The French Dispatch is a homage to literary magazines, in particular the New Yorker in which the film is dedicated to. A well-constructed movie with detail, comedy, technical invention. Exquisitely controlled filmmaking with a great sense of fun.

Filmed over nine days last year in Madrid . . . Almodóvar transforms Jean Cocteau’s short play The Human Voice. Tilda Swinton stomps around a beautiful apartment where the décor offers a view into her state of mind in this short, sharp shot of full on Almodóvar humour, passion, emotion & heartbreak. This is Almodóvar’s first short film in over 11 years, and his first to be made in English.

It’s the Cold War and Oleg Penkovsky (played by Merab Ninidze), is a high-ranking Russian, who starts sending important information to British and US intelligence services. To avoid detection, they recruit a British businessman called Greville Wynne (played by Benedict Cumberbatch) to act as a courier.

We’re transported to Denmark with four aging teachers played by Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Magnus Millang and Lars Ranthe, who decide to conduct an experiment with 0.5% alcohol constantly in their system.