A man who plays God for a living meets a boy who chooses to play Devil in this chilling and cerebral psychological thriller from lauded Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos. The film, which won Best Screenplay at Cannes, marks the second collaboration between Lanthimos and Colin Farrell, following 2015’s The Lobster. This powerful and near biblical tale of unthinkable sacrifice also stars Nicole Kidman, Alicia Silverstone and newcomer Barry Keoghan. (A24)

›› ISSUE Feature: Yorgos Lanthimos interview on The Lobster

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An American-British-Canadian drama directed by Benedict Andrews and based on the critically acclaimed play Blackbird by David Harrower, Una is a dark drama that delves into a confrontation between a woman and the man who sexually abused her when she was thirteen years old. Starring Rooney Mara, Ben Mendelsohn, Riz Ahmed, and talented newcomer Ruby Stokes, this tightly focused and unflinching film embraces the dark and twisting, dealing with the long-simmering consequences and raw wounds stemming from a sexual relationship between an adult and child. At times disturbing and difficult to watch, Una paints a complex and harrowing portrait of the multi-faceted nature of abuse, featuring captivating performances from both Mara and Mendelsohn. (Film4 Productions)

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Australian Grammy nominee Courtney Barnett and musician Kurt Vile have announced a full-length collaborative album entitled Lotta Sea Lice. The album results from the pair’s mutual admiration of each other’s music and subsequent friendship, apparent in the personal history and humor woven into its tracks. Contributors include Mick Turner and Jim White of the Dirty Free, Warpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa and Aussie music icon Mick Harvey. Barnett and Vile will embark on a North American tour to perform the album as well as their respective classics, backed by their band The Sea Lice. Comprised of some of this generation’s indie elites, The Sea Lice include Stella Mozgawa, Janet Weiss of Sleater-Kinney and Wild Flag, Rob Laakso from Vile’s band The Violators and musician Katie Harkin of Harkin, Sky Larkin, Sleater-Kinney and Wild Beasts. (Matador Records)

›› ISSUE Feature: Kurt Vile interview by Matty McLoughlin

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Recovering from a heartbreaking and very public divorce, independent filmmaker and son of an Italian Prince Tao Ruspoli takes to the road to talk to his relatives, advice columnists, psychologists, historians, anthropologists, artists, philosophers, sex workers, sex therapists, and ordinary couples about love, sex & monogamy in our culture. What he discovers about his very unconventional family, and about the history and psychology of love and marriage leads him to question the ideal of monogamy, and the traditional family values that go with it. Featuring Dan Savage, Stephanie Koontz, and Christopher Ryan, the documentary chronicles sex, love and marriage in the 21st century in a way that is both bold and thought provoking. (Abramorama)

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Best known as frontman of the New York rock band Parquet Courts, musician A. Savage is releasing his debut solo album Thawing Dawn via his own label, Dull Tools. The album seemingly picks up where Parquet Court’s last album Human Performance left off, with its tracks detailing heartbreak. Savage fell in love while recording Thawing Dawn, a theme that weaves throughout the album as the lyrics try to untangle the mysteries of love with all-female back-up vocals and pedal steel guitar. Contributors to the album include band members of Woods, Ultimate Painting and Psychic TV, among others. (Dull Tools)

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The latest film from the master of micro-budgeted storytelling, director Sean Baker, following his 2012 debut Starlet and 2015 indie darling Tangerine, The Florida Project premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to universal acclaim. A continuation of Baker’s intimate and unpatronizing examination of the lives most Americans might not think about, The Florida Project tells the story of a precocious six year old troublemaker named Moonee (charismatic newcomer Brooklynn Prince), who lives with her mother Halley (Bria Vinaite) in a community of extended-stay motel guests on the edge of poverty, in the shadows of Disney World. The film, which also stars Caleb Landry Jones and an understated William Dafoe in one of the best performances of his career, is an intelligent and unflinching look at life on the margins, told from a child’s eye view. (A24)

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Fresh off the release of her recent single, “Lotto In Reverse,” Alex Lahey is back with “I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself,” another standout from her forthcoming debut album, I Love You Like A Brother (Dead Oceans). “I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself” sees Lahey honing in on her ability to layer catchy pop melodies over unkempt guitars, placing her arresting vocals front and center. The album’s songs traverse the everyday themes of family, heartbreak and identity, yet Lahey unpacks these universal themes with dry humor and refreshing authenticity.

“A lot of the songs on the record are about the relationships that we engaging in with other people. ‘I Haven’t Been Taking Care Of Myself’ deviates from that in that it’s about the relationship that we have with ourselves and how that is reflected in the way we bring others into our lives. If you feel shit about yourself, you’re generally going to get off on the wrong foot with someone else.”

›› ISSUE Feature: Live performance and interview with Alex Lahey

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Directors Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles, who previously collaborated on 2014’s Mala Mala, return with Dina, a memorable and moving documentary filmed like a rom-com that premiered this year at Sundance, winning the Grand Jury Prize. Dina explores the relationship and impending nuptials of Dina Buno and Scott Levin, two middle-aged adults on the Autism spectrum. The film captures the excitement and anxiety of the upcoming wedding with grace and sensitivity, making this unconventional love story both fascinating and eye-opening. Dina, the vivacious protagonist who has overcome a myriad of personal and romantic obstacles in search of her happy ending, is an unstoppable force of nature and a joy to watch. (The Orchard)

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