Connie is fifteen, bored, and beautiful—with nothing much to do but hang around the mall, try on new identities, and flirt with boys. Her mother doesn’t understand her, her sister resents her, and the summer stretches out in every direction. Then a strange older man pulls up in a gold convertible...

Based on a Joyce Carol Oates story and starring baby Laura Dern, Smooth Talk is all about the danger of an endless summer afternoon. Sun-drenched and deeply unsettling, it’s a female-directed, teen-girl centred masterclass in dreamy dread.

Trigger Warning: Contains sexual threat

Summertime Sadness

Long, hot summers have always been fertile ground for anxiety, danger and despair on screen. From holiday horrors to angsty coming-of-age tales, summertime sadness is a microgenre all on its own. Even the way we watch – sitting in a dark room – goes against the spirit of warm, sunny days. Escape the packed pubs, hay fever, and heatwave irritability, and come wallow with Zodiac Film Club in a mini-season of sad girl summer classics that lull you with sunshine... then give you a shock.