We’ve never seen Jessie Buckley, as the Bride, so electric. She fills every scene with a strong sense of danger as her character transforms in a wild arc. Christian Bale, almost unrecognisable at first as Frankenstein’s Monster, fills the screen with an almost overwhelming mix of aggression and sadness. Annette Bening is also fabulous as Dr Euphronius, who is tasked with bringing the dead back to life.

Every scene has a purpose, and this kinetic energy powers the film forward throughout its two-hour running time. It constantly brings in so many other film references; it’s a film aficionado’s dream. The art exists in those moments, being presented as a tribute and not as outright thievery. Gyllenhaal even succeeds in delivering an ending that validates your care for the participants.

In a nod to Bonnie & Clyde, Sid and Nancy and many others, Frankenstein and The Bride embark on a crime-riddled romantic road trip for the ages. And it speaks to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sure hand at the till and her obvious love of the cinema (past and present) that the final product feels so fresh and holds together so well with so many influences at play. This all equates to a rollicking good time.
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A lonely Frankenstein (Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (five-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening) to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman and The Bride (Buckley) is born. What ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: Murder! Possession! A wild and radical cultural movement! And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!

The film stars Buckley, Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, with Bening, Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, and Oscar winner Penélope Cruz. Maggie Gyllenhaal directs from her own screenplay and produces alongside Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Talia Kleinhendler and Osnat Handelsman Keren. The executive producers are Carla Raij, David Webb and Courtney Kivowitz.

Gyllenhaal is supported behind the camera by a team of award-winning film artisans, including director of photography Lawrence Sher, production designer Karen Murphy, editor Dylan Tichenor, music supervisor Randall Poster, composer Hildur Gudnadóttir and costume designer Sandy Powell.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A First Love Films / In The Current Company Production, A Maggie Gyllenhaal Film: THE BRIDE!. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, only in Australian cinemas March 2026.
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Will is played by Paul Mescal, and Agnes by Jessie Buckley and their performances are a masterclass in the art of acting. They are rich in subtle nuances and unspoken communications, and strangely, for a story about someone whose words were of utmost importance, this work could have almost worked as a silent film without losing any of its impact.

Will is portrayed as kind and generous with his words, but socially uncomfortable and not universally applauded by his immediate family. The relationship leading to the marriage is rushed, and soon, children enter the picture. With the birth of twins Hamnet and Judith, the family dynamic shifts. With the early death at 11 years old of their son Hamlet, their lives are torn asunder.

The way that the two parents deal with the grief is seemingly at polar opposites. Will disappears into his work, and Agnes is left to hold the family together. This creates one of the film’s most emotionally charged scenes when Agnes is made aware of Will’s deep love and sorrow for their departed son. This is a work that appeals even to those with no interest in Shakespeare and his works. It features raw human emotion that transcends any single person’s life story.
Rob Hudson
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From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Hamnet stars Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn and will be released in Aussie cinemas this January!
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From Maggie Gyllenhaal (Academy Award-nominated writer/director of The Lost Daughter) and starring Academy Award nominee Jessie Buckley and Academy Award winner Christian Bale comes THE BRIDE! A bold, iconoclastic take on one of the world’s most compelling stories.

A lonely Frankenstein (Bale) travels to 1930s Chicago to ask groundbreaking scientist Dr. Euphronious (five-time Oscar nominee Annette Bening) to create a companion for him. The two revive a murdered young woman and The Bride (Buckley) is born. What ensues is beyond what either of them imagined: Murder! Possession! A wild and radical cultural movement! And outlaw lovers in a wild and combustible romance!

The film stars Buckley, Bale, Peter Sarsgaard, with Bening, Academy Award nominee Jake Gyllenhaal, and Oscar winner Penélope Cruz. Maggie Gyllenhaal directs from her own screenplay and produces alongside Oscar nominee Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Talia Kleinhendler and Osnat Handelsman Keren. The executive producers are Carla Raij, David Webb and Courtney Kivowitz.

Gyllenhaal is supported behind the camera by a team of award-winning film artisans, including director of photography Lawrence Sher, production designer Karen Murphy, editor Dylan Tichenor, music supervisor Randall Poster, composer Hildur Gudnadóttir and costume designer Sandy Powell.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A First Love Films / In The Current Company Production, A Maggie Gyllenhaal Film: THE BRIDE!. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, only in Australian cinemas March 2026.
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From Academy Award® winning writer/director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet tells the powerful love story that inspired the creation of Shakespeare’s timeless masterpiece, Hamlet.

Starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson, Joe Alwyn, Hamnet will be released in Aussie cinemas January 2026!

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A veterinarian from a neighbouring colony supplied some of the men in Manitoba with a spay anaesthetic which they used to sedate entire houses and then proceeded to rape the women in those households. The age of the victims ranged from 3 years old to 65.

In the film, the perpetrators are imprisoned temporarily and the women in the community get together to decide what to do before the men are released. This leads to an in-depth examination of their beliefs and views on the place of women in a society that denies them access to education and almost all forms of self-expression. They are even restricted from learning how to read and write.

The acting by all the cast members is superlative. They seldom raise their voices but show so much nuance with facial expressions and vocal cadence. The horrific nature of the crimes are implied but not shown. The film is heavy going and a graphic display would have been overwhelming. Women Talking is a superb example of fine art being inspired by abhorrent events and overwhelms your consciousness via a group of actors working at the top of their game.
Rob Hudson
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In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.

Staring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, Women Talking will be released in Aussie cinemas 2023!
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Staring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Judith Ivey, Ben Whishaw, and Frances McDormand, About Women Talking will be released in Aussie cinemas February 16, 2023.

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What begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears in visionary filmmaker Alex Garland’s (Ex Machina, Annihilation) feverish, shape-shifting new horror film.

Men is directed by Alex Garland and stars Jessie Buckley, Rory Kinnear and Paapa Essiedu.

Men is coming to Australian cinemas on June 16 2022.

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