This film is currently unavailable
A Dark Song
Steve Oram and Catherine Walker excel in this occult chamber piece about a grieving mother attempting to contact her deceased child.
Director: Liam Gavin
Overview
Sophia is grief-stricken since the untimely death of her young son. In a desperate attempt to achieve some form of closure, she reaches out to Solomon, an occultist with experience in an ancient invocation ritual that Sophia believes will allow her to make contact with her deceased child. Locked away in a remote country house, the disparate pair undergo the long and arduous incantation process, risking both their mental and physical safety as they attempt to access a world beyond our understanding.
Both an exhaustive and intense study of ceremonial magic, and an affecting exploration of the paralysing nature of grief, Liam Gavin’s striking chamber piece defies easy categorisation. In an eye-opening departure from the comic roles for which he is best known, Steve Oram makes for an impressively overbearing occult practitioner, while the superb Catherine Walker provides the film’s gut-wrenching emotional backbone as a mother driven to desperate measures.
very strong language, strong violence, threat, sexual activityRelated
Last Swim Last Swim
Drama 2024 96 mins Director: Sasha Nathwani
A day in the life of an ambitious 18-year-old Iranian-British transforms into a universal portrait of youth, hope and fears over an uncertain future.
The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo
Drama 2024 178 mins Director: Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière
This rollicking take on Dumas’ swashbuckler, packed with lavish spectacle and high-stakes drama, slayed all Hollywood films at the French box-office.
A Special Day A Special Day
Drama 1977 106 mins Director: Ettore Scola
Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni deliver the finest and most nuanced performances of their careers in this understated masterpiece from director Ettore Scola.
The Ear The Ear
Thriller 1969 95 mins Director: Karel Kachyna
An official finds his home under surveillance and his marriage facing turbulence in this Orwellian portrait of life in Communist-era Czechoslovakia.
The Extraordinary Miss Flower The Extraordinary Miss Flower
Drama-documentary 2024 73 mins Director: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Hugely creative biographical film full of charm and intrigue, uncovering the remarkable story of Geraldine Flower and a suitcase of love letters.
Paradise Lost? Paradise Lost?
Drama 2015 9 mins Director: Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard
Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard’s extraordinary interpretation of John Milton’s classic tale, starring Florence Pugh.
Rabid Rabid
Horror 1976 91 mins Director: David Cronenberg
David Cronenberg’s classic outbreak horror introduces us to a young woman (Marilyn Chambers) who hungers for human blood after an experimental plastic surgery goes wrong.
Nosferatu Nosferatu
Horror 1922 89 mins Silent Director: F.W. Murnau
This influential Dracula adaptation contains some of the most famous images of expressionist film, and remains shocking and stylish after 100 years.
The Blood on Satan's Claw The Blood on Satan's Claw
Horror 1971 96 mins Director: Piers Haggard
Depraved sexual practices and satanic violence envelop a remote country village in this exciting period horror.
Pontypool Pontypool
Horror 2008 93 mins Director: Bruce McDonald
Don't say it! The wrong word starts turning people into zombies in this lo-fi Canadian horror.
Häxan Häxan
Horror 1922 106 mins Silent Director: Benjamin Christensen
Benjamin Christensen’s disorienting and wildly inventive 1922 doc/fiction hybrid charts the history of ancient sorcery and demonology.
Dead of Night (aka Deathdream) Dead of Night (aka Deathdream)
Drama 1978 88 mins Director: Bob Clark
A soldier killed in the Vietnam War returns home on the night of his death in Bob Clark’s deft blend of searing political allegory and wicked grindhouse thrills.
Sophia Loren: Reshaping Femininity Sophia Loren: Reshaping Femininity
Short documentary 2025 18 mins Director: Maha Albadrawi
Exclusive to BFI Player, a video essay exploring Sophia Loren’s 60s and 70s filmography, and how her work shook up Italian gender roles.
Diva Diva
Thriller 1981 117 mins Director: Jean-Jacques Beineix
A postal worker’s secret opera recording sparks a gripping chase through Paris in Jean-Jacques Beineix’s (Betty Blue) stylish crime-thriller.
Manhunter Manhunter
Crime 1986 124 mins Director: Michael Mann
Michael Mann’s chilling and stylish adaptation of Thomas Harris’ bestseller introduced Hannibal Lecktor to cinema audiences for the first time.
Last Swim Last Swim
Drama 2024 96 mins Director: Sasha Nathwani
A day in the life of an ambitious 18-year-old Iranian-British transforms into a universal portrait of youth, hope and fears over an uncertain future.
Marriage Italian Style Marriage Italian Style
Comedy 1964 97 mins Director: Vittorio De Sica
Sophia Loren and Marcelo Mastroianni are irrepressible as a long-married couple in this exquisite and timeless comedy of our all-too-human foibles.
Audrey Audrey
Comedy 2024 96 mins Director: Natalie Bailey
A frustrated stage mother exploits her star daughter’s unexpected coma for her own artistic gains, in this wickedly dark Australian comedy.