ALSO SHOWING
FLORA & ULYSSES (PG) Preview
ADAPTED from Kate DiCamillo’s award-winning 2013 children’s book, this is a life-affirming comedy adventure for the whole family directed by Lena Khan.
Ten-year-old Flora Belle Buckman (Matilda Lawler) is an avid fan of comic books, which provide a welcome distraction from the recent separation of her parents George (Ben Schwartz) and Phyllis (Alyson Hannigan).
The girl is a self-proclaimed cynic, who finds almost no joy in the world until she rescues a squirrel named Ulysses.
The animal’s close brush with death causes it to develop unique superpowers. Flora believes that Ulysses must use these newfound abilities to champion justice in their close-knit neighbourhood.
The girl and her rodent companion embark on a rollicking adventure, which helps Flora to gain a fresh perspective on life.
■ Streaming from Friday on Disney+.
SPONTANEOUS HHHH H
(15)
DIRECTOR Brian Duffield makes a very promising debut with this ingenious black comedy.
Mara (Katherine Langford) is at high school one day when a fellow student spontaneously explodes for no apparent reason.
That would be unnerving enough, but the situation becomes even more unsettling when more of her classmates combust.
However, she still has the normal teenage problems to deal with, including a budding romance with Dylan (Charlie Plummer), who is inspired to seize the day and ask her out.
The film is based on a 2016 novel by Aaron Starmer, so any parallels to the current pandemic are accidental, but the talk of quarantine makes it feel unexpectedly timely.
■ On Sky Cinema Premiere