Women Talking (NC16)

104 minutes, exclusively at The Projector, 4 stars

A group of women living in an isolated religious community discover that the men in their community have been raping them while they sleep. The women are left with a difficult decision: Do they stay and fight or leave?

The horrific sexual assaults really did occur in a Mennonite colony in 2009 Bolivia.

Women Talking relocates it to 2010 America – specifically, a hayloft in a farm commune where the women convene to vote on how best to move forward.

This adaptation of Miriam Toews’ 2018 bestseller was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Directed by Canadian actress-turned-writer Sarah Polley, the film features powerful performances from actresses Rooney Mara, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy and more.

The women, who have not been taught to read or write, rely on speaking to express themselves, with their conversations tackling complex themes such as revenge, shame, forgiveness, salvation, hope and sorrow.

Luther: The Fallen Sun (R21)

130 minutes, Netflix, 4 stars

In the Netflix film add-on to the BBC television crime thriller Luther (2010 to 2019), Detective John Luther (Idris Elba) investigates a series of disappearances when his life is upended by evidence framing him on charges of abuse of power.

From prison, Luther must not only clear his name, but also pursue a mastermind who snatches victims for sadistic online games.

British actor Andy Serkis, better known for his performance-capture work in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy (2001 to 2003), plays Luther’s nemesis David Robey, a magnificently sinister psychopathic killer with a taste for the theatrical.

Everything that was operatic in the original series created by Neil Cross has been juiced up to new heights for the movie – the chases are longer, the stakes higher.

Of course, there is the compulsory helicopter shot of Luther atop a London rooftop, moodily surveying the city he has to save, the fabric of his trademark tweed overcoat flapping like a cape.

An arc fit for a Luther series has been compressed into a movie, but the story and characters have kept their flavour. Most importantly, Luther once more offers his pain for the salvation of others.

EO (NC16)

88 minutes, now showing, 4 stars

This Polish film tells the story of the title character, a gentle donkey, which goes on a journey from Poland to Italy, encountering cruelty and fleeting kindness along the way.

Director Jerzy Skolimowski was inspired by Robert Bresson’s 1966 classic Au Hasard Balthazar, and gives EO poignant memories of his beloved trainer.

EO could be a modern-day migrant or a Holocaust refugee, with the film reflecting the whole of humanity through the soulful eyes of an innocent animal. Actress Isabelle Huppert makes a celebrity cameo as an Italian countess.

At 84 years old, Skolimowski is enjoying a career resurgence. This simple yet profound, and profoundly moving, fable was nominated for Best International Film at the Academy Awards and won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize.