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"Netflix"title" Dreams on rails (Train Dreams) reminds us with his extremely subtle mastery and even self-destructive subtle expression that the possibilities of narrative are still vital shooting, as well as a sufficiently wide maneuvering space for effective film adaptations of top prose. Dreams on rails is, to that extent, an extremely thoughtful and fragile screen adaptation of the late Dennis Johnson's novella (his collection of short stories has been translated here Son of Jesus). In the author's sense behind A dream on rails says screenwriter-director Chris Bentley, who managed to pack Johnson's not ostentatious prose into a highly articulate filmic language, while director Joel Edgerton hits the very heart of a shocking self-deprecation under the guise of a dream of at least occasional serenity.
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After an unfortunate and unnecessary episode in Marvel's workshop, the returnee to meaningful film, Nia DaCosta, tried her hand at even more slippery ground: an adaptation of Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. Dacostina heda (from the "Amazon Prime" offer) was transferred to the British Belle Epoque, and Hedda (in the heartfelt and precise interpretation of the young Tessa Thompson) was re-presented as a woman who willingly, and even self-sabotagingly, throws herself into ever deeper and more dangerous whirlpools of passion. On the other hand, we have Nina Hoss (also in the role of life), as a representative of full emancipation and a kind of counterbalance to Heda. Dacosta creates an atmosphere woven from nuanced and intergraded finesse, while giving Hedu a dynamic and very propulsive expression.
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The Mastermind, Kelly Reichardt's latest and best film so far, has the potential to confuse those familiar with her work a bit. Namely, here and there to this author of notable films Old pleasure, Night movements, Wendy and Lucy, Certain women, The first cow... they feel the lack of more pronounced authorship, but it is a realization The Mastermind, as her most conventional film work, actually managed to create a discreet chronicle of the revolutionary era from a story based on real events. She does so based on the story of an unemployed carpenter and an incomplete art history student who, in an attempt at quiet personal self-emancipation, steals a valuable painting from a local museum. All this happened during the seventies of the last century, that is, against the background of the rebellion against the long and criminal imperialist intervention in Vietnam and the growth of subcultural currents and oases. Stylistically, the film is on the boundary between the styles and preferences of Jean-Pierre Melville's not ostentatious detailism and Sidney Lamet's "organic" moralism, which is gradually and calmly followed by the lead actor Josh O'Connor.
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Hament, based on Maggie O'Farrell's novel of the same name, represents the most mature and artistically rounded work of Oscar winner Chloe Zhao - a powerful, quiet and emotionally devastating film that strongly reminds us of the reasons for which art exists. Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his rebellious wife Agnes excel in the lead roles, carrying an intimate and poignant story of a personal tragedy and its transformation into one of the greatest works of world literature. The film brings a new interpretation of the loss of the eleven-year-old son Hamnet, with a lot of artistic freedom, but with a very convincing and deliberate shift of focus from the figure of the famous writer to the perspective of his wife, about whose real life almost nothing is known. The emotional impact builds slowly and subtly, so that when it finally occurs, it leaves a strong mark on the viewer, turning the pain caused by the loss into something universal and sublime. Hament is one of the best movies of 2025 and is still playing in theaters.
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Awarded the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 75th Berlin Film Festival, Ice tower, the new film by Lucil Hadžihalilović, combines a coming-of-age story with elements of phantasmagoria and strong symbolism, setting the action in the 1970s. The screenplay, which the director wrote together with her longtime collaborator Geof Cox, follows fifteen-year-old Jean, a girl who runs away from her foster family and finds refuge on the film set of the adaptation of Andersen's Snow Queens. There, she becomes captivated by the main actress, played by the French diva Marion Cotillard, while the themes of idealization, identity and repressed longing are gradually revealed to the viewer. Although Cotillard carries the film's star shine, its emotional core lies in the remarkable debut performance of young Clara Pacini. Visually sumptuous, but narratively demanding and unconventional, Ice tower demands a patient viewer, rewarding him with a hypnotic, simultaneously fairy-tale and menacing atmosphere, which ranks it among the best films of the year and makes it a strong recommendation for fans of slow, atmospheric art-house cinema.
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Zootopia 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the hit animation from 2016. It's rare for a sequel to surpass the original, but that's exactly what happened this time. The film offers the perfect combination of entertainment for the whole family, with intelligent humor and subtle messages. The animation, characters and detailed world of Zootropolis retain the charm of the first film, but at the same time bring new dynamics and exciting plots that refresh the story and keep the viewer glued to the screen - all with a strong, but child-friendly, noir charge. The main characters, detectives - bunny Judy Hope and fox Nick Divlji - face a new challenge when a mysterious reptile arrives in the city, whose arrival shakes up everyday life and leads to chaos in the animal metropolis. Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard, who also worked on the first part, they masterfully combine visual richness, colorful characters and dynamic narration. Zootopia 2 is not only a fun and exciting film, but also a thought-provoking work that deals with the themes of friendship, courage and togetherness.
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There are a number of adaptations of Mary Shelley's classic novel - several hundred - but few are faithful to the vision that Guillermo del Toro achieved. However, there is one thing in his Frankenstein distinctly different: the villain is obviously Doctor Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), while his creature is much less ambivalent than in the novel itself. Another difference is in the visual aesthetics - Frankenstein's monster (played by Jacob Elordi, who we will soon see as Heathcliff in the new Hurricane Heights) is much more sensual and handsome than was the case in previous adaptations. Isaac and Elordi are up to the task, as is Christoph Waltz, while Mia Gott, the new queen of horror, looks gorgeous in lavish costumes tailored for her Elizabeth. This is a lavish and visually impressive film, so it's a real shame that it didn't have a wider theatrical distribution around the world.
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