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| Keria Knightley in Official Secrets |
Official Secrets, 10.40pm, BBC1, Tuesday, March 21
Keira Knightley gives a compellingly stripped back and unfussy performance at the heart of Gavin Hood's drama, which tells the true story of British Intelligence whistleblower Katharine Gun. Hood keeps things tight on Gun as she faces tough moral choices after receiving an email that is looking to weight a UN vote towards going to war. Gun's choice to speak out carries real personal risk, not least because her husband Yasar (Adam Bakri) was an asylum seeker at the time. The film keeps up a smart pace as it digs into the aftermath of Gun's actions, showing a woman determined to do the right thing no matter what the cost.
Goat, 1.25am, Film4, Wednesday, March 22
The psychological underpinnings and drivers of frat house behaviour and hazing are explored in this tense drama that gave musician Nick Jonas a chance to show off his acting skills. He plays Brett, one of two brothers at the heart of Andrew Neel's film, alongside Ben Schnetzer's Brad. Traumatised by an earlier incident Brad sees joining in the same fraternity as his older brother as an opportunity to reassert his manhood. The savagery of "Hell Week" - wall-to-wall brutal hazing - is brought fiercely home but it's the emotional conflict between the brothers, and that experienced internally by Brett, which gives this film its edge. There's also a nod to the lasting nature of this experience into manhood, although the cameo from James Franco is a bit much.
John Wick, 10pm, ITV4, Wednesday, March 23
With the fourth instalment of the action thriller franchise in cinemas this week, here's a chance to catch up with where it all started. Keanu Reeves stars as a former hitman who becomes bent on revenge after his exceptionally cute dog is killed. That's it, pretty much, so far as the plotting goes but Chad Stahelski and David Leitch know nobody really came for that. Most people are here for the inventive fight scenes and they don't disappoint, happening at a pace that is intended to be enjoyed rather than simply flashing past. With heavyweight supporting turns from the likes of Willem Dafoe, alongside series regular Lance Reddick, who died suddenly last week, there's plenty to like here for those who like a little less conversation and a little more action.
Elle, 12.50am, Film4, Thursday, March 24
Anne-Katrin Titze writes: Although Isabelle Huppert's character in Paul Verhoeven's Elle could almost swap clothes with the one she plays in Mia Hansen-Løve's Things To Come, there is no mistaking one for the other. Huppert masters two vastly different approaches to storytelling. The deeply felt portrait of a woman in crisis on the one hand and a mysterious, nonetheless perfectly plausible thriller heroine on the other. Verhoeven moves smoothly from one curious interaction to the next. Step by step we meet her friends, family, neighbors and the employees at the video game production company she owns. The first image we see is that of a cat while we hear sounds of a violent rape. Michèle Leblanc (Huppert) is assaulted by a man in a black body stocking and ski mask in her home. Elle is not a study of victimhood, nor a manual for overcoming trauma, nor a user-friendly revenge fantasy. As all good fairy-tale heroes do, instead of sitting around and explaining, they act. Read our interview with Huppert.
Shakespeare In Love, 9pm, BBC1, Friday, March 25, then on iPlayer
John Madden's film caused considerable upset when it pipped Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan to the Academy Award back in 1999, with many feeling the visceral war drama should have taken home the statuette. But while it's tempting to think that serious drama should always trump more lightweight entertainment, there's plenty to recommend about this playful charmer, co-written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, which snagged seven Oscars in all, including two for stars Judi Dench and Gwyneth Paltrow. Set against a backdrop of Elizabethan England, we meet the bard (Joseph Fiennes) as he's grappling with writer's block - Romeo And Ethel, The Pirates Daughter, is proving surprisingly tricky - and who finds unexpected inspiration and romance with Paltrow's Violet De Lesseps. Essentially a farce with the trappings of a costume drama, the film has plenty of fun messing about with familiar Shakespearean themes and mixing them with anachronistic punchlines, while not forgetting to serve up a decent slice of romance on the side.
Luzzu, 9pm, BBC4, Saturday, March 26, then on iPlayer
A Maltese fisherman finds himself caught between the pull of his traditional fishing life and wanting something better for his newborn son in this measured and moving drama from Alex Camilleri. Non-professional Jesmark Scicluna - who is a fisherman in real life - brings a soulfulness to his performance as the film shows how the cut-throat nature of the corporate end of the fishing market leads many to dance on the edge of the law as a matter of necessity as much as choice. Camilleri doesn't sugar coat the situation, laying it out calmly as the eyes of Osiris painted on the fishermen's boats, watch on. Alex Camilleri told us that while researching the film: " I could tell that there was this enormous kind of heartbreak beneath the surface." he hooks into that and brings it to light.
Belleville Rendez-vous, ITVx
Continuing the recent theme of film gems you can find among ITV's free streaming content, this is a detailed little joy presented with distinctive French flair. Sylvain Chomet's dialogue-free animation tells the tale of a grandma and her recalcitrant dog who find themselves on a rescue mission after her cycling ace grandson is kidnapped. A shaggy dog story, complete with shaggy dog, this is packed with visual humour and verve - from the way gran helps to ease her grandson's aching muscles to the catchy numbers belted out by singing sisters the Triplets of Belleville.
A little out of season, perhaps, but Christmas-set short [film]Like The Ones I Used To Know[/flim] is a cracker whatever time of year you choose to watch it. Annie St-Pierre's handling of mood and a large ensemble cast of adults and children is excellent - watch it over on the New Yorker website.
