Oscars, Icons and Edgy Thrills at Barn Cinema

This month, the big screen glitters with Oscar contenders and a few blood-pumping surprises.

Film fans are in for a treat: four of this season’s Oscar-nominated titles light up the Barn’s programme, alongside some crowd-pleasing blockbusters. Leading the pack is 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, a gory, apocalyptic horror in which Ralph Fiennes’ Dr Kelson contemplates morality in the ruins of civilisation. Fiennes, who dazzled audiences last year in Conclave, proves again why he’s one of Britain’s most magnetic actors.

The year’s award darling, however, is Hamnet — already crowned with Golden Globes for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Leading Actress. Jessie Buckley delivers a raw, unforgettable performance as Agnes, Shakespeare’s wife, coping with unimaginable loss during the plague. Critics are predicting more gold at the BAFTAs and Oscars.

Buckley faces tough competition from Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue, a true story overflowing with humour and heart, and Renate Reinsve in Sentimental Value, a haunting intergenerational drama. Told partly in Norwegian and boasting nine Oscar nominations, it’s a beautiful study of reconciliation — or the struggle to find it.

Also scoring nine nominations is Marty Supreme, where Timothée Chalamet shines as a table‑tennis hustler chasing glory at any price — a role that could finally land him his long-awaited Oscar. In another standout performance, Brendan Fraser portrays an actor in Rental Family, hired to play family members for Japanese clients, unexpectedly rediscovering purpose and compassion. Both films inspire as much as they entertain.

For those who prefer something darker, The Housemaid delivers a tense cocktail of desire and deceit. Behind closed doors, a picture-perfect family hides sinister secrets — with an unsettling attic room and twists you’ll never see coming. No wonder it topped the box office in January.

PS, next month Dame Helen Mirren returns in The Audience, courtesy of National Theatre Live. The much-loved production imagines the Queen’s private weekly conversations with her prime ministers — a royal appointment not to be missed.

Book early to catch these unmissable screenings. Visit www.barncinema.com, view trailers on YouTube, or reserve your seats by calling 01285 648 255 or emailing boxoffice@barntheatre.org.uk.

To keep up to date with what´s going on in town, feel free to join our Facebook group by clicking here. To advertise with the magazine check out the Rates & Media Pack – Ciren Scene!