Strong injury detail

For all their abundant style, the films of Wes Anderson are always weighted with character depth. For his latest film, Anderson once again welcomes audiences into a world that no other filmmaker could create.

Benicio del Toro stars as a derring-do millionaire called Zsa-zsa Korda, who has survived six plane crashes and fathered nine sons and one daughter, a nun called Liesel played by Mia Threapleton.

They embark on a quest with tutor Bjorn Lund (Michael Cera) to secure the future of his business ventures, encountering characters such as Uncle Nubar (Benedict Cumberbatch), Excaliber (Rupert Friend) and Richard Ayoade’s freedom fighter. The usual stacked cast of Anderson regulars include: Mathieu Amalric, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston and Jeffrey Wright.

Anderson’s style hit its unique stride with The Royal Tenenbaums, and from there on has only been obsessively accentuated, controlled, these last 25 years. Those who found his previous two films (The French Dispatch, Asteroid City) to perhaps be a little too dour in their approach, will find this to be a welcoming jolt of fun; more in line with Grand Budapest Hotel’s zany antics

Infrequent strong language, moderate sex, drug misuse

This uplifting film about a couple who embark on a long coastal walk after becoming homeless, is a breath of fresh, sea air.

Based on the bestselling memoir of husband and wife, Raynor and Moth

Winn’s (Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson) 630-mile trek along the beautiful but rugged Cornish, Devon and Dorset Coastline. Once farmers, they lost their home and their livelihood after a bad investment by Moth. Rather than wallow in their misfortune, they both pack up what belongings they have, and hit the road to Land’s End, to simply walk the coastal path and make the trail their home.

If it couldn’t get any more heartbreaking, Raynor is diagnosed with a terminal neurodegenerative disease. They make the desperate decision to walk in the hope that, in nature, they will find solace. With depleted resources, only a tent and some essentials between them, every step along the path is a testament to their growing strength and determination.

The Salt Path is a journey that is challenging, and liberating in equal measure. A portrayal of home, how it can be lost and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.

Moderate violence, injury detail, threat, language

As the title suggests, this is the last mission for Tom Cruise’s flagship series, and after three decades of thrilling high-wire acts, we’re closing out with some of the craziest stunt-work to date.

With his doughty team including Grace (Hayley Atwell), Luther (Ving Rhames) and Benji (Simon Pegg), Ethan Hunt (Cruise) must now confront the sinister AI brain named “the Entity”, the ultimate MacGuffin-slash-baddie which is undermining truth all over the world with lies and deep-fakes, setting nuclear power against nuclear power And to stop it, Ethan has to take the low-tech “cruciform key” he salvaged in the last film and apply it to the device which is on board a wrecked Russian submarine, somewhere on the seabed.

For all of Cruise-as-Hunt’s godlike powers, the actor is especially willing here to slip and slide around the place like he’s been touched by the grace of Buster Keaton. Whether it’s tumbling around in a sinking sub, or hanging off the wing of a bi-plane as it throttles through a canyon, he’s always willing to accept the greatest mission of all: to entertain.

Moderate violence, injury detail, language

Four decades have passed since Mr Miyagi taught a young boy how to catch flies with chopsticks, and the series has now become a legend in itself.

This long-coming legacy sequel is set three years after the events of Cobra Kai (the TV series, which itself was a continuation of the original films). After a family tragedy, kung-fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang) is uprooted from his home in Beijing and forced to move to New York City with his mother. Li struggles to let go of his past as he tries to fit in with his new classmates, and although he doesn't want to fight, trouble seems to find him everywhere.

When a new friend seeks his help, Li enters a karate competition — but his skills alone aren’t enough. Li’s kung-fu teacher Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, channeling Pat Morita) enlists the original karate kid, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) for help, and Li learns a new way to fight, merging their two styles into one for the ultimate martial arts showdown. Strap in for some high-flying, kung-fu fun.

(Subtitled) Strong language, sex, sex references

Writer/director Laura Piani’s sweet film is a French romantic comedy with an English twist, brimming with charm and literary allusions that readers are going to adore.

Agathe (Camille Rutherford) works at the famous Shakespeare & Co bookshop in Paris, though she secretly hopes to one day publish her own novel. She’s not into dating apps and prefers to believe that she’ll simply run into the man of her dreams in real life. Her cute colleague, Felix (Pablo Pauly), isn’t that principled — or is it delusional? — and sleeps around, though he also spends a suspicious amount of time at Agathe’s cramped apartment. When Agathe is awarded a stay at an exclusive retreat for writers, she not only finds the creativity to finally begin putting her ideas on paper, but also a bit of romance.

Presented as a lighthearted farce, complete with characters stepping (naked) through the wrong doors and a tense cross-country ride, in which Agathe complains in French (not realising her companion speaks the language), the film is at once old-fashioned and refreshingly, realistically up to date in its take on modern courtship.

Steve Coogan and one defiant penguin charm their way through Argentina’s dark chapter in this quietly affecting, oddly irresistible true story.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo and written by Jeff Pope, The Penguin Lessons is based on Tom Michell’s popular memoir and delivers an unexpected mix of warmth, wit and political undercurrents.

Set in 1976, the film follows Tom, an English teacher at an elite Argentine boarding school, whose sterile life is upended when he rescues a small, oil-slicked Magellanic penguin while vacationing in Uruguay. What begins as an impulsive act to impress a glamorous woman quickly spirals into something deeper. Unable to release the bird (soon named Juan Salvador), Tom sneaks him back to school, where their unlikely bond begins to change not only Tom, but those around him.

Coogan brings understated charm and emotional nuance to a character who in other hands might’ve felt too familiar. His chemistry with the scene-stealing penguin is disarmingly sincere. Juan Salvador becomes more than a companion, he’s a quiet mirror to the surrounding unrest and Tom’s own guarded heart.

With surprising depth and impact, this is a waddling delight

.Stylish and sharply executed, this high-octane sidequel expands the John Wick universe with icy elegance, immersive set-pieces and a heroine driven by grief and fury.

Director Len Wiseman (Underworld) showcases the franchise’s signature world-building, eye-catching combat and deadly glamour, with Ana de Armas stepping confidently into the lead.

The story follows Eve, trained from childhood as both dancer and assassin after witnessing the murder of her father. Now an adult, she sets out to find his killer, threatening a fragile truce between rival underworld factions. Along the way, she crosses paths with Norman Reedus’s weary guide, the ever-imposing Director (Anjelica Huston), and, inevitably, John Wick himself. With every step, carnage erupts. And Eve will need to face the truth of who she is before she can find justice.

The film’s emotional undercurrent is understated, but de Armas grounds the action. Visually, it’s a feast, from ice-drenched nightclubs to a fiery flamethrower showdown, while every fight is meticulously choreographed for maximum impact.

Confidently treading familiar Wick ground, Ballerina is delivered with precision and flair and its themes of vengeance and identity hit home with quiet power. A sleek revenge thriller

A generous blend of goofy charm and family values, this live-action adaptation channels the affectionate chaos of its animated predecessor with charming energy.

College-age Nani (Agudong) navigates the danger of losing guardianship over spirited little sister Lilo (Kealoha), just as mischievous alien Stitch crash-lands nearby, pursued by two hapless handlers (Galifianakis and Magnussen) who are trying to contain him. When Lilo discovers Stitch, they of course become inseparable. Bound together by their mischievous natures, they set about causing pandemonium everywhere they go, only adding to the trouble they're already in. And now CIA operative Cobra is snooping around as well.

It’s great fun. Agudong and Kealoha share genuine chemistry, anchoring the mayhem with tenderness and loyalty. They, plus Stitch, form the true beating heart of the film.

Disney’s live-action remakes continue to provoke mixed responses. The recent Snow White debacle fell flat for many, criticised for tone, CGI choices, and lack of cohesion. Yet when a remake honours its core through solid performances and heartfelt intent, it shines. This Lilo & Stitch doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but when it focuses on genuine family bonds, it earns its place among the better live-action adaptations

Hard-hitting but not without hope, this is David Attenborough’s most urgent and personal documentary in years, a breathtaking wake-up call that demands to be seen.

Leaving behind the BBC, Attenborough pulls no punches as he takes aim at the industrial fishing giants devastating marine ecosystems. With trademark clarity and compassion, he guides us through the wonders of the deep, from shimmering coral reefs to towering undersea mountain ranges, revealing a world of staggering beauty and biodiversity.

But this is also a departure. Gone are the gentle narratives of survival and family. Instead, awe-inspiring visuals are paired with with sharp, unflinching truths. When the camera shifts from thriving habitats to the mechanical devastation of trawlers, the contrast is gut-wrenching.

Attenborough avoids vague calls to recycle and instead squarely blames governments and corporations for ocean collapse. Yet, amid the anger, hope flickers. Marine life rebounds when given space. Real change is possible, he insists, and urgently needed.

Attenborough’s deep well of experience, emotional candour, and unmistakable voice make Ocean not just essential viewing, but a powerful, rallying cry. At  97, he is still showing us the world and, crucially, how to save it.

(Subtitled)

Laurent Tirard’s fun and frothy French comedy sees a peloton of nuns race for renovation of their dilapidated hospice.

When the local nursing home is on the brink of collapse, it falls to Mother Veronique (Valérie Bonneton) and the five quirky sisters of the St. Benedict convent to find a solution. Their big break comes when they spot a poster for a bike race offering a €25,000 cash prize and a trip to the Vatican for the winner. It seems like the perfect opportunity, but there's one major problem: none of the sisters are skilled cyclists. To make matters worse, their rival convent, led by Mother Veronique's childhood nemesis, Mother Josephine (Sidse Babett Knudsen), has their own plans for the prize money. But as they say, God works in mysterious ways.

Tirard, a versatile filmmaker with a talent for balancing lighthearted narratives with emotional depth, died at the age of 57 last September following a long illness. Here, the stunning landscapes of France’s Jura region provide a beautiful backdrop for his final film, a heartfelt and uplifting tale of resilience, camaraderie, and faith.

Steven Soderbergh and writer David Koepp have made a delicious spy film that features gadgets, guns and glamour, but also leans heavily into marital melodrama.

Thirteen years into his “retirement”, Soderbergh is still cranking out one cracking film after the next, this time it’s a London-set, John le Carré-esque caper. We follow the turtlenecked George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), an icy operative in a British espionage agency. George’s boss, played by Pierce Brosnan (in surely a nod to 007), tasks him with discovering who has leaked to the Russians an important security device, and weed out the traitor.

George, with his fellow agent and wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett) host a dinner party for the suspects, who are to be covertly fed a truth drug which results in a outpouring of suspicious craziness from: Clarissa (Marisa Abela), Zoe (Naomie Harris), James (Regé-Jean Page) and Freddie (Tom Burke). But what if Kathryn, to whom George is so eternally devoted, is the rat?

This is a richly rewarding thriller, which applies Soderbergh’s well-trodden heist mechanics to espionage with slickly rewarding results. If you’ve been enjoying the recent Slow Horses series in particular, this is an unmissable experience.

A haunting southern gothic brimming with soul

and style.

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is a thrilling and deeply atmospheric blend of supernatural horror and Southern blues, delivering a genre-defying tale rich in emotion.

Set in the 1930s American South, the story follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (both played by Michael B. Jordan), who return to their hometown seeking atonement for past sins. But their homecoming quickly spirals into a chilling confrontation with a malevolent force tied to the region’s cursed musical roots.

With themes of redemption, legacy, and the darkness that lingers within us, the film strikes a perfect harmony between haunting narrative and electrifying spectacle.

Jordan delivers an effortless dual performance, shifting between the brothers’ complexities with grit and charisma. Hailee Steinfeld transforms in a strikingly mature role as Mary, while newcomer Miles Caton makes a powerful debut. Coogler’s direction is bold, magnetic, and brimming with energy. Alive with rhythm, dread, and defiant joy, it’s a soul-stirring and stylish ride.

Ben Affleck returns as Christian Wolff in this smart, stylish sequel that leans into its offbeat charm to deliver plenty of action with unexpected heart.

Picking up eight years after the first film, Christian is drawn back into the fray when a cryptic message from a former ally leads him to a missing family and a dangerous trafficking ring. Reuniting with Treasury agent Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) and his estranged brother Braxton (Jon Bernthal), Christian once again blends precision accounting with deadly combat. The chemistry between Affleck and Bernthal is a highlight.

Their mismatched brotherly bond adds warmth, humour, and a surprising emotional core. Bernthal’s punchy energy balances Affleck’s cool intensity, while a sharp, likeable supporting cast deepens the story while keeping the thrills coming.

From pizza parlour money-laundering schemes to a honky-tonk dance floor in Texas, things are kept fresh, fun and occasionally funny without losing any edge. It moves quickly but doesn’t forget to slow down for the emotional beats, giving the action and character moments room to breathe. A solid, confident and consistently entertaining ride.

(Subtitled)

Paolo Sorrentino’s (2012) film is a withering portrait of the city of Rome and one sceptical inhabitant of its la dolce vita.

As Jep Gambardella (Sorrentino regular Toni Servillo – Il Divo, Consequences of Love and now Loro) celebrates his 65th birthday, he thinks back on his life, which has also been the life of the city, and realises he has spent most of it searching on the rooftops and in the gutters for what he calls La Grande Bellezza: The Great Beauty.

Aristocratic ladies, social climbers, politicians, high-flying criminals, journalists, actors, decadent nobles, artists and intellectuals, whether authentic or presumed, attend parties at antique palaces, immense villas and the most beautiful terraces in the city.

“Pure couture cinema” (Guardian)

 “No night-stalking tribute to Italian cinema. Servillo’s super-dry presence creates a most pungent screen character” (Sight&Sound) (research Anna Shepherd 2012)

Sorrentino plays with Rome’s Mellenial ego. A mass of interlocked facts, characters and anecdotes casts an eye over the marble palaces and terraces stalked by the beautiful hedonists of Berlusconi’s era

Startling in its originality, and breathtaking in its vibe. It is unashamedly art-house and unapologetically Italian. Here once. Don’t miss it for either world.

Moderate bad language

A bittersweet, folk-tinged tale of missed connections, old wounds and the odd note of hope.

Tim Key plays Charles, a socially awkward lottery winner living in self-imposed exile on a remote island, nursing old wounds with vinyl records and wistful memories. His solace comes in the form of a long-disbanded folk duo, Herb (Tom Basden) and Nell (Carey Mulligan), whose music once scored his happiest days. With a suitcase full of cash, he hatches a quietly madcap plan: reunite them for a private concert, each under the impression the other won't be there.

Writers and co-stars Key and Basden strike a fine balance between heartfelt emotion and well-timed comedy. As the embittered Herb, Basden gives a wonderfully weary performance opposite Mulligan’s Nell, whose arrival complicates everything. Their shared songs, written by Basden, carry the ache of things left unsaid, while Charles’ well-meaning manipulation adds a touch of chaos.

Director James Griffiths allows these odd dynamics to unfold with warmth and restraint, finding emotional depth beneath the film’s charming eccentricities. Gently funny, wistful and often unexpectedly wise, it’s a clear message that not all love stories are about staying together. Some are about letting go with grace.

A lone, wide-eyed cat journeys through a flood-ravaged world in Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis’ stunning animated odyssey.

Chased by a pack of dogs, our furry feline is soon swept away by rising waters and finds refuge on a drifting sailboat, already inhabited by a capybara. Along the journey, it encounters a golden retriever, a lemur and a flock of cranes, each with its own survival instincts. As they form an unlikely pack, the film subtly reflects on humanity’s environmental impact, evident in abandoned homes and a sunken city. The animals, though natural enemies, learn to cooperate and save one another, offering a pointed message about unity and the need for mutual support in times of crisis.

Painstakingly crafted over five-and-a-half years, Flow is a visual marvel, awash with breathtaking visuals, intricate design work and gorgeous animation. Immersive environments and authentic animal sounds underpin a beautiful, haunting score that conjures a timeless, fable-like quality that is such a precious luxury in the world of animation.

This year’s winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, it’s a wonderful reminder of what can be done with the medium.

John Badham's iconic dance drama continues to light up the screen as it jives it’s way towards its 50th anniversary.

Tony Manero, a working-class young man in Brooklyn, escapes the monotony of his life by dominating the dance floor at the local disco. As the pulsating beats of disco music take centre stage, Tony's journey becomes a metaphor for the hopes and dreams of a generation seeking an escape from their everyday struggles.

John Travolta's iconic performance is a tour de force. Coupled with some killer dance moves is a compelling portrayal of Tony that took the actors raw talent and charisma from relative obscurity to superstardom.

Through Travolta and the film's unforgettable soundtrack, the film also became a pop culture sensation, catapulting disco into the mainstream and transforming the Bee Gees into pop royalty. Their contribution is nothing short of legendary. Songs like "Stayin' Alive," "How Deep Is Your Love," and "Night Fever" not only became chart-topping hits but also synonymous with the film itself. But Saturday Night Fever was never just about disco vibes; it's a real look at the human need for connection, expression and a break from the everyday grind. A true classic.

(Partially Subtitled)

Celeste Dalla Porta delivers a dynamic lead performance in Paolo Sorrentino’s beguiling and exquisite Italian drama.

We follow Parthenope (Dalla Porta), a woman of such great beauty that people stop and stare (Gary Oldman’s character says that her looks will open doors and start wars). She is from a well-off Neapolitan background who is haunted by a tragic incident in her past, when her two older brothers were both incestuously obsessed by her beauty.

Now she is destined to be an academic anthropologist, as her professor (Silvio Orlando) is profoundly impressed by her intellectual brilliance. He himself is a shy, divorced man living with his son, who is unseen and evidently has some kind of burdensome medical condition.

Along the way, a family tragedy sends her emotionally adrift, and as she’s ushered toward becoming a star of the silver screen, her conversations with older actresses illuminate the nature of her own desires — romantic, academic and otherwise. Each scene unfolds in dreamlike fashion despite being tethered to reality.

But it’s no mere coming-of-age story; rather, it’s a film about coming-to-oneself. It’s a moving artistic quest.

Johnny Depp marks his return to directing after nearly 30 years, presenting a framed, fictional account of 72 hours in the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani during wartime Paris.

Riccardo Scamarcio takes the lead role, embodying Modigliani’s restless, bohemian spirit as he fights for recognition amid poverty and illness. The story follows him through late-night bar outings, tense meetings with his art dealer (Stephen Graham), and clashes with critics and authorities. A notable turning point is his encounter with art collector Maurice Gangnat, played by Al Pacino in a brief but striking scene, that highlights the tension between creative freedom and commercial validation. Scenes with fellow artists Chaim Soutine and Maurice Utrillo offer glimpses into the camaraderie and chaos of the era.

Visually, the film leans on warm, painterly tones and smoky interiors, faithfully evoking early 20th-century Paris and Modigliani’s aesthetic. Depp’s direction is steady, giving Scamarcio room to explore the artist’s drive and vulnerability without overpowering the narrative.

Modi doesn’t blaze new trails in the biopic genre, and its tone remains measured throughout. But it succeeds in offering a thoughtful, visually polished snapshot of an artist who never saw his work’s worth in his own lifetime.

(Subtitled)

Jonás Trueba’s bittersweet, sharply observed story of a couple trying to end things on good terms and discovering just how hard that really is.

After 14 years together, Ale (Itsaso Arana), a filmmaker, and Alex (Vito Sanz), an actor, decide to break up gently, maturely, and mutually. So far, so civilised. But when Ale suggests they mark the occasion with a break-up party, the lines between closure and confusion begin to blur.

Set in sun-washed Madrid and co-written by Trueba and his leads, the film is breezy yet quietly layered, using dry humour and meta touches to explore the gap between the idea of an amicable split and the emotional truth underneath. Arana and Sanz are wonderfully natural together, making their familiarity (and underlying tension) feel lived-in and real.

There’s a looping, self-aware style to the storytelling, with scenes from Ale’s film blending into their own, and nods to both Hollywood rom-coms and Bergman dramas. But even in its most playful moments, the film remains grounded in emotional insight. A smart, gentle gem about endings, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive them.

Slow West director John Maclean’s new film is a stylish, and surrealistically downbeat revenge saga set in Scotland in the late 18th century.

You could look at Tornado as Scottish western; a lean, mean, rousing tale of revenge; except, its heritage equally comes from the East, namely the 16 year old Anglo-Japanese heroine ‘Tornado’ (Kōki), armed with a samurai sword.

She’s being pursued across desolate, windswept forest and plains by a criminal gang. Led by Sugarman (Tim Roth), the posse are hunting two sacks of gold that they themselves stole, which are now missing. And as much as they – correctly – identify Tornado as the culprit, they’re not above turning on one another for the plunder, chief schemer being Sugarman’s own resentful son, Little Sugar (Jack Lowden).  

Yet though the Georgian time period is evoked, so too are the aspects of Akira Kurosawa; and it’s also, really, a Spaghetti Western - a tale of bad men, gold and revenge. It’s an interesting puzzle of a film in many ways, yet the pure strangeness of it all commands attention, and shows that Maclean has his own distinct film-making language.

The beloved motorsport gets the Top Gun: Maverick treatment (even bringing over its director), in this exhilarating drama.

No other film has embedded itself into the sport quite like this one. Officially backed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (or FIA, it’s easier to pronounce), the film will, of-course, excite petrol heads, but there is a perfectly functioning underdog drama — a story about a determined, but washed out racer brought back into the fold years later as a co-driver to a younger, fresher face. Think Rocky on wheels.

Brad Pitt stars as said wash out, Sonny Hayes. In the 1990s, Hayes was Formula 1's most promising driver until an accident on the track nearly ended his career.

Thirty years later, Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), the owner of a struggling team, convinces Sonny to return to racing and become the best in the world. Driving alongside the team's hotshot rookie, Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), Sonny soon learns that the road to redemption is not something you can travel alone.

Fixing all sorts of fancy cameras to the cars, this is as real, and thrilling as on-screen racing gets. Strap in.

This new, live-action version of the much-loved 2010 animation is enormously faithful to the original, introducing a new generation of children to a beloved property.

Once again, we are regaled by the high-flying friendship between a Viking outcast named Hiccup (Mason Thames) and a so-called ferocious Night Fury named Toothless, who turns out to have the playfulness of a Bengal kitten and the loyalty of the Black Stallion. For decades, Hiccup’s village of Berk has been looted by sheep-stealing dragons — and the dragons in turn have been captured and used as training dummies for future dragon-killers.

Together, the young pariah-turned-lizard-rider and his spunky pet prove there’s strength in pacifism. Hiccup’s crush Astrid (Nico Parker) hails from somewhere else — she’s battled just to immigrate to Berk — causing her to cast an even deadlier side eye at this scrawny scion of privilege.

Naturally, Hiccup ends up challenging the dragon-hating attitudes of his people, including his giant-sized Viking father Stoick (a returning Gerard Butler). Exhilarating and wholehearted, it’s less a standalone achievement than a special edition of an old favourite.

For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers to the question, are we alone? In Pixar’s all-new animated feature, Elio, the universe calls back!

The studio’s latest, long-awaited project is a neon-drenched star-straddling adventure featuring an orphan, a talking tardigrade and a wannabe astronaut.

We’re introduced to Elio Solis (Yonas Kibreab), a young space fanatic with an active imagination and a huge alien obsession. So, when he’s beamed up to the ‘Communiverse’, an interplanetary organisation with representatives from galaxies far and wide, Elio’s all in for the epic undertaking. Mistakenly identified as Earth’s ambassador to the rest of the universe, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, navigate a crisis of intergalactic proportions, and somehow discover who and where he is truly meant to be.

As with (almost) all of Pixar’s releases, Elio is an utter triumph of heart and soul; a stylish and beautifully written romp through the cosmos, with Pixar’s charm shining brightest in its characters and its ability to connect on a deep, thematic level that resonates with kids and adults alike. Don’t miss.

Subtitled

Payal Kapadia’s wonderful Indian drama circles around three women at a key point in their lives.

In Mumbai, senior nurse Prabha hasn’t heard from her husband in over a year. He moved to Germany shortly after their arranged marriage, leaving her to navigate life alone. She shares a flat with Anu, a younger nurse, who is secretly seeing Shiaz, a man from a Muslim background. Although their relationship is considered inappropriate by some, neither of them cares about society’s judgment. Together, they work alongside Parvaty, the hospital cook, who is facing eviction from her apartment after being unable to prove she’s lived there for 22 years. When Parvaty decides to return to her coastal hometown, Prabha and Anu accompany her on the journey.

The story centres around their everyday struggles, from Prabha's hollow respectability and Anu's defiance of societal norms, to Parvaty’s existential questions about identity. Kapadia maintains an effortlessly light tone that cuts through the surfaces to find vivid emotions. Performances are heartfelt, with Prabha’s emptiness contrasted against Anu’s yearning for a serious relationship, while Parvaty’s quiet frustration adds further depth.

A hugely involving take on the transformative power of compassion

The explosively joyous musical reclaims history for the beleaguered Queens: divorced, beheaded, and on stage!

In Six we go back 500 years, as the wives of Henry VIII take the floor. Their marriages were bloody, messy, church-reforming, and pored over by gossipy historians – but this time they’re telling their stories, their way: with a live performance contest starring the hottest pop ghost-girl group you’ve ever seen.

They are Fifth Harmony, sure – singing together with tight sounds and tighter choreography – but all six are also that group’s breakout star Normani: when each gets their moment to take the spotlight and go solo, the audience just about loses their minds. And like Hamilton’s homages to R&B artists, they do it by remixing, referencing and shouting out the women of pop.

Six takes the proto-feminism of Hamilton’s women along with the populist feminism of the 2010s, and folds them into a bright and snappy musical that sees the Queens go from competing with to supporting one another. Six is drenched with a love for pure pop, royal history, and giving women their due.