Our picks of the new releases coming to UK/ROI cinemas and VOD in December.
Words by Eric Hillis
December is usually dominated by commercial fare, but this year surprisingly offers a healthy crop of arthouse treats alongside the family fare, with new films from such acclaimed auteurs as Alfonso Cuarón, Jean-Luc Godard and Lars von Trier sitting alongside a remake of a Disney classic.
Here are our picks of the 10 most most intriguing movies coming to UK/ROI cinemas and VOD this December.
The Image Book
Jean-Luc Godard's latest Molotov movie probes the role cinema has played in world history through a film essay that assembles a collage of images that covers everything from Michael Bay to real life terrorist atrocities.
In cinemas on December 2nd and on Mubi from December 3rd.
Sorry to Bother You
Musician Boots Riley makes his directorial debut with this absurdist satire. Lakeith Stanfield is a struggling telemarketer who finds himself torn between becoming a part of his company's murky underworld or joining an activist group. Tessa Thompson and Armie Hammer also star.
The Old Man & the Gun
Following the diversions of Pete's Dragon and A Ghost Story, director David Lowery returns to the territory he explored in his 2013 gem Ain't Them Bodies Saints, examining American masculinity's place in the modern world once again in The Old Man & the Gun. Robert Redford is the old man in question, an aging criminal who embarks on a robbery spree in his seventies.
In cinemas December 7th.
Lizzie
The story of axe murderer Lizzie Borden is reexamined in director Craig William Macneill's Lizzie, which stars Chloë Sevigny in the title role and focusses on Borden's relationship with her family's maid (Kristen Stewart).
An Elephant Sitting Still
The debut feature of Chinese director Hu Bo is sadly also his last, as he ended his life following its completion. Set over a single day, An Elephant Sitting Still follows four characters, all suffering their own existential crises, who set off on a journey to find an elephant said to be located in a Northern Chinese city.
In cinemas December 14th.
Roma
No Netflix original has received as much critical attention as Alfonso Cuarón's latest film, described by many as the director's masterpiece. Set in the titular Mexico City neighbourhood, Roma is inspired by Cuarón's childhood and follows the travails of a middle class family in the 1970s.
In select cinemas November 29th and on Netflix December 14th.
The House That Jack Built
Controversial filmmaker Lars von Trier continues to ruffle feathers with The House That Jack Built, which provoked a mass walkout at its Cannes premiere back in May due to its graphic violence. Matt Dillon is the eponymous Jack, a 1970s serial killer who views his homicidal hobby as a form of art.
In cinemas December 14th.
1985
Much recent nostalgia has focussed on the 1980s, but Yen Tan's 1985 looks at the darker aspects of the decade - the AIDS crisis and the rise of Christian fundamentalism - through the story of a young gay man who returns to his hometown and struggles to break the news of his deteriorating condition to his family.
Bird Box
This post-apocalyptic thriller stars Sandra Bullock as a mother who takes her children on a perilous journey to safety in the wake of an event that destroys much of the world's population. The twist is that the journey must be made blindfolded. Susanne Bier directs.
On Netflix December 21st.
Mary Poppins Returns
1964's Mary Poppins is so beloved that it's taken over half a century for Disney to dare to reboot their property. If anyone can take the umbrella from Julie Andrews it's Emily Blunt, who headlines a movie that seems made for her brand of charm. A sequel rather than a remake, Mary Poppins Returns sees the eponymous nanny return 25 years after the events of the first film.
In cinemas December 21st.