Leave the World Behind

 

Leave the World Behind 2023

• Director: Sam Esmail
• Cast: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon, Myha’la, Farah Mackenzie, Charlie Evans·       
• Why? The cast
• Seen: 4 April 2026      

       Executive producers: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama! 

       Amanda (Roberts) and Clay (Hawke) take a spontaneous holiday in a rented house near the sea. Late the first evening the owner George (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) show up saying they need a place to stay because there has been a blackout in New York and they can’t get back. Amanda thinks it’s a con and is hostile.

       However, something weird is clearly going on.

       It’s thought-provoking, eerie, atmospheric and too realistic for comfort. The acting is excellent.        

4* of 5   

 

 

 

Delirium

 

Delirium 2018

• Director: Dennis Illadis
• Cast: Topher Grave, Patricia Clarkson, Genesis Rodriguez, Callan Mulvey, Robin Thomas
• Why? Possibly interesting
• Seen: 31 March 2026

       Tom (Grave) is released on parole after twenty years in a mental institution. His father has committed suicide and left him the family mansion. He is convinced his father hated him for what he and his brother had done when they were children.

       He’s alone in the mansion and scary ghostly things happen. Either the place is haunted, or he is still mentally ill, or it’s all really happening.

       Not completely logical but spooky and entertaining.      

3 * of 5   

 

 

 

 

Pet Sematary

 

Pet Sematary 2019

• ·        Director: Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer
• ·        Cast: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow, Jeté Laurence
• ·        Why: Stephen King
• ·    Seen: 27 March 2026

Having recently read the book, and since films based on King can be good, I thought I’d give it a try.

A family moves to a remote home in a Maine forest. It’s Stephen King. It gets scary. The cat gets scary.

I haven’t seen the earlier version but this is a decent adaption. John Lithgow is good. Moral of the story? Don’t move to a house in the forest.

2 ½* of 5

 

Paris

 

Paris 2008

·        Director: Cédric Klapisch

·        Cast: Juliette Binoche, Romain Duris

·        Why:  Binoche

·        Seen: Once before. Now 26 March 2026

Pierre (Duris), in his 30s, has a heart condition and even with a heart transplant he probably only has months to live. His sister Elise (Binoche), a single mother, moves in with him. We’re also told the stories of other Parisians.

I’m one of the few people in the world who doesn’t love Paris. I’ve been there three times and have no desire to go back.

Or even watch the rest of the film, actually. But I will, because I like Binoche.

 

2* of 5

 

The Secrets We Keep

 

The Secrets We Keep 2020

• Director: Yuval Adlar
• Cast: Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman, Chris Messina, Amy Seimetz·       
• Why? Noomi Rapace·       
• Seen: 14 March 2026      

       Maja (Rapace) is a Holocaust survivor. One day she sees the man (Kinneman) who raped her and killed her sister. She seeks revenge. But is it really him? Or is she crazy?

       The acting is strong, the tension high. It got very mixed reviews but I am gripped by it.  

4 * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

A Quiet Place Day One

 

A Quiet Place Day One 2024

• Director: Michael Sarnoski
• Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou, Schnitzel and Nico the cats·       
• Why? Sci fi
• Seen: 26 May 2018      

       Samira (Nyong’o) is a cancer patient living in a hospice. She’s on an outing in NYC with other patients and her cat when aliens attack.

       It’s atmospheric, well-acted and existential. You can be dying of cancer but still not want to die from an alien invasion, at least not without getting a pizza first.

       It’s a prequel to Emily Blunt A Quiet Place films. Now I want to watch them again. 

3 ½ * of 5

 

 

 

 

 

An Education

 

An Education 2009

• Director: Lone Scherfig
• Cast: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams, Cara Seymour, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Emma Thompson·       
• Why? Originally, Emma Thompson
• Seen: Once before. Now 10 March 2026      

       The film, and especially Carey Mulligan, were highly praised by most reviewers but if I remember correctly, I didn’t much like the film or Mulligan (though I have liked her a lot in other films).

       London 1961. Sixteen-year-old Jenny (Mulligan) falls for a smooth gut (Sarsgaard) in his 30s. I find the whole idea unsavoury and therefore, still have trouble liking the film. 

2* of 5