Matthew Vaughn’s spy comedy Argylle, featuring Bryce Dallas Howard and Henry Cavill, is arriving this Friday to cinemas near you with a lineup that spans genres. Viewers will find a period drama starring Mads Mikkelsen, a German classroom thriller that earned an Oscar nomination, and a spider-infested horror among the offerings.
Argylle
Director Matthew Vaughn returns with a fresh dose of spy thrills and wit in Argylle. The cast includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Henry Cavill, and the pop sensation Dua Lipa making her feature debut. Howard portrays Elly Conway, a reclusive author of a bestselling spy novel series. The plot, which follows an agent trying to expose a global criminal network, begins to mirror the broader realities of the world, blurring lines between fiction and fact.
Teachers’ Room
Teachers’ Room, a film that earned an Oscar nomination for best international feature, unfolds inside classrooms and schools. It delves into fake news, racism, and intergenerational tension, directed by İlker Çatak. The story centers on an idealistic math and physical education teacher at a high school who, during a string of robberies and the suspicion cast on a student, attempts to uncover the truth on his own, confronting an army of skeptical parents, rival teachers, and increasingly defiant students.
Promised Land
This period piece by Nikolaj Arcel explores ambition, power, cruelty, and love. Adapted from Ida Jenssen’s historical novel and set in 1755, the film follows Captain Ludvig Kahlen, a nobleman’s bastard who seeks legitimate recognition. He undertakes a daunting mission to colonize arid Danish lands in the king’s name, facing a formidable rival who dominates the region and testing the limits of loyalty and risk.
Misanthrope
Presented as a contemporary profile, Eleanor (Shailene Woodley) is a young police inspector wrestling with past traumas. She is recruited to help profile and pursue a disturbed suspect, while a nationwide manhunt unfolds. As the investigation expands, authorities confront unprecedented behavior that complicates the search, directed by Damián Szifron, known for a spectrum of tense, award-nominated works.
Vermin: Plague
The debut feature from French director Sébastien Vaniček—the film that earned a Special Jury Prize at the Sitges Festival—deploys a nightmarish scenario as residents of a building face a spider invasion. In a bold production choice, real spiders were used for all on-screen scenes, enhancing the claustrophobic dread and escalating the sense of confinement.
Concrete Utopia
Um Tae-hwa, a South Korean director who represented his country at the Oscars, presents a post-catastrophe thriller. A massive earthquake leaves Seoul in ruins, with only the Hwang Gung Apartments standing as a fragile beacon of survival. Inside, survivors grapple with ethical dilemmas, leadership tensions, and the question of who deserves aid when resources quickly dwindle.
Queen of the Monastery
Mario Vaquerizo makes his feature debut as the protagonist in The Queen of the Convent, a comedy about love and chosen families. The story follows a woman who chooses to become a nun, exploring devotion, identity, and the bonds that form beyond blood. The ensemble cast includes Antonia San Juan, Isabel Ordaz, Gemma Cuervo, Paz Padilla, Bibiana Fernández, and the popular Dulceida, all contributing to a lively, heartfelt narrative.
In Adamant
French director Nicolas Philibert, celebrated for Ser y Tener, unveils a documentary titled In Adamant. It won top honors at the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear. The film centers on a ship docked on the Seine in Paris that houses a progressive mental health center, pursuing nontraditional therapeutic approaches that challenge conventional psychiatry and offer a fresh lens on care and healing.
Little Whale Katak
Christine Dallaire-Dupont and Nicola Lemay co-create a French animated feature about a young white whale setting out on a perilous voyage to the Great North to fulfill his grandmother’s last wish. The journey testifies to resilience and growth. The film has earned recognition at the Annecy Festival and the Gijón Festival, including a Best Feature award in the Enfants Terribles category.