THE PINK LENS

Rita is a criminal defence lawyer scouted out by a notorious gangster. Unexpectedly, she is tasked with sourcing the best possible surgeons to perform gender-affirming surgery to allow the gangster to begin a new life as a woman – known as Emilia Pérez – but entirely in secret. With the rest of the world believing the gangster is dead, Rita must also re-house Emilia’s wife and children far away from the criminal underworld they are all escaping from. One part crime thriller, one part experimental musical, this is an Almódovar-esque drama about hidden identity. 

In 1950s Mexico City, American expat William becomes infatuated with a younger man. Their uneven inter-generational relationship spans several years and multiple continents, but this period romance is a lusciously filmed albeit staid drama that never quite achieves the realism it is striving for. Deliriously erotic, it is drenched with the sexual tension that Guadagnino is now famously fascinated with. While it might not be the director’s masterpiece, it is certainly an opportunity for the auteur to flex his directorial muscles alongside a career-best performance from its star. 

Best friends Lucy and Jane are totally co-dependent. They do everything together; dining out, yoga classes, weekends together. But when Jane reveals that she has been given a promotion at work that will see her relocate to London, Lucy begins to fall apart, unable to process her friend’s imminent departure at the same time as she questions her sexuality, developing feelings for a colleague. Sweet, light and comedic, this is a feel-good chick flick the benefits greatly from a well-written script that, though not laden with gags, is full of sarcastic one-liners and observational silliness. Add to that its leads’ palpable chemistry in a pair of very charming performances and you get a very relatable film about sisterhood.

Lia is an unmarried retired teacher whose sister has recently died. Years before, her niece Tekla became estranged from the family in Georgia because she is trans. Now, Lia wants to be reunited with her only living relative and tracks her to her last known address and onward to Istanbul. Once again, Akin has shone a light on life in the Caucasus. A compelling voice both for LGBT+ cinema and for Georgian people, this is a nuanced character portrait anchored by a trio of strong performances. While it might not pack the same emotional punch as its predecessor, this is a contemplative film from a now accomplished filmmaker.

Alejandro is an El Salvadoran migrant trying to navigate the complexities of the US immigration system. Working for a cryogenics company, he befriends the wife of the man whose chamber he tends only for her to employ him as her PA. A volatile dragon with irrational expectations and an enormously inflated sense of self-worth, she is self-centred, brash and maniacal, and Alejandro soon realises that he has set himself an exceptionally difficult task in trying to plant the seed in her that she should be the one to sponsor him to stay in the US. Torres is very likeable as the meek and mild-mannered Queer lead but, of course, Swinton dominates this movie from the moment she appears on screen. Silly, sweet and – at times – ridiculous, this surrealist comedy is undeniably greater than the sum of its parts.

Following the death of his grandfather, Victor returns to his family home for the first time in twelve years. Even though his home village is a patriarchal community, he stays past the funeral to try and reconnect with his past and, along the way, meets Liuben, an eighteen year-old Romani living at an orphanage Even though he is charismatic and mischievous, Liuben is trapped; destitute, unemployed and a father-to-be. And the two begin a doomed love affair. Ultimately, this is a tragic story of insularism. With a pair of deeply compelling central performances, this is an honest and heartfelt social commentary anchored by a tender love story. 

Gretchen’s father has relocated his family to Germany. Staying at a new holiday park in Bavaria, Gretchen is soon recruited to work on the reception desk, but begins to witness strange occurrences in the middle of the night, with guests sleepwalking and vomiting. It isn’t long before her half-sister falls ill and Gretchen realises that she’s being pursued by a disturbing – and seemingly crazed - woman. A slick and atmospheric monster movie, the action is contained within the confines of the park, feeling claustrophobic and intense. As a sci-fi/horror mashup, it looks, sounds and smells the part; plus this is a really good vehicle for Schafer’s star in ascendence. Add to that a lesbian subplot and this is one of the strongest Queer horrors of the last few years.

Tashi is a budding tennis star on the verge of international stardom. At a youth tournament, she meets best friends Patrick and Art who both compete for her affections, but when she appears unexpectedly in their hotel room, a love triangle ensues that will impact all of their lives and careers for years to come. The chemistry between them all is palpable, as the characters partner-swap back and forth across the years. They tempt, seduce, manipulate, avenge, dismiss and scorn one another from every angle and from every perspective. Challengers might not be the tennis movie you expect, but it’s the tennis movie Guadagnino wanted us to see and we are totally here for that. Tense, sharp and extremely sexy, it tastes just as delicious as it looks.

Iman is a former Olympic wrestler whose family has had to flee Iran. Living now in refugee accommodation in a town in northern Sweden, his asylum application is taking a long time as the government examines his reasons for leaving. In an attempt to expedite his chances, he joins a local wrestling team to try and represent Sweden at the Olympics. However, his wife Maryam really doesn’t want him to join because his participation in the sport is what led them to leave Iran in the first place. And, inevitably, he will meet the Iranian Team once more at international competitions. As Iman begins to wrestle, he forms a connection with a young teammate who makes his attraction to him very obvious. But as history begins to repeat itself, he must decide what’s more important, his family or his true self. A nuanced and affecting drama centred on a deeply compound character, this is a moving portrait of the complexities of asylum.

In the second screen adaptation of Alice Walker’s classic novel, this time Fantasia Barrino stars in the musical version based on the Broadway smash hit. Following the life of Celie, a beleaguered young woman who suffers at the hands of both her father and husband, it charts her emancipation and sexual awakening as she falls in love with her husband’s lover. This is a well-crafted musical film that looks and sounds resplendent. Does it paint a high-gloss veneer over a deeply troubled time? Yes. Does it sideline racial issues in favour of a good story? Yes. But is it entertaining to watch? Hell yes.

Franky is 23 and working as a nurse while trying to steady her tumultuous family in East London. When she was a child, she was badly burned in a house fire. When she meets Florence, a patient at the hospital admitted for a suicide attempt, she finds herself drawn to this volatile young woman living in care. They embark on a stormy relationship, but because both girls are extremely broken, it seems that this passionate tryst seems doomed to fail right from the start. A well-written slice of stark social realism, it has assembled a clutch of fractured characters to explore the consequences of deprivation. Stark, bleak and painfully true, this is the tragic story of how one broken person cannot heal another.

In an arresting debut from Lillah Halla, we meet Sofia, the 17 year-old star player of a community volleyball team, run by a visionary coach and filled with players from across the spectrums of gender and sexuality. Spotted by a talent scout, Sofia is on the verge of her breakthrough into professional sport, only to discover that she is pregnant. With abortion illegal in Brazil, Sofia must go to extremes not to jeopardise her chance, only to come up against a fanatical pro-life group that seem intent on bringing her down. A scathing commentary on laws that prevent women from making choices about their own bodies, this is Vera Drake for the Roe vs. Wade generation.

A mechanic and a single father, Luke is struggling to make ends meet. On a night out, he meets Aysha and there is immediate chemistry between them, but it isn’t until after they’ve kissed that he realises that she is actually a drag queen. Despite his initial panic, he can’t keep himself away from her, especially as she asks him to be her driver, paying him to take her to performance events across the region. This is the kind of romance that will have you beaming from ear to ear. With likeable characters pitched against high stakes, you’ll fall in love alongside them. While its narrative might not be the most original in the world, this is a well-crafted genre movie that can comfortably rest on the talents of its actors, who instil a giant beating heart at the centre of this very watchable film.

It’s 1989 and Lou is a gym manager who falls wildly in love with bodybuilder Jackie who is preparing for a bodybuilding competition in Vegas. The latter begin to work for Lou’s father, who is a dangerous arms dealer and the pair find that they cannot stop themselves getting involved in the criminality of this volatile family. A glorious 80s pastiche, this is neon-drenched and synth-laden, with big hair, lycra and steroids aplenty. The cinematography is luscious, sizzling with summer heat and lacquered with a high-contrast palette. It’s pacey, violent  and strays into the kind of dark territory that you’d expect from the Saint Maud director. But it’s also painfully sexy, gleefully revelling the in the physical prowess of its star and sexualising her feminine musculature.

Will Ferrell made his break on the legendary American TV mainstay SNL, where he made friends with one of the writers of the show, with whom he maintained a lifelong friendship. Three decades later, this friend came out as trans, becoming Harper Steele. In this documentary, Will and Harper road-trip across America, to explore this new chapter in their relationship. What follows is a comprehensive account of the lived trans experience in America, with in-depth portraits of both Harper’s transition and Will’s allyship. Both Harper and Will are both very funny people, but what’s far more arresting is the depth of love between them. And while there is much discussion about how Harper has had to learn how to live as a trans person, we get to watch first hand as Will learns to be a good ally. It's this emotional journey that – like all good road-trip films – is the real heart of the film.

This biopic of Donald Trump begins in the 1970s, when the young businessman is taking his first steps into the cut-throat world of business. Meeting the infamous Roy Cohn he becomes the protégé of this ruthless (and gay) lawyer, who teaches him how to lie, cheat and bribe his way to the top. Before long, Trump has become the most famous businessman in the city, with a huge property empire, lavish lifestyle and a beautiful wife, Ivana. Impersonations of Donald Trump are everywhere nowadays, but what Sebastian Stan has produced is a far more astute performance that gradually morphs from a tentative but entitled young man into the behemoth caricature that he’s become. But really this is as much Cohn’s story, with his mentorship sitting at the core of who Donald would become.

Helen works in a chicken factory in North Wales, called ‘Chuck Chuck Baby’. She’s surrounded by a group of wonderful women, but her job is menial, her wages low and her home life extremely difficult. When she was younger, Helen had harboured a secret crush for classmate, Joanne. When the object of her affection returns to live in her town once more, she reveals to Helen that she had always reciprocated these feelings. Subsequently, the despondent housewife is forced to confront her life and her future, choosing between what she felt was her destiny and what she can now see as a glimmer of hope. This film’s hardened northern exterior masks a beautiful beating heart at its centre. A wonderful film that’s as exultant as it is gloomy, this is one of the best British movies of this year.

It’s the 90s and Canadian-born Azra is a budding actress living with her girlfriend. When her parents go back to visit family in their native Pakistan, Azra’s life is thrown into disarray when her father dies of a heart attack while he’s there. Travelling back for his funeral, Azra begins to learn stories about her mother, a woman she has always considered conservative, but whose youth was far from that. A heart-warming story of the bond between a mother and daughter, the intergenerational dual-stranded narrative is beautifully woven together. Nothing short of a revitalising gasp of clean air, this is an invigorating and uplifting double-slice of rich and gorgeous heritage. Filmic, delectable and rewarding, this is accomplished and accessibly adult filmmaking.

Saori is perplexed when her young son begins acting strangely. When she quizzes him, he deflects her curiosity by telling her that he has been hit by his teacher, Mr Hori. Even though it’s clear that the incident was merely an accident, Saori is intent on having the man fired and his reputation torn to shreds. But with so much focus on the teacher, what she's missing is the intense but secret friendship forming between her son and his classmate. The story is told through three concurrent narratives, with each version adding more and more colour to what initially seems a very simple story of a mother believing her son's lies. The mother's story is one of hysteria, while the teacher's is the sheer panic of an educator accused of professional misconduct. But the final strand is by far the film's most compelling and most nuanced, depicting the slow awakening of deep feelings within these very young boys. A shrewd and edgy social commentary, this is an intelligent and contemplative film played out through pithy dialogue and arresting visuals.

Adam is a screenwriter living in a newly built high-rise in London, living a lonely life and still grieving for the parents he lost when he was twelve. One of the only other inhabitants is Harry who knocks at his door one night, asking for company. Adam turns him away, but the following day he travels to revisit his old family home to discover that his dead parents are still living there, unaged and seemingly unchanged by the decades that have passed. Overjoyed by this spectral reunion, Adam reintroduces himself to Harry and they begin a relationship, but the mysteries of why his parents are there and exactly who Harry is plague the troubled writer until he begins to feel that he is losing his grasp on reality. Deeply atmospheric, the loneliness of life in London is central to this story, the plot is ambiguous and the question mark of what is happening and why never really needs to be answered. There are times it is maddeningly cryptic, but others when its beating heart will leave you broken in tears. This might be a ghostly story with mysterious characters, but the entire narrative is an overwhelming and deeply moving metaphor. And it’s absolutely brilliant as a result.