Four Letters of Love  appears to be about one thing but slowly reveals another deeply resonant theme. This soulful romantic drama, in the mold of Message in a Bottle, follows two winning young strangers fated to be brought together. As the father of the presumptive groom, Pierce Brosnan — still going strong post-Bond — embodies the film’s deeper meaning: What drives people to create? An unfulfilled civil servant, he experiences an almost religious epiphany to paint and rushes off to Western Ireland, enchantingly captured here. Brosnan is a highly regarded painter, and his fervor feels authentic. Gabriel Byrne, playing the young woman’s dad, struggles with a similar urge, in his case to compose poetry that is both lyrical and profound.  As his wife, Helena Bonham Carter exudes warmth and understanding. Meanwhile, the young would-be lovers circle each other. Bonham Carter deserves credit for the idea of bringing the 1997 Irish bestseller of the same title to the screen.  UK, Ireland 2025  (125 minutes)

In this heart-warming very funny film, a struggling gay writer (James McArdle) is forced to take care of four eccentric older women, including his own disabled mother (the wonderful Fionnula Flanagan) after friends dump their mums on him so they can swan off to Pride weekend in the tropics. The very opinionated and difficult women each have her own story to tell, and their host tries his best to accommodate them all the while dealing with his own anxiety issues. As Variety puts it, “Four Mothers earns itself a place in the mother-son pantheon… rare in its everyday tenderness, (it) sets the tone for a film packed with lovely, unforced observations.” Ireland 2025  (89 minutes) 

Following up on Quant,  her film about fashion icon Mary Quant, director Sadie Frost brings us this charming, feel-good documentary tracing Twiggy’s rise to supermodel of the swinging 60s with those huge eyes, under three sets of lashes and waif-like ingénue smile. Twigs, or Sticks as she was called growing up — names that morphed into Twiggy by the time she was 16– was born Lesley Hornby from Neasden, North London, working- class and unabashed about it. She was soon dubbed the “It Girl” and “The Face of 1966“ (The Daily Express). In this documentary, celebrities such as Joanna Lumley, Paul McCartney and Dustin Hoffman talk of her extraordinary rise, her truck-driver laugh and her matter-of-factness. At 22 she became a talented actress and singer, but the fixation was always on that look – her childlike, stick-thin, androgynous challenge to female body image.  The Mostly British Festival hopes to engage Twiggy for a Zoom interview.  UK 2024  (94 minutes)  

Whatever you might think of prison films, this one is an extraordinary don’t miss.  The performances are searing: Guy Pearce, in top form as a gritty. life-worn mentor-like inmate; newcomer Vincent Miller, whose character is newly transferred from juvenile prison; and, in perhaps the most astonishing role, Cosmo Jarvis playing a felon who  was locked up at age 13 for committing one of the most atrocious crimes in Australia’s history. Be forewarned, this film is not for the faint of heart.  There’s one shocking scene that stays with you.  But if you’re looking for authentic exceptional acting, you’ll find it here. IndieWire calls Inside “replete with moments of raw compassion.” Australia 2024 (104 minutes) 

1964 Academy Award for Best Picture  

Take just the right amount of sex, in the best taste of course, add in the wittiest dialogue, laugh-out-loud scenes, the perfect tone of bawdiness, the speed of slapstick comedy, the great actor Albert Finney, and combine all this with Henry Fielding’s 18th Century novel Tom Jones and you have the irresistible 1963 movie adaptation of Fielding’s comic classic. Tom is a foundling (read bastard) whom women can’t resist. His irresistibleness gets him into trouble, in the best taste of course, and he’s forced to go on the road for rollicking adventures in the gorgeous British countryside where he indulges in the most famous and libidinous eating scene in the history of cinema. In the spirit of the Mostly British Film Festival, this may be the most British film ever made. UK 1963 (135 minutes)

1982 Academy Award for Best Picture  

This is a classic sports movie with a very British sensibility in the vein of Masterpiece. Just a few strains of its haunting musical score invokes a group of young men running on a beach, alerting viewers that they are in for a cinematic treat. Set just after World War I and based on a true story, the film follows two athletes, Harold Abrahams, a proud English  Jew, and Eric Liddell, a Scotsman and devout Christian,  and their quest to run at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris. Amid sumptuous  scenes  of Cambridge University and the Scottish Highlands, we see the young athletes overcome odds both external and internal to compete for the gold. UK 1981 (123 minutes)

This is a heartbreakingly beautiful film written and directed by Miguel Gomes, who won best director at Cannes in 2024. It is the latest of the Portuguese filmmaker’s highly acclaimed movies known for pushing cinematic boundaries.  Grand Tour combines two linked stories taking place in 1917 Rangoon, under British rule. In the first half, Englishman Edward awaits the arrival of his fiancée, Molly, but gets cold feet and runs away. His running takes him to Burma, Vietnam, China, the Philippines and Japan. He is a world-class runner. But Molly is a world-class pursuer and follows him every step of the way in the second half, her story. The movie is innocent and playful and sad, and says something profound about the dreams which keep us alive. Portugal  2024 (129 minutes)

Often compelled to avert our eyes as we skirt the homeless on the street, in this portrait of a homeless addict in East London, director Harris Dickinson focuses our gaze on Mike and his desperate struggle to survive. It is an astonishing achievement for the first-time director, an actor known for Babygirl, to propel us into this dark world, a world he knows well from local charity work. Similarly remarkable is the way Frank Dillane draws us in and makes us care about his down-and-out character.  The young actor carries the film with a raw openness and intelligence, bringing a certain charm to Mike, lurking beneath violent outbursts, dishonesty and a cycle of self- destruction. Competing in the Un Certain Regard at Cannes in May, Urchin won the Fipresci Prize and star Frank Dillane was awarded best actor, along with the film’s well-deserved standing ovation. UK 2025 (99 minutes)

There is a lot of skullduggery and plotting in Dead Man’s Money, which is director Paul Kennedy’s wonderful reworking of Shakespeare’s Macbeth set in Kenny’s Bar, somewhere in Northern Ireland. The dastardly deeds are set in motion when Young Henry (Ciarán McMenamin) and his wife Pauline (Judith Roddy) who run the pub, discover that Young Henry’s uncle, Old Henry has fallen for Widow Tweed. They worry their inheritance earned over years running the old man’s bar will now go to the Widow, reputedly a gold digger. After all, she has seen off three husbands! Enter the chauffeur, ex-IRA tough-guy, and over a drink or two or three, they plot her fate.  This totally engaging black comedy (Coen brothers-style) captures the mood and spirit of Ireland. Shakespeare would smile.  Ireland 2024 (82 minutes)

This award-winning documentary follows the journey of a Mumbai street performer named Manish as he transforms himself into a professional dancer under the mentoring of an older Israeli dance teacher. Their relationship develops into a friendship, enriching both lives. Breaking from his family’s expectations and financial dependency on him, Manish has to overcome many obstacles to pursue a dancer’s life. This joyful, inspiring film chronicles the perseverance, talent and self-belief that it takes to succeed in the competitive dance world. From India to Israel to the U.K. and finally to the U.S., Manish and his teacher both triumph with a show at the Kennedy Center. Winner of the Audience Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival, this is a dance film not to be missed. India 2023 (84 minutes) 

Told through the eyes of 8-year-old Bobo, this engrossing, evocative film, directed and written by the actress Embeth Davitz, is based on Alexandra Fuller’s memoir, and follows her childhood during wartorn Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1980.  Lexi Venter’s remarkable performance as Bobo, her beautiful little face smudged with dirt, captures her enduring bond with the farm, her home, Africa.  Witnessing events around her, she tries to process the turmoil and violence, the struggle between race and power while her poor white family fights for their land.  As her volatile mother (played by Davitz) unravels, her impecunious father loses farm after farm, and black servants labor, we gaze through her eyes.  There is much love and humor in this film but most of all there is Africa which is exhilarating, as you breathe in the warmth of the air and smell of the land.  Zoom interview with Embeth Davitz before the screening.  South Africa 2024 (98 minutes).

Most of us know Richard Burton as a brilliant actor and for his turbulent love life (five marriages, two to Elizabeth Taylor). This film focuses on another scarcely known Mr. Burton (beloved British actor Toby Jones), the lonely and dedicated school teacher who recognizing the talent of the-then Richard Jenkins (Industry star Harry Lawtey, channeling Burton’s rough sexuality) lifts him out of his impoverished and abusive home in Wales, dominated by an alcoholic father, and steers him to become a giant of the stage and screen. He even adopts the young man, cognizant that as “Richard Burton” his chances for an Oxford scholarship increase. Lesley Manville has a scene-stealing supporting role as landlady for the two Mr. Burtons. UK 2026 (124 minutes) 

Here’s an example of the best kind of movie based on actual events. Firstly the real-life circumstances are inherently dramatic. An 89-year-old British veteran of D-Day escapes from a care facility to reunite with his fellow serviceman in Normandy for the 70th anniversary of the landings. The title slyly suggests our hero Bernard is more Steve McQueen than old codger.  What makes The Great Escaper unforgettable is its portrayal of Bernard’s long-time marriage to his war-time sweetheart Irene, running parallel with his escapade. Played to heart-warming perfection by two-time Oscar winners Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson (in her final role), a poignancy and sweetness is conveyed as Irene frantically applies makeup lest Bernard see her “without my face” to her hiding his escapade from their caretakers despite being desperately worried. One scene lingers: The two watching the sunrise locked in an embrace, a ritual you sense they have long shared.  UK 2024 (96 minutes)

Here is Richard Burton before Liz.  Before Cleopatra and a stretch of melodramas chosen so the couple could co-star despite playing roles distressingly below his talents. Burton flaunts his prodigious range as “angry young man” Jimmy Porter — Britain’s very own rebel without a cause– in a screen adaptation of John Osborne’s landmark play. He rages against England and his disillusionment with his dismal life, turning on his upper middle class wife (Mary Ure), with utter contempt for the opportunities she had that were denied him as a working-class lad. Finding temporary sexual solace in her wily girlfriend (a dynamic Claire Bloom), this film is far more than a romantic triangle. It is hard-hitting social realism illustrating the struggles for so many in post war 1950s Britain, and, many critics feel, Burton’s finest performance. UK  1959  (99 minutes)

Rita Tushingham’s  eyes, enormous and tantalizing on screen, capture the mood of Edna O’Brien’s partially autobiographical novel The Lonely Girl (adapted in 1964 as Girl with Green Eyes) with her moody longing, adolescent neediness and endearing naiveté.  Following her success starring in A Taste of Honey , she was perfect for the role of Kate as a country, convent girl new to Dublin and enthralled by an older man, Eugene, played with irresistible charm by Peter Finch. Lynn Redgrave in her first major role before Georgy Girl, is her irrepressible, talkative, flirty friend who steamrollers through life, in contrast to Kate who falters.  She is too young and too much for Eugene. Filmed in black and white, the story unfolds through Kate’s eyes, those eyes that fixate and demand that you care.  UK 1964  (91 minutes)

Tina is a movie you root for. You root for the Samoan main character, Mareta, (Anapela Polataivao) who lives in New Zealand, and you root for her students, a choir in a ritzy high school comprised of white students. By the end of the movie, you jump up and cheer. We first meet Mareta as a teacher in a down-and-out school. After her daughter dies in an earthquake, Mareta retires from life in grief. Her sad face tells the story of her life. She reluctantly takes a substitute teacher job at the rich posh school where she befriends a troubled child, starts a choir and makes the troubled kid the head chorister. Mareta comes back to life and defeats obstacles – one of the school leaders doesn’t want her because she has dark skin – and finally brings the choir to a national competition. The film has echoes of Stand and Deliver, the classic movie of overcoming the odds, and Tina delivers. New Zealand  2024 (124 minutes) 

Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story is a must-see for anyone who loves great stories and great characters. It’s not only that the Irish author Edna O’Brien is fascinating and worth a documentary—and a smart one at that by Sinead O’Shea. It’s that she was interviewed for this film when she was in her 90s, so we have a genius looking back over her whole life. She died in July 2024 at 93. O’Brien published her first novel, The Country Girls, in 1960 and was excoriated in Ireland because it portrayed sexual desire from a woman’s point of view. (The Mostly British festival is screening Girl With Green Eyes based on this partially autobiographical  novel.) She married a writer, Ernest Gebler, who claimed he wrote her early books. She walked out on him in the middle of cooking dinner. In London she lived a glamorous life, mixing with Brando, McCartney, Sean Connery. Blue Road will reintroduce you to O’Brien and make you rush out for her books. Ireland and UK  2024 (99 minutes)

Directed by Kelly Schilling, this debut feature is a road movie about a young woman, Chloe Bradley (Melina Vidler) who needs to escape from her chaotic life and also rescue her sick, alcoholic mother, Sharon Bradley (Marta Dusseldorp, beloved for the Australian drama series  A Place to Call Home ) through their journey across gorgeous Australian countryside. Meeting Dalu Edozie (Albert Mwangi), a charming medical student from West Africa, seemingly mysterious, maybe untrustworthy, the film slowly becomes a delightful love story. Despite the set-backs and darkness of addiction, the film offers a journey towards healing and transformation. There is real depth to the performances, the relationship between mother and daughter softening while the charismatic Dalu holds them together. The film is ultimately hopeful, offering dignity and complexity to each character – and clearly authentic in that Schilling acknowledges it builds on her personal experience.  Australia 2025  (113 minutes)

Set in a working-class area of Cork, Christy is the portrait of a boy, not quite 18, pulled out of foster care for violence and returned temporarily to his older brother. Unable or more likely, unwilling to keep Christy, the brother and a social worker try to find him a new home. Played by Danny Power, who is riveting to watch, Christy doesn’t say much and has little agency over his own life. He gravitates towards a motley crew of new friends, one of whom in a wheelchair, likes his haircut and wants one, which he calls “the Christy.” Christy soon finds he has a talent with scissors and slowly discovers a new path. The power of this film – winner of the Grand Prix of the Generation section at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Irish Film at the Galway Film Fleadh–  is that you can’t predict where it is going. The fear is that Christy will sink back into violence. Skillfully directed by Brendan Canty, ultimately, it’s a hopeful look at circumventing difficult circumstances. Ireland  2025  (94 minutes)

In a film inspired by a real- life phenomenon, Brides follows two alienated teenage girls, who lured by social media posts promising freedom, run away from Britain to marry Jihadis and join the Islamic State of Syria.  It’s a complex, perceptive story of teenage friendship and disenchantment that also undoes many of our assumptions about those drawn to radical Islam activism. Newcomers Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar are brilliant and heartbreaking as the teens confused by their emotions. When director Nadia Fall first read of the actual girls who, in 2015, left East London to join the so-called Brides of ISIL, she thought the media was too quick to dismiss them as terrorists.  Her touching, surprisingly-good humored film, though fictionalized, is an attempt to understand the girls’ motivation and temper the rush to judgment. UK 2025 (93 minutes)

My Father’s Shadow is about fathers and sons and myths and broken myths. The backdrop is the tumultuous Nigerian 1993 presidential election.  A father takes his boys to Lagos for what they think will be a day of fun.  To them their dad (Sope Dirisu) is larger than life, a myth they have created to give their lives meaning. In Lagos, they meet strange people and because the story is from the boys’ point of view, they often feel confused about what’s going on. Until they get the picture. Their father is up to something. He may be part of a rebel group and is awfully friendly with a beautiful woman. The boys’ innocence makes My Father’s Shadow emotionally deep and engaging, especially at the end when reality crashes into myth. The film won Special Mention at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and is the UK’s official Oscar submission for Best International Feature at the upcoming Academy Awards. Nigeria 2025 (94 minutes)

This engrossing Hindi police procedural is directed by Bikas Mishra and stars a forceful lead in Huma Qureshi as Rooni, a rookie detective taking on her first case. The film follows Rooni as she seeks to expose a cult leader accused of rape by an anonymous letter. But such is the fear he instills in his followers no one dares speak out. With grit and determination, she seeks justice encountering obstacles at every level in a small town somewhere in Rajasthan. Psychological tension, powered by fine performances, is further generated by the complex web of corruption Rooni meets as she delves deeper. Bayaan, which translates as testimony , is the challenge at the heart of this compelling film. Will anyone dare speak up? India 2025  (118 minutes)

I Swear is the rudest movie of the century and it’s also funny with heartbreak along the way. At the end you’ll want two clean hankies. It’s based on the true story of John Davidson who has Tourette syndrome but doesn’t know it. Nobody in his Scottish town knows it and he becomes an outcast, considered insane. Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder of involuntary movements (motor tics) and sounds (vocal tics). The phrase vocal tics is a polite way of saying Davidson curses all over the place, calling women bad names and even cursing out a judge. It’s not his fault. Game of Thrones’ Robert Aramayo plays Davidson with a mixture of bewilderment at his affliction, which leads to despair, depression and finally success.  His portrayal is both heartbreaking and uplifting, a magnificent performance. Davidson’s father leaves the family because of him, but a sympathetic family takes him in, and he builds a life and ends up getting an MBE presented by the Queen. I Swear is full of dramatic tension and will make you feel awkward before it makes you feel very very good. (UK, 2025, 120 minutes.)

The Mostly British festival is thrilled to present the U.S. premiere of this special documentary offering so much joy as we watch local swimmers splashing about, loving, laughing and playing in the river. An environmental film for sure, Bristol’s clean water campaigners, passionate activists, gather data to pressurize authorities to address the pollution in the river. We follow them recording powerful personal stories capturing the strong bond among the swimmers enjoying the quiet beauty of the Avon and surrounding land. Joining the community campaign, Lindsey the Mermaid swims the Bristol Channel (in her mermaid tail!!) to bring attention to the pollution and another woman “marries” the River Avon. Watching all sorts of folk diving in or gingerly inching into freezing water will make you smile, want to join them or at least hold out a warm fluffy towel! UK 2024 (84 minutes)

Directed by Oliver Hermanus (Living) this film has a gentle silence around it, understated in emotional expression or displays of feeling, but a love story nevertheless. Feelings, thoughts are expressed through sound, the music which so beautifully and poignantly weaves the narrative together.  Set during World War I, two young men, musical prodigy Lionel and musicologist David (played respectively by two of Britain’s hottest young actors Paul Mescal and Josh O’ Connor) discover their mutual love of folk ballads despite their very different social backgrounds.  Setting out across rural Maine to record songs shared by families across generations, their connection to each other and the world is transformed through sound and through the yearning and romance in melody. The very special, haunting quality of this film will stay with you long after the credits roll.  USA 2025 (127 minutes)