Best new films – quick links
Best new films
It Was Just An Accident – 17 July (MUBI)
Film (2025). An auto mechanic, suspecting that a man he encounters may have been his former torturer in prison, kidnaps him in pursuit of vengeance. With the only clue to the suspect’s identity being the squeak of a prosthetic leg, Vahid seeks confirmation from other recently released victims. As the investigation unfolds, the situation becomes increasingly perilous.
This morally charged drama transforms an apparently routine roadside encounter into a tense exploration of guilt, suspicion, and state violence. It Was Just an Accident extends Panahi’s tradition of deceptively simple yet politically resonant storytelling. Utilising confined settings, real-time tension, and meticulously observed daily interactions, the film eschews melodrama in favour of subtle psychological intensity, offering a controlled study of power and fear in contemporary Iran.
Recipient of the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
Heartstopper Forever – 17 July (Netflix)
Film (2026). It’s a new school year for the Truham-Higgs gang. As Nick and Charlie’s relationship deepens, their thoughts turn to life after the last bell rings.
Starring Kit Connor, Joe Locke, William Gao and Yasmin Finney. Watch the trailer.
Good Fortune – 17 July
Film (2025). In Good Fortune, a well-meaning but rather inept angel named Gabriel (Keanu Reeves) meddles in the lives of a struggling gig worker (Aziz Ansari) and a wealthy venture capitalist (Seth Rogen). Watch the trailer.
Recent best new films
Amores Perros – 10 July (MUBI)
Film (2000). Alejandro González Iñárritu’s first film is a powerful story that weaves together three lives connected by a violent car crash in Mexico City. One story follows a teenager who risks everything to run away with his brother’s wife. Another centres on a model who loses everything after moving in with her lover. The third follows a homeless man who confronts memories from his past. As these stories develop, we see chaos, cruelty, and tenderness, showing that the characters are more connected than they first appear.
The film uses a fractured timeline, fast-paced editing, and overlapping stories shaped by desire, betrayal, and survival. It also marks Gael García Bernal’s striking first appearance in a feature film. Rodrigo Prieto’s raw cinematography and Gustavo Santaolalla’s intense, rhythmic score give the movie a strong sense of chaos and emotion that stands out in Latin American cinema today.
The History of Sound – 11 July (Binge)
Film (2025). Directed by Oliver Hermanus and starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. From ScreenHub’s review:
‘Mescal plays Lionel, a shy and sweet young man who grew up on a dirt-poor farm. It’s here, as a kid (played by Leo Cocovinis) that Lionel discovers his ability to keenly perceive the sound of music – not just as shimmering colour (interestingly never visualised by Hermanus) but also a taste on his tongue – is a gift most unusual.
‘Lionel’s breadth of knowledge about these ditties and his ability to hold each tune carefully leads him to Boston’s New England Conservatory on a scholarship.’ Read more …
Magnolia – 11 July (Binge)
Film (1999). Director Paul Thomas Anderson leads an all-star cast, including Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore and John C Reilly, through a story of characters whose lives interweave in the San Fernando Valley.
– 1 July (Binge)
Film (2025). Drama starring Aud Mason-Hyde, Olivia Colman and John Lithgow. (MA15+). From ScreenHub’s review:
‘Is conflict integral to cinema? Not according to Hannah, an Adelaide filmmaker, who is not quite Jimpa director Sophie Hyde, but is certainly a misty mirror-universe reflection. Depicted by the magnificent Olivia Colman – an actor so agile she can carry us forward through thought alone – she embraces love and understanding over miscommunication.
‘Hannah is auditioning actors to play a version of her father Jim (John Lithgow), a firebrand gay activist based in Amsterdam, along with her salt-of-the-earth, sassy mother, Katherine (Deborah Kennedy). The two separated when Hannah and her sister Emily (Kate Box) were kids but in Hannah’s recollection, it was an amicable arrangement that honoured Jim’s queerness and need for freedom.’ Read more …
