021’s ‘The Hand of God’, was a love letter to his hometown of Naples with lots of autobiographical elements, and this one removes the personal story but retains the sense that it’s a tribute to the place. ‘Parthenope’ is both a tribute to Naples and a lushly poetic reflection on the creative process, carried by unforgettable performances and a mesmerizing score. Sorrentino, as ever, delivers unforgettable, immersive and ravishing cinema. (Subtitles)

Italy/UK 2024 Paolo Sorrentino 121m

2024 Palme d’Or Winner! A young sex worker from Brooklyn meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch, but once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as the parents set out for New York to get the marriage annulled.

Anora (Mikey Madison) is a New York escort and table dancer. One night, her club manager announces that a high roller is in the house, asking for a dancer who can speak Russian. Ani, who is from an Uzbek background, volunteers. The man is the sweet-faced but otherwise appalling and entitled son of an oligarch, and he quickly takes her back to his luxurious apartment and proposes a Vegas marriage. When Vanya’s less-than-delighted father hears the news, he sends some goons round to sort out the situation with his boneheaded son. Scene-stealing leading lady Madison is surely destined for stardom thanks to her role in this high-energy panic comedy that offers a more realistic take than ‘Pretty Woman’.

USA 2024 Sean Baker 139m

Royal Ballet & Opera

Conductor Antonio Pappano and director Barrie Kosky reunite to continue the mythical adventure that began with ‘Das Rheingold’ in 2023. Gods and mortals battle in the second chapter of Wagner’s Ring cycle.

Sun 18 May 12:15

A platoon of Navy SEALs embarks on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.

Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, the film embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, overwatching the movement of US forces through insurgent territory. A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it. Co-Director Alex Garland comes with very high credentials after last year’s excellent ‘Civil War’ and the much-lauded 2014 thriller ‘Ex Machina’.

USA/UK 2025 Alex Garland/Ray Mendoza 95m

When a solitary writer adopts and bonds with a Great Dane that belonged to a late friend, she begins to come to terms with her past and her own creative inner life.

Writer and teacher Iris (Naomi Watts) finds her comfortable, solitary New York life thrown into disarray after her closest friend and mentor (Bill Murray) dies suddenly and bequeaths her his beloved 70-kilogram Great Dane. The regal yet intractable beast, named Apollo, immediately creates practical problems for Iris, from furniture destruction to eviction notices, as well as more existential ones, his looming presence constantly reminding her of her friend's problematic choices in both life and death. Yet as Iris finds herself unexpectedly bonding with the animal, she begins to come to terms with her past, her lost friend, and her own creative inner life. Content expanded. Based on the award-winning 2018 novel, you will find a sweetness in the film that is rare in cinema today… and you may find yourself wanting to adopt a Great Dane.

USA 2024 Scott McGehee/David Siegel 120m

Met opera

This biblical story - already filtered through the beautiful and strange imagination of Oscar Wilde’s play - is a psychologically perceptive Victorian-era setting rich in symbolism and subtle shades of darkness and light.

Mon 19 May