The Sheep Detectives
Comedy, Family, Mystery (English)
George Hardy is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they (more…)
Krishnavatar Part 1: Hridayam
Adventure, Romance, Drama (Hindi)
An epic devotional narrative that reimagines the journey of Lord Krishna, tracing his path from Dwarka to Kurukshetra after parting ways with Radha. As his journey unfolds, it explores his connection with people, his layered personality, and the lessons he (more…)
Daadi Ki Shaadi
Comedy, Drama, Family (Hindi)
A grandmother’s mishap with a social media post causes consternation amongst her children and threatens the prospect of her granddaughter’s wedding. (more…)
Guild Reviews
Fatherland
Drama, History (English)
In 1949, German writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika embark on a road trip across a Germany in ruins, from US-dominated Frankfurt to Soviet-controlled Weimar.
Cast:
Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler, August Diehl, Anna Madeley, Devid Striesow, David Menkin, Joachim Meyerhoff, Enno Trebs, Theo Trebs, Waldemar Kobus
Director:
Paweł Pawlikowski
Fri, May 15 2026
Black-and-white frames can be rendered either warm or cool, depending on what you’re going for. Pawel Pawlikowski manages to combine stateliness and intimacy in his signature look, where both those colours are given several shades of grey. As soon as ‘Fatherland’ (Cannes competition) begins, in which unfolds a fraught chapter of the famous author Thomas Mann’s life and times, we know we are back in Pawel territory. It is 1949. Mann (Hanss Zischer), who had fled Nazi Germany for the US, is back, readying for the Goethe prize to be conferred upon him. The film loses no time in setting the context: here is a man who has essentially given up on his country — not motherland; Hitler had turned it into fatherland, a paternalistic, authoritarian, murderous dictatorship — and is to be welcome back at a time when the recently-concluded war has drawn a line separating the East and West.
Nagi Notes
Drama (Japanese)
Yoriko, an artist living in rural Nagi, is haunted by a former love affair she cannot bear to mourn. When Yuri, a recently separated architect, travels from Tokyo to visit her friend and former sister-in-law, both women find themselves at a crossroad, each searching for ways to let go of the past and define their identities. Yuri's brief escape from the city settles into a quiet confrontation of loss and probing for the two women in bucolic Nagi.
Cast:
Takako Matsu, Shizuka Ishibashi, Kenichi Matsuyama, Kawaguchi Waku, Kiyora Fujiwara, Sawako Fujima, Ron Mizuma, Shin Seo-gye
Director:
Koji Fukada
Writer:
Koji Fukada
Fri, May 15 2026
There’s been a recent upsurge of the interest in Japan, as both location and metaphor, in Indian cinema. The romantic leads in both Toh Ti Ani Fuji ( Marathi) and Ek Din (Hindi), wander around Japanese hills and vales, looking for themselves. The four central characters in Koji Fukada’s latest Nagi Notes (his first in Cannes Competition) are also searching, and their quest turns into a ruminative marvel, which sneaks into your heart without fanfare. Two women, co-sisters-in-law in spirit even when the man in question has vanished from their lives, reunite for a week in Nagi, the kind of small town where everyone knows everyone else, public service announcements on radio talking about mundane civic affairs (as well as the war in faraway Ukraine) become the chief source of information, and where the rhythms of nature reflect the inner turmoil of the characters.
A Woman's Life
Drama, Comedy (French)
Gabrielle, a dedicated surgeon and head of a hospital department, is stretched thin by the weight of responsibility. There is little time left for her private life: a loving husband and a mother who depends on her care. Yet this is the life she wanted, the life she chose. When a novelist comes to observe her at work for a book, her balance begins to shift.
Cast:
Léa Drucker, Mélanie Thierry, Charles Berling, Laurent Capelluto, Marie-Christine Barrault, Yumi Narita, Suzanne de Baecque, Erri De Luca
Director:
Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
Fri, May 15 2026
What is a woman’s life? It’s been one of those questions that filmmakers down the ages have grappled with, and will continue to do so, as we engage with the eternal dance of identity, gender politics, roles and responsibilities. Some of the answers that Charline Bourgeoise-Tacquet comes up with in her second feature, prosaically titled, A Woman’s Life (Cannes Competition section), are a surprise. Gabrielle (Lea Drucker), 55, is clearly on top of her profession, a surgeon of repute, who heads her section in a city hospital. When we come upon her, she is juggling multiple things: a long day at work, a husband (Charles Berling), a mother (Marie Christine-Barrault) with advancing dementia, and a room full of interns who seem to think work is a picnic.
The Punisher: One Last Kill
Action, Drama, Crime (English)
As Frank Castle searches for meaning beyond revenge, an unexpected force pulls him back into the fight.
Cast:
Jon Bernthal, Deborah Ann Woll, Jason R. Moore, Judith Light, Kelli Barrett, Andre Royo, John Douglas Thompson, Colton Hill, Nick Koumalatsos, Addie Bernthal
Director:
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Writer:
Reinaldo Marcus Green, Jon Bernthal
Fri, May 15 2026
Last seen in Daredevil: Born Again, The Punisher, played by Jon Bernthal, returns for a bloody adventure before Spider-Man: Brand New Day this summer. Fans wondering about what happened to the character get a brief catch-up with the character as he comes back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Bernthal, who is also a co-writer on The Punisher: One Last Kill, gives viewers some insight into his trauma as the vigilante returns to patrol the city. The purpose of the special is to serve as one long action sequence for a character that has lost his purpose.
The Sheep Detectives
Comedy, Family, Mystery (English)
George Hardy is a shepherd who reads detective novels to his beloved sheep every night, assuming they can't possibly understand. But when a mysterious incident disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives. As they follow the clues and investigate human suspects, they prove that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers.
Cast:
Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, Nicholas Braun, Nicholas Galitzine, Molly Gordon, Hong Chau, Tosin Cole, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Conleth Hill, Mandeep Dhillon
Director:
Kyle Balda
Thu, May 14 2026
Before we discuss the joys of Kyle Balda’s The Sheep Detectives, we must dwell on the obstacles around it (and there are a few). First, that flat title – possibly suggested by a business mind. I can’t imagine many people looking at the title and being remotely excited by it. Second, this is a difficult genre. Creating an idealised version of a world (aimed at children), it’s hard to preserve the sweetness of the world without making it egregious for adults.
Sun, May 10 2026
The shepherd in question is George (Hugh Jackman), who dotes on his flock to the extent that he has named each one of them. Jackman gives George a comforting warmth. His scenes reading murder mysteries aloud to the sheep, despite insisting they understand nothing (but they do), establish the film’s gentle absurdity early on. After his sudden and mysterious death, the animals—grief-stricken and shocked by the loss—begin to step up to solve the case of George’s murder. For this, they also need to leave the meadow and cross over into the nearby town of Denbrook. Local policeman Tim Derry (Nicholas Braun) and junior reporter Elliot Matthews (Nicholas Galitzine), who recently arrived in Denbrook, lead the investigation. But the movie increasingly belongs to the sheep themselves, particularly Lily (voiced by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), George’s favourite ewe, who becomes the emotional and moral centre of the story. Her line, “Sheep don’t die, they turn into clouds,” is delivered with such simple sincerity that it forms the film’s defining sentiment.
Sat, May 9 2026
A film about sheep who solve a murder mystery? Bring it on, one would say. Given the volume of pedestrian stories doing the rounds these days, sheep involved in solving a crime is as refreshing as it gets. The Sheep Detectives, directed by Kyle Balda — the man behind Minions — is a charming film with some good old-fashioned wit. Executive producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are well-known names, recently associated with Project Hail Mary.
Unchosen
Drama (English)
When a young mother from a sheltered cult crosses paths with a mysterious stranger, she embarks on a risky affair that awakens desires and dark secrets.
Cast:
Molly Windsor, Asa Butterfield, Fra Fee, Siobhan Finneran, Christopher Eccleston, Rory Wilmot, Olivia Pickering
Wed, May 13 2026
Unchosen reels you in with its intriguing synopsis and makes you regret the next six hours of your life. This Netflix series — attempting to tell a story about a religious cult thrown into disarray by forces both within and outside of it — starts tepid, grows tiresome and ends tedious. Which is a major missed opportunity for creator Julie Gearey, who wastes a premise that had the potential to score with both familial drama and psychological intrigue, but falls short on both counts. And many more.
Krishnavatar Part 1: Hridayam
Adventure, Romance, Drama (Hindi)
An epic devotional narrative that reimagines the journey of Lord Krishna, tracing his path from Dwarka to Kurukshetra after parting ways with Radha. As his journey unfolds, it explores his connection with people, his layered personality, and the lessons he imparts about love and life.
Cast:
Siddharth Gupta, Sushmitha Bhat, Sanskruti Jayana, Nivaashiyni Krishnan, J. Karthik, Smrithi Srikanth, Jackie Shroff
Director:
Hardik Gajjar
Writer:
Hardik Gajjar, Raam Mori, Prakash R. Kapadia
Keeper
Horror, Mystery (English)
Liz and Malcolm escape for a romantic anniversary weekend at a secluded cabin. When Malcolm suddenly returns to the city, Liz finds herself isolated and in the presence of an unspeakable evil that reveals the cabin's horrifying secrets.
Cast:
Tatiana Maslany, Rossif Sutherland, Birkett Turton, Eden Weiss, Cassandra Ebner, Tess Degenstein, Erin Boyes, Gina Vultaggio, Claire Friesen, Christin Park
Director:
Osgood Perkins
Writer:
Nick Lepard
Wed, May 13 2026
Only one name made me tune into Keeper: Osgood Perkins. The filmmaker, who has earned his stripes in horror for over a decade and gave us a terrifyingly unrecognisable Nicolas Cage in the critically-acclaimed Longlegs two years ago, attempts to bring on the chills through his atmospheric thriller Keeper. After a limited release in select theatres, Keeper is now streaming on Prime Video. The film employs a trope as old as the horror genre itself. Spooky events — some real, some imagined… but who can tell? — unfold at a cabin in the woods, but Perkins, surprisingly, is unable to do anything new with it. What we, therefore, have in this 99-minute watch is a film that delivers on its “experimental horror” ambitions, but falls short of its promise of a truly engaging watch.
Dug Dug
Comedy, Music (Hindi)
Mysterious events in the wake of a freak motorcycle accident sow the seeds of a new religion.
Cast:
Altaf Khan, Gaurav Soni, Yogendra Singh, Durgalal Saini, Sarvesh Vyas
Director:
Ritwik Pareek
Writer:
Ritwik Pareek
Mon, May 11 2026
Ritwik Pareek’s Dug Dug is quite the tease. In a gloriously meditative opening sequence, a visibly inebriated man steps out of a liquor shop with a ‘quarter’ in one hand, and a beedi in another. He rides into a dark highway on a luna (a two-wheeler), zigzagging with abandon. SUVs, trucks and buses whiz past him from either side of the road. A car advises the man to stick to one corner of the highway, which he promptly rebuffs with profanities. The foreboding begins as the drunk man struggles to stay awake on his two-wheeler, risking his own life and others. He seems to know where he’s headed, suggesting he’s done this many times before. Watching this opening stretch, felt like seeing a nation coasting through a lonely, dark road.
Sat, May 9 2026
Sat, May 9 2026
Ritwik Pareek’s film opens with the image of a temple on a hill after dusk, prayer bells on the soundtrack. This gives way seconds later to shots of distant highway traffic and a great reverberating spaghetti western guitar chord. A man stumbles out of a dive bar, slurs a farewell “Jai siya Ram” and rides off into the night. In the world of Dug Dug, the distance between sacred and profane can be covered in one drunken lurch. The opening stretch, around 11 minutes, is as mesmeric as anything I’ve seen in this decade of Indian film. Walking out of the bar, the man stands in semi-darkness, takes a swig from a quarter bottle, tries to light a beedi. He’s successful on his third try. At this exact moment, lights come on overhead, a brilliant mesh of blue and purple neon. A gravelly voiceover mulls the mystery of life. The man sets off on his motorbike, straight down the middle of a badly lit highway. More ominous twangy music. Vehicles whiz past; some curse at him and he curses back. He veers off the main road onto a less crowded one, but having got this far, skids and crashes. Under a gaze of a lurid billboard announcing a magic show, he lies, gasping. The camera pans away just in time for a passing truck to run him over.
29
Romance, Comedy, Drama (Tamil)
Follows Sathya and Viji, a couple navigating their relationship as Viji confronts Sathya about his reluctance to propose, leading him to find a special spot on the beach to profess his love.
Cast:
Vidhu, Preethi Asrani, Mahendran, Prem, Avinash Raghudevan, Leona Lishoy, Aadhira Pandilakshmi, Shenaz Fathima, Anandhi Ajay
Director:
Rathna Kumar
Writer:
Rathna Kumar
Mon, May 11 2026
Like its protagonist Sathya (Vidhu), 29, the film too seems to be suffering from an identity crisis. For 29-year-old Sathya, he’s exactly at that age where he’s starting to realise that he’s made nothing of himself. At times, we see him dressed to play the part of an accountant in a Chennai startup. A scene or two later, we see him working as a server for a catering company. Then we see him dressed as a shopping centre mascot, and through all these costumes, we hear Sathya’s voiceovers asking out loud who he really is.
Mon, May 11 2026
Cringe. Gone are the days when the world collectively rejoiced in the celebration of romance with grand gestures and seemingly over-the-top overtures. Now, especially on social media, any such move showcased there for posterity falls into just two categories: Cringe and Cringe-free. This slotting is done by the people witnessing these gestures, overtures, and everything in between. What about the ones who are doing these gestures? Do their hearts still flutter when they see a balloon that is filled with their partner’s carbon dioxide? Do butterflies swarm their stomach when their partner holds their hand, or when they see each other in their favourite dress for the first time? If all of these are as special in 2026 as they were in 1976, then what exactly is cringe? Is it the action or the packaging for an audience who might not necessarily want to witness this action? Even if the packaging isn’t all glossy or wrinkle-free, director Rathna Kumar’s latest film, 29, works because there is a sense of honesty and warmth in these actions, even if some make your eyes roll to the back of your head.
Daadi Ki Shaadi
Comedy, Drama, Family (Hindi)
A grandmother’s mishap with a social media post causes consternation amongst her children and threatens the prospect of her granddaughter’s wedding.
Cast:
Kapil Sharma, Neetu Singh, Sadia Khateeb, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni, R. Sarathkumar, Yograj Singh, Deepak Dutta, Tejaswini Kolhapure, Jitender Hooda, Aditi Mittal
Director:
Ashish R. Mohan
Sat, May 9 2026
For those who still believe that a film title arrives bearing a reliable clue to the entertainment within, Daadi Ki Shadi proves to be a rather elaborate practical joke. The title promises a frothy carnival of matrimonial mayhem; what it ultimately delivers is a strangely solemn family melodrama that occasionally remembers it was advertised as a comedy. The premise, admittedly, is deliciously mischievous: a lonely grandmother’s social-media-fuelled announcement of her impending remarriage sends tremors through the carefully choreographed wedding plans of her granddaughter. One expects escalating confusion, irreverent wit, and generational satire. Instead, the film proceeds with the caution of a family elder carrying a tray of hot tea across a slippery floor — anxious not to spill either sentiment or decorum.
Sat, May 9 2026
It’s a strange family. Granddaughter Kannu (Sadia Khateeb) is in the midst of her roka with Tony Kalra (Kapil Sharma) who’d yearned for her from a distance in their college days. Maybe that’s where the comedy lies – that 45-year-old Kapil and 28-year-old Sadia went to college at the same time. Overlook that amusing part of their crackle-less relationship as chaos descends. Kannu’s dadi Vimla (Neetu Kapoor) has posted on social media that she’s getting married. Fiancé-to-be Tony and his big joint Kalra family won’t stand for such a scandal. As for the Ahujas, they gang up to visit dadi in Shimla to stop her from becoming the family embarrassment. Don’t wait and ask why none of Kannu’s close relatives, dadi included, knew that she was getting officially betrothed.
Sat, May 9 2026
n a cinematic universe that has long portrayed Indian elders — particularly widows — as embodiments of quiet sacrifice or burdensome relics, Daadi Ki Shaadi arrives as a gently subversive, commercially packaged provocation. Neetu Kapoor, still radiant and effortlessly charismatic, steps into the lead as a spirited grandmother who dares to assert her right to companionship and romance in her later years. The premise reminds of Badhaai Ho (2018) where a middle-aged mother gets pregnant. While Daadi Ki Shaadi doesn’t feel as lived-in or organically rooted as Neena Gupta-led dramedy, it still delivers several sparkling moments that make it an enjoyable watch.
Ek Din
Romance, Drama (Hindi)
Rohan is in love with his colleague Meera but does not have the courage to express his feelings towards her. He finally gets his chance during the company trip. He makes a wish to be with Meera for just one day, and his wish comes true.
Cast:
Junaid Khan, Sai Pallavi, Kunal Kapoor, Pragati Mishra, Kavin Dave
Director:
Sunil Pandey
Writer:
Sneha Desai, Spandan Mishra
Sat, May 9 2026
Dorky, geeky men too can get lucky in love. That’s the basic premise of Ek Din, featuring Junaid Khan as the said dork-geek, with Sai Pallavi playing the pretty woman way out of his league. During the course of two hours, the film pushes the idea that even if IT guy Dinesh (Khan) has a colourless personality and, therefore, is forgettable and invisible to most people, he still is good boyfriend material because he’s cloyingly sincere and shy. Only that Khan, while befitting the part in the physical sense, struggles to pull off the task of making audiences root for Dinesh in his quest for love.
Sun, May 3 2026
They say it is the mere conception of an idea—the first glimmer of narrative possibility—that sets a journey in motion. In the realm of creativity, that initial spark is often so invigorating that one feels half the battle is already won, especially when the ambition is to tell a story that reaches beyond the self and resonates with a wider audience.
Sun, May 3 2026