Our guide to the most exciting movies coming this March.
With the Oscar bait out of the way and still a couple of months before summer blockbuster season kicks off, it's that time of year when some of the more interesting, if less publicised films come our way.
Here are our picks for the most intriguing movies coming to UK/ROI cinemas this March.
Foxtrot
This Israeli military drama from director Samuel Maoz has rubbed up his country's authorities for its cynical portrayal of the Israeli Defence Forces. Foxtrot follows a group of young IDF soldiers who attempt to cover up the killing of four Palestinian children, with Maoz indulging in surreal sequences and even dance numbers to tell his story.
In cinemas March 1st.
Sauvage
Writer/director Camille Vidal-Naquet's feature debut boasts an acclaimed turn from actor Félix Maritaud as a rent-bot on a journey to find love. Vidal-Naquet refuses to impose any moralising on his subject, making his protagonist all the more empathetic.
In cinemas March 1st.
The Hole in the Ground
The latest in an impressive wave of Irish horror movies stars an excellent Seána Kerslake as a young mother who begins to suspect her son may not be the child she gave birth to. Director Lee Cronin draws from multiple sources but makes up for any lack of originality with a skillfully rendered piece of genre filmmaking that favours slow burn suspense over jump scares.
In cinemas March 1st.
Everybody Knows
Iranian double Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi makes his Spanish language debut with this meaty thriller in which a teenage girl is kidnapped during a wedding. Farhadi applies the same depth of characterisation to this more genre oriented piece as you would expect from the intimate dramas he's known for, and the film boasts outstanding turns from its ensemble cast, including Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
In cinemas March 8th.
The Kindergarten Teacher
A remake of a 2014 Israeli film, The Kindergarten Teacher stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as the titular educator, who crosses a line when she becomes obsessed with ensuring one of her young pupils reaches his potential as a budding poet.
In cinemas March 8th.
Us
Jordan Peele follows up his acclaimed horror satire Get Out with a movie whose trailer has caused the internet to surmise it may secretly be a sequel to that movie, though Peele has said his new film is a more straight up horror movie than his debut. Lupita Nyong'o stars as a woman who finds herself and her family menaced by their doppelgangers.
In cinemas March 22nd.
3 Faces
Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi continues to defy the filmmaking ban imposed by his country's authorities with 3 Faces, the fourth movie he has managed to direct while under the ban. The film follows Panahi and actress Behnaz Jafari as they seek to help a young girl who wishes to leave her conservative family and pursue an acting career.
In cinemas March 29th.
Lords of Chaos
Director Jonas Åkerlund's film details the notorious story of the deadly rivalry between Norwegian Black Metal bands Mayhem and Burzum. Suicide, murder and church burnings ensue. The very non-Norwegian Rory Culkin and Emory Cohen play the rival band leaders.
In cinemas March 29th.
Out of Blue
Martin Amis’s 1997 novel 'Night Train' gets the cinematic treatment courtesy of director Carol Morley (The Falling). Patricia Clarkson stars in this New Orleans set noir as a cop struggling with alcoholism who becomes increasingly disturbed while investigating the murder of a young woman.
In cinemas March 29th.
Winterlong
This low-budget British drama from writer/director David Jackson stars Harper Jackson as a teenage boy sent to live with his estranged father (Francis Magee), who has shunned society for a life of solitude. Just when the father and son are beginning to bond, a terrible accident occurs.
In cinemas March 29th.