Film tips - RotterdamStyle.com

Film tip: Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons shine in Bugonia

Bryan van Putten Film tips 29 October 2025

Film tips

Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons star in Bugonia, a surreal, pitch-black satire about paranoia, power and the human urge to make sense of chaos.

Film details

Premiere date: 30 October 2025
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Runtime: 119 minutes
Language & subtitles: English with Dutch subtitles
Age rating: 16+
Showing at: Cinerama, KINO, LantarenVenster

What’s the vibe?

Delightfully unsettling. Bugonia blends Lanthimos’ trademark deadpan humour with sci-fi and psychological horror. It’s a claustrophobic hostage story that turns into a philosophical debate about fear and delusion — both hilarious and horrifying.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

For the eyes: Stark, geometric visuals and colour palettes reminiscent of The Favourite.
For the heart: Plemons’ tragic sincerity collides beautifully with Stone’s cold intellect.
For the mind: A bizarre exploration of conspiracy thinking and how fragile truth can be.

Critical reception

Critics are calling Bugonia “Lanthi-mos at his most unhinged.” Early reviews highlight its sharp blend of humour, tension and surrealism. Emma Stone continues her creative partnership with the director after Poor Things, while Jesse Plemons’ performance has been described as “a masterclass in nervous breakdowns.”

Scene to watch for

The interrogation scene where Stone’s CEO calmly debates her captors about morality — equal parts terrifying and hilarious.

Recommended pairing

Watch with a group of friends who love to argue about meaning. Afterwards, discuss whether you think she really was an alien.

Need-to-knows

Bugonia is a loose remake of the 2003 South Korean cult film Save the Green Planet! It channels that story’s anarchic energy into a distinctly Lanthimos world — where rationality breaks down and everyone might be right, or wrong, at the same time.

Film tip: Guillermo del Toro reimagines Frankenstein in haunting style

Bryan van Putten Film tips 21 October 2025

Film tips

Guillermo del Toro reimagines Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with breathtaking design and gothic grandeur. A tragic tale of creation, obsession and what it means to be human.

Film details

Premiere date: 23 October 2025
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Runtime: 149 minutes
Language & subtitles: English with Dutch subtitles
Age rating: 16+
Showing at: Cinerama, KINO, LantarenVenster

What’s the vibe?

A dark, poetic and deeply emotional retelling of Shelley’s masterpiece. Del Toro replaces gothic horror clichés with melancholy beauty, making the story as much about empathy as terror. Think misty laboratories, candlelit anguish and monsters with souls.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

For the eyes: Sumptuous set design, haunting lighting and creature effects worthy of an art museum.
For the heart: A tender connection between creator and creation that echoes through generations.
For the mind: Raises timeless questions about morality, identity and the cost of ambition.

Critical reception

Early festival audiences are calling it “del Toro’s most personal film yet.” Critics highlight Oscar Isaac’s feverish performance as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi’s haunting vulnerability as his creation. With Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz rounding out the cast, reviews praise its blend of horror, philosophy and visual splendour.

Scene to watch for

The creature’s first encounter with his reflection — a quietly devastating moment that captures del Toro’s empathy for outsiders.

Recommended pairing

Pair it with a misty autumn evening, a wool blanket and something darkly indulgent — red wine or rich chocolate feels just right.

Need-to-knows

This marks del Toro’s long-awaited adaptation of Frankenstein, a project he’s dreamt of for decades. Unlike most versions, this one stays faithful to Shelley’s tragic tone while infusing it with del Toro’s love for misunderstood monsters.

Film tip: Channing Tatum stars in quirky crime story Roofman

Bryan van Putten Film tips 07 October 2025

Film tips

Channing Tatum stars in Roofman, a funny yet moving take on a real-life fast-food bandit who hid in a toy store. It’s the perfect feel-good crime story for autumn.

Film details

Premiere date: 9 October 2025
Director: Derek Cianfrance
Runtime: 127 minutes
Language & subtitles: English with Dutch subtitles
Age rating: 12+
Showing at: Cinerama, KINO

What’s the vibe?

A mix of absurd comedy and heartfelt drama, Roofman turns a bizarre true story into a quirky portrait of a man searching for redemption. It’s equal parts cat-and-mouse thriller and offbeat character study, laced with Cianfrance’s signature humanity.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

For the eyes: Colourful suburban Americana meets Toys“R”Us nostalgia.
For the heart: Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst bring warmth to a story about guilt, charm and second chances.
For the mind: A clever reminder that truth is often stranger — and funnier — than fiction.

Critical reception

Early reviews call Roofman “the year’s most unexpectedly uplifting crime film.” Critics praise Tatum’s career-best performance and Derek Cianfrance’s blend of sincerity and silliness. Many highlight its lighter tone compared to his earlier works like Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines, while still carrying emotional weight.

Scene to watch for

The surreal moment when Jeffrey decorates his hideout with children’s toys while listening to a police broadcast about his own escape — absurd, touching and unforgettable.

Recommended pairing

Perfect for a cosy night out: grab a cheeseburger before the screening, and treat yourself to ice cream afterwards — Roofman would approve.

Need-to-knows

The film is based on the unbelievable true story of Jeffrey Manchester, dubbed the “Roofman,” who became infamous for breaking into McDonald’s restaurants through their rooftops. Derek Cianfrance reimagines his tale with humour and empathy, turning a small-time criminal into an oddly lovable antihero.

Film tip: Watch Julia Roberts in Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt

Bryan van Putten Film tips 14 October 2025

Film tips

Luca Guadagnino returns with After the Hunt, a tense psychological drama starring Julia Roberts. It’s an intellectual thriller where academia turns into a battlefield.

Film details

Premiere date: 16 October 2025
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Runtime: 139 minutes
Language & subtitles: English with Dutch subtitles
Age rating: 12+
Showing at: Cinerama, KINO Rotterdam

What’s the vibe?

Elegant and unnerving. Guadagnino trades summer lust for cold intellectual tension in a story about guilt, reputation and generational divides. Expect sharp dialogue, moral ambiguity and impeccable performances in an atmosphere thick with unease.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

For the eyes: Sleek university interiors and subdued, artful cinematography.
For the heart: Julia Roberts delivers one of her most layered performances in years.
For the mind: A thought-provoking look at truth, memory and shifting power dynamics.

Critical reception

Early reviews describe After the Hunt as a slow-burn psychological puzzle with echoes of Todd Field’s Tár and Guadagnino’s own Challengers. Critics praise the script by Nora Garrett and the nuanced interplay between Roberts, Andrew Garfield and Ayo Edebiri. The film’s intellectual depth may divide audiences, but its craftsmanship is universally admired.

Scene to watch for

A quiet confrontation between Roberts and Garfield in a faculty lounge — tense, polite, and absolutely devastating.

Recommended pairing

Pair it with an espresso and a late-night walk. You’ll need both to unpack the film’s questions about morality and self-preservation.

Need-to-knows

After the Hunt marks Guadagnino’s first collaboration with Julia Roberts and explores post-#MeToo academia through the lens of generational conflict. It examines what happens when public integrity clashes with buried personal secrets.

Film tip: Eddington mixes pandemic paranoia with dark humour

Bryan van Putten Film tips 30 September 2025

Ari Aster turns his sharp eye for unsettling stories toward New Mexico in Eddington. This satirical thriller mixes pandemic paranoia, dark comedy and explosive drama.

Film details

Premiere date: 2 October 2025
Director: Ari Aster
Runtime: 149 minutes
Language & subtitles: English with Dutch subtitles
Age rating: 16+
Showing at: Cinerama, KINO

What’s the vibe?

Eddington blends western grit with Aster’s signature unease, turning a small New Mexico town into a pressure cooker. The film is satirical yet brutal, capturing the madness of 2020 through paranoia, violence and mistrust.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

For the eyes: Wide desert landscapes clash with claustrophobic lockdown interiors.
For the heart: Joaquin Phoenix brings gravitas as a weary sheriff trying to hold his town together.
For the mind: A searing look at how fear, misinformation and mistrust can rip communities apart.

Critical reception

Early reviews call Eddington both “painful and hilarious,” praising its fearless satire. Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal are highlighted for their intensity, while Emma Stone and Austin Butler bring unexpected depth. Critics note the film’s mix of tones is divisive but bold — very much in line with Aster’s reputation. IMDB scores currently hover around 6.7, reflecting its provocative, love-it-or-hate-it nature.

Scene to watch for

The first town hall confrontation between Phoenix’s sheriff and Pascal’s mayor, where political division erupts into chaos.

Recommended pairing

A strong black coffee before the film to sharpen focus, followed by comfort food like burgers and fries to shake off the unease afterwards.

Need-to-knows

Eddington is positioned as a “companion piece” to Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, with both films tackling the fractures of modern America in very different styles. Expect satire as sharp as it is uncomfortable.