(Written and directed by Joel Coen from the play by William Shakespeare; starring Denzel Washington, Frances McDormand, Bertie Carvel, Alex Hassell, Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, Brendan Gleeson, and Kathryn Hunter. Released 25 December 2021; watched 2023w36 via AppleTV+

Beautifully stark and minimalist, Coen's MACBETH feels like how I see many of the stories in my head: its influences – particularly Dreyer's PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC and Bergman's SEVENTH SEAL – fit like a tailored suit in the hands of a solo Joel. Denzel is, unsurprisingly, electrifying; Frances McDormand, similarly, perfection. Special props to Kathryn Hunter whose prophetic contortions injected just the right amount of the deliciously weird and strange into this ageless yarn. Mesmerizing.