Spring term picks | felix’s film editors let you know their top films to look out for

Christine | Released 27th January

Christine tells the harrowing story of Christine Chubbuck, a Florida news anchor who killed herself live on air in 1974. Rebecca Hall takes on the titular character in a powerhouse performance that mines the depths of Chubbuck’s self-destructive tendencies; due to its release date, Christine missed out on eligibility for BAFTAs, but I’m hoping that Hall’s performance is recognised by the American Academy come Oscars season. Watching her Chubbuck is like watching a volcano that’s about to erupt, with all the feelings bubbling beneath the surface. Director Antonio Campos perfectly creates the environs of sunny Florida, which contrasts with Chubbuck’s increasing downward spiral; he handles the sensitive material delicately, without ever tipping over into exploitation. Christine is a profound, sensitive exploration of the depths some people are driven to by their mental health problems, painting a picture that is fair and just, but never shies away from darker issues.

T2 Trainspotting | Released 27th January

If you’ve seen Danny Boyle’s masterpiece Trainspotting (1996), this is a no-brainer. If you haven’t then go watch it. Trainspotting (1996) followed the lives of Mark (Ewan McGregor) and his circle of drug addicts amidst the urban poverty in Edinburgh. It showcased the life, culture and the morals of the people living in that subculture. A highly stylised film receiving widespread critical acclaim, it could be said it was this film that catapulted Danny Boyle into the main circles. T2 Trainspotting is the sequel to that sensation. T2 follows Mark and his gang 20 years down the line from the 1996 classic. After being left with promises of living a ‘stable, traditional life’ from the former heroin addict, the film is a ticking time bomb and it explodes later this January.

20th Century Women | Released 10th Feburary

Following his late breakout film Beginners, a semi-autobiographical film that dealt with his father coming out as gay in his mid-70s, Mike Mills returns for his long-awaited follow-up, 20th Century Women. Again, Mills turns to his own life for inspiration, looking towards the strength of his mother and sisters when he was growing up. The film centres on Jamie (Lucas Jade Zimmerman), who is being raised in 1970s California by single-mother Dorothea (Annette Bening). Dorothea seeks out the help of Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a young punk, and Julie (Elle Fanning), one of Jamie’s peers, to help raise him right. 20th Century Women bills itself as ‘a collective portrait of the women who became our mothers,’ and while some might balk at such an epithet, Mills manages to remain on the right side of sentimentality.

Elle | Released 10th March

From receiving a seven minute standing ovation at Cannes and making the top films of 2016 list of a numerous critics and film magazines, Elle is a film that caused a huge impact in the festival circuit and is predicted to do the same when released later this March. Following a successful career orientated woman who after being raped begins to suspect all the men in her life, who both adore and resent her. Isabelle Huppert praised for her role, being called ‘the best living actor’, plays a woman who refuses to be the victim and instead uses her situation to her advantage. Elle explores the mindset of a modern independent woman and those that surround her – is she someone to be hated and pitied, or someone to be feared?