What if the biggest story ever written started with a family trying to survive the unthinkable? Hamnet turns grief into something intimate, vivid, and strangely life-affirming.

Film details

• Title: Hamnet
• Premiere date: 22 January 2026
• Director: Chloé Zhao
• Runtime: 126 min
• Language and subtitles: English spoken, Dutch subtitles
• Age rating: 12
• Where to watch in Rotterdam:
  • KINO
  • Cinerama
  • LantarenVenster

What’s the vibe?

Quietly intense, lush, and deeply emotional, with a naturalistic feel that keeps pulling you closer. Think candlelit domestic scenes, big feelings in small rooms, and the kind of silence that says more than any monologue ever could.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

• Eyes: Zhao’s painterly approach makes 16th-century life feel tactile, earthy, and real.
• Heart: A love story and a grief story, without melodrama, just raw humanity.
• Mind: It reframes Shakespeare through the people who paid the emotional price, and it sticks with you.

Critical reception

Critics have praised Hamnet for its emotional precision, performance strength, and Zhao’s delicate control of tone, often calling it one of the year’s standout literary adaptations.

It also landed major festival attention, including TIFF recognition, and has been discussed as an awards-season contender in multiple outlets.

Scene to watch for

The early family-life sequences: the kind where nothing “big” happens, yet everything matters. Watch how the film uses touch, routine, and tiny gestures to make you care, fast.

Recommended pairing

• Food: Something warming and simple after the credits, like a hearty soup or hot chocolate, plus a small sweet pastry.
• Activity: A slow walk home (or a quiet tram ride with your headphones in) and a quick voice note to yourself about what hit you hardest.

Need-to-knows

• This is an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet, which imagines the personal story behind Hamlet.
• Listings can differ on production-country info across cinema pages, so if that detail matters to you, double-check the screening page you’re booking from.
• LantarenVenster sometimes programmes themed formats around new releases, so it’s worth scanning their page for special screenings when you book.

Jeff Buckley made one proper studio album, then somehow became a lifelong obsession for people who swear they do not do “obsessions”. This documentary gets unusually close, using intimate archive material and the memories of those who knew him best. 

Film details

• Title: It’s never over, Jeff Buckley 
• Premiere date (Rotterdam): 8 January 2026 
• Director: Amy Berg 
• Runtime: 106 min 
• Language & subtitles: English spoken, Dutch subtitles 
• Age rating: 12 (includes violence and strong language) 
• Where to watch in Rotterdam: KINO, LantarenVenster, Cinerama 

Director Amy Berg follows Jeff Buckley’s short, intense musical life through rare archive footage, voice messages, and reflections from people close to him, including his mother Mary Guibert, former partners, bandmates, and fellow musicians. The film traces his rise, the cult pull of Grace, and the emotional aftershocks of his sudden death, while keeping the focus on the human being behind the voice. 

What’s the vibe?

Tender, electric, and slightly unreal, like walking home after a gig when the city is quiet but your head is still ringing. It is part love letter, part archive dive, part gentle reminder that a once in a generation voice does not make life any less complicated. 

Trailer

Check out the trailer below. 

Why you might like it

• Eyes: Beautifully assembled archival material and performance footage that makes time collapse in the best way. 
• Heart: A film that keeps circling back to the people who loved him, without turning him into a saint. 
• Mind: A smart look at legacy, pressure, and how an artist can become a “myth” while still being painfully human. 

Critical reception

Critics have been very kind to this one, especially about its access and emotional clarity. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 98% Tomatometer (55 reviews) and a 97% audience score (100+ verified ratings), with a consensus that calls it a comprehensive retrospective that leaves you thinking about what could have been. 

Metacritic lands in the “generally favourable” zone too, with a Metascore of 72 based on 17 critic reviews. 

On the festival and awards side, the film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, and it later picked up an Astra Film Awards nomination for Best Documentary Feature. 

Scene to watch for

The early footage of a teenage Buckley singing “Roxanne” is the kind of moment that makes a cinema go very still. It is not “look how talented he was”, it is “oh, that voice was already there”. 

Recommended pairing

Go for something low-key and comforting afterwards: a warm bowl of soup or ramen, then a slow evening walk by the river with headphones on. If you are with a friend, swap Buckley memories (or confessions) on the way home, and let the city do the listening. 

Need-to-knows

• This is a music documentary, but it plays like a character portrait, so you do not need to be a superfan to follow it. 
• If you only know the famous tracks, it helps to know: Buckley released one studio album, Grace (1994), and died in 1997 at age 30. 
• Expect Dutch subtitles throughout, which is handy if you are watching with mixed-language company. 
• Screening times vary by venue, so check the ticket pages right before you go. 

One night, one bar, and one brilliant mind realising the party has moved on without him. Richard Linklater turns Broadway sparkle into something sharper, funnier, and quietly devastating.

Film details

• Title: Blue moon
• Premiere date: 15 January 2026
• Director: Richard Linklater
• Runtime: 100 minutes
• Language & subtitles: English spoken, Dutch subtitled
• Age rating: 12
• Where to watch in Rotterdam:
  • KINO
  • Cinerama
  • LantarenVenster

Plot in 100 words (ish):

On 31 March 1943, the opening-night celebrations for Oklahoma! are in full swing. In the middle of the champagne and back-slaps, lyricist Lorenz Hart watches the world cheer for the new era of musical theatre, and for his former writing partner, Richard Rodgers. Over the course of a single night, Hart tries to talk, charm, perform, and drink his way through a private crisis, while old friendships and new realities collide. It is a tight, dialogue-driven portrait of talent, ego, love, and the moment you sense your name might be slipping off the marquee.

What’s the vibe?

A classy period chamber piece with a wicked sense of humour, like being stuck at a glamorous party where the music is great, but the conversation keeps landing too close to home. Expect fast, intelligent dialogue, a bar-room pressure-cooker setting, and performances that feel both theatrical and painfully human.

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

• Eyes: A beautifully controlled, intimate look that finds drama in glances, posture, and a crowded room that suddenly feels very lonely.
• Heart: It understands the grief of being left behind, without turning its lead into a saint.
• Mind: A sharp riff on art, reputation, and the strange cruelty of “what’s next?” when your best work is already behind you.

Critical reception

Critics have been very kind to Blue moon, praising Ethan Hawke’s performance and Linklater’s ability to keep a talky, stage-bound setup gripping. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 90% Tomatometer (212 reviews) and a 77% audience score (100+ verified ratings).

On Metacritic, it sits at a 78/100, which points to broadly strong reviews, especially for its writing, rhythm, and the way it balances bite with melancholy.

Awards-wise, it played in competition at the 75th Berlinale, where Andrew Scott won the Silver Bear for best supporting performance for his portrayal of Richard Rodgers.

Scene to watch for

Keep an eye on the moments where the party noise falls away and Hart is left with just one person across the room, and too many words still loaded in the chamber. It is Linklater doing tension without shouting, and Hawke doing heartbreak without begging for your sympathy.

Recommended pairing

• Food: Something old-school and comforting before you go, like a warm slice of pie, or a salty snack you can eat with your hands.
• Activity: A short post-film night walk through the city centre with a playlist of classic standards, just to let the dialogue echo a bit longer.

Need-to-knows

• This is largely a one-location, one-night story, so it’s very dialogue-forward. If you love chatty character dramas, you’ll be in heaven; if you want action beats, you may feel like you ordered espresso and got sparkling water.
• It’s rooted in Broadway history, but you do not need to know musical theatre trivia to follow it. The emotions are the point, the references are the seasoning.
• If you like the Linklater and Hawke collaborations, this one continues that long-running creative partnership, with Hawke in full “hold the room” mode.

Brendan Fraser swaps Hollywood for Tokyo in this gentle comedy drama about loneliness, paid affection and unexpected belonging. If you have ever felt a bit adrift in a new country, this story of a struggling expat actor might hit closer to home than you expect.

Film details

• Title: Rental Family (2025)
• Director: Hikari
• Cast: Brendan Fraser, Mari Yamamoto, Takehiro Hira, Shannon Mahina Gorman, Akira Emoto 
• Genre: Comedy drama 
• Runtime: 110 minutes 
• Language: English and Japanese, Dutch subtitles 
• Age rating: 6+ (Kijkwijzer, mild violence and some scary moments) 
• Dutch cinema release: 8 January 2026 
• Where to watch in Rotterdam: KINO Rotterdam and Kinepolis Cinerama 

Short synopsis

American actor Philip is stuck in Tokyo doing embarrassing commercial gigs and wondering what happened to his career. Desperate for work, he signs up with a “rental family” agency, playing stand-in dads, husbands and friends for paying clients. What starts as a slightly absurd side job slowly becomes something more real, especially when he is hired to pose as the father of Mia, a sharp young girl applying to an elite school. Between fake family dinners, awkward ceremonies and quiet train rides, Philip begins to find purpose in relationships that were never meant to last. 

What’s the vibe?

Think soft winter light on Tokyo side streets, vending machines glowing at night and a big-hearted Brendan Fraser in slightly rumpled suits. Rental Family balances bittersweet comedy with gentle social observation: it pokes fun at the idea of paying strangers to play family, yet treats everyone involved with warmth rather than cynicism. The pacing is unhurried, so you get time with each client and their emotional mess, from lonely salarymen to a retired actor slipping into dementia. If you enjoy character-driven stories where small gestures matter more than plot twists, this one is for you. 

Trailer

Check out the trailer below.

Why you might like it

• Eyes: Tokyo is shot with a mix of neon and soft natural light, drifting from cramped apartments to old-fashioned neighbourhoods and overgrown countryside, all set to a delicate score by Jónsi and Alex Somers. 
• Heart: Fraser leans fully into sad, awkward dad energy, especially in his scenes with Mia; it is a found-family story that goes for quiet emotional payoffs instead of big speeches. 
• Mind: The film invites you to think about gig work, emotional labour and what “family” means when roles can literally be rented by the hour, without turning into a heavy lecture. 

Critical reception

Rental Family has landed solidly with critics and audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds around 87 percent positive reviews from more than 150 critics, with a glowing 96 percent audience score and Certified Fresh label.  Metacritic lists the film at 68 out of 100, signalling generally favourable reviews, and CinemaScore reports an “A” grade from opening-weekend audiences. 

Reviews consistently praise Fraser’s performance as one of his most tender roles since The Whale, calling the film “sweet and lyrical” and a “gentle, humane comedy,” while also noting that Hikari keeps the tone low key rather than flashy.  Some critics would have liked a sharper look at Japan’s hire-a-family industry, but most agree that the film’s mix of humour and empathy makes it a quietly affecting crowd-pleaser.  It has already popped up on the National Board of Review’s list of the ten best films of 2025, which usually means it will stay in the award-season conversation. 

Scene to watch for

Keep an eye on the sequence where Philip takes retired actor Kikuo back to his rural hometown, now half swallowed by greenery. Away from clients and scripts, the two wander through an abandoned house and dig up an old time capsule, and the film drops into a quiet, emotional register that says more about memory, regret and chosen family than any monologue could. It is a gentle gut punch that shows why Fraser and Akira Emoto have been getting so much praise for their work together. 

Recommended pairing

• Pre-film activity: take a late-afternoon walk through your own neighbourhood with headphones on and pay attention to small details you usually ignore, from shopfronts to balcony plants.
• Food: pick up a Japanese-style convenience store picnic for after the screening; think onigiri, canned coffee and a sweet treat that crinkles when you open it.
• Post-film chat: grab a drink at home and talk with a friend about the “roles” you play in other people’s lives and which ones you would actually pay to keep.

Need-to-knows

Rental Family is inspired by real “rental family” services in Japan, where agencies hire actors to pose as relatives, colleagues or partners at social events.  Director Hikari previously made the award-winning film 37 Seconds and has directed episodes of Tokyo Vice and Beef, so she knows her way around cross-cultural stories.  The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025 before touring festivals in Rome, Tokyo and Stockholm, then moving into wide release with Searchlight Pictures. 

There is also an unrelated 2023 Japanese drama with the same title, so if you look it up online, make sure you are checking the 2025 Hikari film with Brendan Fraser rather than the earlier movie.  For families: in the Netherlands it is suitable from age six, but very young kids might find some of the themes around illness and loneliness a bit intense.