1 Whitney: Can I Be Me (15)
(Nick Broomfield, Rudi Dolezal, 2017, UK/US) 90 mins
There is more than enough in Whitney Houston’s life for a cracking story: rags-to-riches stardom, record-industry manipulation, drug abuse, family problems, and a rumoured bisexual love triangle. Broomfield treads a careful line between tribute and exposé, via interviews, archive material and rousing concert footage.
2 My Cousin Rachel (12A)
(Roger Michell, 2017, UK/US) 105 mins
As the mysterious femme fatale at the heart of this ripe Daphne du Maurier adaptation, Rachel Weisz keeps you guessing. Returning – freshly widowed – to the Cornish family estate, she’s preceded by her reputation as a husband-killer. But cousin Sam Claflin’s revenge plans are quickly undone by her expert charm.
3 By the Time It Gets Dark (12A)
(Anocha Suwichakornpong, 2016, Thai) 106 mins
This captivating Thai film should satisfy those seeking something more experimental. In the vein of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, it’s a free-associative, non-linear reflection on history, fiction and reality, taking in a real-life 1970s student massacre, but spiralling off into myriad tales.
4 Slack Bay (15)
(Bruno Dumont, 2016, Fra/Ger/Bel) 122 mins
This eccentric, 1910s-set French farce includes cannibalistic beach-combers, grotesque aristocrats, a detective so fat often he rolls along the ground, and Juliette Binoche. The comedy is often as broad as the breathtaking beaches, but there’s lustrous cinematography, class satire and a gallery of bizarre faces, too.
5 Wonder Woman (12A)
(Patty Jenkins, 2017, US) 141 mins
Vanquishing her box-office competitors, Gal Gadot’s superhero remains the only blockbuster in town with something fresh to offer. Her journey from Amazonian antiquity to the first world war trenches is told via epic action scenes and fish-out-of-water strokes, with little of the gloom that has clouded DC’s previous superhero efforts.
