So Long, My Son review – exquisite, agonising Chinese family saga
The epic story of two married couples enduring personal tragedy and state-imposed suffering is an almost unbearably poignant, profound masterpiece
And the 2019 Braddies go to … Peter Bradshaw’s film picks of the year
Ahead of the launch on Tuesday of the Guardian’s films of the year countdown, our critic selects his personal choice of the movies, directors and performances of 2019
Atlantics review – poetic Dakar love story
A prosaic script lets down Mati Diop’s visually arresting, ghostly first feature
The woke undead: how zombie movies are taking on racial politics
A new wave of horror films are reviving the zombie’s African roots to offer modern-day reflections on slavery and migration
A little rain must fall: the tragic secret of a musical movie masterpiece
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a life-enhancing 60s sensation, is about to enrapture a new generation of filmgoers
I Lost My Body review – hand on heart, you’ll love this…
A disembodied hand searches for its former owner in this haunting French gem that signals the arrival of a major new talent in animation
La Belle Époque review – overegged French time-travel comedy
Daniel Auteuil is a man disillusioned with life and marriage who gets a chance to go back in time in this Charlie Kaufman-lite saccharine comedy-drama
Heimat Is a Space in Time review – epic journey into Germany’s dark past
Thomas Heise’s four-hour documentary draws on the journals of his own family to construct a powerful, agonising history
Permission review – female footballer pays penalty in Iran
The husband of a woman due to play a match abroad refuses her permission to travel in a fictionalised version of a true story
Cattle Hill review – udderly bewildering rock’n’roll cows
A heifer with dreams of stardom turns to her retired rock star dad for advice in this strange, candy-coloured family animation
Someone, Somewhere review – slow-burn Parisian therapy romance
The meet-cute is neatly postponed in this entertaining story of two next-door neighbours, both seeing therapists and looking for love
Gabriel review – plucky boxing story pulls its punches
The tale of a desperate young fighter in Lisbon features a soulful performance but is dogged by boxing movie cliches
Campo review – salute to a beekeeping band of brothers
This elegant documentary about a bucolic Portuguese military base offers surprising glimpses of the soldiers’ off-duty pursuits
By the Grace of God review – Ozon’s incendiary Catholic Church child-abuse drama
François Ozon’s painful, sombre story of an ongoing child sexual abuse scandal in France is strongest when it foregrounds the victims’ themselves
Darkness Visible review – mystery and murder on the streets of Kolkata
A son hunts for his mother after her unexplained return to her home town in this intriguingly inventive horror story