Safe Return Doubtful

Lurker 

Italy / USA – 2025 

An arthouse thriller about infatuation and yearning for approval. It’s a common story these days, but it’s freshly done with good performances that can be seen as a character study of loneliness and depression. IMDb score 6.8 – My Score 7 / 10 

Urchin

UK / USA – 2025 

An independent drama from a debut director who delivers a grounded and touching story with a low budget presentation. It follows Mike, a young man struggling with drug addiction and homelessness. Sensitively handled, it was a fine performance from the lead, Frank Dillane. IMDb score 6.8 – My score 7 / 10

Motel Destino 

Brazil – 2024 

A Brazilian noir, in the vein of James Cain’s The Postman Always Rings Twice. Young Heraldo owes money and is being chased by dangerous thugs. He takes refuge in a seedy motel run by an old alcoholic and his much younger wife. The cinematography is wonderful, steamy sex scenes in a crumbling motel, and the unpredictable and frightening behaviour of the owner. IMDb score 6.5 – My score 8 / 10 

Animalia 

Morocco – 2025 

A gentle meditative film with the setting of the wild Moroccan Atlas Mountains which uses the backdrop of a vague and non-specific arrival of an alien presence to the planet while broaching deeper issues of class, gender and religion in contemporary Moroccan society. Or is it? It might equally be explained as a different way to view life on earth..  IMDB score 5.9 – My score 8 / 10

The Ice Tower 

France / Germany / Italy – 2025 

Ideal for Christmas viewing. A runaway teenage orphan hides in a film studio where a production of ‘The Snow Queen’ is  being made. It’s a mixture of fantasy and reality that comes across as dreamlike at times. It doesn’t really work, and as far as I am concerned, would have been better moving into the horror genre. IMDb score 6 – My score 6 / 10 

Life of Chuck 

Much better than I thought it was going to be. Nothing to do with horror, in fact, quite the reverse. IMDb score 7.3 – My score 7 / 10 

USA – 2024 

Anemone 

UK / USA – 2025

The scenery was the thing that appealed to me most about this, as it was filmed on Anglesey in places that I know. Also, the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, and to a slightly lesser extent, Sean Bean. I kept thinking what fun they must have had making it, which spoilt the overall enjoyment a bit. IMDb score 5.6 – My score 7 / 10