Film tips for the summer!

Where: Trondheim kino

What if you discovered that we are not alone? What if someone could actually prove it? Would it frighten you?

That is the premise of Steven Spielberg’s new sci-fi film, written by David Koepp (Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds), starring Emily Blunt and Josh O’Connor.

© Universal Studios

Where: Streaming

Offside takes place at a football stadium far removed from Old Trafford—specifically, Tehran’s Azadi Stadium during the World Cup qualifying match between Iran and Bahrain.

Six young women disguise themselves as boys in order to gain entry to the stadium, but they are arrested one by one. Through the relationship between these sharp-witted and outspoken football fans and their somewhat slower-witted guards, director Jafar Panahi allows us to experience the exhilarating tension of a match we never actually see.

At the same time, with elegance and humor, Offside delivers a pointed critique of Iranian society and governance.

© Arthaus

Where: Streaming

The Workers Cup offers an intimate and deeply personal look inside Qatar’s labor camps, where the FIFA World Cup was built on the backs of more than a million migrant workers.

The documentary follows a group of workers living out a real-life version of fantasy football. By day, they toil to construct the infrastructure for the World Cup; by night, they compete in a corporate-sponsored “welfare” football tournament held in the very stadiums that would one day host the world’s greatest players.

We follow a team of men from Nepal, India, Ghana, and Kenya. The one thing they share is a love of football. Each match offers a temporary escape from the homesickness and isolation they endure as members of the lowest social class in one of the world’s wealthiest countries.

Even as they become part of the World Cup’s marketing machinery, they still find solace in the purity of the game itself.

© Nonstop Entertainment

Where: Streaming

Aftersun is a remarkable directorial debut, featuring a critically acclaimed performance by Paul Mescal.

Set in the 1990s, the film follows eleven-year-old Sophie as she travels to Turkey on a package holiday with her father, Calum. Sophie usually lives with her mother, making this annual trip a cherished opportunity to spend quality time with her fun-loving and charismatic dad.

As the joyful moments of their vacation gradually give way to something more melancholic, it becomes clear that Calum is struggling with personal challenges he tries to keep hidden from his daughter.

Written and directed by Charlotte Wells, Aftersun is a tender reflection on the director’s own childhood memories—what she has described as an emotional autobiography. Paul Mescal delivers a stunning performance as Calum alongside newcomer Frankie Corio as Sophie.

The film became one of the standout titles at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to receive numerous prestigious award nominations.

© Arthaus

Where: Streaming

Le Bonheur is a visually striking film shot in vivid Eastmancolor and set to the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It follows a seemingly happy family of four, living in an idyllic world of bright colors and calm domestic harmony.

But this carefully constructed happiness begins to unravel when the husband meets another woman. What follows is a subtle yet unsettling shift, where the contrast between appearance and reality becomes increasingly sharp. Director Agnès Varda uses this tension to explore love between men and women, and the fragile foundations beneath outwardly perfect lives.

© Janus Films

Where: Trondheim kino (premiere 17 July)

Based on Homer’s epic, The Odyssey follows Odysseus’ perilous journey home after the Trojan War—including encounters with the one-eyed giant Polyphemus, the deadly Sirens, the goddess Circe, and finally the reunion with his wife Penelope.

The Odyssey is Christopher Nolan’s thirteenth film and his most ambitious project to date. He reunites with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema and has shot the film entirely using IMAX 70mm cameras.

Featuring an enormous star-studded cast—including Tom Holland, Zendaya, Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, Lupita Nyong'o, and Jon Bernthal—The Odyssey is set to become one of the biggest blockbusters of the summer and a must-see theatrical experience.

© Universal Studios

Where: Streaming

The year is 1845, and a caravan of three families is traveling through the harsh wilderness of Oregon. Soon, they lose their way in the desert and are forced to place their lives in the hands of a stranger who claims he can guide them along a shortcut through the mountains.

What follows is a struggle against hunger, thirst, and growing tensions within the group.

© Oscilloscope Laboratories

Where: Streaming

Beau Travail follows Galoup as he reflects on his life as a sergeant in the French Foreign Legion, stationed in the Gulf of Tadjoura in Djibouti.

When the new recruit Sentain arrives, he awakens a strange and unsettling jealousy in Galoup—an emotion that will ultimately change both of their lives forever.

With Beau Travail, director Claire Denis cemented her reputation as a major cinematic voice. The film was widely acclaimed upon release and is now regarded as one of the greatest films of the 1990s.

© Pyramide Films

Where: Streaming

In this erotic thriller set in the scorching Florida summer, Ned (William Hurt) becomes involved with Matty (Kathleen Turner), a married woman. Their passion drives them to plot a crime that unleashes betrayal and death.

© Warner Bros

Where: Blu-ray

A Brighter Summer Day by Edward Yang is an epic crime drama from 1991 and a landmark work of the Taiwanese New Wave of the 1980s and 1990s.

The film follows Xiao Si’r as he grows up in Taipei during the 1950s and 1960s. He becomes involved with a gang, an experience that gradually erodes his innocence and leads him into a series of troubles that shape his youth.

This is a sweeping, sun-drenched coming-of-age epic that is widely considered essential viewing at least once in your life.

You can borrow it from Trondheim Folkebibliotek or purchase the Blu-ray from retailers such as Platekompaniet.
© Mk2