Frogs for Watchdogs by Seán Farrell review – about a boy
A charming child’s-eye view of rural Ireland
A World Appears by Michael Pollan review – a kaleidoscopic exploration of consciousness
The journalist and polymath probes the mysteries of the mind in this unsettling yet life-affirming investigation
A Prayer for the Dying review – pestilent western feels like a short stretched too long
Johnny Flynn and John C Reilly offer casting heft, but this moody, technically sound tale of an unfolding epidemic in 1870s Wisconsin lacks emotional substance
The best recent science fiction, fantasy and horror – review roundup
Nowhere Burning by Catriona Ward; Pagans by James Alistair Henry; Pedro the Vast by Simón López Trujillo; Operation Bounce House by Matt Dinniman; A Beast Slinks Towards Beijing by Alice Evelyn Yang
Good People by Patmeena Sabit review – addictive mystery caters to modern attention spans
Who killed Zorah? Snippets of gossip expose the divisions in a migrant community in this polyphonic portrait of contemporary America
Soft Serve by George Kemp review – moving coming-of-age debut set in a regional McDonald’s
Climate carnage is a metaphor for the pain of loss, as an encroaching bushfire traps four people under the golden arches
Super Nintendo by Keza MacDonald review – a joyful celebration of the gaming giant
A portrait of the company whose ‘toymaker philosophy’ stands in contrast to the tech giants that rule our lives
The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother) by Rabih Alameddine review – drag fabulousness in war-torn Beirut
Spanning eras of conflict and Covid in Lebanon, this irresistible queer coming-of-age tale explores what it means to be truly free
Crime 101 review – bracing tale of master thief lifts a trick or two from Michael Mann
The pedal is pressed hard to the metal for this very stylish high-stakes armed robbery thriller starring Chris Hemsworth
Beyond Trainspotting: The World of Irvine Welsh review – uniquely funny writer holds court
The author discusses his writing, the movies it created and his own youth, but not all the interviewees in this documentary are quite so gripping
Little Amélie review – tender and poignant study of the fragility of early childhood
Based on a 2000 novella, this sweet animation follows a young girl who wakes from a vegetative state on the verge of feral, but begins to bond with others after an intervention by her grandmother
Stay Alive: Berlin 1939-45 by Ian Buruma – how Berliners defied their Nazi masters
An immersive account of how the inhabitants of a liberal city – including the author’s father – survived fascism
Lark Rise to Candleford review – tender, evocative tribute to rural lives in transition
This music-laced adaptation of Flora Thompson’s novels is a coming-of-age story that finds quiet beauty in a world on the brink of change
The Great Resistance by Carrie Gibson review – a panoramic account of the fight to end slavery
An ambitious chronicle spans four centuries of escapes and uprisings in the Americas
Your Life Without Me by James Meek review – angel of destruction haunts a domestic drama
A plot to blow up St Paul’s Cathedral is seen through the lens of family tragedy