July is here! And with it, a chance to catch your breath between the cinematic feast of the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June and the chaotic fanfare of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August. Just in case your cultural cup isn’t yet filled to the brim, here’s a look at what’s in store at the Edinburgh Filmhouse and the Glasgow Film Theatre this month:
Peter Strickland / UK / 2018 / 118 mins
This offbeat ghost story channels the kitschy characteristics of 70s and 80s horror in a busy department store, as it follows the fate of a cursed dress bouncing from the hands of one owner to the next. Expect unpleasant consequences for all who try it on, as well as some very dark humour from cult director Strickland.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Mon 1 Jul
Asif Kapadia / UK / 2019 / 120 mins
From the team responsible for moving documentaries Senna and Amy comes the rollercoaster story of one of football’s most iconic and eccentric characters. Concentrating solely on the Argentine’s seven-year stint with perennial Italian underachievers Napoli, Diego Maradona chronicles the man’s successes on the pitch and his struggles off it.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Fri 5 Jul
@ GFT from Wed 3 Jul
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck / Germany, Italy / 2018 / 189 mins
The director of The Lives of Others returns with another epic about Germany’s troubled past, this time focusing on a talented artist who flees the oppression of the East to seek his fortune in the relatively liberal West. Spanning three decades of our hero’s life, this powerful film was nominated for two Oscars at this year’s extravaganza.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Fri 5 Jul
@ GFT from Fri 5 Jul
Bo Burnham / USA / 2018 / 94 mins
The eighth grade (or first year for us Brits) is a painfully self-aware time for most teenagers, and 13-year-old Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) is no different. Tired of making YouTube videos that nobody watches, Kayla decides to make the most of her last year of middle school by causing a splash socially – with awkward, hilarious and gut-wrenching results.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Fri 12 Jul
Agnès Varda / France / 2019 / 115 mins
Having passed away at the age of 90 years old earlier this year, it’s fitting that French film legend Agnès Varda’s last feature concentrated on her own life. Regardless of whether you’re a dedicated fan or a total newcomer to Varda’s work, you can’t fail to be transfixed and enchanted by her deft directorial hand and charming onscreen presence.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Fri 19 Jul
@ GFT from Fri 19 Jul
Nisha Ganatra / USA / 2019 / 102 mins
Successful chat show Katherine Newbury (Emma Thompson) has seen a sharp dip in her ratings and faces the very real possibility of being axed for the first time in her career. Keen to do something to steady the ship, she hires the first female writer her show has ever seen, resulting in a new direction for Newbury, her fans and the audience. Gender politics meet showbiz smarm in a fun, timely romp.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Fri 19 Jul
Jim Jarmusch / USA / 2019 / 103 mins
Fresh from its UK premiere outing at EIFF, Jim Jarmusch’s black comedy about the undead contains all the usual hallmarks of his films: an excellent cast, plenty of meta-theatre and a sense of humour so off the wall it comes at you from unexpected angles. Fourth walls were clearly made to be broken.
@ Edinburgh Filmhouse from Fri 26 Jul
@ GFT from Fri 12 Jul