The Royal Hotel (18)
Directed by Kitty Green
★★★★

 
SET in the Australian outback, two twentysomething Canadian backpackers, Hannah and Liv, face grossly sexist and lewd behaviour in this tense and taut thriller which examines toxic masculinity in a virtually all-male community where time has stood still. 
 
Inspired by Peter Gleeson’s documentary Hotel Coolgardie it follows Hanna (Julia Garner) and Liv (an impressive Jessica Henwick) who, having run out of money, accept a bar job in a remote mining town which consists of the pub run by Billy (Hugo Weaving on great form) and a swimming pool. 
 
The film reunites co-writer-director Kitty Green with Garner for the first time since 2019’s The Assistant. Garner is phenomenal as Hanna who didn’t want to be there in the first place, and is feeling vulnerable and threatened by the locals and regular Dolly (Daniel Henshall) in particular. He sets his sights on her and the tensions pile up. Her friend Liv responds by telling her to lighten up and explaining the men’s behaviour as just part of the culture and the experience. But the girls are perceived as fresh meat (as the sign outside the pub states) and soon find their volatile and hostile situation spinning out of control. 
 
So — should they suck it up and stay or get out of town ASAP before the inevitable happens? That is the question at the heart of this slow burning yet chilling drama which is a masterclass in tension building.  
 
Seen from the women’s point of view, this female gaze explores the gender politics and power play as the young women, who are seen as fair game, are forced to hold their own. This is a difficult watch.   
 
Frankly, I would have cut my losses and run for the hills.
 

Out in cinemas Friday

Nobody Has To Know (12A)
Directed by Tim Mielants and Bouli Lanners
★★★

 
THE sweeping barren landscapes of the Isle of Lewis reinforce the loneliness of two middle-aged people who finally form a human connection in this haunting romantic drama. 
 
It is written and co-directed by Bouli Lanners who plays Phil, a Belgian farmhand, who suffers amnesia following a stroke on the Scottish island. Millie (Michelle Fairley) a local woman, looks after him while falsely claiming they are in a secret relationship. 
 
It is a very slow burning drama in which you are waiting for Phil to regain his memory and discover the truth, as Millie pulls out all the stops to defend her lie. It is a heartfelt tale featuring quietly powerful performances by Lanners and Fairley, as these two lonely people find their way to love and deal with the deception in an adult way.  
 
However it ends on a bittersweet note underscored by the Isle of Lewis’s gorgeous but unforgiving vistas.  

Out in cinemas on Friday

Fingernails (15)
Directed by Christos Nikon
★★★

 
IF there was a test that could prove your best love match would you take it? That’s the fascinating premise of this sci fi drama and English-language debut feature of Athens-born filmmaker Christos Nikou (Apples).
 
It stars Jesse Buckley as Anna who has tested 100 per cent positive with her other half Ryan (Jeremy Allen White) but whom she doesn’t have much in common with. However, when she starts working at a love institute run by Luke Wilson she begins to fall for her colleague Amir (Riz Ahmed), which puts into question the reliability of the love test. 
 
Produced by Cate Blanchett, it is the captivating performances from Buckley and Ahmed that overcome the film’s shortcomings. You can’t help but root for them. However, be warned: the test involves having a nail removed. Although you don’t see the act itself, the simulation is enough to make you squirm. This isn’t for the squeamish. 

Out in cinemas today and available on Apple TV+ Friday
 
 

Bottoms (15)
Directed by Emma Seligman
★★

 
TWO unpopular lesbian high school students launch a fight club to score with hot students in this raunchy and outrageous comedy.
 
It is directed and co-written by Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, who plays PJ, a queer teenage girl who is determined to lose her virginity before college. With her best friend Josie (Ayo Edebiri) they start the club with the pretence that it can empower girls in a school where there is a lack of female solidarity. PJ just wants to get close to her crush, the beautiful Britanny (Kaia Gerber), while Josie wants to hook up with Isabel (Havana Rose Liu) whose boyfriend is the self-absorbed and narcissistic jock Jeff (Nicholas Galitzine). 
 
With its dark and over the top humour there are some great laugh out loud moments, but the film needed more. The graphic violence suffered by the girls is hard to stomach, and surprising to find in a film that is written and directed by women. 

Nevertheless, it is a refreshing attempt to subvert the genre.
 

Out in cinemas Friday