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 the final film from one of cinema's great auteurs, or an animated yarn about a hotel packed with spirits, Walloh has you well and truly covered. No need to thank us.

 

Varda By Agnès

When Agnès Varda died earlier this year, she left a huge hole in the pantheon of iconic filmmakers. But of course she had one last surprise left for us in the form of Varda by Agnès – not a perfume range, but an autobiographical documentary helmed by the great woman herself, a kind of introspective analysis of her approach to film. Complied mostly of footage of the French filmmaker speaking at various events and discussing her films – her best known, perhaps, is 1962 masterpiece Cleo From 5 to 7 – it is an intimate pleasure to be able to listen to Varda as she celebrate her career highs and laugh at her lows. If you haven't seen any of her films, this oddly works as a brilliant intro: you'll want to get stuck in right away.

Get Varda by Agnès showtimes in London.

 

My Friend the Polish Girl

The strange, experimental film appears to blend fact and fiction to create an intriguing blend of both. Directed by filmmakers Ewa Banaszkiewicz and Mateusz Dyme and starring Aneta Piotrowska, My Friend the Polish Girl focuses on the life of – you guessed it – a young Polish girl living in London and presents itself as a kind of faux video diary shot by a director called Katie (played by Emma Friedman-Cohen). Though the film isn't real, the improvisational nature makes it easy to forget that what you're watching never happened. As Katie's seemingly ordinary subject begins to expose more intimate truths, the director struggles with the inherent implications: her film will be more interesting, but at what exploitative cost?

Get My Friend the Polish Girl showtimes in London.

 

Never Look Away

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck is a director who has tasted success and failure in equal measure: his political thriller The Lives of Others, released back in 2006, still stands as one of the best films about surveillance ever made. Then came The Tourist, an ill-judged Johnny Depp Euro-thriller which made his previous victory look like an accident. Thankfully Donnersmarck's latest, Never Look Away, a gorgeously-designed melodrama based on the life of infamous artist Gerhard Richter, feels closer to his debut. Starring Tom Schilling, it's undeniably excessive at three hours, but worth watching for the gorgeous production and aesthetic detail alone. The title, in that sense, is perfectly apt. Look away? You won't want to.

Get Never Look Away showtimes in London.

 

Pavarotti

Ron Howard channels his inner documentarian for this portrait of the late, great Pavarotti, who became a famous opera tenor of such earth-shattering proportions only the surname was necessary. The no-fuss approach here is very typical of Howard, who has made a career from light, accessible blockbusters that charm in the moment; he doesn't attempt to dissect Pavarotti as much as he sets out to celebrate him. You won’t come away feeling like you’ve been exposed to anything particular insightful, nor does the film play around with the form like the works of, say, Asif Kapadia. But if you’re unfamiliar with the story behind the Italian legend's rise to fame, Pavarotti will prove an entertaining chronicle of an extraordinary life.

Get Pavarotti showtimes in London.

 

The Edge

What better way to celebrate England winning the Cricket World Cup than with a doc on the subject, narrated by beloved British actor Toby Jones? It's a sport that director Barney Douglas' new film, The Edge, attempts to paint as inherently cinematic. Most of his documentary works as a testament to coach Andy Flower and captain Andrew Strauss's reinvention of English cricket. The Edge isn't just an unashamed celebration of the sport, though, as much as it is a cautionary warning. Just when you think you've got a grip on the documentary's trajectory, it gives you the slip, unveiling an avenue of discussion over the psychological aspects involved – and the unexpected consequences of trying to win.

Get The Edge showtimes in London.

 

Gwen

TV director William McGregor makes his feature film debut with Gwen, a dark folk story set in 18th century Wales, featuring a star-making performance from Eleanor Worthington Cox. Stunningly beautiful, though just about the darkest film since David Fincher gave us Se7en (honestly: it's really hard to see), Gwen manages to be both a gripping tale of a girl's struggle to survive a harsh world and an eerie mood piece. Channeling Wuthering Heights and Thomas Hardy, with a fantastic supporting turn from the always fantastic Maxine Peake, few films dare to be as grim as this one. Thankfully McGregor makes this candle-lit drama an intoxicating one – even if you're sure to breath a sigh of relief when the lights go up.

Get Gwen showtimes in London.

 

Only You

The new film from Harry Wootliff strives to find the realism in the wake of that truly classic rom-com trope: the meet cute. After Elena (Laia Costa) and Jake (Josh O’Connor) end up sharing a taxi together on New Years’ Eve, their night of passion soon blossoms into love. Whereas this might have resulted in zany antics in another rom-com, however, there's a lot more nuance to Only You. The result is a portrait of a romance that feels a lot like truth: brilliant and heart-breaking in equal measure, it captures the highs and lows of being in love by way of two actors who share a raw and glorious chemistry. If you come away from this one without feeling some inner sense of recognition, then you are likely dead already.

Get Only You showtimes in London.

 

Spider-Man: Far From Home

After six Spidey movies set in NYC, Far From Home bucks the trend and sends Peter Parker – the insanely likeable Tom Holland – on a summer vacay around Europe as he attempts to ditch the crime-fighting in favour of wooing the object of his affections (played by the ever-droll Zendaya). It isn't before long before Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio has turned up from an alternate dimension, though, warning Peter of an impending threat. Given Far From Home's status as the follow-up to Endgame, there was a fear it would flounder in the mess left by its predecessor. We needn't have worried: this breezy summer romp brings Phase Three to a close in a fun and satisfying way. It's also far weirder than it first appears (thanks, Jake).

Get Spider-Man: Far From Home showtimes in London or read our full review here.

 

Okko's Inn

Only in a Japanese animated film could a plot involving a disturbed child turning their hand to innkeeping feel right at home, and that's exactly what happens in this new one from former Studio Ghibli animator Kitarō Kōsaka, who worked alongside Hayao Miyazaki on many of his classics, including Princess Mononoke. Kōsaka's debut, Okko's Inn, is based on the children's manga of the same name, and features a zippy plot, outlandish characters, and more spirits than you can shake a copy of Spirited Away at. It might not quite reach the emotional heights or depth of Ghibli's greatest hits, but it should keep fans happy until Miyazaki's next project.

Get Okko's Inn showtimes in London.