This Week's Picks | 57th Edition

Published on 23 September 2025 at 06:00

Stories That Cut Deep, Dazzle Bright, and Defy Borders

This week’s cinematic and streaming lineup is a masterclass in genre fusion, emotional depth, and cultural complexity. From off-grid revolutionaries and poetic glassmakers to time-traveling chefs and haunted honeymooners, these titles don’t just entertain — they interrogate identity, legacy, and the cost of survival.

Whether you're craving high-stakes thrillers, historical intrigue, or soul-stirring documentaries, On Screens This Week delivers a curated mix of must-watch stories that reflect the world we live in — and the worlds we dream of.

In Cinemas

Thriller | Action | Crime | Mystery | Comedy

A genre-bending thrill ride with dark humour and emotional grit. Bob and Willa’s off-grid survival turns into a chaotic reckoning with the past. Think: paranoid fatherhood meets anarchist redemption.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Bob is a washed-up revolutionary who lives in a state of stoned paranoia, surviving off-grid with his spirited and self-reliant daughter, Willa. When his evil nemesis resurfaces and Willa goes missing, the former radical scrambles to find her as both father and daughter battle the consequences of their pasts.

Writers: Paul Thomas Anderson & Thomas Pynchon

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Regina Hall, Benicio del Toro, Teyana Taylor, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Tony Goldwyn, Shayna McHayle, Starletta DuPois, D.W. Moffett, Paul Grimstad, Kevin Tighe, Dijon, John Hoogenakker, Eric Schweig, Raven Clausen, Karina Palmer, Jack Trout, Brenda Lorena Garcia, Bogdan Szumilas, John Demakas, Rob Gore, Alberto Rene Telles, Juandi Aires, Raymond J. Roman, Quint Gabriel, Cesar Miramontes, Justin S. McDavitt, Brooklyn Demme

Cine-graphers: Michael Bauman & Paul Thomas Anderson

Composer: Jonny Greenwood

Costume Design: Colleen Atwood

Production Designer: Florencia Martin

Producers: Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Somner & Sara Murphy

Editor: Andy Jurgensen

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Release Date: 26 September 2026

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: California & Texas, US

Production Country: US

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQUPdVxZNPk&t=5s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Animation | Drama | Romance

A hand-drawn love story set in a divided town, where art and music defy class and duty. Visually poetic and emotionally resonant — a timeless tale of first love and artistic integrity.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: In a town divided by duty and class, Vincent, a glassmaker's son, and Alliz, a violinist who is the colonel's daughter, fall in love. As their bond grows, rising tensions between their families threaten to pull them apart. The Glassworker is a poetic tale of first love, family, and the price of staying true to your art.

Writers: Usman Riaz & Moya O’Shea

Cast: Art Malik, Tony Jayawardena, Teresa Gallagher, Sacha Dhawan, Alex Jordan, Anjli Mohindra, Nila Aalia, Mina Anwar, Sham Ali, Maya Saroya, Bex Wood, Dnita Ghohil, Nicholas Khan, Marcel McCalla, Dino Ali

Cine-grapher: Usman Riaz

Composers: Carmine D Florio & Usman Riaz

Producers: Manuel R. Cristóbal & Khizer RIAZ

Editor: Jose Manuel Jimenez

Director: Usman Riaz

Release Date: 19 September 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Countries: Pakistan & US

Cert: 12A

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTuPHCyV6mw&t=5s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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In Cinemas

Thriller | Action

A taut, high-stakes thriller about family, loyalty, and survival. Dev Mahendran’s journey through foreign danger is both a geopolitical puzzle and a deeply personal test of resilience.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: A former Indian military officer, Dev Mahendran, and his family are caught in a dangerous crisis on foreign soil, leading them on a tense journey of resilience and trust.

Writer: Noble Babu Thomas

Cast: Johny Antony, Baburaj, Noble Babu Thomas, Reshma Sebastian, Audrey Miriam, Manoj K Jayan, Kalabhavan Shajon, Vishnu G. Varrier, Shweta Menon, John Kaippallil, Ivan Vukomanovic, Nazhan, Mariam Avaliani, Zuka Papuashvili, Ako Gogelia

Cine-grapher: Jomon T. John

Composer: Shaan Rahman

Costume Design: Mashar Hamsa

Production Designer: Vinod Raveendran

Producers: Visakh Subramanian, Noble Babu Thomas & Vineeth Sreenivasan

Editor: Ranjan Abraham

Director: Vineeth Sreenivasan

Release Date: 25 September 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Locations: Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan & in Shimla, Chandigarh & Kochi, India

Production Country: India

Language: Malayalam

Cert: 16

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmNIhlOL63k&t=6s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Drama

A haunting, empathetic portrait of girlhood and radicalization. Based on true events, this film reframes the narrative around identity, belonging, and the emotional cost of alienation.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Inspired by real-life events, Brides follows two alienated British Muslim teenagers, Doe and Muna, who leave the UK for Syria in search of belonging, freedom, and purpose. Instead of offering a simplistic tale of radicalization, the film delivers a deeply empathetic and complex portrait of girlhood, friendship, and alienation in modern Britain.

Writer: Suhayla El-Bushra

Cast: Ebada Hassan, Safiyya Ingar, Yusra Warsama, Fiona Helen Armstrong, Cemre Ebuzziya, Aziz Capkurt, Amanda Lawrence, Hayal Lorena Cercis, Mitchell Brown, Ada Danila Farid Mancuso, Leo Bill, Ali Khan, Syreeta Kumar, Elodie Wilton, Artur Darvill, Laural Dalgleish, Aliye Honey, Jay Varsani, Kathryn Hanke, Susku Ekim Kaya, Sam Rhodes

Cine-grapher: Clarissa Cappellani

Composer: Alex Baranowski

Costume Design: Zoe Howerska

Production Designer: Gem Randall

Producers: Nicky Bentham & Marica Stocchi

Editor: Fiona DeSouza

Director: Nadia Fall

Release Date: 26 September 2025

Screening Territory: Vue Cinemas, UK, Ireland & limited release in the US

Production Locations: Wales, UK, Turkey & Sicily, Italy

Production Country: UK

Languages: Turkish & English

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P39HR7T3Ppk&t=27s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

In Cinemas

Action | Thriller | Mystery

A snowbound survival mystery with a fierce female lead. Isolation, danger, and moral courage collide in this chilling tale of instinct and justice.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: A widowed fisherwoman, travelling alone through snowbound northern Minnesota, interrupts the kidnapping of a teenage girl. Hours from the nearest town and with no phone service, she realizes that she is the young girl's only hope.

Writers: Dalton Leeb & Nicholas Jacobson-Larson

Cast: Emma Thompson, Marc Menchaca, Judy Greer, Laurel Marsden, Gaia Wise, Lloyd Hutchinson, Cuan Hosty-Blaney, Brian F. O’Byrne, Paul Hamilton, Dalton Leeb

Cine-grapher: Christopher Ross

Composer: Volker Bertelmann

Costume Design: Natalie Humphries

Production Designer: David Hindle

Producers: Greg Silverman, Jon Berg, Jonas Katzenstein & Maximilian Leo

Editor: Tim Murrell

Director: Brian Kirk

Release Date: 26 September 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: Koli, Lieksa, Finland

Production Countries: Germany, Canada & US

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klGRM4Qs-gk&t=3s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Horror | Whodunnit | Thriller | Mystery

A brutal honeymoon horror with masked killers and psychological dread. Maya’s fight for survival is relentless, terrifying, and steeped in mystery.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: On their way to their honeymoon, a couple's vehicle breaks down, forcing them to take refuge in a remote Airbnb. As night falls, three masked maniacs must finish an unfinished killing job. With nowhere to run and no one to trust, Maya soon finds herself in a brutal fight for survival against psychopaths who are more than willing to kill anyone who stands in their way.

Writers: Alan R. Cohen & Alan Freedland

Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Ema Horvath, Gabriel Basso, JR Esposito, Rachel Shenton, Richard Brake, Froy Gutierrez, Pablo Sandstrom, Brooke Lena Johnson, Florian Clare, Nola Wallace, Janis Ahern, Sara Freedland, Jamie Taylor Ballesta, Brian Law, Pedro Leandro, William Lee Rayner

Cine-grapher: Jose David Montero

Composer: Justin Caine Burnett

Costume Design: Oana Draghici

Production Designer: Adrian Curelea

Producers: Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton, Christopher Milburn, Gary Raskin, Alastair Burlingham& Charlie Dombek

Editor: Michelle Harrison

Director: Renny Harlin

Release Date: 26 September 2025

Screening Territory: Global

Production Location: Bratislava, Slovakia

Production Countries: Spain & US

Cert: 15

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d55K72DoKg&t=3s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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Streaming TV Series

Drama | Fantasy | History | Romance | Comedy

Fusion cuisine meets royal drama in this whimsical time-travel fantasy. A modern chef must charm a tyrant king with her culinary genius — or risk losing her head.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: French chef Yeon Ji Yeong wins a top competition but mysteriously lands in Joseon Dynasty, where she must cook fusion royal cuisine for a tyrannical king with an extremely sensitive palate.

Writer: Park Kuk-Jae

Cast: Im Yoon-ah, Lee Chae-min, Kang Hanna, Choie Gwi-hwa, Oh Eui-sik, Seo Yi-sook, Park Young-woon, Yoon Seo-ah, Lee Joo-ahn, Victoria Grace, Nam Kyung-eup, Katie Anne Moy, June Yoon, Jo Jae-yoon, Adam Strandt, Salim Benoit, Maxime Jean Antoine Balian

Executive Producers: Jang Kyung-ik & Yoo Sang-won

Director: Jang Tae-yoo

Release Date: 23 August 2025

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Location:

Production Country: Korea

Language: Korean (Subtitles in International languages)

Cert: 12

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkB623sLOiM&t=65s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Biography | Drama | History

Dark secrets bubble beneath the surface of Dublin’s most iconic brewery. A historical family saga with legacy, betrayal, and power struggles at its core.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: In 1868, the patriarch of the Guinness family passed away in Dublin; his four children, each with dark secrets to hide, now hold the fate of the brewery in their hands.

Writer: Steven Knight

Cast: Anthony Boyle, Louis Partridge, Emily Fairn, Fionn O’Shea, James Norton, Niamh McCormack, Seamus O’Hara, Jack Gleeson, Dervla Kirwan, Michael McElhatton, Danielle Galligan, David Wilmot, Hilda Fay, Jean-Pascal Heynemand, Sean Duggan, Mikey Fantham, Breandan O’Connor, Padraig O’Loinsigh

Cine-grapher: Nicolai Bruel & Joe Saade

Composer: Ilan Eshkeri

Costume Design: Edward K. Gibbon

Production Designer: Richard Bullock

Producers: Howard Burch & Steven Knight

Editors: Ben Yeates, Malcolm Crowe, Sarah Peczek & Vicky Tooms

Director: Tom Shankland & Mounia Akl

Release Date: 25 September 2025

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Locations: Liverpool, Greater Manchester & Cheshire, UK

Production Country: UK

Cert: TV-MA

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mH396WCN0U&t=1s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Streaming TV Series

Drama | Thriller | Mystery

Troubled teens, buried secrets, and a town that won’t let go. A slow-burn mystery with psychological depth and a chilling sense of place.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Nothing is what it seems in Tall Pines. After an escape attempt from an academy for “troubled teens", two students join forces with a newly local police officer, unearthing the town's dark and deeply rooted secrets.

Writers: Mae Martin, Ryan Scott, Mohamad El Masri, Alex Eldridge, Kayla Lorette, Evangeline Ordaz, Misha Osherovich & Kim Steele

Cast: Mae Martin, Toni Collette, Brandon Jay McLaren, Sarah Gadon, Sydney Topliffe, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Patrick J. Adams, Patrick Gallagher, Joshua Close, John Daniel, Tricia Black, Tattiawna Jones, Feaven Abera, Isolde Ardies, Milton Torres Lara, Maia Jae, Elizabeth Adams, Michela Cannon

Cine-graphers: Catherine Lutes & Craig Wrobleski

Composer: Marie-Helene L. Delorme

Costume Design: Lea Carlson

Executive Producers: Mae Martin, Ben Farrell, Hannah MacKay, Bruno Dubé, Jennifer Kawaja & Euros Lyn

Editors: Dev Singh, D. Gillian Truster & Hugh Elchuk

Directors: Euros Lyn, John Fawcett, Renuka Jeyapalan & Mae Martin

Release Date: 25 September 2025

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Locations: Toronto & Ontario, Canada

Production Countries: US, UK & Canada

Cert: TV-MA

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kSNuohhKyc&t=2s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Biography | Drama | History

A bookstore owner turned journalist uncovers corruption in Tulsa. Gritty, grounded, and gripping — this is small-town truth-telling with big stakes.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: A determined bookstore owner in Tulsa moonlights as an investigative journalist, digging into local corruption. When his reporting uncovers sinister connections, he must protect both his family and the truth.

Writers: Duffy Boudreau, Sterlin Harjo, Sneha Koorse, Olivia Purnell & Scott Teems

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Keith David, Scott Shepherd, Rachel Crowl, Zachary Booth, Jobie James, Dale Dickey, Kerry Malloy, Abbie Cobb, Jessica J. Malan, John W Heath, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tim Blake Nelson, Kyle MacLachlan, Macon Blair, Michael Hitchcock, Kaniehtiio Horn, Tracy Letts, Killer Mike, Ron Terrell, Billie D. Merritt

Cine-graphers: Mark Scwartzbard, Christopher Norr & Adam Stone

Composer: JD McPherson

Costume Design: Alyssa Blair Cawthon

Production Designer: Brandon Tonner-Connolly & Andy Eklund

Producers: Alex Orr, Kaitlin Waldron & Jeffery Pinto-Lobo

Editors: Dane McMaster & Patrick Tuck

Directors: Macon Blair, Sterlin Harjo & Danis Goulet

Release Date: 24 September 2025

Streaming On: Disney+ & Hulu

Production Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma, US

Production Country: US

Cert: TV-MA

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE9bq37W3Qo&t=4s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

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Documentaries

BEAUTY & THE BESTER. A true-crime deep dive into the bizarre ties between Dr Randipha and Thabo Bester’s prison break — where beauty, brains, and betrayal collide.

Crime

A gripping investigation into one of South Africa’s most bizarre criminal sagas. Did beauty and brains conspire in a prison break? This doc peels back the layers.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: Did renowned Dr Randipha get embroiled in Thabo Bester's prison break? This is an examination of the enigmatic ties that bound them.

Cast: Thabo Bester, Nandipha Magudumana, Roland Motaung, Daniel Steyn, Edwin Cameron, Megan Baadjies, Barbara October, Meisie Mabaso, Pearl Thusi, Pastor Gift, Mr & Mrs Sekeleni, Nkosinathi Sekeleni, Lunga Ndwandwa, Penny Lebyane, Marecia Damons, Lucy Higgins, Tankiso Makhetha

Cine-grapher: Shaun Harley Lee

Composer: Siyanbonga Sithole, Sean Ou Tim & Fezile Thela

Editors: Ruane Van Rooyen

Director: Anthony Molyneaux

Release Date: 12 September 2025

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Country: South Africa

Cert: 16

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdg_dBu5bME&t=1s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

Biography

A behind-the-scenes look at a royal romance that defies tradition. Märtha Louise and Shaman Durek’s love story is as controversial as it is captivating.

Synopsis, Credit & Trailer

Synopsis: A documentary goes behind the scenes with Princess Märtha Louise of Norway and Shaman Durek Verrett in the lead-up to their divisive royal wedding.

Cast: Durek Verrett, Martha Louise, Lars Berteig Anderson, Derek Jameson, Matthew Dennis Lewis, Kent Speakman, Derek Warburton, Edward Alava, Prinsesse Astrid, Prince Harry, Emma Tallulah Behn, Carina Carlsen, King Harald V, Gogo Lomo-David, Leah Isadora Behn

Cine-grapher:

Composer: Mark Yaeger

Producers: Rebecca Chaiklin & Chris Smith

Editors: Amanda C. Griffin & Joshua Whitaker

Director: Rebecca Chaiklin

Release Date: 16 September 2025

Streaming On: Netflix

Production Country: US

Cert: 17

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39d7dreq6GA&t=1s

Rating: 0 stars
0 votes

From snowbound rescues to royal kitchens, Edition 57 proves that storytelling knows no bounds. These picks are more than just screen-time fillers — they’re cultural touchstones, conversation starters, and emotional journeys worth taking.

Let 'On Screens This Week' guide your viewing with purpose and passion.

*Posters, Synopses and Trailers are copyrights of the original owners.

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