Our guide to the most interesting movies coming to UK/ROI screens in September.
This September brings us an essential examination of grief through a Swedish folk-horror lens, the Netflix debuts of cult filmmakers Antonio Campos and Charlie Kaufman, and an energetic biopic of an electrical pioneer.
Here are the 10 September UK/ROI releases that have caught our attention.
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
With a style that's the very antithesis of crowd-pleasing, writer/director Charlie Kaufman has struggled to find funding for his projects, but as with so many auteurs in recent years, he's found a home at Netflix for his latest film. Inspired by the novel by Iain Reid, I'm Thinking of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley as a young woman who begins to question her existence while on a trip to visit the parents (David Thewlis and Toni Collette) of her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons).
On Netflix September 4th.
Les Misérables
No, it's not another adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel but rather a movie that borrows its revolutionary spirit. Writer/director Ladj Ly's film stars Damien Bonnard as Stéphane, a rural cop who relocates to Paris and is paired up with volatile cop Chris (Alexis Manenti) and his long-suffering partner Gwada (Djebril Zonga). When the latter accidentally shoots a young boy with his flash gun, Stéphane finds himself torn between doing the right thing and sticking by his colleagues, who attempt to cover up the incident. In the wake of a summer of social protest, it's a timely release.
In cinemas September 4th.
Socrates
In this Brazilian social realism drama from director Alexandre Moratto, newcomer Christian Malheiros plays the titular Socrates, a teenage boy from a poor São Paulo slum who struggles with his homosexuality against an unsupportive backdrop. Supported by Unicef, the film was made using a crew of 16-20-year-olds from low-income households in the deprived Santista region of São Paulo. Socrates was originally set for a home release in August but is now making its way into cinemas.
In cinemas and VOD September 4th.
Koko-di Koko-da
Swedish writer/director Johannes Nyholm's Koko-Di Koko-Da is an initially nightmarish yet ultimately inspiring slice of folk-horror that revolves around a couple (Leif Edlund Johansson and Ylva Gallon) who embark on a trip to the backwoods in hopes of repairing their ailing relationship in the wake of their daughter's death. Things take a terrifying, surreal turn when a sinister sideshow artist (Peter Belli) subjects them to a Groundhog Day style repeating loop. An essential examination of grief like nothing else you'll see this year.
On VOD and blu-ray September 7th.
The Roads Not Taken
The latest from acclaimed British filmmaker Sally Potter stars Elle Fanning as Molly, a young woman learning to cope with her father Leo's (Javier Bardem) increasingly fragile mental state. Meanwhile Leo retreats into memories of two past relationships which may or may not have occurred.
In cinemas September 11th.
The Devil All the Time
One of the most exciting filmmakers to emerge over the last decade is Antonio Campos, who with his films Afterschool, Simon Killer and Christine, has given us chilling studies of disturbed minds. Now he's turned to an adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock's novel The Devil All the Time. Set in mid 20th century Ohio, the film sees a young man (Tom Holland) battling the evil forces that control his small town. The all-star cast also includes Bill Skarsgård, Riley Keough, Jason Clarke, Sebastian Stan, Mia Wasikowska and Robert Pattinson.
On Netflix September 16th.
Nocturnal
With his roles in Calm With Horses and Lady Macbeth, Cosmo Jarvis has established himself as one of the most interesting British actors to arrive in recent years. In director Nathalie Biancheri's Nocturnal, Jarvis plays a handyman at a windswept Yorkshire coastal town who becomes involved with a lonely teenage pupil (Lauren Coe).
In cinemas and VOD September 18th.
Rocks
Director Sarah Gavron assembles arguably the year's finest acting ensemble with a bunch of non-professional teenage girls for this London set drama. What sounds like a tough watch - a teenager is left to fend for herself and her young brother when her mentally troubled mother disappears - is actually one of the feelgood movies of 2020 thanks to a refreshingly rare positive portrayal of working class Britain.
In cinemas September 18th.
Tesla
The biopic is arguably the least tempting of genres, but writer/director Michael Almereyda's tribute to electrical pioneer Nikola Tesla (Ethan Hawke) fittingly crackles with energy. Almereyda makes some leftfield choices - integrating anachronistic byproducts of Tesla's genius like smartphones and techno music, and having the story narrated subjectively by Tesla's lover (Eve Hewson) - that make this stand out from the crowded biopic field.
On VOD September 21st.
Monsoon
Rising star Henry Golding headlines this drama from writer/director Hong Khaou. Golding plays a young British man who returns to his birth country of Vietnam to scatter his parents' ashes. There he reconnects with his family while falling for an American (Parker Sawyers).
In cinemas and VOD September 25th.
— The Movie Waffler (@themoviewaffler) August 24, 2020