Best Films to Watch in London and Stream This Week

With UK cinemas back in full swing, we highlight the best of what's new, from a period romance to a 70s gem back on the big screen

And we're back! After what's felt like an endless limbo, UK cinemas have finally reopened their doors. Of course, we couldn't be more pleased about the return to our happy place – a darkened theatre, surrounded by our fellow movie lovers. But we also understand that maybe everyone's not ready yet. That's why our team has you covered with all the latest releases, be it in cinemas, or streaming from the comfort of your own home…

 

New in Cinemas and Streaming

The World to Come

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby star in a gorgeous pioneer drama of quiet longing, set against the backdrop of 19th century America (read our full review).

 

Night of the Kings

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

The stage is set for a miraculous story within a story in this magical realist take on the prison drama from Ivory Coast filmmaker Philippe Lacôte (read our full review).

 

Old

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

The latest chilling invention from M. Night Shyamalan sets out to answer that most elusive and long-standing of questions: what if a beach made you old?

 

Kandisha

Where to watch it: Shudder

A French teenager summons a vengeful demon to kill her boyfriend in this smartly written and socially astute take on the slasher flick (read our full review).

 

Riders of Justice

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

The great Mads Mikkelsen sets out to average his dead wife in a tonally bizarre but undeniably entertaining riff on the revenge thriller (read our full review).

 

Bye Bye Morons

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes or watch it on Curzon Home Cinema

Winner of the César Award for Best Film at this year’s ceremony, this irreverent screwball comedy has more than a hint of the Monty Python about it.

 

Air Conditioner

Where to watch it: MUBI

Luanda's cooling devices take on a mind of their own in this strange and enigmatic vision of Afrofuturism from director Fradique (read our full review).

 

Girlfriends

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

Claudia Weill’s brilliant feminist gem about twentysomethings in the city – and the inspiration for Frances Ha – finally gets the UK cinema release it deserves (read our full review).

Still in Cinemas

Summer of Soul

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

This essential documentary recounts the legendary but largely forgotten 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, which gathered together some of the greatest Black musicians of the day.

 

Deerskin

Where to watch it: Get London showtimes

Jean Dujardin plays a man who will stop at nothing to destroy every jacket in the world in this bizarre comedy caper from French director Quentin Dupieux (read our full review).

Other Features

Repertory Rundown: What to Watch in London This Week, From Little Women to Sergio Leone

From classics to cult favourites, our team highlight some of the best one-off screenings and re-releases showing this week in the capital

Repertory Rundown: What to Watch in London This Week, From Coppola to Cross of Iron

From classics to cult favourites, our team highlight some of the best one-off screenings and re-releases showing this week in the capital

20 Best Films of 2023 (So Far)

With the year at the halfway point, our writers choose their favourite films, from daring documentaries to box office bombs

Repertory Rundown: What to Watch in London This Week, From Mistress America to The Man Who Wasn’t There

From classics to cult favourites, our team highlight some of the best one-off screenings and re-releases showing this week in the capital

Reviews

The Innocent review – 60s-inspired heist movie with an existential twist

In his fourth feature film, writer-director Louis Garrel explores with wit and tenderness the risk and worth of second chances

Baato review – Nepal’s past and future collide in an immersive, fraught documentary

A mountain trek intertwines with a road-building project, granting incisive, if underpowered, insight into a much underseen world

The Beanie Bubble review – a grim new low for the “corporate biopic” genre

With none of the saving graces of Tetris, Air, or Barbie, this ambition-free look at the Beanie Baby craze is pure mediocrity

Everybody Loves Jeanne review – thoroughly modern fable of grief, romantic confusion, and climate anxiety

Celine Deveaux's French-Portuguese debut can be too quirky for its own good, but a fantastically written lead character keeps it afloat