With London Film Festival just around the corner, we've rounded up the films you need to look out for from its – quite frankly, impeccable – line-up.
From Angelina Jolie's big return in Maria to what could be Daniel Craig's best performance yet in Queer, as well as a serious tear-jerker from Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield with We Live In Time and an exploration of the world's first test tube baby in Joy – there's a lot to add to your watchlist from this year's London Film Festival.
Starring Alexandra Burke, it will explore a woman's murder while all men are under curfew, and who the culprit could be.
Joy
Starring Eileen's Thomasin McKenzie, Bill Nighy and Happy Valley star James Norton, Joy will recount the true story of how the first ‘test tube baby’ – a baby born via IVF – was born. Nighy will play surgeon Patrick Steptoe, who was named the father of IVF, while McKenzie will play nurse and embryologist Jean Purdy, and Norton will play scientist Robert Edward.
Blitz
WW2 drama Blitz, directed by Steve McQueen and starring Saoirse Ronan, takes place in a war-torn London. Ronan's Rita is an East End mother who makes the heartbreaking decision to send her son George out of the city to the countryside. George, however, wants to make his way back to London no matter the dangers that await him.
Maria
Angelina Jolie returns to our screens as opera singer Maria Callas, one of the greatest sopranos in history. The film will follow Maria's final days in Paris, where she was sadly addicted to anti-anxiety medication, while the singer looks back on the highs of her storied career.
Luca Guadagnino’s new film is described as ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘profound’.
Nightbitch
Based on the novel by Rachel Noder, Nightbitch literally channels the feral side of motherhood, with Amy Adams playing the protagonist parent who fears she is turning into a dog. We're obsessed with the tagline: “motherhood is a b*tch”.
Queer
Critics are already saying that Daniel Craig's performance in Queer is his best yet – so this isn't one to be missed. The movie, directed by Challengers' Luca Guadagnino, is based on William S Borough's novel of the same name, and reportedly has many rather racy, explicit sex scenes. Craig plays a man named Lee, who pursues a younger man named Allerton, played by Drew Starkey.
We Live In Time
Tissues at the ready. Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield play Almut and Tobias, a couple who meet and fall in love (in a rather unconventional way), but are soon met with a difficult truth that changes both their lives and their future together.
It's set to be an “immersive love story” – and the emotional trailer has just dropped.
The Apprentice
It was only a matter of time: a Donald Trump biopic. Sebastian Stan plays a young Trump, as he establishes his real estate business throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Succession's Jeremy Strong will play real-life infamous lawyer Roy Cohn and Maria Bakalova will play Trump's first wife, Ivana.
Twiggy
Excitingly, this documentary is the first fully-approved one that will tell the story of the British model's amazing life. It tracks her working class childhood growing up in London, as well as her rise to fame as a celebrity model, on to her career in acting, singing, designing, writing and presenting.
Piece by Piece
Get this: Piece by Piece is a film about musician Pharrell Williams' life, told through the medium of Lego. It looks at his upbringing in Virginia, through to his success in the music industry. Will it win best animated movie this awards season? Let's see.
Emilia Pérez
Starring Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez, this queer “musical story of rebirth" sees a successful lawyer help a Mexican cartel leader fake their own death, as well as undergo gender reassignment surgery.
You're welcome.
Anora
Described as a "modern day Cinderella story', Anora follows the tale of Ani, a Brooklyn-based sex worker and her meeting with Vanya, a wealthy Russian oligarch. He offers to give her a whole new life, one that is interrupted when his parents fly over from Russia to take on the situation themselves.
Last Swim
We see a day in the life of young British-Iranian actor Ziba as she celebrates A-level results day with her friends as they take London on with all their youthful energy – from Portobello Market to Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill. It's a coming-of-age movie, with a twist.
Elton John: Never Too Late
This doc follows Elton on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, weaving in personal footage of his family life, private journal excerpts and historic performance footage. It's a super personal project, with Elton's partner David Furnish even acting as a co-director. Give us all the killer interview content and nostalgia, stat.
