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The Irishman (2019)
Martin Scorsese’s meticulous American crime drama reunited Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, with Al Pacino in support, to tell the story of real-life mob hitman Frank Sheeran (De Niro). It’s an intimate epic, the story of a killer who ultimately can’t restrain those closest to him, whether associates or family.

The Killer (2023)
A revenge thriller for the gig economy era, David Fincher’s sleek, sarcastic procedural stars a perfectly cast Michael Fassbender as an anonymous assassin who gets a one-star review in the form of paid killers. Delivering an inner monologue twisted by self-delusion, Fassbender’s operative responds by working his way up the murderous organisational chart.

The King (2019)

In what now looks like the perfect audition for Dune, Timothee Chalamet plays a young Henry V in this muscular and unconventional Shakespearian adaptation from David Michod (Animal Kingdom). Chalamet’s young ruler is forced to accept the burden of rule, war’s bloody cost, and Robert Pattinson’s deranged turn as his French counterpart.

The Lost Daughter (2021)
Filed down to unwavering truths about maternal expectations, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s gripping adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s 2006 novel is built around a deeply held performance by Olivia Colman as a lone tourist in Greece whose bond with Dakota Johnson’s young, stressed mother opens up her complex past.

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)

Noah Baumbach’s divorce drama Marriage Story is his better-known Netflix original, but this bittersweet story of a flawed patriarch and his offspring cuts even deeper, with Dustin Hoffman as an ageing, temperamental New York sculptor and Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller as his frustrated sons.

Okja (2017)

Before Parasite, Bong Joon-ho delivered another critique of capitalism’s failings with this international production, which combined thrilling Spielberg-worthy set-pieces and bleak truths to show the perilous journey of a scientifically created super-pig and the young South Korean girl trying to save it. Note: Tilda Swinton co-stars as duelling twins.

The Perfection (2019)
An increasingly gory study of power and possession, this horror film stars Girls’ Allison Williams as a former cello prodigy who returns to her demanding mentor (Steven Weber) just as his new student (Logan Browning) ascends to prominence. Disturbing dynamics and flashes of bodily torment soon take hold.

The Power of the Dog (2021)
Achingly shot by Australian cinematographer Ari Wegner, Jane Campion’s period psychodrama reframes the cowboy legacy and masculinity on a 1925 Montana ranch, where the usurious dynamic between a spiteful brother (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his gentle sibling (Jesse Plemons) is altered when the latter marries. The film cuts at the mere touch.

Private Life (2018)

Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti are two of the best American actors of their generation, and together they’re a symphonic suite in this bruised domestic drama about a downtown New York couple whose quest to become parents is becoming desperate. Tamara Jenkins’ movie is deeply attuned to each character, and what they lose in the act of creation.

Roma (2018)
Winner of three Academy Awards including Best Director, Alfonso Cuaron’s semi-autobiographical tale captures a household’s turbulent start to the 1970s in Mexico City. With a dedicated maid and carer, Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), as the fulcrum the story has an immersive sense of atmosphere and detail. It’s both granular and immense.

Sentinelle (2021)
A taut, taunting 80 minutes, this French action thriller puts a furious female spin on the revenge drama, with Olga Kurylenko playing a traumatised military veteran just returned home when her sister is beaten and raped. Hunting the entitled suspect, her obsession is both compelling and sadly boundless.

Set It Up (2018)

Glenn Powell’s cocksure commitment to the romantic-comedy was apparent long before Anyone but You. In Claire Scanlon’s office suite intrigue Powell and Zoey Deutch play assistants to demanding bosses who seek respite by setting their employers up together. You can guess what transpires, but it’s done with classic charm.

The Stranger (2022)
Stripped down to its corrosive, vulnerable essentials, Australian filmmaker Thomas M. Wright’s psychological thriller dissects the bond between an undercover police detective (Joel Edgerton) and the suspected killer (Sean Harris) he befriends. It’s a deeply unsettling procedural – the machinations are intertwined with a fraught connection.

They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
A science-fiction comedy that’s equal parts satire and historically suggestive, this surprise packet follows a trio from an inner-city Black community – drug dealer Tyrone (John Boyega), pimp Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), and sex worker Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris) – whose cliches unwind when they uncover a wild conspiracy.

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Tick, Tick…Boom! (2021)
Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda made his directorial feature debut with this posthumous musical biopic about Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield), who in early 1990s New York was struggling to find his voice prior to writing Rent. It’s full of Broadway cameos, but anyone can relate to Larson’s unrequited creative passion.

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