THE CRITIC is a deliciously dark and sharp-witted thriller set in 1930s London featuring an all-star British cast including Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville.

When the most feared and vicious theatre critic in town Jimmy Erskine (McKellen), finds himself suddenly in the cross hairs of the Daily Chronicle’s new owner David Brooke (Strong), he strikes a sinister Faustian pact with struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton) who is desperate to win his favour.

A rare chance to experience this classic of New Hollywood, which pierces straight to the heart of American darkness, on the big screen for its 50th anniversary.

Faye Dunaway and Jack Nicholson smoulder against the backdrop of late 1930s Los Angeles, depicted as a hotbed of corruption in a narrative firmly grounded in historical reality. Robert Towne was a central screenwriter at the heart of the New Hollywood’s sharp socially-alert scripts. He was tuned into the dramatic cultural changes going on in America and could pull together tightly plotted cinematic stories with authentic dialogue.

In the year 1815, Edmond Dantès (Pierre Niney) finds himself incarcerated within the formidable fortress of the Château d’If for a crime he did not commit. Enduring fourteen years of imprisonment, he eventually engineers his escape, embarking on a meticulously crafted quest for vengeance. Assuming multiple identities – “the Count of Monte Cristo” among them – Dantès first courts his enemies, now highly placed dignitaries, the better to strike them down. But the price of revenge is heavy for one’s soul.

Alexandre Dumas’s epic novel The Count of Monte Cristo comes in a truly lavish adaptation with breathtaking backdrops and a mind-blowing pace, receiving an 11 minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival !

One of the world’s biggest and most successful cults, the Rajneesh movement, had communes in more than 30 countries in the 70s and 80s and was immortalised in the Netflix series ‘Wild Wild Country’. But until now, a central truth about the organisation has remained hidden. Filmmaker Maroesja Perizonius, herself brought up in the Rajneesh communes, has connected with other former commune children and together, they’ve decided to change that. This film tells the barely believable story of the treatment of children within the cult. The organisation still thrives today, profiting from Bhagwan’s teachings, yet no one has yet been called to account for the harm caused to children in its communes across the world. In the course of her unflinching investigation Maroesja unmasks perpetrators and demands answers from the closest members of the Cult’s inner circle.

A section of the film focuses on a commune here in Suffolk called Medina Rajneesh which was operational during the early 1980's.

Based on the novel of the same name by Andrew Michael Hurley, Starve Acre, like many films before it is set in God's Own Country of Yorkshire.

Matt Smith (Dr Who, Last Night in Soho) and Morfydd Clark (St Maud) excel in their roles of a grieving couple stretched to breaking point by an unspeakable tragedy. On the remote family farm of Starve Acre, an archaeologist becomes increasingly fascinated by a local myth that the ancient oak tree that once stood on their land holds the dark powers and the secret to 'Dandelion Jack', whilst his wife Juliette turns to her sister and the local community to find some kind of peace. But sinister forces are unwittingly allowed into their home, offering a disturbing possibility of reconnection

Inland Empire is to-date the last feature film by renowned director, David Lynch. One of his most challenging and provocative works, known for its complex, nonlinear narrative and dreamlike visuals, the film is an intense, ethereal experience made to be seen in cinemas.

The film follows the story of Nikki (Laura Dern) who lands a role in a new film directed by Kingsley (Jeremy Irons). As Nikki delves deeper into her character, she becomes entangled in a surreal and nightmarish web of reality and illusion. As the film within the film unfolds, Nikki finds herself facing a series of bizarre and inexplicable events that challenge her perception of what is real and what is imagined.

Lynch's trademark use of enigmatic symbolism and haunting imagery creates a sense of unease and throughout and demands multiple viewings to unravel its layers of meaning.

Screening as part of our year-long retrospective - Dreaming of Darkness: The Films of David Lynch

Please note this screening is part of Woodbridge Film Society's 2024/2025 Season and therefore not open to the public. You can read more about the Film Society and how to join here

Seydou and Moussa, two Senegalese teenagers, leave Dakar to travel to Europe where they believe opportunities await. On a journey neither could have imagined, the boys face the dangers and the beauty of the desert, the shock of detention centres in Libya, and the perils of the sea in their pursuit of a better life, in an epic story that offers a deeply human perspective on the migrant crisis.

Directed by two-time BAFTA-nominee Matteo Garrone (Gomorrah, Tale of Tales), IO CAPITANO was nominated for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards, and won Best Director and Best Young Actor Awards at Venice Film Festival.