Closely Watched Films

Category: Watchlists

  • Every Film I Watched in the First Half of May 2026

    Every Film I Watched in the First Half of May 2026

    Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

    We’re somehow now halfway through May and I’ve already watched nineteen films so instead of having a blog post that’s ten miles long, I’ve decided to split the month into two halves. Here’s every film I watched in the first half of May 2026.

    Table of contents

    Elvis, my tuxedo cat, peeks out of grey curtains to introduce the films I watched in May.
    Elvis introduces the films I watched in May

    Eyes Without a Face

    I’ve watched Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face several times before but I rewatched in May for a film essay. The film is a classic of body horror and explores medical advancements in a manner that will equally shock and delight you. Not one for the faint-hearted but it’s a classic of French cinema for a reason.

    In the Mood for Love

    I cannot believe it has taken me this long to watch a Wong Kar-wai film and quite frankly, I’m annoyed with myself. In the Mood for Love has become my new favourite film of all time. It’s fascinating because I can see the influence this film has had on others I’ve watched this year and it makes me even more excited about Film Studies. I’d recommend everyone watch this because of the colours, the yearning, the camerawork, it’s as close to a perfect film as you can get.

    Age of Bloom

    This is a beautiful Wong Kar-wai short that shows a montage of clips from vintage Chinese films. This homage to Chinese cinema tells me Wong Kar-wai really understands film in a way many directors are unable to.

    Thrash

    Thrash is a new release horror shark film that feels like most other horror shark films in existence. I’m glad I watched this because it was just a bit of silly fun but that’s really all it was. Although, I don’t think there are that many people who go into a shark film thinking it will be the next Hitchcock.

    I Swear

    A heart-warming film based on the life story of John Davidson, someone with Tourette’s Syndrome who also advocates for people with the condition. I don’t know anyone with Tourette’s and there isn’t much representation in the media so it was great to get an insight into how the condition affects people in their day-to-day lives. I’m not usually a fan of biographical features but this was sweet and engaging.

    The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

    Next, I watched the colourful musical number that is Jacques Demy’s The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Although full of yearning and with a semi-sad ending, this was a delightful film. It’s another one of the films I’ve watched so far this month where I can see how it’s influenced other films. For example, La La Land has clearly taken inspiration from Demy’s film and it’s exciting to be able to put those jigsaw pieces together.

    Breathless

    I rewatched this for a blog post I wrote called five French New Wave Films for Beginners. Breathless is probably one of the most recognisable and beloved films from the movement and I enjoy returning to it from time to time.

    Jules and Jim

    This is another film I rewatched for the French New Wave for Beginners blog post. Last time I watched this, I was a teenager so it was interesting to rewatch as an adult. If you’ve never seen any films from the French New Wave, I’d recommend reading my blog post because the ones I’ve selected are all ideal starting points for a beginner to the movement.

    Enys Men

    Mark Jenkin is a genius of a director and Enys Men is a creeping, confusing film with a folk horror twinge. After watching Bait and Jenkin’s short films back in 2019, I couldn’t wait to see more and Enys Men didn’t disappoint. I’m now eagerly waiting to stop feeling poorly so I can go and see Rose of Nevada at the cinema.

    Apex

    Everyone seems to be falling head over heels for Apex but I wasn’t a huge fan. I thought it was a solid adventure thriller but nothing especially out of the ordinary. Taron Egerton’s acting was great though, sparking an entire TikTok trend of dancing to The Chemical Brothers.

    Tomie

    I recently subscribed to Shudder because I want to watch more horror films in the upcoming weeks. The first film I watched on the platform was Tomie, an adaptation of Junji Ito’s manga of the same name. I can’t confirm whether or not it’s a good adaptation because I haven’t yet read the manga. However, it’s a dreamy film with an excellent score so I’d still recommend giving it a go.

    Uzumaki

    This is another Junji Ito adaptation and I wrote about both this and Tomie in my Junji Ito double bill post. Uzumaki is about a town that becomes cursed by spirals which is one of the most unique premises I’ve ever heard. The film wasn’t quite as good as Tomie but again, the score was fantastic.

    Remarkably Bright Creatures

    I’m not understanding all the hype surrounding Remarkably Bright Creatures. It felt incredibly one-dimensional to me with awkward, stilted dialogue. It’s honestly better suited to being put on in the background while doing other things which is symptomatic of this age where no one has an attention span larger than a butterfly.

    The Farewell

    Recently, I’ve been tackling my Letterboxd watchlist because it’s gotten to be over a thousand films long. The Farewell was one of the films that had been on the list the longest so I watched it and I’m so glad I did. It’s a wonderful, poignant film about anticipatory grief and complex family dynamics. It’s relatable and is unlikely to lose its relevance as we all have family issues no matter how perfect a family may seem from the outside.

    The Widower

    This is one of the Italian comedy films from the Radiance Commedia all’italiana boxset. I’ve been wanting to watch more Italian films and understand Italian cinema better because my partner is half-Italian. This was a great place to start because it was easy to understand and accessible. However, the comedy was a little outdated so just an average watch for me in the end. I’ll likely watch the remaining two films in the boxset in the latter half of May.

    My Letterboxd most recently watched.

    Ugetsu

    I’ve recently started the Closely Watched Films podcast and the first episode was on Ugetsu in honour of Kenji Mizoguchi’s birthday. Mizoguchi is one of the directors from the ‘Golden Age’ of Japanese cinema, along with Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu and Ugetsu is one of his most beloved. I had a great time looking into the history of this film and I’m intrigued to watch more by Mizoguchi in the future.

    Star Wars

    I haven’t rewatched Star Wars for a very long time and on Thursday I spontaneously decided it was time. There’s something so magical and nostalgic about Star Wars and I spent the entire runtime glued to the screen taking in all the minute details. In an age of AI and a vapid lack of creativity, films like Star Wars remind me that people are creative and clever and I hope AI doesn’t win out in the end.

    Tiny Furniture

    On Letterboxd, I’ve recently seen a lot of people praising Lena Dunham so I decided to give Tiny Furniture a watch. I can’t say I was impressed. I felt it was trying far too hard to be kooky and the result was vaguely annoying more than anything. Maybe I chose the wrong place to start but I don’t think I gel with Dunham’s style.

    The Empire Strikes Back

    Finally in the first half of May, I watched The Empire Strikes Back. I thought this was my favourite in the series but actually upon watching again, I think it’s A New Hope. However, Empire is still a wonderful film where we see a huge amount of action and various storylines unfold. I’m looking forward to continuing my rewatch in the latter half of May.

    That was everything I watched in the first half of May. What was the best film you’ve watched so far this month? Are there any films you’d like me to watch and review before the month is over?

  • May 2026 Film Watchlist

    May 2026 Film Watchlist

    Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

    New Releases

    A selection of new release films that Kayleigh would like to watch in May. These films are, from left to right, Rose of Nevada, Exit 8, Hokum and The Drama. The image is comprised of the movie posters for each of these films.

    Last month, I began to enjoy films again and I’m now excited to watch as many as I can for the rest of the year. In recent years, I’ve struggled to watch as much because of other commitments. Now though, I want to focus more intentionally on this blog and reviewing films. This will be the first month where I watch films for the entirety. I can’t wait to see what my May film watchlist has to offer.

    May holds a range of exciting new films from across genres, including Mark Jenkin’s new release, Rose of Nevada (2026). Mark Jenkin’s debut feature film, Bait (2019) changed the way I think about film. In fact, it was the reason I made content five or six years ago before I disappeared. I live in northern England and as a child, our holidays were on the east coast so I’ve seen the damage overtourism can do. People take second holiday homes, buy caravans on the coast and generally outprice people who were born in our favourite seaside destinations. The exploration of this insidious process in Cornwall is explored in Bait so rigorously and unflinchingly that I promised to myself I’d watch everything Mark Jenkin releases in the future.

    Rose of Nevada is a ghost ship story with two members of a ship’s crew appearing to travel back in time. This foray into science fiction tells us that Mark Jenkin can put his hand to any genre and us, the viewers, will be better off for it.

    I watch several streamers on Twitch who have played the game version of Exit 8 (2025) and I’ve been enthralled by it each time. The concept of the liminal space, especially the ‘backrooms’ is increasingly intriguing as it removes the familiarity of a place just enough while retaining some sense of nostalgia or déjà vu. This combination generally makes for a terrifying experience and the clips I’ve seen so far do not disappoint. Even the man we watch trying to escape is unnamed, adding a further layer of anonymity and sense of abandonment.

    Horror is not always my favourite genre these days, although historically I’ve been a huge fan. However, my May film watchlist seems to be promising for the horror releases, Hokum (2026) included. This one is about a novelist who opts to stay in a remote inn, and hears stories about a witch who may or may not be haunting the honeymoon suite. I’m always cautious about films featuring witches, especially ones directed by men because I find they can veer into misogynistic territory but I’m hoping this one doesn’t disappoint.

    Finally, we have A24’s latest release, The Drama (2026), starring Robert Pattinson and Zendaya as a couple about to get married. However, one confession changes things and leads them to question whether or not the fateful ‘I do’ is for them. I recently watched Something Very Bad is Going To Happen (2026) and this concept of deciding whether or not you really know someone enough to marry them is fascinating, especially when there is some type of confession involved.

    Backlist Titles

    This images features four backlist titles Kayleigh would like to watch in May 2026. They are, from left to right, In the Mood for Love, Enys Men, Black Girl and The Farewell. The image is comprised of the movie posters of each of the films.

    Since I’ve been getting back into reviewing films, I’ve been scouring ‘best films of all time’ lists and a director who kept popping up was Wong Kar-wai. With several popular films, I was spoilt for choice when making my selection but to begin with, it was the premise of In the Mood for Love (2000) that intrigued me the most. In this film, two people realise their partners are cheating on them and become closer to each other without wanting to make the same choices.

    Having recently watched Past Lives (2023), I’m eager to delve into more films with relationship dynamics across more than two people. Just in case I wasn’t already convinced that I’m going to enjoy this one, I checked Letterboxd and was stunned by the sheer number of five star reviews. Usually films are at least a little more divided on there but this is one most seem to agree is almost flawless.

    Before I go to the cinema to watch Rose of Nevada, I’d like to watch Mark Jenkin’s previous film Enys Men (2022) for the first time. During my hiatus, I didn’t watch as many films as I normally would and this is one that slipped past me. It’s about a wildlife volunteer who descends into madness while on an island off the British coast. Mark Jenkin does tension incredibly well so I can only imagine he will fit right into the horror genre.

    Next, I wanted to choose a film that has provided inspiration to other filmmakers and the one I went with is Black Girl (1966). This film, directed by Ousmane Sembène, is cited as inspiration and chosen by many people entering the Criterion closet. I enjoy watching films from across the world and Senegal isn’t a country I’ve yet visited through the medium so I’m eager to do so.

    Black Girl is about a Senegalese woman who faces discrimination when she moves to France seeking a better life. In 2023, I read a book called Standing Heavy (2014) by GauZ’ which follows two Ivoirian men who try to work and live in France as undocumented workers, facing various trials. This theme of moving somewhere to get a better life but being faced with discrimination continues to be relevant and I’ve read that Black Girl is one of the best representations of this in the media.

    Finally, I chose the film that has been on my Letterboxd watchlist for the longest. Well, actually, it’s the second longest because the longest was Parasite (2019) and I would like to wait and get the Bong Joon-ho boxset which includes this and others of his films I’m excited to get to. The Farewell (2019) follows a Chinese-American woman who returns to China to see her terminally ill grandmother. As well as relationship dynamics, I’ve been enjoying seeing family dynamics on screen and I think this will force me through one hundred emotions in its one hundred minute runtime.

    It’s likely (I hope), that I’ll watch a lot more films than those featured in this May film watchlist but these are the ones I’ll be prioritising in the upcoming days. If you have any recommendations for me, please leave a comment and thank you for reading.