@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Light.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 300;
font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-LightItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-LightItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-LightItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 300;
font-style: italic;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Regular.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Regular.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Regular.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-RegularItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-RegularItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-RegularItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: italic;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Medium.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Medium.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Medium.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-MediumItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-MediumItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-MediumItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: italic;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Semibold.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Semibold.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Semibold.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 600;
font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
font-family: ‘Guardian Headline Full’;
src: url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-SemiboldItalic.woff2’) format(‘woff2’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-SemiboldItalic.woff’) format(‘woff’),
url(‘https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-SemiboldItalic.ttf’) format(‘truetype’);
font-weight: 600;
font-style: italic;
}Here’s the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:
“`css
@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Headline Full;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Bold.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Headline Full;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BoldItalic.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: italic;
}
@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Headline Full;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-Black.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 900;
font-style: normal;
}
@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Headline Full;
src: url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://assets.guim.co.uk/static/frontend/fonts/guardian-headline/full-not-hinted/GHGuardianHeadline-BlackItalic.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 900;
font-style: italic;
}
@font-face {
font-family: Guardian Titlepiece;
src: url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/fonts/garnett/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff2) format(“woff2”),
url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/fonts/garnett/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.woff) format(“woff”),
url(https://interactive.guim.co.uk/fonts/garnett/GTGuardianTitlepiece-Bold.ttf) format(“truetype”);
font-weight: 700;
font-style: normal;
}
@media (scripting: enabled) {
:root article.content–interactive > div,
:root .article {
opacity: 0;
}
:root.interactive-loaded article.content–interactive > div,
:root.interactive-loaded .article {
opacity: 1;
transition: 0.25s opacity 0.25s ease;
}
}
@media (scripting: enabled) and (prefers-reduced-motion) {
:root.interactive-loaded article.content–interactive > div,
:root.interactive-loaded .article {
transition: 0.25s opacity 0.1s ease;
}
}
@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive {
margin-left: 160px;
}
}
@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive {
margin-left: 240px;
}
}
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom {
max-width: 620px;
}
@media (max-width: 46.24em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-atom {
max-width: 100%;
}
}
.content__main-column–interactive .element-showcase {
margin-left: 0;
}
@media (min-width: 46.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-showcase {
max-width: 620px;
}
}
@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-showcase {
max-width: 860px;
}
}
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
max-width: 1100px;
}
@media (max-width: 46.24em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
width: calc(100vw – var(–scrollbar-width, 0px));
position: relative;
left: 50%;
right: 50%;
margin-left: calc(-50vw + var(–half-scrollbar-width, 0px)) !important;
margin-right: calc(-50vw + var(–half-scrollbar-width, 0px)) !important;
}
}
@media (min-width: 46.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
transform: translate(-20px);
width: calc(100% + 60px);
}
}
@media (max-width: 71.24em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
margin-left: 0;
margin-right: 0;
}
}
@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
transform: translate(0);
width: auto;
}
}
@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
.content__main-column–interactive .element-immersive {
max-width: 1260px;
}
}
.content__main-column-
“`Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:
– For interactive content, the main column uses a maximum width of 620 pixels for lists. A vertical line appears on the left side of the main column, starting from the top. On screens wider than 71.25em, this line is a light gray border placed slightly to the left. On screens wider than 81.25em, it shifts a bit more to the left.
– Interactive elements like atoms have no top or bottom margin, but they do have 12 pixels of padding above and below. If a paragraph is followed by an atom, the atom’s top padding is removed, and both get a 12-pixel margin.
– Inline elements are also limited to 620 pixels in width. On screens wider than 61.25em, figures with a specific role are kept to that same width.
– For media sections that include looping videos, the caption sits above other content. The loop button is 32 pixels wide, aligned to the bottom right, with some space below. The caption button stays on top.
– On screens wider than 46.25em, cinemagraphs (a type of looping image) can have their height unrestricted.
– In the body section, self-hosted videos are displayed as blocks, up to 620 pixels wide, with 12 pixels of margin above and below. If the video is in a loop and set to immersive mode, it can stretch across the full width, with no margin on the sides. On larger screens (71.25em and above), these immersive videos can be 1140 pixels wide and shift left. On even larger screens (81.25em and above), they can be 1300 pixels wide and shift further left.
– The design uses specific colors for different elements: dateline text is a medium gray, borders are light gray, captions are a lighter gray with a dark background, and feature colors are red. Some colors change based on the user’s system preference for light or dark mode.
– Interactive elements and atoms have no padding by default. The first atom or horizontal rule in an article is followed by a paragraph without any extra spacing. This applies to various sections like the article body, comments, and interactive content.Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:
The first paragraph after certain elements, like an atom or a horizontal rule, gets a 14-pixel top padding. This applies in several areas, including the body, feature body, and comment sections.
The first letter of that paragraph is styled as a large drop cap. It uses the Guardian Headline font, is bold, 111 pixels tall, and 92 pixels in line height. It floats to the left, is uppercase, has an 8-pixel right margin, and is vertically aligned to the top. Its color comes from a custom variable called `–drop-cap`, or falls back to the pillar color.
If a paragraph comes right after a horizontal rule, it doesn’t get any top padding.
Pull quotes are limited to a maximum width of 620 pixels.
For showcase images in main content, feature, standard, and comment article containers, the caption is positioned statically and takes up the full width, up to 620 pixels. On screens wider than 71.25em, the caption becomes absolutely positioned and is limited to 140 pixels wide. On screens wider than 81.25em, the caption can be up to 220 pixels wide.
Immersive elements take up the full viewport width, minus the scrollbar width. On screens narrower than 71.24em, they are capped at 978 pixels wide, and their captions have 10 pixels of padding on each side.@media (max-width: 71.24em) and (min-width: 30em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive figcaption {
padding-inline: 20px;
}
}
@media (min-width: 46.25em) and (max-width: 61.24em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive {
max-width: 738px;
}
}
@media (max-width: 46.24em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive {
margin-left: -10px !important;
margin-right: 0 !important;
left: 0;
}
}
@media (max-width: 46.24em) and (min-width: 30em) {
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive {
margin-left: -20px !important;
}
.element.element–immersive.element-immersive figcaption {
padding-inline: 20px;
}
}
@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
[data-gu-name=”body”] figure.element.element–showcase.element-showcase,
[data-gu-name=”body”] .content__main-column–interactive figure.element.element–showcase.element-showcase {
margin-left: -160px !important;
}
}
@media (min-width: 81.25em) {
[data-gu-name=”body”] figure.element.element–showcase.element-showcase,
[data-gu-name=”body”] .content__main-column–interactive figure.element.element–showcase.element-showcase {
margin-left: -240px !important;
}
}
.furniture-wrapper {
position: relative;
}
@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper {
display: grid;
grid-column-gap: 20px;
grid-row-gap: 0px;
grid-template-columns: [title-start headline-start meta-start standfirst-start] repeat(5, 1fr) [title-end headline-end meta-end standfirst-end portrait-start] repeat(5, 1fr) [portrait-end];
grid-template-rows: [title-start portrait-start] 0.25fr [title-end headline-start] 1fr [headline-end standfirst-start] 0.75fr [standfirst-end meta-start] auto [meta-end portrait-end];
}
.furniture-wrapper #headline > div:first-child,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”headline”] > div:first-child,
.furniture-wrapper .headline > div:first-child {
border-top: 1px solid var(–headerBorder);
}
.furniture-wrapper #meta,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”] {
position: relative;
padding-top: 2px;
margin-right: 0;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst .content__standfirst,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst .content__standfirst,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] .content__standfirst {
margin-bottom: 4px;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst ul li,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst ul li,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] ul li {
font-size: 20px;
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst li a,
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst a,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst li a,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst a,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] li a,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] a {
border-bottom: none;
background-image: none !important;
text-decoration: underline;
text-underline-offset: 6px;
text-decoration-color: var(–headerBorder, #dcdcdc);
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst li a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst li a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] li a:hover,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] a:hover {
text-decoration-color: var(–new-pillar-colour);
}
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] p:first-of-type {
border-top: 1px solid var(–headerBorder);
padding-bottom: 0;
}
}
@media (min-width: 61.25em) and (min-width: 71.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper .standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper #standfirst p:first-of-type,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”standfirst”] p:first-of-type {
border-top: unset;
}
}
@media (min-width: 61.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper figure {
margin: 0 0 0 -10px;
}
.furniture-wrapper figure[data-spacefinder-role=”inline”].element {
max-width: 630px;
}
}
@media (min-width: 71.25em) {
.furniture-wrapper {
grid-template-columns: [title-start headline-start meta-start] repeat(2, 1fr) [meta-end standfirst-start] repeat(5, 1fr) [title-end headline-end standfirst-end portrait-start] repeat(7, 1fr) [portrait-end];
grid-template-rows: [title-start portrait-start] 80px [title-end headline-start] auto [headline-end standfirst-start meta-start] auto [standfirst-end meta-end portrait-end];
}
.furniture-wrapper #meta:before,
.furniture-wrapper [data-gu-name=”meta”]:before {
content: “”;
width: 540px;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
background-color: var(–headerBorder);
height: 1px;
}
}Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:
The standfirst section has no top border. The vertical line before the standfirst is removed, and a thin line appears on the left side instead.
On larger screens (over 81.25em wide), the layout uses a grid with specific columns and rows for the title, headline, meta, standfirst, and portrait sections. The meta section has a line that is 620px wide, and the standfirst line is slightly shifted to the left.
In the article header, the labels inside the title area have a small padding at the top. The headline text is bold, with a maximum width of 620px and a font size of 32px. On screens wider than 71.25em, the headline width is reduced to 540px and the font size increases to 50px.
On medium screens (46.25em and up), the keyline and lines section have no right margin. On larger screens (61.25em and up), these lines are hidden. The lines use a stroke color that matches the header border.
The meta section also has no right margin on medium screens. The social and comment elements within meta use the same border color as the header border. Some content inside the meta container is hidden.
The standfirst section is positioned with a small left margin and padding, and a relative position. On medium screens, it gets a bit of top padding. The standfirst text is regular weight, 20px in size, with some bottom padding.
The main media section is placed in the portrait area of the grid. It has no top margin and a small bottom margin. On larger screens, the bottom margin is removed. On smaller screens (under 46.25em), the media section stretches across the full screen width, with a slight left offset.
The caption sits at the bottom of the media, with padding and a background color that matches the caption style. The caption text color is set, and it spans the full width. Some caption elements are hidden, while others are shown with a maximum width.
On screens 30em and wider, the caption padding increases slightly.Here’s the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:
The `.furniture-wrapper figcaption.hidden` class sets opacity to 0. The `#caption-button` inside `.furniture-wrapper` is displayed as a block, positioned absolutely at the bottom right (10px from bottom, 8px from right), with a z-index of 30. It has a background color set by `–captionBackground`, no border, rounded corners (50%), and padding of 6px top/bottom and 5px left/right. The SVG inside scales to 85%.
On screens wider than 30em, the `#caption-button` moves 10px from the right. On screens wider than 71.25em, the `.content__main-column–interactive:before` element is positioned 12px higher and extends 24px taller than normal.
The `.content__main-column–interactive h2` has a max width of 620px. The `:before` pseudo-element has a z-index of 1. The first paragraph’s first letter inside `.content__main-column–interactive` inherits font family, size, weight, line height, and color from its parent, with no margin, float, or vertical alignment.
For `#maincontent`, the `.figure-caption–desktop` is hidden by default with no top padding. On screens wider than 71.25em, it becomes a positioned block with a max width of 140px. On screens wider than 81.25em, the max width increases to 220px.
The `.furniture-wrapper:before` creates a background element with a cream color (`#fbf6ef`). It’s positioned at the top left, spanning the full viewport width and a height defined by `–furniture-bg-height`. On screens wider than 30em, it shifts 20px left. On wider screens, it adjusts further left based on the viewport width.
On screens narrower than 46.24em, figures inside `.furniture-wrapper` have a max width of 100vw and a left margin of 10px. On screens narrower than 61.24em, the `.meta__social` element has 10px bottom padding. On screens narrower than 46.24em, figures inside `[data-gu-name=media]` have no left margin.
On screens between 61.25em and 71.24em, the `[data-gu-name=standfirst]` element uses flexbox with a column layout and space-between alignment.
List items inside `[data-gu-name=standfirst]` have no left padding. Their bullet points are 4x4px, positioned with a 10px left margin and 3px bottom margin, colored `#866d50`. Text, links, and paragraphs inside these list items also use `#866d50`. Links have a slight negative left margin and a hover effect with a bottom border.
Paragraphs with `[data-dcr-style=bullet]` spans have a 10px left margin and `#866d50` background. The first link or span in a paragraph has a top margin of 18px.
The `.figure-caption–mobile` inside `[data-gu-name=standfirst]` is displayed as a block with a transparent background, no left padding, and gray text (`#707070`). Its spans inherit the gray color and are inline-block. SVG icons inside these spans also use `#707070` fill.
When `.figure-caption–mobile` has the `.figure-caption–two-lines` class, it has no minimum height and uses `fit-content` height. Its spans are full width with no max width, and SVGs are 15x14px with a 3px right margin.
On screens wider than 71.25em, the mobile caption is hidden.
In dark mode (for apps not in an end-of-year context), the `.furniture-wrapper:before` background changes to `#121212`.Here’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:
For elements that are not part of the end-of-year layout, the standfirst text and links in the furniture wrapper use a gold color (#a1845c). The standfirst paragraph text is light gray (#dcdcdc), and bullet points are also gold. Mobile figure captions and their icons are a medium gray (#999).
The list wrapper has a negative left margin of -10px and a width that extends 20px beyond its container. Section headings are dark brown (#574835) and bold. The main heading is 34px, with padding and a small bottom margin. Each list item starts with 10px padding on the sides and 3rem at the bottom. Items begin 100px below their final position and are invisible, then fade and slide up into place over half a second. If the user prefers reduced motion, items appear immediately without animation.
Numbered paragraphs use a serif font, are 80px, light weight, and dark brown. List item headings that contain emphasized text are black and normal size, with the emphasis rendered as normal style. Images with the immersive class are positioned relatively. Figure captions have a line height of 130%.
Every other list item (even-numbered) has a full-width background strip that spans the viewport. This strip is light cream (#fbf6ef) and adjusts its width and position at different screen sizes. On smaller screens, it shifts slightly left; on larger screens, it extends further left.
For app rendering, the numbered paragraphs keep the same styling but with important overrides. Ad placeholders within list items have extra bottom padding to make room for ads, and the ad container is pulled up to sit correctly. In dark mode, headings become gold, the alternating background becomes dark brown (#574835), numbered paragraphs turn gold, and emphasized headings become light gray.
When the end-of-year theme is active, the header border is a muted blue (#4f6280) and comment counts use a pale gold (#eacca0). Interactive article content has no border. A vertical line appears to the left of the title, matching the header border color.Here is the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:
“`css
#4f6280);
display: none;
}
html.is-eoy [data-gu-name=”title”]::after {
content: “”;
position: absolute;
top: 0;
right: -20px;
width: 1px;
height: var(–furniture-bg-height, 100%);
background-color: var(–headerBorder, #4f6280);
display: none;
}
@media (min-width: 46.3125em) and (max-width: 61.24em) {
html.is-eoy [data-gu-name=”title”]::before,
html.is-eoy [data-gu-name=”title”]::after {
display: block;
}
}
@media (min-width: 61.3125em) and (max-width: 71.24em) {
html.is-eoy [data-gu-name=”title”]::before,
html.is-eoy [data-gu-name=”title”]::after {
display: block;
}
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“`Here is the rewritten text in fluent, natural English:
Song Sung Blue
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Photograph: Sarah Shatz/Focus Features/Shutterstock
A Neil Diamond tribute act gets a sweet movie thanks to Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. The film follows a married couple from Milwaukee as they rise to fame with a real-life band called Lightning and Thunder.
What we said: âThis is a surprisingly strange, undeniably entertaining true story from the heart of American showbusiness. Itâs a lovable crowdpleaser, but its feelgood vibe wonât prepare you for how the plot keeps twisting wildly, like an unsafe fairground ride.â Read the full review
Hamnet
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Photograph: Focus Features/PA
Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley captivate in ChloĂ© Zhaoâs adaptation of Maggie OâFarrellâs myth-making novel. This bold Shakespearean tragedy powerfully reimagines the painful loss of a child as the inspiration for Hamletâs great stage drama.
What we said: âBuckley gives an unselfconsciously charming performance, making every look and smile feel deeply meaningful.â Read the full review
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
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Photograph: CTMG/PA
A murderous, Clockwork Orange-style gang takes on the zombies in this gruesome and energetic fourth film. Itâs the best of the 28 franchise by a long, blood-curdling way.
What we said: âFiennesâs dance to Iron Maidenâs The Number of the Beast is one of the most extraordinary moments of his career. At the screening I went to, we were on our feet, looking for a speaker to headbang into.â Read the full review
The Voice of Hind Rajab
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Photograph: BFA/Alamy
A fierce, urgent docufiction from director Kaouthar.Director Ben Hania reconstructs the killing of a five-year-old in Gaza, using the child’s real voice as she is bombarded by the Israeli army.
What we said: âWith startling audacity, Ben Hania uses the real audio recording of Rajabâs heartbreaking voice, while fictionally recreating the drama of emergency responders in their call-center office. Real people, played by actors, talk, shout, and react emotionally to Rajabâs actual voice.â Read the full review.
No Other Choice
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A sensational state-of-the-nation satire from The Handmaiden and Oldboy director Park Chan-wook. In it, an unemployed paper worker hatches a cunning plan to murder his way back into the job market.
What we said: âIt starts out like an Ealing comedy-style caper, then somehow morphs into something else: a portrait of family dysfunction, fragile masculinity, and the breadwinner crisis.â Read the full review.
Primate
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Thereâs plenty of unpretentious B-movie fun in Johannes Robertsâ brief, brutal, and slick creature feature. A pet chimp goes wild, making for a giddy, gory good time.
What we said: âRoberts, who also directed the hit shark thriller 47 Metres Down and its superior follow-up, is at his savviest and most ruthlessly efficient here. Itâs a confident step up for a genre filmmaker finding his sweet spot.â Read the full review.
Hamlet
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Riz Ahmedâs tortured prince drives Aneil Kariaâs intelligent and stark retelling of Shakespeareâs tragedy, set in the world of a shady family business.
What we said: âItâs an austerely challenging reading, and nothing could be further from ChloĂ© Zhaoâs richly empathetic and redemptive Hamnet, which explores the playâs imagined origins.â Read the full review.
André Is an Idiot
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A riotously funny, painfully honest film about facing death. A cancer diagnosis becomes the catalyst for gallows humor, rage, and hard-won emotional openness.
What we said: âThere are a zillion filmsâfiction, nonfiction, and everything in betweenâabout people coping with cancer. So kudos to the team behind this one for finding a relatively fresh way to tackle the subject.â Read the full review.
Twinless
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James Sweeneyâs dark, inventive comedy takes an unexpected path. It masterfully balances genres and tones, veering from funny to creepy to devastatingly sad, making for an incredibly effective film.
What we said: âSweeney makes his confounding and psychologically complicated film glide. Heâs a delicate director but an unsparing writer, most brutally shown in the character he creates for himself. He confronts uncomfortable truths about the specific weirdnesses that can come with being queer.â Read the full review.
My Fatherâs Shadow
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British-Nigerian filmmaker Akinola Davies Jr makes a strong directorial debut with a subtle and intelligent coming-of-age story set in 1990s Nigeria. Itâs a deft and intriguing tale of an absent father briefly reunited with his two young sons.
What we said: âIs absence love? Will we all feel love for someone most intensely when they are overtaken by the ultimate absence of death? This is a rich, heartfelt, and rewarding movie.â Read the full review.
Itâs Never Over, Jeff Buckley
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Amy Bergâs arresting documentary is a sympathetic, urgent look at a life cut tragically short. It delves into the early life and untimely death of the 90s singer-songwriter, with extensive contributions from his mother and girlfriends.
What we said: âIt was singing at his dadâs memorial service that astonished the congregation and kickstarted Jeffâs career. He was a superb vocalist with a range and delicacy inspired by Nina Simone and Judy Garland.â Read the full review.
The Presidentâs Cake
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A tough…Here’s a rewritten version of the text in fluent, natural English:
A revealing story about a kid on a mission for Saddam Husseinâs birthday: A nine-year-old girl is forced by her school to bake a birthday cake for the Iraqi president. As she shops for ingredients that are under sanctions, she meets a series of vivid characters.
What we said: âThe film wanders along at a leisurely pace, occasionally speeding up into a mad dash during the many scenes where children are being chased by adults. The cake-tasting itself becomes an explosively important climax.â Read the full review.
Crime 101
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This stylish, high-stakes armed robbery thriller starring Chris Hemsworth and Barry Keoghan is full of tension. Itâs a gripping story about a master thief that borrows a few tricks from Michael Mann.
What we said: âThis movie revs its engine in an entertaining, loud way, though itâs less convincing when it tries to claim moral high ground by briefly showing LAâs homeless. Still, itâs a highly watchable spectacle that leaves a sizzling streak of rubber on the road.â Read the full review.
Man on the Run
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A welcome look back at Paul McCartneyâs post-Beatles eraâafter the Fab Four split and Wings took off. In this film, McCartney embodies a strange, stylized sense of being uncool, which ultimately led to huge success.
What we said: âYou might wonder why weâre covering this ground again, but itâs an engaging film. Thereâs always something mesmerizing about McCartneyâs face: cherubic, yet sharp and watchful.â Read the full review.
Fukushima
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A devastating account of the disaster and denial surrounding the 2011 nuclear catastrophe. It highlights the heroism of the âFukushima 50â while raising questions about corporate secrecy and nuclear safety.
What we said: âThe film throws us into the awful story moment by moment, with interviews from key figures at the timeâespecially nuclear plant employee Ikuo Izawa, a shift supervisor and de facto leader of the âFukushima 50â (actually 69 people). They became legendary in Japan and beyond for their self-sacrificing courage.â Read the full review.
Wasteman
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This British prison drama is as lethal and nasty as a sharpened toothbrush. Itâs brutally violent and gripping, avoiding clichĂ©s through committed acting and fierce storytelling.
What we said: âThe setting is an overcrowded jail (filmed in Shepton Mallet). We see its ugly savagery and chaos through the smartphone screen of someone gleefully filming it.â Read the full review.
The Secret Agent
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Kleber Mendonça Filhoâs brilliant Brazilian drama follows an academic on the run in the murderous 1970s. Itâs a study of a man trying to escape corrupt politics, offering a tremendous, novel-like look at corruption in both high and low places.
What we said: âIts visual brilliance, sensual big-city intrigue, shaggy-dog comedy, gruesome lowlife walk-ons, and epically languorous mystery combine to create something special.â Read the full review.
If I Had Legs Iâd Kick You
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Rose Byrne is tremendous in this pitch-black horror-comedy as a therapistâcounseled by an impatient Conan OâBrienâwho is pushed to the edge by the stress of parenting.
What we said: âItâs a scary movie with a heroine shown almost entirely in looming close-ups. But instead of supernatural ghosts, there are just the everyday problems of childcare and no time to deal with them.â Read the full review.
Soul to Soul
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This restored 1971 concert film captures Black American starsâ joyful and emotional return to Ghana for a historic independence day show in Accra. It features electrifying performances from Tina Turner, Wilson Pickett, and more.
What we said: âThe concert aThis film can now be seen as part of the American Black consciousness movement of the time, which strongly valued the idea of the African homeland and the spiritual need to return to the source of Black American inspiration.â Read the full review
Sound of Falling
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Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy
Told across four different time periods in the same German farmhouse, Mascha Schilinskiâs story about intergenerational anxiety, national guilt, and longing is powerfully unsettling.
What we said: âLike Hanekeâs The White Ribbon, Schilinskiâs film feels like a ghost story or even folk horror. Thereâs a damp unease in every shot as the camera drifts away from scenes like a spirit; the soundtrack throbs and groans with a restless discomfort.â Read the full review
The Bride!
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Photograph: AP
Jessie Buckley is electrifying as the frizzy-haired, black-tongued monsterâs wife, married to Christian Baleâs lonely creature in Maggie Gyllenhaalâs darkly comic and delightfully strange reimagining of the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein.
What we said: âThis new tale of the monsterâs wife is a chaotic, violent black comedy with hints of Rocky Horror and extended nods to the top-hat-and-tails elegance of Mel Brooksâ Young Frankenstein.â Read the full review
Everybody to Kenmure Street
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Photograph: Conic/PA
Community triumphs in this inspiring retelling of a 2021 Glasgow protest, a documentary about local people standing up to heavy-handed immigration enforcement.
What we said: âIn the age of ICE and MAGA, and the Trump-inspired nationalist movements in the UK, this is an amazing story of a community victory. It shows how the nasty habits of bullying policing can be countered by a stubbornly Britishâand in this case, specifically Scottishâinsistence on justice.â Read the full review
The Good Boy
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Photograph: FlixPix/Alamy
Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough turn nasty in Jan Komasaâs sharply wicked tale about a couple who plan to reform a troubled teen with a brutal routine.
What we said: âThis movie could have been made anytime in the last 50 years, with its high-concept provocations and talking points that feel like something from the era of Kubrickâs A Clockwork Orange or Ăshimaâs Max Mon Amour.â Read the full review
Midwinter Break
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A sad, sharp, and brilliantly acted portrait of breakups and breakthroughs, with CiarĂĄn Hinds and Lesley Manville starring in Polly Findlayâs powerful drama about personal and religious turmoil in late middle age.
What we said: âThe film gives Hinds and Manville room to deliver deep, intimate, complex performancesâthe kind most movies donât allow their leads. Manville, in particular, is very moving.â Read the full review
Dead Manâs Wire
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Photograph: Stefania Rosini SMPSP/Row K Entertainment
Gus Van Sant directs this surreal true-crime thriller, where Al Pacino, Colman Domingo, and Myhaâla shine in a gripping take on the 1977 events when an Indianapolis businessman held his mortgage broker hostage.
What we said: âThe personalities and performances of Pacino, Domingo, and Myhaâla add layers to the psychopathic nastiness of the story, creating something surreal, bizarre, and often hilarious.â Read the full review
La Grazia
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Photograph: Andrea Pirrello
Paolo Sorrentino finds his voice again by working with actor Toni Servillo, who plays a president looking back on a career of empty righteousness and opens a powerful window onto the Italian leaderâs despair.
What we said: âItâs a dry comedy of grief and regret, wearing its dreamy melancholy and boredom like a well-tailored but fussily old-fashioned suit.â Read the full review
Pompei: Below the Clouds
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Photograph: Venice film festival
A ghostly yet luminous cinematic mosaic of Naples.Gianfranco Rosiâs strikingly original documentary captures a real sense of doom in a troubled city, exploring war, violence, cynicism, and the climate crisis.
What we said: âThis isnât the usual sun-drenched southern Italy, full of life, love, and wine. Instead, the city seems buried under clouds of grey ashâNaples (and the whole world) is heading toward its own Pompeii-like fate.â Read the full review
Redoubt
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Denis Lavant is unforgettable as a fascinating oddball building a public shelter for some unknown disaster in John Skoogâs black-and-white film, based on an art installation.
What we said: âLavantâs performance is completely one-of-a-kind. He shows off his accordion skills (which I recall from Leos Caraxâs Holy Motors) and what seems to be an ability to hypnotize a chicken.â Read the full review
Two Prosecutors
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Photograph: Capital Pictures/Alamy
Sergei Loznitsaâs chilling portrait of Stalinist rebellion, based on a suppressed story by gulag survivor Georgy Demidov, is a haunting film that unfolds a terrifying tale of bureaucratic evil.
What we said: âThe movie uses slow, extended scenes from fixed camera angles to mirror the zombie-like existence of the Soviet state, building a terrible sense of dread. Itâs about a harmful bureaucracy that protects and copies itself by making anyone who challenges it feel guilty.â Read the full review
The Magic Faraway Tree
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Photograph: Entertainment Film Distributors
This updated adaptation of Enid Blytonâs childrenâs classic, starring Claire Foy and Andrew Garfield, is lively and full of sharp jokes.
What we said: âThe result is a very likable, sweet-natured family fantasy film for the holidays, packed with innocent fun and quirky charm.â Read the full review
Kim Novakâs Vertigo
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An intensely personal interview with the 92-year-old Hollywood star reveals the overwhelming demands placed on Hitchcockâs leading lady, offering unforgettable moments for fans of classic cinema.
What we said: âOf course, Novak has something to say about the most relevant issue: how Hollywood and society at large impose male ideas on how women should look and behaveâa theme famously embodied by Novak in Vertigo.â Read the full review
D Is for Distance
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A tender portrait of parents fighting for their sonâs medication, as filmmakers Chris Petit and Emma Matthews challenge the NHSâs refusal to provide medical cannabis that could stop Louisâ epileptic seizures.
What we said: âPetit and Matthews riff and free-associate on memory, memory loss, and moving images on video and film, but at the heart of this is an urgent story from their own lives.â Read the full review
The Drama
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Photograph: AP
Zendaya and Robert Pattinsonâs controversial wedding film delivers on its promise, as a womanâs confession on the night before her wedding causes chaos in a casually offensive provocation.
What we said: âA Euro-satire of American bourgeois prestige that aims to unsettle and embarrass, in the spirit of Ruben Ăstlundâs Force Majeure or Thomas Vinterbergâs Festen.â Read the full review
The Stranger
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François Ozonâs beautifully crafted modern take on the Camus classic honors the original text while adding a contemporary perspective on empire and race.
What we said: âMeursault comes across in this movie as the logicalâor illogicalâextension of the educated upper class. He is the violent end point of imperialism, whose leaders, deep down, donât feel much compassion.â Read the full review
Father Mother Sister Brother
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Photograph: Collection Christophel/Alamy
A delightful triptych featuring Cate Blanchett and Charlotte Rampling.In three slyly comic vignettes set in the US, Dublin, and Paris, Jim Jarmusch explores the awkwardness and closeness between parents and their grown-up children.
What we said: âYou might sit through this film waiting for a crisis or a confrontationâsome explosion of temper or a passionate demand for honesty. None will come. Basically, thereâs a sense of contentment and calm here, an acceptance and Zen-like simplicity that cleanses the moviegoing palate.â Read the full review.
Miroirs No 3
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Thereâs a hint of PD James in Christian Petzoldâs elegantly unsettling mystery about grief and family dysfunctionâa cuckoo-in-the-nest story starring Paula Beer as a depressed pianist.
What we said: âThe faint suggestion that the film itself has gone into a kind of shock could have layered the proceedings with something dreamlike and unreal, an atmosphere often found in Petzoldâs films. What makes this film interesting is that it isnât heading for a macabre twist or chilling ending, but something positive and even redemptive.â Read the full review.
Exit 8
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A commuter trapped in an Escher-like subway corridor leads to a disturbing psychological mysteryâa tight, unnerving, and rare example of an adaptation that stays close to the video game itâs based on.
What we said: âIs his nightmarish paralysis a parable for expectant-father anxiety? Maybe. But this film doesnât need a midlife metaphor to be scary. Itâs crushing just by taking place in featureless modern buildingsâwhat Marc AugĂ© called the ânon-placesâ of modernityâwhose forms insist on our anonymity and insignificance.â Read the full review.
Rose of Nevada
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A vanished trawler returns in an eerie ghost ship story from Cornish filmmaker Mark Jenkinâan enigmatic drama steeped in loss, memory, and the unsettling rhythms of coastal life.
What we said: âThe movie itself feels like a kind of found object, and in this digital age, itâs vanishingly rare to encounter something that makes you think of the lost physical reality of celluloid whirring through a projectorâs old-fashioned metal sprockets.â Read the full review.
Ada: My Mother the Architect
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Filmmaker Yael Melamede presents a fascinating, if slightly indulgent, account of Ada Karmi-Melamede, the revered Israeli architectâan illuminating profile that balances life and work.
What we said: âKarmi-Melamede is an articulate, quietly energetic figure, answering questions from her daughter that touch (briefly) on a painful family split: her family settled in New York in the 80s, where she taught at Columbia University, but she left when she was hurtfully denied academic tenure by the male-dominated establishment and returned to Israel, leaving her husband and children behind in the United States.â Read the full review.
Kokuho
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Lee Sang-ilâs heartfelt drama is a Cain-and-Abel kabuki epic spanning 50 years. It follows the bond and rivalry between two young men who play female roles in the traditional Japanese art form.
What we said: âThe action is elegantly interspersed with kabuki performances, whose titles and stories are summarized in chyron subtitles. Perhaps the most important of these is Sagi Musume, or Heron Maiden, about a heron in love with a man who transforms herself into a woman and dances for him until she dies.â Read the full review.
RomerĂa
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Carla SimĂłnâs gripping pilgrimage tackles AIDS, parents, and the legacy of secrets as her film follows a young woman in a Spanish coastal city to meet the family of her dead father, who are hiding information about his life and death.
What we said: âSimĂłn has an instinctive and almost miraculous way of immersing herself within extended, freewheeling family scenesâher camera moving unobtrusively in.âHere’s the rewritten version in fluent, natural English:
Group
“Like another teenager at the party, quietly noticing everything.” Read the full review
Our Land
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Orban Wallaceâs documentary about right-to-roam campaigners focuses on fun and heartfelt moments rather than big fights between landowners and activists.
What we said: âYou can watch this whole film waiting for a flashpoint â a clash between the heroic trespassers and the wicked landowners â but it never comes. Maybe the landowners saw the cameras and wisely avoided any trouble.â Read the full review
The Christophers
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Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy
Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel are the best double act of the year in Steven Soderberghâs brilliant comedy. McKellen plays a reclusive painter, and Coel is the former art student hired to find his missing masterpieces.
What we said: âSoderberghâs latest London-set movie is thrilling and funny, as refreshing as a large vodka and tonic before lunch: fast, smart, and witty, with a key plot twist handled subtly and without sentiment.â Read the full review
Northern Soul: Still Burning
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Photograph: Screenbound Pictures/Munro Film
This film centers on the Wigan Casino and its all-night, amphetamine-fueled dance parties. Itâs a passionate look at a legendary underground club scene â a unique cultural moment and its obsessive, high-kicking fans.
What we said: âIt was a fascinating, grassroots youth movement and a kind of regional secret: a club culture, a zine culture, a music-and-fashion culture that invented and sustained itself without needing a big-name figure from London to keep it going.â Read the full review
Obsession
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Photograph: Toronto film festival
Writer-director Curry Barker follows up his $800 YouTube hit Milk & Serial with a frighteningly effective and brutally gory cautionary tale. In it, a wish for true love goes horribly wrong.
What we said: âObsession is slick and satisfying proof that Barker knows how to step up to a bigger platform. While his debut focused on a very modern kind of horror, this time he looks back, using elements of a classic fable and the kind of grabby, schlocky horror youâd find in a video store in the 1980s.â Read the full review
Eagles of the Republic
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Photograph: Yigit Eken
The third film in Tarik Salehâs âCairo trilogyâ is a seductive thriller about corruption and compromise in post-Mubarak Egypt. It follows a washed-up movie star who is bullied into starring in government propaganda.
What we said: âThe result is a messy, despairing, funny film that recalls Billy Wilder, IstvĂĄn SzabĂłâs Mephisto, or Bertolucciâs fascism parable The Conformist.â Read the full review
Hen
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Photograph: Pallas Film
A plucky chicken beats the odds in this weirdly uplifting survival story from Hungarian director György Pålfi. He gets a tour de force performance from his poultry cast in a parable about animal and human relationships.
What we said: âHow PĂĄlfi pulls this off is a cinematic mystery, but it probably comes down to his light touch and his ability to truly empathize with his avian heroine without resorting to anthropomorphic sentimentality.â Read the full review
Backrooms
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Photograph: A24/AP
The debut from 20-year-old director Kane Parsons explores memory, reality, and fear. Itâs an icily disturbing horror film in which Chiwetel Ejiofor accesses an endless series of hidden rooms that all feel creepily wrong.
What we said: âBackrooms gradually builds toward a big finish with jump scares, squirm scares, and tiny shiver scares. Thereâs real fascination in exploring this vast, invisible city of fear.â Read the full review
Tuner
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Photograph: Black Bear/PA
Leo Woodall plays a piano tuner with super-sensitive hearing. His relationship with Dustin Hoffman is a tender highlight in this safe,What a cracking thriller.
What we said: âWhat a pair they areâtheyâre a real joy to watch in a relaxed, natural drama that blends romcom moments with a laid-back crime thriller. Itâs like the Safdie brothers in chill mode.â Read the full review.
Power Ballad
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Photograph: Lionsgate/PA
Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd star in a brilliant comedy about bromance and betrayal from Irish writer-director John Carney. It perfectly pairs Ruddâs washed-up wedding singer with Jonasâs insecure ex-boyband superstar.
What we said: Power Ballad is about making it and dreaming big, about every busker never giving up on the hope of one day becoming huge. But as often happens with Carney, itâs also about something elseâsomething usually left unsaid in movies about music or show business: the harsh reality of success versus failure. Read the full review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about the best films of 2026 so far written in a natural conversational tone
General Questions
Q What are the best films of 2026 so far
A Early favorites include The Solar King Midnight in Marrakech The Last Cartographer and Echoes of Us Critics are also praising Concrete Jungle and Starlight Express
Q How is this list determined
A Its based on a mix of critic reviews audience scores and major film festival buzz from Sundance Berlin and SXSW 2026
Q Are these movies already in theaters or streaming
A Most are in theaters now but some are also available on premium streaming platforms A few smaller indie films are still in limited release
Q Is 2026 a good year for movies so far
A Yes its been surprisingly strong Studios are taking more creative risks and theres a nice balance between big blockbusters and thoughtful indie films
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q I dont usually watch scifi Is The Solar King accessible for me
A Absolutely Its more about family and survival than hard science The visuals are stunning and the story is easy to follow
Q Which film is best for a family movie night
A The Last Cartographer is perfect for all ages Its a handdrawn animated film with a heartwarming story about a girl who maps a magical world
Q I love happy endings Which 2026 film has the most uplifting ending
A Echoes of Us has a very satisfying tearjerking happy ending Its a romance that doesnt feel cheesy
Q Whats a good movie for a date night
A Midnight in Marrakech is stylish tense and romantic Its like a modern Casablanca with better action
Advanced Niche Questions
