This week’s movie releases

An international army of British, American, Swedish and French actors adopts their densest Russian accents for political mystery thriller Child 44, based on Tom Rob Smith’s 2008 novel. It’s 1953 and Soviet intelligence agent Leo Demidov (Tom Hardy, just seen in Mad Max: Fury Road) finds himself exiled to the sticks for failing to denounce his informant wife (Noomi Rapace). There, with the assistance of General Mikhail Nesterov (Gary Oldman), he uncovers a trail of horrendous child murders, but their investigation brings them into conflict with Moscow, which insists that the paradise that is the Soviet Union could not possibly be a breeding ground for serial killers. Sweden’s Daniel Espinosa, whose previous effort was unremarkable Denzel Washington thriller Safe House, directs.

Star of 2014 Spanish box-office smash Ocho apellidos vascos Dani Rovira returns in new comedy Ahora o nunca, this time alongside Maria Valverde, though his previous co-star Clara Lago also puts in an appearance. The pair plays a Spanish couple who decide to marry in the small English village where they originally met, but an air traffic controllers’ strike sends the groom off on a European odyssey taking in Marseille and Amsterdam that seriously endangers his chances of getting to the church on time. María Ripoll directs.

Like some kind of bizarre crossbreed of Sam Fuller’s White Dog, Stephen King’s Cujo and 101 Dalmatians, Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó’s White God is a dark fable about a girl, the dog she loves, and a canine uprising. After legislation introduced to tighten dog-breeding rules puts strain on the pockets of her newly divorced father, 13-year-old Lili (Zsófia Psotta) can’t believe it when he dumps her beloved mongrel on the streets, where the mutt finds himself threatened by dog catchers, beggars and dog-fighting gangs. Eventually sent to the pound, he hooks up with a pack of fellow strays that escapes and inexplicably starts revolting against humankind.

Fairy-tale adventures

The seventh film in Disney’s Peter Pan spinoff series aimed at tiny filmgoers, computer animation Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast sees the famous fairy dealing with a mysterious monster brought to town by the fun-loving Fawn. While most think he’ll end up destroying Pixie Hollow, Fawn seeks to convince them that her friend is, in fact, out to help them.

Directed by US filmmaker Lydia B. Smith, documentary Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago follows half a dozen people of different ages, nationalities and beliefs as they walk the 800-kilometer Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela in Galicia. Check out details of upcoming screenings in Spain and beyond on the film’s website.