Being human is not easy.
It can be all kinds of things – bright, wonderful, alive, sad, painful, crazy and plain awful but easy? Not even a little bit.
Mots of us make an accommodation with it because really what choice do we have, but therapy aside, it is good to have chance to live vicariously through stories in the movies we watch which grapple with what it means to be human and to fall in love in a way that is not socially acceptable at the time, or to feel you’ll never find love and then be unsure about what to do next when you do, or to deal with the aftermath of death when the raw wound of life is at its most bloody and terrible.
Watching these stories give us a chance to work things through, even if they are not necessarily part of our lived experience, and these three movies look like, from the trailers at least – which we know by experience, is not the best way to judge anything – they do it beautifully with dramatic empathy, hilarious insight and real appreciation for the emotional vagaries of life’s painfully in-between moments coming affectingly to the fore.
SNAPSHOT
A beautifully crafted story of forbidden love and changing social conventions, My Policeman follows three young people – policeman Tom (Harry Styles), teacher Marion (Emma Corrin), and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson)– as they embark on an emotional journey in 1950s Britain. Flashing forward to the 1990s, Tom (Linus Roache), Marion (Gina McKee), and Patrick (Rupert Everett) are still reeling with longing and regret, but now they have one last chance to repair the damage of the past. My Policeman is directed by acclaimed British theater director Michael Grandage, director of the film Genius previously, plus lots of theater work including King Lear and Red. The screenplay is written by Ron Nyswaner; based on the book of the same name by Bethan Roberts. Produced by Greg Berlanti, Philip Herd, Cora Palfrey, Robbie Rogers, Sarah Schechter. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
My Policeman premieres on Prime Video on 4 November (it will be shown in some US theatres commencing 21 October).
SNAPSHOT
From the ferocious comic mind of Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street, 2019’s The Lion King, Difficult People, Impeachment: American Crime Story) and the hitmaking brilliance of filmmakers Nicholas Stoller (the Neighbors films, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Judd Apatow (The King of Staten Island, Trainwreck, The Big Sick), comes Bros, a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about finding sex, love and romance amidst the madness. Bros is directed by acclaimed comedy filmmaker Nicholas Stoller, director of the Hollywood smash movies Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, The Five-Year Engagement, Neighbors, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, and Storks previously. The screenplay is co-written by Nicholas Stoller and Billy Eichner. It’s produced by Judd Apatow, Stoller and Joshua Church. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
Bros premieres in theatres on 30 September in US, 27 October in Australia and 28 October in UK.
SNAPSHOT
Sarah Obeng (Nana Mensah), a doctoral student at Columbia University, is weeks away from following her very married boyfriend to Ohio when her mother suddenly passes away. Her inheritance? King of Glory, a small Christian bookstore serving a Ghanaian immigrant community in the Bronx. Tasked with arranging her mother’s funeral according to her family’s traditions, Sarah must simultaneously navigate her plans to relocate as well as the unexpected return of her estranged father, all while grappling with the bookstore. Aided by an only-in-New-York ensemble of Eastern European neighbors, opinionated aunties, and a no-nonsense ex-con employee, Sarah must face her new responsibilities while figuring out how to remain true to herself. Queen of Glory is both written and directed by actress / filmmaker Nana Mensah, making her directorial debut with this film. This initially premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival last year, where it won the Best New Narrative Director Award at the end of the fest. (synopsis courtesy First Showing)
Queen of Glory releases in US on 15 July; international release dates TBA.