Film Stephen William’s Chevalier is a wasted opportunity This biopic of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier, the first black European composer, is less interested in the past than in converting it into the present. By David Sexton
God’s Creatures is a powerful portrait of a toxic mother-son relationship Paul Mescal and Emily Watson bring inner darkness to this story of trauma in a tiny Irish town. By David Sexton
Allelujah is Alan Bennett’s ode to the NHS His 2018 play, set in a Yorkshire geriatric ward, is now a starry movie – with a pandemic-focused final… By David Sexton
How The Fabelmans, a box-office bomb in the US, became an instant classic in France French critics have hailed Steven Spielberg’s belated coming-of-age movie as a “magisterial” and “Truffaldian” masterwork. By David Sexton
Lukas Dhont’s Close explores the abrupt end of boyhood This is a tender portrait of an innocent, intimate relationship between two best friends. So why must it veer… By David Sexton
Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin: a brilliantly nasty Irish fable The director reunites Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in a timeless film full of heartbreaking sunsets and superb knitwear. By David Sexton
Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale is dismal, claustrophobic and sometimes cruel Brendan Fraser’s performance as an obese shut-in could win him an Oscar, but this bleak, suffocating film is hard… By David Sexton
Damien Chazelle’s Babylon is a spectacular mess This take on the dark side of 1930s Hollywood is full of dazzling set pieces – but collapses under… By David Sexton
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: the joy of paid sex Emma Thompson stars in a touching celebration of an older woman’s erotic discovery. By David Sexton