Best Films to Watch in London This Week

What movies to catch in the capital, from a magical Pixar adventure to an essential documentary about a true literary icon...

Fancy a film but can't make your mind up what to see? Look no further: we’ve assembled the best of what’s showing in London and gathered them here to make choosing a great movie as easy as possible. Whatever you're in the mood for, WeLoveCinema has you well and truly covered…

 

New Releases

Onward

Pixar are back with their latest adventure, Onward, and it's not a sequel! This time the action takes place in a fantasy realm that has evolved into a world not unlike our own, where magic has been replaced with technology and much laziness. Chris Pratt and Tom Holland are perfectly paired as two elf brothers who get the chance to reunite with their deceased father for just a day… if they can find his top half, that is. It's like Lord of the Rings crossed with Weekend at Bernie's. But in a good way (read full review).

Get Onward showtimes in London.

 

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Toni Morrison, the late, Noble Prize-winning author best known for her novels Song of Solomon and Beloved, gets the feature-length documentary treatment thanks to filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. And who better to discuss Toni Morrison than Toni Morrison, who appears here to relive her childhood, tell anecdotes about her life, and consider her legacy. Shot just months before she passed away, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am is a powerful and affecting portrait of a true literary legend. (read full review).

Get Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am showtimes in London.

 

Military Wives

Based on the BBC series The Choir, feel good comedy Military Wives has all the broad gags, good music, and endearing performances you'd expect from a film helmed by director Peter Cattaneo, who also gave us Oscar-winner The Fully Monty. Kristen Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan star as two bickering teachers at a community choir for women whose husbands are in Afghanistan. They spend most of the movie arguing over whether to sing pop or classic, but endearingly so (read full review).

Get Military Wives showtimes in London.

 

The Photograph

There is a rule which states that Lakeith Stanfield is good in everything, and The Photograph, despite being a change of pace for the talented actor, is no exception to that rule. Here the Get Out and Knives Out star plays a reporter who is writing an article on the deceased mother of a young woman and curator, played by Issa Rae. The resulting love story, spanning multiple generations, makes for an intoxicating viewing experience that's fuelled by some killer chemistry (read full review).

Get The Photograph showtimes in London.

 

Escape from Pretoria

Daniel Radcliffe continues to build his bizarre filmography with South African-set prison drama Escape from Pretoria, based on a true-life story of anti-apartheid activists Tim Jenkin and Stephen Lee. Radcliffe, who appears to delight in taking on the most unlikely movie projects in wake of Harry Potter, is near unrecognisable as the bearded Jenkin. He stars alongside actor Daniel Webber in this gripping film about the duo's harebrained scheme to escape captivity (read full review).

Get Escape from Pretoria showtimes in London.

Still in Cinemas

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Céline Sciamma has been gifting us with wonderful films for years (Water Lilies, Girlhood). Her latest, the unforgettably named Portrait of a Lady on Fire, might be her first masterpiece. Set in 18th century France, it tells the story of Marianne (Noémie Merlant), who is hired to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) so that it can be used to attract a potential suitor. But the relationship between artist and subject creates a place for a sensual kind of love to blossom; the resulting film is endlessly gripping, tender, alight with passion, and not to be missed (read full review).

Get Portrait of a Lady on Fire showtimes in London.

 

Dark Waters

Todd Haynes – Far from Heaven, Wonderstuck – isn't the first filmmaker you tend to think of when you hear the words “murky procedural about the DuPont cover-up.” Yet he lends his auteur's sensibility and trademark style (see: Carol) in order to elevate what could have made for otherwise standard fare. Mark Ruffalo stars as real life lawyer Robert Bilott, who sets about to uncover the truth about DuPont's shady water-poisoning practices. It's a film designed to thrill and infuriate in equal measure – and it succeeds brilliantly at both (read full review).

Get Dark Waters showtimes in London.

 

The Invisible Man

Just when it seemed like HG Wells' classic novel had run its course as far as filmic adaptations were concerned, writer-director Leigh Whannell (he of Saw and Upgrade) delivers a brilliantly smart and timely take on this well-worn material, cleverly reshaping the narrative for the #MeToo era. Elisabeth Moss – always fantastic – stars as the former partner of a controlling billionaire who may or may not be traumatising her from beyond the grave after an apparent suicide. A real workout for the eyes (read full review).

Get The Invisible Man showtimes in London.

 

True History of the Kelly Gang

Earlier this year George MacKay established himself as an actor to watch in Sam Mendes' World War I thriller 1917; he returns here with an even better performance as the infamous Australian outlaw and gunslinger Ned Kelly, in a stylish and violent adaptation of Peter Carey's award-winning novel. Justin Kurzel, who disappointed with his adaptation of Assassin's Creed, seems to have found his footing with this one. Russell Crowe co-stars (read full review).

Get True History of the Kelly Gang showtimes in London.

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