Our guide to the most interesting movies coming to UK/ROI cinemas this August.
Review by Eric Hillis
Oddly light on traditional summer blockbuster fare, August 2019 instead offers us a host of new films from cult directors like Alexandre Aja and Quentin Tarantino; arthouse faves Kirill Serebrennikov, Pedro Almodovar and Christian Petzold; while women filmmakers are represented with new films by Joanna Hogg, Gurinder Chadha and one hell of a debut by Isabella Eklöf.
Holiday
Swedish writer/director Isabella Eklöf delivers a fresh and gripping take on the traditionally male dominated gangster genre. Holiday stars Victoria Carmen Sonne as a young woman who occupies the dual roles of drug mule and trophy girlfriend for a sadistic Danish mobster. Trouble begins brewing when she attracts the attention of a handsome Dutch tourist while holidaying in Turkey.
In cinemas August 2nd.
Photograph
After a brief stint in the UK and US with The Sense of an Ending and Our Souls at Night respectively, breakout Indian director Ritesh Batra returns to his homeland for a sentimental romance in the vein of his acclaimed debut The Lunchbox. Photograph stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as a photographer who convinces a young woman (Sanya Malhotra) to pose as his girlfriend when his grandmother pays a visit to Mumbai.
In cinemas August 2nd.
Blinded by the Light
Based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s memoir 'Greetings From Bury Park', director Gurinder Chadha's Blinded by the Light takes us back to 1987 where a British-Asian teenager (Viveik Kalra) falls in love with the music of Bruce Springsteen while negotiating his overbearing family and avoiding the attention of racist skinheads.
In cinemas August 9th.
Opus Zero
Daniel Graham's directorial debut stars Willem Dafoe as a composer who travels to a remote Mexican village where his father recently passed away. There he finds himself embroiled in the mystery of a young woman's disappearance.
In cinemas August 9th.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino's latest takes us back to the end of the 1960s as a fading actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stuntman (Brad Pitt) find themselves caught up in the impending murder of Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) at the hands of the Manson family. The all-star ensemble cast also boasts Kurt Russell, Al Pacino and Dakota Fanning.
In cinemas August 14th.
Leto
Director Kirill Serebrennikov (The Student) tells the story of the rock scene in 1980s Leningrad. A mix of biopic and jukebox musical, Leto might be the feelgood movie of the summer, and you'll be downloading Soviet era rock tunes as soon you leave the cinema.
In cinemas August 16th.
Transit
Transit sees German filmmaker Christian Petzold (Phoenix) recontextualise Anna Seghers' World War II novel of the same name in the modern world, with German Nazi troops rolling into contemporary France. Victoria's Franz Rogowski plays a refugee attempting to depart Marseille for Mexico, with Frantz's Paula Beer as the mysterious woman whose allure threatens to derail his plans.
In cinemas August 16th.
Crawl
We've had tornadoes filled with sharks; now it's time for a flood filled with alligators. That's the premise of Crawl, the latest thriller from director Alexandre Aja (Piranha 3D, The Hills Have Eyes). Kaya Scodelario stars as a young woman who battles a rising waterline and a host of hungry gators during a Florida storm.
In cinemas August 23rd.
Pain and Glory
Pedro Almodóvar's 21st feature film, Pain and Glory, might be his most personal yet as it tells the story of a filmmaker (Antonio Banderas) recalling the key events of his life as he struggles with his deteriorating physical condition. Almodóvar's long-time muse Penelope Cruz also stars.
In cinemas August 23rd.
The Souvenir
A critical hit when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year, The Souvenir, the latest from writer-director Joanna Hogg (Exhibition; Archipelago), sees Tilda Swinton appear alongside her daughter, Honor Swinton Byrne. The latter plays a young artist who falls for an attractive but untrustworthy man (Tom Burke) in this first instalment of a two-part story based on Hogg's own experiences.
In cinemas August 30th.
"Pedro Almodóvar infuses his story with a painful universality."— 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕄𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕎𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕣.𝕔𝕠𝕞 🎬 (@themoviewaffler) July 23, 2019
PAIN AND GLORY is in UK/ROI cinemas August 23rd.
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