There is something immediately unnerving about Atropia, and not just because it takes place inside a fabricated country designed to help soldiers rehearse for war. Directed by Hailey Gates, the film understands that the strangest part of these simulations is not the fake buildings or staged violence, but the emotional labor required to keep the illusion alive. From that discomfort, Atropia builds a dry, frequently funny satire that slowly reveals a softer and more complicated center.
Read MoreChristy (2025)
David Michôd’s Christy tells the remarkable true story of Christy Martin, a woman who fought her way out of small-town West Virginia with nothing but grit, raw athleticism, and a will to survive. The film opens with Tears for Fears, an inspired needle drop that immediately sets the tone. What follows is an ambitious 135-minute biopic that delivers powerful performances and emotionally intense storytelling, even as it struggles with pacing and familiarity.
Read MoreDevil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy (2025)
From 1972 to 1978, John Wayne Gacy murdered at least 33 young men in the suburbs of Chicago, a horror buried beneath a veneer of respectability. He was the friendly neighbor, the contractor, the volunteer clown who entertained children. Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, the new eight-part limited series from showrunner Patrick Macmanus, revisits this nightmarish story through a lens that is more empathetic, more introspective, and far less exploitative than most true crime dramatizations.
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