Premieres on the first Friday of September bring a varied lineup: the third installment of Denzel Washington’s The Equalizer action series, the time travel family comedy Jump!, and a new work from Jaime Chávarri titled La manzana de oro. The slate showcases genre blending and fresh international perspectives.
Robert McCall’s latest adventure The Equalizer 3
Veteran actor Denzel Washington returns as ex-Marine Robert McCall, who once again takes matters into his own hands from his southern Italian home after discovering that his new friends are threatened by a powerful mafia clan.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, this final chapter pairs Washington with a strong supporting cast, including Dakota Fanning, delivering a climactic confrontation built on moral clarity and relentless action.
Jump!, time travel in a family comedy set in the eighties
Starring Tamar Novas, Marta Nieto, and young actors Rubén Fulgencio and Mario Santos, Jump! extends the world from the director’s prior short Einstein-Rosen and marks Olga Osorio’s feature debut, co-written with Araceli Gonda. The story follows two Galician orphans who stumble upon a portal to the present day. Their arrival sparks a string of misunderstandings as they search for a way back home, blending nostalgia with whimsy, humor, and adventure.
Jaime Chávarri returns to directing with La manzana de oro
After Camarón in 2005, Chávarri resurfaces to adapt Fernando Aramburu’s Ambitious Claims into a screen narrative featuring Sergi López, Marta Nieto, Adrián Lastra, and Roberto Enríquez among others. La manzana de oro centers on an annual poetry conference at a northwest Spanish monastery, where a writer is poised to receive the golden fruit. The arrival of an unexpected guest intensifies the event, triggering a cascade of adventures that disrupts the traditional celebration.
Passages, a French romantic drama about a love triangle
Ira Sachs presents a tale in which Tomas, a film director portrayed by Franz Rogowski, sleeps with Agathe, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos, during a last-night Paris shoot. When Tomas shares the affair with her husband Martin, a passionate love triangle unfolds, exposing layers of desire, jealousy, and self-deception.
Notes about a Summer, a sincere coming-of-age love story
As Leo prepares for a move, teenager Marta, played by Katia Borlado, spends a few sunlit days in Gijón with family and friends. She reconnects with Pablo, her former flame, and grapples with whether to return to Madrid or stay in her hometown. Filmed during the pandemic, the movie directed by Diego Llorente carries an intimate vibe and a Rohmer-like simplicity that radiates warmth.
The production earned formal recognition in Rotterdam and at BAFICI in Buenos Aires for its candid atmosphere and grounded storytelling.
South African animation I swallowed an alien
This week brings a South African animated feature about Gus, Sophie, and Max, a trio of aliens who crash a micro craft and land on Earth, eventually landing in the life of a curious 16-year-old named Norman.
The game reborn from love behind bars
Maggie Civantos and Nico Furtado headline this drama by Paco Sepúlveda. It follows a couple whose relationship strains under crisis and isolation, then attempts a reset while quarantined. The two navigate months of cohabitation during lockdown and strive to rekindle what they once shared, testing the resilience of connection when distance disrupts usual routines.
Battle of Lulus, a French WWI comedy
Written and directed by Yann Samuell, the film follows four boys aged between 10 and 15 who vanish from an orphanage during the German occupation in August 1914. Lucien, Lucas, Luigi, and Lulus Ludwig chart misadventures and innocence against a war-torn backdrop, balancing humor with the gravity of the era.
Marco Polo, the weight of a brother’s death on a young man
Omar Banana, known for Veneno and Paquita Salas, delivers a performance as Marco in Pablo Riesgo’s feature debut. The film explores a young man wrestling with antisocial tendencies while a family tries to heal past wounds, forcing him to confront the pain surrounding his brother’s death during a party night.
The New Toy, a modern remake of a 1976 classic
James Huth reimagines Le jouet for contemporary audiences, centering a social experiment on Sami, the night watchman of a luxury goods store. The wealthiest man in France visits the store, selects a symbolic toy for his son, and fate crowns Sami as the recipient of a life-changing gift.