m-balsara's - Rented List

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"Brian and Charles" follows Brian (David Earl), a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his lack of success, Brian attempts his biggest project yet.

Three days, a washing machine, and various spare parts later, he's invented Charles (Chris Hayward), an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages. What follows is a humorous and entirely heartwarming story about loneliness, friendship, family, finding love, and letting go.

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The stunning debut from Scottish writer-director Charlotte Wells, 'Aftersun' juxtaposes a hopeful coming-of-age story with a poignant, intimate family portrait that leaves an indelible impression.

At a fading vacation resort in the late 1990's, 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) treasures rare time together with her loving and idealistic father, Calum (Paul Mescal). As a world of adolescence creeps into view, beyond her eye Calum struggles under the weight of life outside of fatherhood. Twenty years later, Sophie's tender recollections of their last holiday become a powerful and heartrending portrait of their relationship, as she tries to reconcile the father, she knew with the man she didn't, in Charlotte Wells' superb and searingly emotional debut film.

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"Saint Omer" follows novelist Rama (Kayije Kagame) who attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter.

As the legal proceedings move forward, the words of the accused along with witness testimonies begin to shake Rama's convictions and call into question both her judgement and that of the viewer. Featuring an array of outstanding performances, 'Saint Omer' is a riveting and utterly unmissable courtroom drama from acclaimed filmmaker Alice Diop.

From director-writer-producer Todd Field comes Tar, starring Cate Blanchett as the iconic musician, Lydia Tar. The film examines the changing nature of power, its impact and durability in our modern world.

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Two women, Janis (Penélope Cruz) and Ana (Milena Smit), meet in a hospital where they are about to give birth. Both are single and became pregnant by accident. Janis, middle-aged, has no regrets and is exultant. The other, Ana, an adolescent, is scared and repentant.

Janis tries to encourage her as they move like sleepwalkers through the hospital corridors. The few words they exchange in these hours will create a very close link between them, which by chance will develop and complicate, changing their lives in a decisive way.

This epic drama explores the life and music of Elvis Presley as seen through the prism of Presley's complicated relationship with his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

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London, 1953. Mr. Williams, played by Bill Nighy, is a veteran civil servant, a cog in the city's stifling bureaucracy as it struggles to rebuild following WWII. After a shattering health diagnosis, it dawns on him he has not been living his life to the full.

Amidst the fog of his paperwork, and his loneliness at home, he yearns to find fulfilment before it's too late. He is encouraged in his search by two younger colleagues - the vibrant Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood) and idealistic new recruit Peter (Alex Sharp) - and a hedonistic stranger, Sutherland (Tom Burke), encountered during a desperate trip to the seaside.

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A fast drop and a sudden stop awaits Becky (Grace Fulton) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner) as they find themselves trapped 2,000 feet up an abandoned radio tower in the desert. Highly trained and resourceful, these climbers were still not ready for every eventuality.

A series of unfortunate events see their gear and supplies taken from them and as temperatures rise and vultures begin to circle, the chance of survival begins to fall rapidly.

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Abby (Frances McDormand) is cheating on her bar owner husband, Marty (Dan Hedaya) with Ray (John Getz) one of the bartenders. Marty uncovers their sordid affair and is so enraged by their deceit that he hires Visser (M. Emmet Walsh), an unscrupulous detective, to kill both of them.

Unbeknown to Marty, Visser has other, more lucrative plans of his own. So begins a calculating round of lies and deceit that build to a chilling, suspense filled climax.

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From writer-director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) comes a unique film starring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

Although Padraic (Farrell) and CoIm (Gleeson) have been lifelong friends, they find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, bringing alarming consequences for both of them.

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What happens when an object of suspicion becomes a case of obsession? When detective Hae-joon (Park Hae-il) arrives on the murder scene, he begins to suspect the dead man's wife Seo-rae (Tang Wei) may know more than she initially lets on.

But as he digs deeper into the investigation, Hae-joon finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire, proving that the darkest mysteries lurk inside the human heart.

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Emma Thompson plays Nancy Stokes, a retired school teacher yearning for some adventure, and some sex. And she has a plan, which involves hiring a young sex worker named Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack).

As Nancy embarks on a post-marital sexual awakening and Leo draws on his skills and charm, together they find a surprising human connection.

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CoIm Bairead's beautifully understated feature debut finds a young girl coming to terms with loss and the importance of family in rural Ireland. Cait (Catherine Clinch), a quiet, neglected young girl, is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with relatives for the summer.

At first intimidated by her new environment, she quickly blossoms in the care of Eibhlin (Carrie Crowley) and her farmer husband, Sean (Andrew Bennett). As this new home becomes an idyll for her, Cait senses that something is plaguing her new foster parents - an unspoken pain that Eibhlin and Sean never discuss, which Cait's youthful curiosity begins to uncover.

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Pete (Tom Stourton) is ready to leave his youthful indulgences behind and settle down with his girlfriend, Sonia (Charly Clive).

When his university friends invite him for a country weekend way to celebrate his birthday he finds their immature ways haven't changed and he's baffled by their spontaneous invitation to a feral stranger from the local pub to join them. With the atmosphere turning from tense to terrifying to surreal, Pete reaches breaking point. Is he being punished? Is he paranoid? Or is he just part of some sick joke?

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In this outrageously entertaining and unexpectedly tender comedy from writer/director Todd Stephens (Edge of Seventeen), retired hairdresser Pat Pitsenbarger is dragged out of his small-town nursing home after learning of a former client's dying wish: for him to style her final hairdo.

Soon, Pat embarks on a comical and bittersweet odyssey across town, encountering fabulous friends old and new, and rediscovering his sparkle along the Way. Legendary actor Udo Kier (My Own Private Idaho) leads an all-star cast including Jennifer Coolidge (Legally Blonde), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty) and Linda Evans (Dynasty).