Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

The many monikered heroine is a difficult person to like and more often than not you get an urgency to reach across and slap her right in the kisser. Her actions childish will leave you dumbfounded. But, remarkably you want her to pull through because she belongs to a mysterious and wonderful story, told in tiny doses that leave you with an array of questions left unanswered.

Martha Marcy May Marlene is a remarkable (that word again) film. A film that grows on you long before the credits roll. It leaves you confounded in its mystery and misery. It answers some of the questions, but not all of them, leaving a rather bitter (but good) taste in your mouth. This is one of those films that makes you feel satisfied when you're walking out of the cinema, it makes you feel like you have been privy to a story that is rich with parables and with subtle characters. It leaves you wanting more, not for something better or more worthy, but something more that can only be found with internal reflection on your part. It makes you question your own decisions for the rest of the day. Or week.

Winter's Bone (2010)

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at 2010 Sundance Film Festival, Winter's Bone finally made its way onto these shores. If the trailer was anything to go by, this was going to be quite bleak. And it is. One slight warning though: if you are expecting the sepia-tinged atmosphere of the trailer, you may be a little disappointed to see that the film actually has quite a few spots of bright colour and sunshine. But, the grim setting is enough to wipe the smile off of your face.