New in theaters: a five-star masterpiece and the new edition of a Spielberg classic

After a few weeks ago “Poor Things” by Yorgos Lanthimos was waiting for you in the cinema, which received our highest score of 5 stars, another work now follows, which is a worthy competition for the Oscar-nominated comedy with Emma Stone want to do this cinema year. Because with “All of us strangers‘ delivers director Andreas Haigh (“Weekend”) is a beautiful and deeply sad masterpiece in which a moving thought experiment plays a role.

This week you can expect ‘The Color Purple’, the musical adaptation of Steven Spielberg’s classic of the same name, which has now been given a new look under the direction of Blitz Bazawule. With ‘Night Swim’ there is something new from the horror genre – and in ‘Beloved Cook’ Juliette Binoche and Benoit Magimel romantically wave the wooden spoon…

“We All Strangers”

In his last joke “We are all strangers” Andrew Haigh wonders what would happen if we had the chance to meet our parents at our current age. Would we get to know her from a completely different side again? Can we process our childhood traumas? Or get answers to questions we never really wanted to know? Lonely television writer Adam (Andrew Scott) suddenly finds himself in the middle of this thought experiment as he forms an intimate relationship with his charismatic neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal).

In our FILMSTARTS review, author Sidney Schering gave the drama the highest score of 5 stars, describing it as nothing short of a masterpiece. The fact that one of the best films of 2024 is already waiting for you here in the cinema is particularly important for you: “Cool, seductive, sad, comforting, beautiful: ‘All Of Us Strangers’ is a hypnotic, sliding combination of dream and nightmare, comfort and trauma – a flood of emotions that crawl under your skin.”

“The Color Purple”

Based on the novel of the same name by Alice Walker, legendary director Steven Spielberg released it in 1985 “The Color Purple” a true classic in the cinemas, in which not only Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey made their first major cinema appearance, but also participated in the Oscars with a total of eleven nominations. In 2005, the hit film was followed by a Broadway musical adaptation, which, like “Mean Girls,” is now making its way back to theaters.

It is about the young Celie (first played by Phylicia Pearl, later by Fantasia Barrino), who, after a terrible childhood with an abusive father, is married to an older widower (Colman Domingo) at the beginning of the 20th century. in an abusive marriage, stuck in a loveless marriage. Thanks in large part to her husband’s lover (Taraji P. Henson), Celie slowly but surely learns to defend herself…

In our FILMSTARTS review, editor-in-chief Christoph Petersen gives the musical 3.5 stars and writes: “Celie’s story, which is as shocking as it is moving, has still lost none of its impact, even after more than forty years. In addition There are great performances across the board (as well as two expected but no less fun guest appearances). But above all, the musical numbers in this Broadway adaptation create little added value.”

“Night Swimming”

Based on a 2014 short film of the same name, starring Bryce McGuire (“Soon You Will Be Gone”) “Night Swimming” a horror film on the big screen in which former baseball professional Ray (Wyatt Russell) moves with his family to the quiet suburb, where a house with a swimming pool awaits him. This is especially good because his multiple sclerosis disease has forced him to exercise more, which he can do in his own pool. And the swimming sessions work wonders – but suddenly there are other incidents related to the pool that are anything but positive…

In our FILMSTARTS review, editor Stefan Geisler could only give the horror film 1.5 stars and writes: “After ‘Night Swim’ you really feel like lying down at the nearest pool with a well-chilled drink. However, as a horror film it completely failed.”

“Beloved Chef”

At the Cannes Film Festival, Tran Anh Hung was recognized for his romance “Beloved chef” won the award for Best Director and the film was also submitted as a French entry for the 2024 Oscars. Unfortunately, the Oscar nomination did not materialize, but you can still expect great cinema here that takes you into the world of food. Juliette Binoche takes on the role of chef Eugénie, who works on a French estate in the 19th century. Together with her superior Dodin (Benoit Magimel), she creates delicacies that seem out of this world – while a romance also seems to develop between the two colleagues…

In our FILMSTARTS review, Janick Nolting gave it a strong 4 out of 5 stars, writing: “Tran Anh Hung has directed an incredibly seductive, visually stunning film about the art and culture of cooking. But when it comes to emphasizing its critical undertones, ‘Beloved Cook’ prefers to indulge in romantic nostalgia rather than sharpen its perspective.”