Schemers (15)
Directed by Dave Mclean
★★★★

FANS of Human Traffic and 24 Hour Party People will be in their element with this delightfully cheeky autobiographical dramedy from music promoter-turned-Placebo manager Dave Mclean.

A fictionalised retelling of his time working the club scene of late-1970s Dundee, Schemers is a highly engaging and, above all, very Scottish tale that’s disarmingly witty and unafraid to add a dash of gristle when needed. But it remembers to bring an infectious fun to proceedings.

Mclean brings a decidedly ramshackle charm to both the staging and tone of the narrative and, while Conor Berry is perhaps not the world’s most compelling lead, he's at least able enough to effectively sell what Mclean’s offering.

With bags of charm, a lot of laughs and — most importantly — the soundtrack swagger to match, Schemers instantly earns a spot among the niche pantheon of British music-centric dramedies.

Equal parts madcap and maudlin, Mclean’s willingness to celebrate his inevitable losses as much as his unlikely successes proves paramount, to say nothing of his ability to build an immersive club atmosphere.

Schemers is doubtless set to send more than a few audience members out in search of a good indie night, whenever that becomes possible.

VAN CONNOR

Capital in the 21st Century (12A)
Directed by Justin Pemberton
★★★★

CAPITAL in the 21st Century is an eye-opening and challenging historical account of capitalism, wealth and power over the last 300 years.

Based on the groundbreaking book by Thomas Piketty, who also co-wrote the script, the film traverses the French Revolution, two world wars and the rise of new technologies today as it examines the rise and fall of the aristocracy, capitalism versus socialism and the growing inequalities between rich and poor.

Through interviews with leading economists and some of the world's most influential experts, coupled with engaging animations, archive footage and apposite contemporary film clips, Justin Pemberton's engaging documentary attempts to shape numerous complex ideas and analyses into an insightful and comprehensible form.

It is a lot to digest in almost two hours. But you will be left shaken and stirred by the end and with a better understanding of why the world is in turmoil.

MARIA DUARTE

Monsoon (12A)
Directed by Hong Khaou
★★★★

RISING STAR Henry Golding returns to the screen as he fronts writer-director Hong Khaou’s eagerly awaited follow-up to the acclaimed Lilting.

In Monsoon, the former BBC travel presenter plays the introspective Kit, who journeys to his long-forgotten childhood home of Vietnam.

There he finds a kindred spirit in his romantic entanglement with ex-pat Lewis — a wonderfully understated turn by Parker Sawyers — as he begins to explore the world his parents left behind 30 years previously and considers where to scatter their ashes.

It’s a solid second feature from Khaou, who trades the obvious plot mechanics of what would be an infinitely shoddier effort for something with noticeably more gentle nuance and depth.

Gorgeously shot by Benjamin Kracun, it's another fine feather in Golding’s increasingly impressive cap and, while no crowd-pleaser, Monsoon is a lavish and compelling character drama not to be missed.

VC

Little Girl
Directed by Sebastien Lifshitz
★★★★

THE HEARTBREAKING struggles of eight-year-old Sasha, a little girl born a boy, to be accepted for who she is are captured with great sensitivity and poignancy by award-winning documentary maker Sebastien Lifshitz.

He followed Sasha and her supportive family for a year as they battle with her school and her ballet teachers in the conservative French provincial town they live in to treat her as the little girl that she is.

While other children accept her, her doting and guilt-ridden mother reveals that she was accused by the school of encouraging Sasha to be a girl.

A sympathetic child psychologist reveals that she has gender dysphoria, she isn’t alone and that her gender identification hasn't been caused by her mum’s fervent wish to have a daughter.

The film captures the meeting with the specialist from Sasha’s perspective, as she gradually gets upset at the thought of the school’s intransigence — a heartwrenching watch.

And, unobtrusively, it shows you candid moments of utter joy and the lows in the life of a youngster who wants to be able to play with dolls and go to school in a skirt or a dress without prejudice or judgement.

In cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema.

MD

Becky (18)
Directed by Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott
★★★★

COOTIES directors Cary Murnion and Jonathan Milott are back with the grislier and less comedic though oddly cathartic Becky, the kind of hack’n’slash romp that should include the words “we’re really not kidding” below its 18 certificate..

Oddly cathartic, it’s Funny Games meets The Aggression Scale as Lulu Wilson’s eponymous tween finds her dreaded weekend at dad’s lake house interrupted by the arrival of four escaped convicts.

With nowhere to turn and no one to save them, naturally it falls to Becky to save her family by utilising every potential weapon at her disposal — which, considering she’s only 13, involves getting terrifyingly inventive.

Though it wastes nearly the entirety of first act on what should have been a single scene, otherwise Becky wastes no time in getting to the gory OTT good times.

Horror fans will be delighted, though it may prove a tad sickening for those of a weaker constitution.

VC

Miss Juneteenth (15)
Directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples
★★★★

A FORMER beauty queen and single mum lives vicariously through her rebellious teenage daughter in this stunning and poignant debut feature by Channing Godfrey Peoples about mothers, daughters and shattered dreams.

Nicole Beharie is phenomenal as Turquoise Jones who is determined her 15-year-old daughter Kai (an impressive Alexis Chikaeze) follows in her footsteps and wins the Miss Juneteenth pageant — her own happiest achievement — which comes with a scholarship to college.

She wants Kai, who has no interest in the contest, to go to university and succeed, something she didn't do — perhaps because she got sidetracked by getting pregnant and marrying a gambler and a loser. Now she is working at several low-paid jobs to make ends meet.

Her task is not made easier by the organisers of the Miss Juneteenth contest, a bunch of snobs and elitists who look down on Turquoise due to her lack of success and social standing and her working-class roots in a drama that's nevertheless full of heart, grace and soul.

MD

Rebuilding Paradise (12A)
Directed by Ron Howard
★★★

ON NOVEMBER 8 2018 a fierce wildfire in California killed 85 people and destroyed most homes in the town of Paradise.

With chilling and harrowing film footage shot at the scene, Oscar-winning director Ron Howard puts the viewer front and centre of the devastating fire and its aftermath in this gripping documentary.

It is extraordinarily painful and devastating to watch — you can almost feel the burning heat and choking smoke.

The film also follows a number of residents who survived the inferno in the ironically named town as, over a year, they deal with trauma, displacement, an uncertain future and how they go about piecing their lives back together again.

The focus is not on who is to blame but on the effects on the community and how a crisis can bring out the best in people as they band together.

MD