2026 – The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021)

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a 2021 American historical thriller film written and directed by Joel Coen and based on the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. It is the first film directed by one of the Coen brothers without the other’s involvement.

The film stars Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand (who also produced the film), Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Kathryn Hunter, and Brendan Gleeson.

Leah Greenblatt wrote in Entertainment Weekly that the production designer Stefan Dechant “sets the idea of Sir William’s [sic] traditional Scottish moors against a kind of surreal Calvinist dream world of screaming birds and sharp geometries” (wiki)

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2016 – The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 1880’s > 1900’s London / New York in 1907

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a 2021 biographical comedy-drama film directed by Will Sharpe, The film stars Benedict Cumberbatch (as Louis Wain), Claire Foy, Andrea Riseborough and Toby Jones. (wiki)

Wain, Louis 1860–1939. “Kaleidoskop-Katzen: Katzenmuster auf Grün”. Gouache auf Papier, 22,4 × 17,5 cm. London, Bethlem Art and History Coll.

L0026931 A cat in “gothic” style. Gouache by Louis Wain, 1925/1939. Credit: Wellcome Library, London. Wellcome Images images@wellcome.ac.uk http://wellcomeimages.org A cat in “gothic” style. Gouache by Louis Wain, 1925/1939. Gouache 1925/1939 By: Louis William WainPublished: – Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons Attribution only licence CC BY 4.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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2011 – The French Dispatch (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 20th-century (~50’s – 60’s) French city Ennui-sur-Blasé

The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun is a 2021 American anthology comedy film written, directed, and produced by Wes Anderson from a story he conceived with Roman Coppola, Hugo Guinness, and Jason Schwartzman. The film features a large ensemble cast, and follows three different storylines as the French foreign bureau of the fictional Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun newspaper creates its final issue.

The first segment, “The Concrete Masterpiece”, follows an incarcerated and unstable artist, and stars Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, and Léa Seydoux. The second, “Revisions to a Manifesto”, is inspired by the May 68 student protests, and stars Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, and Lyna Khoudri. “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner” features Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, and Stephen Park, and follows the kidnapping of a police commisioner’s son. Bill Murray also stars as Arthur Howitzer Jr., the paper’s editor, while Owen Wilson appears in a short segment that introduces the film’s fictional setting of Ennui-sur-Blasé. (wiki)

During the ending credits some covers of The French Dispatch through its history are shown. They were created by Spanish illustrator Javi Aznarez and were loosely inspired in The New Yorker’s covers.

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2005 – Belfast (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 1969 – 1970 Belfast, Northern Ireland

Belfast is a 2021 coming of age drama written and directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film stars Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Morgan, and newcomer Jude Hill. The film, which Branagh has described as his “most personal film”, centres on a young boy’s childhood amidst The Troubles of Belfast, Northern Ireland, in the 1960s. (wiki)

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2003 – Radioactive (2019)

spacetime coordinates: Paris 1893  – 1914

Radioactive is a 2020 British biographical drama film directed by Marjane Satrapi and starring Rosamund Pike as Marie Curie. The film is based on the 2010 graphic novel Radioactive: Marie & Pierre Curie: A Tale of Love and Fallout by Lauren Redniss. 

Although the film is actually based on a 2010 graphic novel, it is marketed as a “biopic” on Marie Curie. Geraldine McGinty of Cornell University severely criticised the film not just for altering many historical events for dramatic effect, but for misrepresenting her character and that of her husband, McGinty said that its misleading analogies, misrepresentation of principal characters, and inappropriate nudity and violence, all make it unsuitable as an educational or biographical source. (wiki)

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2002 – The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)

spacetime coordinates: + 1970’s – 80’s + USA 

The Eyes of Tammy Faye is a 2021 American biographical drama film directed by Michael Showalter based on the documentary of the same name. The film depicts the controversial history of televangelists Tammy Faye Bakker and Jim Bakker, portrayed by Jessica Chastain (who also produces the film) and Andrew Garfield, respectively. (wiki)

The film had been a passion project of Chastain‘s for a number of years before it ended up being made. She had seen the documentary The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2000) around 2012 and felt drawn to tell Tammy’s story after acquiring the rights to produce a biopic about the infamous televangelist.

Jessica Chastain does her own covers of Tammy Faye’s original songs.

 

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2001 – The Last Duel (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 14th century France (1370 – 1386)

The Last Duel is a 2021 epic historical drama film directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, based on the 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager. Set in medieval France, the film stars Damon as Jean de Carrouges, a knight who challenges his former friend, squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) to a judicial duel after Jean’s wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer), accuses Jacques of raping her. The events leading up to the duel are divided into three distinct chapters, reflecting the contradictory perspectives of the three main characters. Affleck also stars in a supporting role as Count Pierre d’Alençon.

During an interview on the podcast WTF with Marc Maron in November 2021, Scott blamed the film’s box-office failure on millennials, arguing: “I think what it boils down to — what we’ve got today [are] the audiences who were brought up on these fucking cell phones. The millennian do not ever want to be taught anything unless you are told it on the cell phone” 🙂 (wiki)

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