Girlhood and sexual repression in The Virgin Suicides and The Beguiled

Catholic school conservatism and savage grace combine in Sofia Coppola’s sixth feature. Set in Virginia during the American Civil War, The Beguiled sees injured union soldier John McBurney (Colin Farrell) lured into the gated confines of an isolated all-girls school. Run by Nicole Kidman’s stony headmistress Miss Martha, the film also features Kirsten Dunst as teacher Edwina and Elle Fanning in the role of Alicia, the eldest of the students.

Once behind the school’s imposing gate, John’s presen

Watch the magical trailer for Studio Ghibli’s The Red Turtle

In what looks like the love child of Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life and Sylvain Chomet’s The Illusionist, Studio Ghibli have produced their first feature since 2014’s When Marnie Was There and it seems to be making quite the impression. The Red Turtle won the Special Jury Prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival, where it was promptly snapped up for US distribution by Sony Classics in May.

A Good American review

Apparently, 9/11 would have been avoided were it not for the NSA’s discontinuation of wiretapping project ‘Thinthread’ three weeks before the event occurred. A bold statement if ever there was one, yet former intelligence official and codebreaking genius (now whistleblower) William Binney goes there in A Good American. Talking heads interspliced with shots of night time cityscapes, archive footage and voiceover are the tools director Friedrich Moser uses to tell this compelling tale about deception and the desire to do the right thing in face of government opposition.