Powerful, highly acclaimed epic directed by Bertolucci. The story, a grandiose account of the life and times of two separate families in 20th Century Italy, is beautifully complimented by the all-star cast. Depardieu is the salt-of-the earth peasant, whilst De Niro is the....... find out more...

........son of the wealthy landowner. The film unfolds the two intertwining stories, following the fortunes of the contrasting families. The cast really allows Bertolucci's direction to come alive, and provides enthralling viewing. Exceptionally good drama. find out more...

Part 1 of Wajda's trilogy of wartime films, the hopeful one, is set in Wola, a working-class area of Warsaw in 1942, and deals with the graduation of a bunch of semi-delinquent street kids, through individual acts of defiance and courage, into a youth resistance group. The heroism is not simple, neither loyalties nor self-sacrifice are assured, but united they will be. find out more...

The last of Wajda's famous trilogy, the one that signifies despair, has Cybulski, the 'Polish James Dean', as a young fighter no longer killing Germans but instructed to assassinate a recently appointed communist official. His deepening love affair with a hotel barmaid has him starting to question the value of his struggle. Superb. find out more...

At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her assistant to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal is to take find out more...

An American-German returns to the FDR in 1945 to work as a waiter on a new train, the previous one having been derailed but finds the changes superficial and the new consumerism cloaks sinister unbroken threads from the past. Haunting and hypnotic, literally. An art-house must-see.

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Utterly compelling true story of a young Jewish boy who avoids capture by the Nazis in 1939 by pretending to be Aryan. By a series of almost unbelievable events he ends up in the Hitler Youth academy where he is taught how to recognise and kill a Jew. Beautifully filmed and incredibly moving. find out more...

Forget that this is a Scorsese movie, 'cos there's not a gangster or a grifter in sight. Stunningly shot, this is the visually breathtaking account of the early life of the 14th Dalai Lama, starting with his discovery by Buddhist monks in the northern Tibet of 1935. Meticulously detailed but well-paced, it's a rich, riveting movie with a powerfully haunting soundtrack from Philip Glass. find out more...

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Guillermo Del Toro's blockbusting tale of a young girl struggling to make sense of the violent world around her was a big 2006 arthouse hit. Continuing his exploration of the impact of the Spanish Civil War on his generation (it was also the backdrop for his excellent ghost story, The Devil's Backbone) Del Toro's fantasy mixes strong horror with fairytale-style aesthetics to great effect, making Ofelia's escape into an imaginary realm a poignant response to the cruel realities of her existence. find out more...