Throughout the year, we witness a flood of releases on big and small screens, and February is an eccentric month for movies. While sometimes it makes sense to look back and remember the stories that made our hearts beat faster, there is always something noteworthy amongst the newly released films. We’d like to present a selection of 5 films that became available this February and are worth watching on a winter evening.
Women Talking
Released in the UK on 10 February, based on the factual novel by Miriam Tove from 2018. This film has already received an Oscar nomination for best film and best-adapted story. Viewers will see a religious community where men take drugs and resort to violence against women. When the perpetrators of the crimes are identified, the women are faced with a choice: stay in the community or flee even though they will lose their chance of going to heaven in the process. Full of messy dialogue, at times nonsensical feminism, and a complex trauma narrative, Women Talking will help those who have had traumatic experiences of their own to sort out their thoughts and feelings.
The Broker
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-Eda, best known for several startling films, The Broker may turn out to be the famous director’s finest creation. The action takes place in South Korea, where a laundry owner has set up a very unusual business. He takes babies that poor mothers leave in a baby box under the church and sells them to potential foster parents. However, the main character is unaware that he is being stalked by a group of detectives as well as the girl who abandoned the last child. Despite such a bleak scenario, Hirokazu Kore-Eda makes a good-natured film about a team of loners who become a family. Released in the UK on February 3, The Broker will again show audiences the filmmaker’s uncanny ability to see the light in the seemingly pitch-black darkness.
Knock at the Cabin
What American horror films teach us is that a trip to the woods is not always a good idea. This time we are invited to follow a family who decides to relax in a cabin in the woods. At one point, a group of four people approach the cabin, knock on the door and announce that one of the family members is to be sacrificed to save the world. However, is this just a joke or should the protagonists take the strangers’ words with complete seriousness? If you find such a straightforward plot boring and want to switch to something else, a low deposit casino UK might be a great alternative for your winter evening. However, if you decide to watch Knock at the Cabin until the end, you’ll find out if it’s worth saving humanity and what kind of experiments are being conducted on people.
Your Place or Mine
This film is about a guy and a girl who live in different cities and are long-time friends. One day, when the girl decides to go on holiday, she asks her friend to come to her house and live with her son for a while. However, it didn’t take long before they realised they were in love with each other. Released on Valentine’s Day, the romantic comedy proves that the genre is still alive and well, especially when writer-director Elin Brosh McKenna takes over.
Saint Omer
Last on our list, but still worthy of your attention, this film was directed by documentary filmmaker Alice Diop. Having personally attended the trial of a woman who left her child drowning in water, Alice turns what she saw into a heart-wrenching story with many elements typical of a crime-solving documentary. Although Diop gives one specific example, the viewer realises that what she sees is a far greater reflection of real life as an immigrant in France.