Drama

Essential

TV 

Liar on ITV: The emotional thriller examining gender, family life, and the consequences of deceit...

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Buoyed by a dazzling Judi Dench, Victoria and Abdul is a retelling of the queen’s real-life intense friendship with an Indian servant which is charming to a fault

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Set in a small Syrian apartment as war rages outside, Insyriated strives to make a big impact but falls a little short of the mark

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn deserve better than this tin-eared adaptation of the David Harrower play Blackbird

Must See

The best films out in September include Bill Nighy's brilliant muder-mystery and Jennifer Lawrence's surreal horror

Essential

Cinema 

Detroit is a harsh, uneasy thriller by one of the genre's best directors

Preview

Cinema 

Carrie, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Shining are among the classic King films being screened throughout September

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Dark Night is a deeply thoughtful film about modern America but one without a clear social conscience

Features

As with all gripping dramas based on true stories, Detroit isn't a straightforward viewing experience

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Final Portrait, about the experience of sitting for a Giacometti painting, is a good likeness artfully composed

Must See

Here's our pick of the best films out now in London's cinemas

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

'Tom of Finland' drew joyous, taboo-busting gay cartoons, and this biopic tells his story

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

A coming-out and coming-of-age story set in Yorkshire, God’s Own Country has the kind of rough surface grit that indicates real inner tenderness.

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

The Ghoul has an interesting and frightening idea somewhere inside it, but is it worth seeking out?

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Land of Mine has a terrible punning title, but a brilliant heart-stopping premise

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Hound of Love is a deeply unpleasant film justified by its clever depiction of a dysfunctional relationship

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

The Wall should be a taut, uber-tense chamber-piece with great performances. It's not

Features

The Big Sick, arriving in cinemas this weekend, is a romantic comedy film that manages to feel interesting and new. Fortunately, it's not the only one of its kind...

Must See

The best films out in August include the new Kathryn Bigelow movie starring John Boyega, and a story of war to rival Dunkirk

Essential

Cinema 

The Big Sick feels like a perfect balance between sincerity and snarkiness, a very contemporary rom-com along the lines of Man Down and In a World

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Dunkirk is, amongst other things, an efficient device for giving you anxiety. It's also glorious

Tried and Tested

Best of 

Netflix's latest film, To The Bone offers a misguided portrayal of an anorexic 20 year old. But it isn't all bad...

Features

The Beguiled is that strange thing: a Civil War movie with exclusively white characters. But that's just because it's a Sofia Coppola film

Essential

Cinema 

Song to Song is, unfortunately, further proof that Terrance Malick needs to have a bit of a lie down

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

The Midwife is a pleasant French-language with a vivid performance from Catherine Deneuve

Preview

Cinema 

The Beguiled has some wicked fun with its lust-drenched Civil War story

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Alone in Berlin is a harrowing telling of the true story of Otto and Elise Hampel, who resisted the Nazi regime in the German capital

Must See

The best films out in July include a star-studded Terrance Malick movie and a slice of gothic madness by Sophia Coppola

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

My Cousin Rachel is an engrossing adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel starring Rachel Weisz and Sam Claflin

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Norman can be a little humdrum as a drama, but it's can boast a compelling central performance from Richard Gere

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

Berlin Syndrome showcases director Cate Shortland's knack for detail, but it's not a patch on her previous film

Tried and Tested

Cinema 

After the Storm is a tender slice-of-life story with no shortage of nuance