Fatherland: Movie Review

Cast: Sandra Hüller, Hanns Zischler 
Director: Paweł Pawlikowski 

Post-war Germany has never looked as stark as it does in Cold War director Paweł Pawlikowski's latest, a sparse and short-running film which does much with its 82 minutes as most films do over a course of a couple of hours.

Focusing on Erika (Project Hail Mary's Hüller) and her father, self-exiled Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann (Zischler) in 1949 Germany, the film follows Mann as he heads back to his fatherland to receive the Goethe Prize after he fled to the US to escape the Nazi regime.

Feted as a hero and given mayoral welcomes on his return and fated to always been without a home, Mann is the centre of attention - but his relationship with his family and daughter become more estranged than ever after a tragedy rocks the pair while on their tour.

As the schism grows, the ties that bind start to creak and groan amid disillusionment...

Pawlikowski's film isn't interested in a wider view, and its strength lies in its intimacy, but by casting this against the backdrop of a New Germany that's trying to find its place in the world post-Hitler and amid growing recriminations and resentments gives its dialogue and subtleties a greater power than hundreds of words or screen minutes could muster.

What's fascinating about what Fatherland does is how it grows the issue of becoming disaffected - from Erika's brother Klaus' feeling of loss at the start of the film to Erika's growing resentment at how her father's choosing to put duty to a country he fled from ahead of family, there's a sense here of a wider issue - one that plays to the nature of both Germany struggling in post-war world and also how individuals who've been impacted by the war are trying to piece themselves together.

It helps that Hüller makes a great fist of little need for backstory here - the subtle dialogue and touches make up for most of that, and Hüller builds on her own strengths to draw depth when initially there feels like none.

Fatherland is an intriguing film, one that initially pushes you away with its black and white imagery and its seeming chilliness - but by the end of the journey and the characters' arc, as two people settle into a random church by the side of a road and take in an organ, saying nothing, yet somehow relaying everything in the most simple of looks and touches, you'll be hard pressed to not be affected.

Grand Theft Auto VI Pre-loading begins now

After years of waiting, the day fans of Grand Theft Auto VI have been waiting for is finally here.

From today, two days earlier than was previously announced, players can begin pre-loading Grand Theft Auto VI.

You'll need to clear 212GB from your console to allow for the game to be downloaded - plus, you'll need to have pre-ordered the game to have access to it.

Rockstar Games confirmed pre-loading begins November 10 at midnight local time on PS5 and 12 a.m. GMT on Xbox, with the game needing up to 212GB of storage.

About Grand Theft Auto VI

Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. 

But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.

For more information on Grand Theft Auto VI, head to https://www.rockstargames.com/VI.

Grand Theft Auto VI releases November 19.

What's on Disney+ in December

Here's everything that's streaming on Disney+ in December 2026

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: The Getaway (December 4)

Based on Jeff Kinney’s worldwide best-selling book series, the film streams December 4, 2026, exclusively on Disney+.

The voice cast for the upcoming family feature includes Jacob Isaac Peterson (“The Einstein Challenge”) as Greg Heffley; Chris Diamantopoulos (“Silicon Valley”) as Greg’s dad, Frank; Erica Cerra (“The 100”) as Greg’s mom, Susan; Hunter Dillon (“The Spiderwick Chronicles”) as Greg’s sarcastic older brother, Rodrick; Gracen Newton (“Disney Junior Ariel: The Little Mermaid”) as Greg’s younger brother, Manny; Jude Zarzaur (“By Any Means”) as Greg’s best friend, Rowley; Fred Armisen (“Wednesday”) as the over-eager Director of Fun; Beau Bridges (“Matlock”) as the seafaring Captain Stubbard; Jeff Hiller (“Widow’s Bay”) as the patronizing First Class Flight Attendant; and Keyla Monterroso Mejia (“The Studio”) as the Receptionist.

In “Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: The Getaway,” Greg Heffley returns for his next family misadventure. With the stress of the holidays fast approaching, the Heffley family – to Greg’s dismay – makes a last-minute decision to escape to an all-inclusive island resort for some much-needed rest and relaxation. As hilarious hijinks ensue, the Heffleys soon discover that paradise may not be everything it's cracked up to be. Can their trip be saved, or will their island getaway end in disaster?

You Can See Everything: Movie Review

Cast: Nathan Fielder, Elizabeth Holmes, Billy Evans
Director: Nathan Fielder, Lance Oppenheim

It is entirely possible you will watch this three-hour documentary and come away knowing even less about its subject - something which may seem like a failure, but given the person involved seems entirely plausible.

The Rehearsal's Nathan Fielder deploys his usual MO of manipulation in this piece about Theranos inventor Elizabeth Holmes. Given access to her just 34 days before she's sent to prison for her part in the multi-million dollar deception of the Theranos scheme, Fielder is offered the chance to get to know her. Despite initially refusing to move in with her and partner Billy Evans, he finds his initial visits offer little clues to her belief that she's done nothing wrong - and decides that moving in will offer both better access and more chances to get to know her.

It's no spoiler to say that the convicted Holmes still goes to jail one hour into this near three-hour journey, leaving the filmmakers with somewhat of a quandary. However, what begins to emerge - and what filmmakers have asked to keep under wraps for audiences to enjoy - is a film that plays with its own narrative, finds itself stymied on occasion, but inventively works a way around it.

There's much in You Can See Everything which will leave jaws on the floor. 

Whether it's the comic moments that Fielder brings to the table with his dry, deadpan demeanour, or stalking awkwardly in the background, listening in to every interaction, mixing the surreal with the serious, You Can See Everything is a reinvention of the documentary genre.

In cases like this and with the previous works of Fielder, there would normally be discussions about manipulation in the edit, but given Holmes' demeanour throughout, her piercing stares and seemingly inability to take in what's being argued, You Can See Everything is a clear case of subject obfuscation as ever did exist.

But Fielder's intelligence in stringing together coherent arguments - including the use of an infamous Abbott and Costello sequence - really does leave you wondering what's what. Equally, candid microaggressions from Evans are shocking, telegraphed as they are from the first 10 minutes into the piece - the onion continues to reveal its layers the more it's peeled here.

What emerges from You Can See Everything is how it shifts its shape before audience eyes - just when you think you have a slight handle on what's going on, the film's keen to twist its path down a more serious front and offer a puzzlingly intelligent discourse on Holmes' fraudster actions.

It's perhaps telling that during the entire time of You Can See Everything, Fielder seems no closer to be able to see anything at all - not through wilful denial or Stockholm Syndrome, but because every interaction seems to open up more wormholes and pose more questions. It's a meeting of where truth begins and where the documentarian's eye and subject mesh.

You Can See Everything is an absolutely jaw-dropping piece of doco - whether you're au fait with Fielder's previous work or aware of the furore around Holmes' Theranos scam, the chances are you won't be able to stop thinking about this mind-melting journey long after it's done. 

What's on HBO Max in December

Here's everything that's streaming on HBO Max in December 2026.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Series) (December 25)

The brand-new series based on JK Rowling's fantasy series finally arrives to enchant audiences once again.

What's on Netflix in December

Here's everything that's streaming on Netflix in December 2026.

Bad Day (December 13)

Cameron Diaz stars in a comedy about a single mom fighting to keep one little promise to her daughter on the absolute worst day of her life.

Pride and Prejudice (December 3)

Dolly Alderton faithfully brings Jane Austen’s iconic story back to life for audiences that cherish it, whilst inspiring a new generation to fall in love with it for the first time. 

Two centuries on, the story of five sisters, hasty judgements and love that takes its time still captures hearts. Dolly Alderton explains “Pride and Prejudice is such a timeless story because of the emotions in the book; they are as pertinent now as they were in 1812. Embarrassment of your family, fear that you’re going to get left behind, fear that the world is not going to be a safe place for your children as it was for you, mortification that you judged someone incorrectly or that you had been misjudged. We go to that book to see our hearts reflected in it.”

Lizzy (Emma Corrin) and Jane (Freya Mavor) open the trailer on the roof of Longbourn, debating the dilemma that defined Austen’s era and still resonates today. Dolly shares: “I always knew that I wanted it to be the opening line of the trailer, not only because I think it’s so relatable to women now who are looking to find the right partner and looking to find love, who are resentful of how much time it takes over their schedule and their brain, but also because it captures how much Lizzy is a character who’s working things out as she goes along.”

Mr Darcy (Jack Lowden) remains pensive and reserved throughout, until the closing moments hint that his pride may be softening, the first sign of the love story to come…

The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth (December 23) 

Brad Pitt returns to his Academy Award-winning role as Cliff Booth, only this time it’s 1977 and it’s a very different Hollywood. Directed by David Fincher from a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, the film also stars Elizabeth Debicki, Scott Caan, Carla Gugino, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Peter Weller.

DIRECTOR: David Fincher

WRITTEN BY: Quentin Tarantino