TikTok meets south-east Asian folklore in Amanda Nell Eu’s fierce directorial debut, an allegory about the onset of pubertyAmanda Nell Eu’s snarling debut is not the first film to harness body horror tropes as an allegory for the adolescent angst and the shame of female puberty. But this Malaysian production, which shares central ideas with Pixar’s...

Half a billion thrillers were bought in the UK in the past 10 years. Can a visit to the Bristol CrimeFest – this year featuring GT Karber, creator of the world-conquering whodunnit series Murdle – help pin down why the genre is booming?Sitting at the bar during a convention of crime writers at the Grand hotel in Bristol, nursing a pint, an exciting...

Who will take over the family drug business? Cue violence, treachery and too much shoutingThe future of a south London crime family hangs in the balance. Mick Roman (Gary Webster), the cool head controlling a viper’s nest of warring egos, is gravely ill. But the question of succession in the family business (mostly drugs, some violence, lots of shouting)...

The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon The RSC’s European premiere of Sanaz Toossi’s Pulitzer prize-winning play tailors its intriguing characters a little too neatlyDaniel Evans and Tamara Harvey’s opening season as co-directors of the RSC continues with a second first. After “a carnival adaptation” of Hanif Kureshi’s novel The Buddha of Suburbia, co-written...

Great scenery and a joyous Kristin Scott Thomas are outweighed by one infuriating lead character in Marc Fitoussi’s friends reunited French comedyThe closest of schoolfriends in 1989, despite their wildly contrasting personalities, risk-averse introvert Blandine (Olivia Côte) and gobby showoff Magalie (Laure Calamy) fell out spectacularly (full details...

A thoughtful meditation on love and loneliness via an AI-based sex doll; an outstanding debut memoir of infidelity’s aftermath; and a passionate and insightful botanical studySarah Crossan Bloomsbury, £16.99, pp320To order Hey, Zoey, You Could Make This Place Beautiful or The Light Eaters go to guardianbookshop.com. Delivery charges may apply Continue...