Best Films to Watch in London This Week

Out and about this weekend? Fancy a film but can't make your mind up what to see? Look no further: we’ve assembled the best of what’s on in London and gathered them here to make choosing a great movie as easy as possible. Whether it's a film about refugees trying to get their lives together in Paris or a Michael Caine caper back on the big screen, Walloh has you covered. No need to thank us.

 

Diego Maradona

The third in Asif Kapadia's trilogy “about child geniuses and fame,” it's hard to imagine a better subject than Diego Maradona. As one of the most beloved footballers of all time, his skill with a ball, coupled with the endless off-the-pitch antics, made him a true icon. But there's no denying just how strange Maradona was, and this documentary – though certainly empathetic – attempts to grapple with just that. Constructed in the same style as Kapadia's previous docs, Senna and Amy, using archive footage intercut with modern day interviews, Diego Maradona covers the epic rise and turbulent fall, his early childhood through to that infamous “Hand of God” moment in 1986. It's fascinating and gripping – though for our money, Kapadia should have just called it Maradona. This guy doesn't need a first name.

Get Diego Maradona showtimes in London.

 

We the Animals

Taking its cues from the earthly works of Terrence Malick, and adapted from an '80s novel of the same name, We the Animals hones in on the lives of three young boys who – cursed and blessed with unpredictable parents – are left to fend for themselves in upstate New York. Narrated by and starring the brilliant first-time actor Evan Rosado, a natural performer if ever there was one, there is a magical realist element to this film; if you've seen Beasts of the Southern Wild you'll know what to expect, as the luscious camerawork gives the whole thing a poetic quality. Given this is director Jeremiah Zaga's debut work, there are few bumpy moments, but we can expect great things in the future. Beauty and despair on celluloid.

Get We the Animals showtimes in London.

 

A Season in France

This new film from Chadian director Mahamat Saleh Haroun offers an intimate look into the lives of refugees in France. The story here focuses on two brothers, played by Eriq Ebouaney and Bibi Tanga, who arrive in Paris from the Central African Republic and – despite being teachers back home – set about finding low income work to support themselves and their families. A Season in France successfully creates a portrait of the refugee experience that feels both compassionate and timely, but never exploitive. As the brothers navigate bureaucracy, love, and family, it's impossible not to feel real empathy with their purgatorial plight. The sort of insightful film that, two days later, you'll still find yourself dwelling on.

Get A Season in France showtimes in London.

 

Dirty God

The English-language debut from Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak, Dirty God explores the plight of a woman trying to get her life back together in the wake of an acid attack. Raw, affecting, and echoing the work of Andrea Arnold, it also stars real-life burn victim Vicky Knight as Jade, a single mum living on a council estate in Hackney. The story is simple: we follow Jade, fresh out of hospital, as she navigates her old life in a bid to find a new one. Given Knight's personal history, her performance lends the film a real sense of authenticity; we can feel her channelling her inner pain and frustration. The result is a hard-hitting work with a lot to say not only about disfigurement, but London life. Knight proves she's a talent to watch.

Get Dirty God showtimes in London.

 

Sometimes Always Never

Bill Nighy? Scrabble? Some things were just made for cinema. This charming comedy, featuring one of Britain's most beloved actors, might well cling to the most English movie premise of all-time: Nighy plays a father searching for his estranged son, who one day stormed out over a game of – yep – Scrabble, never to return. In the wake of said departure, Nighy's character has become a world champion. The resulting film is witty and likeable, featuring a stand-out turn from Nighy, who hasn't been this magnetic on screen in years. We've all had arguments over board games, of course; Something Always Never takes such fallouts to its most extreme  – and makes it a joy to watch in the process.

Get Sometimes Always Never showtimes in London

 

The Italian Job

This Sunday is Father's Day, and if you've forgotten to get your old man a present what could be better than the gift of The Italian Job? The original classic (not that subpar Mark Wahlberg remake) stars Michael Caine in one of his most charismatic roles; he's a criminal with a plan to rob the FIAT factory in Turin, and as such spends most of the film pouting deliciously memorable lines like “You were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off!” It's hard to think about this movie without thinking about Mini Coopers making their way through the sewage tunnel, accompanied by Quincy Jones' jazzy score. Your Dad's seen it a million times. But has he seen it on the big screen? Prepare to be the favourite child.

Get The Italian Job showtimes in London.

 

Gloria Bell

As if you needed an excuse to go and see Julianne Moore in anything, Gloria Bell arrives as yet another testament to her endless talent. A remake of Chilean film Gloria (and helmed by the same director, reworking his own material), Gloria Bell puts us in the company of the titular divorcee, a fifty-something whose upbeat attitude is admirable and love of dancing is contagious. Those expecting something low-key based on the title might be surprised at what they find here: Gloria Bell features one of Moore's best ever performances, and – as Gloria navigates work, family, and new love with John Turturro's bachelor – offers an honest take on middle-aged relationships that's neither simplistic or pandering. Plus, few films can top the pure joy of watching Moore hit the dancedfloor. Which she does here. Lots.

Get Gloria Bell showtimes in London.

 

Thunder Road

There's a lengthy monologue at the start of Thunder Road – shot in one, unbroken 11 minute-long take – that pretty much sums up the entire film: heartfelt, funny, and relentlessly surprising. It also serves as a performance showcase for the film's writer, director, editor, and composer Jim Cummings, starring here as a wayward cop spiralling into oblivion after the death of his mother. Mental health, parental worries, coping with grief: it ain't easy fusing comedy and tragedy whilst avoiding the tonal clashes, but Thunder Road succeeds through sheer force of its creator's self-belief alone. You might not get to hear Bruce Springsteen’s titular classic, but trust us when we say this is still one road worth taking.

Get Thunder Road showtimes in London.

 

Rocketman

Less than a year's gone by and already Rocketman makes Bohemian Rhapsody seem old-fashioned by comparison, a result of director Dexter Fletcher's decision to avoid an overtly literal interpretation: instead Rocketman unfolds as told by a rock-bottom Elton John (a perfect Taron Egerton, embodying the singer entirely without ever resorting to impression), who – attending an AA meeting – decides to look back on his career with a degree of self-awareness often lacking in authorised biopics. Given this is Elton's telling, then, it's easy to forgive the dreamy tone, the inaccuracies, the songs staged and sung long before they were actually written. The overall effect is that of a West End show on film: broad enough to please the masses; weird enough so that it never quite feels like a by-the-numbers biopic.

Get Rocketman showtimes in London.

 

Beyond the Black Rainbow

If you found a kindred spirit in Panos Cosmatos' hallucinogenic, Nic Cage-fuelled thriller, Mandy, here's a chance to catch the filmmaker's audacious debut. Beyond the Black Rainbow doesn't feel quite like the genre-bending triumph that Mandy does, but it's an interesting curio from an auteur who clearly knows exactly what he wants. Like Mandy, this flick channels a particular type of midnight movie madness straight outta the '70s and '80s (all synths and warped colours) to create a truly hypnotic, visually stunning, and mind-bending horror film set in an experimental lab. It defies all logic and explanation, and you'll have a better time if you don't try to think too hard about it. Maybe have a few beers first?

Get Beyond the Black Rainbow showtimes in London.