From Pedro Almodóvar’s latest project starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton to Eva Birthistle's feature debut and a film about a young Donald Trump, here are all the films coming to Irish cinemas this month.
October 4
Joker: Folie À Deux
Joker: Folie À Deux finds Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) institutionalised at Arkham awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. While struggling with his dual identity, Arthur not only stumbles upon true love but also finds the music that’s always been inside him. Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson, Catherine Keener and Zazie Beetz also star.
A Different Man
Edward, a man suffering from neurofibromatosis, undergoes facial reconstructive surgery to escape the isolation caused by his physical deformities. After the surgery, he becomes obsessed with a theatre production based on his life – fixating on an actor playing a character inspired by his former self.
October 11
King Frankie
King Frankie tells the story of a man driven by his desire for monetary success, only to find himself facing the consequences of his choices. The film explores the journey of Frankie (Peter Coonan), a taxi driver and owner of a small taxi firm. On the day of his father’s funeral, Frankie is forced to confront a traumatic event from ten years previous. As he grapples with the weight of this reckoning, his journey toward forgiveness—and ultimately redemption—begins.
Transformers One
Transformers One is the untold origin story of Optimus Prime and Megatron. Now sworn enemies, they were once friends, bonded like brothers who changed the fate of Cybertron forever. The first-ever fully CG-animated Transformers movie, it features a star-studded voice cast, including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm.
Terrifier 3
Spooky season kicks off with a bang with the release of Terrifier 3, an American slasher film written and directed by Damien Leone. Taking place at Christmas time, the story follows Sienna Shaw as she attempts to rebuild her life while Art the Clown is in pursuit of her alongside his new accomplice, Victoria Heyes.
Salem’s Lot
Based on the 1975 novel by Stephen King, Salem’s Lot centres on author Ben Mears, who returns to his childhood home of Jerusalem’s Lot in search of inspiration for his next book only to discover his hometown is being preyed upon by a bloodthirsty vampire.
October 18
Smile 2
The sequel to Smile, the film stars Naomi Scott as a global pop sensation Skye Riley who, as she is about to embark on a new world tour, begins to experience a series of increasingly terrifying and inexplicable events. Overwhelmed by the escalating horrors and the pressures of fame, Skye is forced to face her dark past to regain control of her life before it spirals out of control.
The Wild Robot
If edge-of-your-seat thrillers aren’t your thing, The Wild Robot is a much more wholesome choice. Brought to you by DreamWorks Animation, the film is based on Peter Brown’s New York Times bestseller of the same name and follows the journey of a robot—Rozzum unit 7134, or Roz for short. Shipwrecked on an uninhabited island, Roz must learn to adapt to the harsh surroundings, gradually building relationships with the animals on the island and becoming the adoptive parent of an orphaned gosling.
The Apprentice
Sebastian Stan stars as a young Donald Trump in this biographical drama directed by Ali Abbasi. Set during the early years of Trump’s business career, the film focuses on the relationship between Trump and Roy Cohn, a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare. Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, and Martin Donovan also feature.
Kathleen Is Here
Written and directed by Eva Birthistle (of Bad Sisters fame), Kathleen Is Here stars Hazel Doupe as Kathleen, an 18-year-old fresh out of foster care who returns to her hometown to take ownership of her deceased mother’s house. She gets a job and even a friend; but the emptiness of Kathleen’s life cannot be filled by social media and reality shows. Alone and desperate for a mother figure, she sets out on a destructive path to find one.
October 25
Venom: The Last Dance
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy returns as Venom, one of Marvel’s greatest and most complex characters, for the final film in the trilogy. Eddie and Venom are on the run. Hunted by both of their worlds and with the net closing in, the duo are forced into a devastating decision that will bring the curtains down on their last dance.
The Front Room
A young couple’s life is thrown into disarray when they reluctantly agree to take in the man’s estranged stepmother. As tensions rise, their seemingly normal home becomes a battleground of paranoia and fear. The old woman’s erratic behaviour and mysterious past unveil dark secrets that threaten to unravel their relationship. As they grapple with the sinister presence that takes over their home, they must confront their own demons and the haunting reality of what lurks in the front room.
The Room Next Door
Pedro Almodóvar’s latest project, The Room Next Door stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as Ingrid and Martha. Close friends in their youth when they worked together at the same magazine, the twosome were later separated by the circumstances of life – Ingrid went on to become an autofiction novelist while Martha became a war reporter. After years of being out of touch, they meet again in an extreme but strangely sweet situation.
Feature image: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Photo credit: © El Deseo, photo by Iglesias Más.
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