Huw Oliver

You’ve done the classics: the capital cities, the TikTok viral spots, the cities with their own Netflix show. And don’t get us wrong, we love the classics for a reason. But there’s a downside to these big, bustling, bucket-list-worthy travel destinations. If you’ve ever queued an hour for a pastry, spent your day’s budget on a coffee or had to book a museum three months in advance, you’ll know it as well as us: it’s the crowds.  And following years of anti-tourism measures, Airbnb restrictions and demonstrations in response to overtourism, there’s never been a better time to think outside the box for your travels – especially when so many incredible European spots are getting overlooked. This is our ultimate guide to Europe’s best hidden spots, from culture-packed city breaks to under-the-radar national parks. If you’re travelling on a budget, searching for quiet or just desperate to try somewhere new, these are the most underrated places to visit in Europe right now, according to Time Out experts.  Europe’s most underrated destinations at a glance ⛱️ Best for a beach holiday: Terracina, Italy 📸 Best weekend city break: Gothenburg, Sweden 💸 Best budget-friendly: Plovdiv, Bulgaria ❄️ Best winter escape: Machynlleth, Wales 🥾 Best outdoorsy adventure: Gerês, Portugal This guide was written by a number of Time Out contributors and experts. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editoria

Boasting the likes of Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan, it’s no surprise that Italy is one of the most visited places in Europe (and the world). And the magic of Italy is that you can travel there every year and never, ever have a similar holiday twice. From the Dolomites’ sweeping mountains to the gritty city life of Sicily’s Palermo, this country has every kind of holiday destination imaginable.  How should you decide where to go in Italy? Deciding where to go in Italy is a tough call, but it also really depends on what kind of holiday you want (and what time of year it is). For a packed few days seeing sights and eating lovely food, go for Florence, Rome or Venice. But for a laid-back, villa-style escape in nature, consider the Tuscan countryside. The best bit? You don’t even have to choose – Intercity trains mean you can jump from city to city easily and affordably, and tick a bunch off in one holiday. We’ve included recommendations for all the best spots in Italy on our list below – enjoy! Recommended:🏖️ The best beaches in Italy🏝️ The best islands in Italy🏫 The best small towns and villages in Italy☀️ The best things to do in Italy Ella Doyle and Grace Beard are Time Out’s travel editors. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affi

Even London's shiny influx of glass-walled towerblocks can't hide the fact that this city is seriously old. Ancient, in fact. Every street in its inner boroughs is teeming with history, with suited office walkers treading roads paved by toga-wearing Romans, walking past fine Georgian buildings as Victorian sewers churn under their feet. As a lifelong Londoner, I love exploring this city and finding traces of the past in unexpected places: scouring old guidebooks or going on walking tours to escape the boring present and dive into ancient history. From dark and weird artefacts and really, really, really old stuff to the super-cool curiosities hidden in plain sight at some of London’s major landmarks, here's a fun guide to finding some unlikely remnants of London's hidden history. 

What an incredible city Vienna is. Once referred to as the Capital of the World, Vienna is a place that resonates with the soul long before you arrive here, such is the power of its reputation and aura. You might feel familiar with much of the Austrian capital already, be it the glittering State Opera, the engaging museums, unbeatable coffee houses, and all the rest. Vienna is a place that everyone must visit at least once in their lifetime. With a roster such as this, it can be difficult to identify exactly what the best attractions in Vienna are. Vibrant and cosmopolitan, there’s so much more to this charming capital than the picture-postcard sights and bucket-list things to do. The restaurant scene is as good as any other, for a start, and a night out in Vienna is a night you won’t forget in a hurry. Updated May 2025: Classical music lovers won't want to miss this church concert centred around Vivaldi's Four Seasons. More details below!  RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in ViennaThe best hotels in ViennaThe best Airbnbs in Vienna This guide was co-written by travel journalist Emma Hughes. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. While we might not stay in every hotel featured below, we've based our list on top reviews and amenities to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our edi

Paris is home to the world’s most recognisable smile (well, smirk), but there’s much more to the City of Light's museum offering than just Mona Lisa’s grin. And sure, you have to explore the Louvre's sprawling collection at least once, but that shouldn't mean missing out on the rest of the great museums Paris has to offer. While there is still progress to be made around the promotion of young artists, when it comes to heritage, Paris knows what it’s doing: you’ll find over 100 museums that reflect this city’s obsession with artistic preservation. Below, you’ll see names you recognise, like the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, as well as smaller, more daring institutions that you’ve yet to discover. Time to get cultured à la française. When’s the best day to visit a museum in Paris? Some of the city’s biggest museums open their doors for free on the first Sunday of every month, including the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, as well as some of the less obvious options, such as the Musée National Gustave Moreau, the former home and museum of the Symbolist painter. RECOMMENDED:📍 The best things to do in Paris 🍴 The best restaurants in Paris🎨 The best art galleries in Paris🏡 The best Airbnbs in Paris This article was written by the editorial team at Time Out Paris. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influenc

Tal vez tu hija tiene 10 años y lo único que le interesa de vuestra visita a Disneyland Paris son las montañas rusas de subidas y bajadas imposibles. Quizá, tu hijo ronda los 4 y todavía no ha desarrollado ese gusto por la adrenalina. Y sí, es probable que no sepas cómo organizarte. Por ello, hemos elaborado una completa selección de las atracciones de Disneyland Paris que querrás probar en vuestro próximo viaje. Desde lo aventurero e intrépido hasta lo relajado y tranquilo, pasando por lo más mágico. RECOMENDADO: Guía completa de las mejores cosas que hacer en París.

Peut-être que vous venez avec un préado qui ne jure que par les loopings qui retournent l’estomac, ou avec un petit de quatre ans dont le seuil de tolérance à l’adrénaline frôle celui d’un chat somnolent. Peut-être que vous venez seul, en duo ou en bande organisée, prêt à foncer dès l’ouverture pour enchaîner les manèges comme d'autres enchaînent les sushis. Dans tous les cas, il y a une constante : dès le premier pas dans le parc, l’effet est le même. Une foule compacte, des musiques qui tournent en boucle, des mascottes géantes qui vous fixent dans les yeux… et surtout, une jungle d’attractions aux files d’attente plus longues qu’une réunion de copropriété. Ajoutez à ça les tickets horodatés, les poussettes qui vous roulent sur les pieds et l’embarras du choix entre 54 attractions – dont certaines sont géniales et d’autres franchement dispensables – et vous obtenez un cocktail potentiellement explosif, surtout quand les enfants commencent à crier qu’ils ont faim à 9h37 du matin. Rassurez-vous : on a fait le tri. Les machines à frissons, les balades féeriques, les classiques absolus… Voici nos 16 immanquables, toutes testées, validées, et capables de justifier une (modeste) attente sans provoquer de crise de nerfs. Un condensé de magie, de bons choix, et surtout, d’économie de temps et d’énergie mentale. Parce que Disneyland, c’est féérique – mais ça se prépare comme un raid. Quel est le manège le plus effrayant à Disneyland Paris ? Facile : The Twilight Zone Tower of Terro

Perhaps you’ve got a 10-year-old who’s exclusively interested in heart-thumping rollercoasters, or maybe a four-year-old who doesn’t have quite that appetite for adrenaline yet. Feeling daunted by the prospect of ushering them around Disney? Our run-down of the best Disneyland Paris rides ranges from the frightful to the easy-going to the just plain magical. With queues and the frankly overwhelming choice – there are 54 rides overall – it’s evidently not possible to indulge in every single one. So if you need some help making those tough decisions, read on for our pick of 10 attractions you shouldn’t miss. Then book online here. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in Paris

Paris: the food, the fashion, the fromage, the fantasy. No matter how many times we visit the French capital, its charms never ever grow old. And we’re not alone in thinking that. Paris is a major tourist destination that attracts thousands upon thousands of enthusiastic travellers with heads filled with images of Breton jumpers, tiny dogs, and decadent pastries - the kind you can dip in your hot chocolate. But how do you enjoy this gorgeous city without just succumbing to the age-old clichés (as much as we do love all of them)? We’ve compiled a list of the 51 best attractions in Paris, from the big-name ‘must-see’ paris attractions to something a little bit more bespoke and treasured locally. So whether you’re looking for lesser-known museums, late-night live music, or the best places for shopping, we’ve got plenty of ideas - and they’re all as tasty as a Ladurée macaron. Time Out tip: If you want avoid taxing, RATP App and Citymapper will be essential for getting around Paris like a local.  RECOMMENDED: 🇫🇷See our full guide to the best things to do in Paris🥖Check out the best food tours in Paris📍Here's where to head for the best tours in Paris🛏 Stay in the best airbnbs in Paris🚍The best Paris bus tours This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here.

Fed up with impersonal hotel chains? They’re easily avoided in the artsy Swedish capital. Whether you’re looking for somewhere cheap so you can enjoy Sweden's nightlife, an uber-chic boutique for elevated comfort, or special-occasion luxe for when its time to go all out, the very best hotels in Stockholm can all offer bang for your krona. Plenty of the top boltholes are centrally located. And a third plus: here as in few other cities, you’ll most likely get a side order of swish Nordic style in your room. Some hotels boast incredible architecture and interiors, many are steeped in fascinating local history, and others are also home to some of the city’s best bars and restaurants. Whatever your budget, you’ll find something apt in our pick of Stockholm’s best hotels. Updated March 2025: Get your time in the spa with a visit to Villa Dahlia or the Elite Palace Hotel & Spa.  RECOMMENDED: 🇸🇪 Check out the best Airbnbs in Stockholm🍷 Plan your next adventure in Stockholm🚲 Here's Where to stay in Stockholm Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every hotel featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines.

If you’re after a quaint, picture-postcard alternative to gritty, cosmopolitan Glasgow, you’re in the right place. The city of Edinburgh is a trusted destination for enchanting strolls, whether you're walking among the elaborate medieval attractions or through the scenic natural sights of Arthur's Seat or Holyrood Park. Your adventures could even lead you to a street or landmark that inspired the Harry Potter books – not something that can be said about many cities. Apart from being visually stunning, it's a hotspot for nighttime revellers thanks to the colourful array of bars, music venues and restaurants that bring its historic streets to life.  The arts and cultural scene is celebrated through a variety of events throughout the year, the most notable being Edinburgh Fringe – the world's largest performance arts festival that attract visitors from all across the globe.  Many hotels live up to the Scottish capital’s history and innate sense of drama. There are some in gothic buildings, some stuffed with antiques, and others with rooms boasting views to swoon over. To help you find the perfect base, here’s our pick of the absolute best hotels in Edinburgh.  RECOMMENDED:🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 The best Airbnbs in Edinburgh🏘️ Where to stay in Edinburgh🍻 Get out and about in Edinburgh💰 The best cheap hotels in Edinburgh Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every hotel featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial rev

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, much of the residential property in and around Prague’s historic centre was swiftly converted into hotels. That means there’s no shortage of decent accommodation all over the city, from luxury boutique spots near major attractions like the beautiful Old Town Square, to more budget boltholes slightly further out. The abundance of choice can make choosing your ideal hideaway a little difficult. But whether you go for glam suites with jaw-dropping views, converted former farmhouses replete with period features, or sleek design spots with easy access to the Czech capital’s finest restaurants and things to do, our pick of the best hotels in Prague should help. See you at breakfast! We've recently added some very on-trend new gems to this list as we believe they're not ones to miss.  Updated march 2025: We've spruced up the list with a 14th century former brewery and a Parisian wonder transplanted to Prague. RECOMMENDED: 🖼️ The best museums in Prague 🕺 Your all-inclusive guide to nightlife in Prague⭐ The best attractions in Prague📍 Where to stay in Prague Who makes the cut? While we might not stay in and review every hotel featured, we've based our list on our expert knowledge of the destination covered, editorial reviews, user reviews, hotel amenities and in-depth research to find you the best stays. This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guide

Head cheese. What do those two words conjure up for you? Cheese that’s so complex only connoisseurs will really enjoy it? The rare Eurovision entries that err on the subtle and sophisticated? Motherese for ‘bogies’?  As a relative newcomer to the meat landscape, I had no clue. Fortunately, at The Counter, a Turkish grill restaurant near Portobello Road, they spell it out for you. Brain. Tongues. Plus salad and spices. I simply had to try it. If you search for pictures of head cheese (aka brawn), what you see isn’t very appealing. Meat terrines set in aspic, straight out of a 1960s cupboard. The Turkish version is much fresher, though no less intimidating if you’re only an occasional carnivore. You can make out the curves of the tongue. By deduction, you can work out which bits are brain. It’s basically a bowl of brown mush (costing £12), so there’s no getting away from what you’re eating. But with the added distraction of the za’atar-y flatbread, it is really rather moreish. And you get quite the thrill out of chowing down something so objectively grisly in such a refined setting. This is essentially Notting Hill remember, so as much thought has gone into the crockery and furniture and general vibes as the food. You get quite the thrill out of chowing down something so objectively grisly in such a refined setting. It’s easily the most interesting thing on the menu. But the rest – posh dips, healthy salads, incredibly tasty grilled meat – is largely good, if unrevolutionary,

Let me introduce poitín (pronounced potcheen): an Irish moonshine commonly made using potatoes or barley that only started being produced legally in 1997. ‘It’s not typically very nice,’ says chef Sacha Henry, the solitary presence in the kitchen at Indian-Irish fusion restaurant Shankeys. But nice is definitely one word you could use to describe the two things it’s in here. They’re extremely nice, in fact. First, there’s Spuds & Butter, a cocktail served in a coupe that looks like melted Kerrygold. It is exactly that, plus lime, salt, pepper and this mysterious poitín: a winning combination that makes for a creamy, peppy margarita-style drink. And second, there are the chaat potatoes. Gosh, the chaat potatoes. These crispy cubes are silky-smooth inside and come slathered in a turmeric and poitín butter, turning oily and lightly spicy and finding a surprisingly cooling foil in a green chilli chutney. Like every dish at the fantastic Shankeys, it’s a beautiful, colourful mess, served on floral crockery straight off Grandma’s dresser. Like every dish at the fantastic Shankeys, it’s a beautiful, colourful mess, served on floral crockery straight off Grandma’s dresser. The name may give ‘Irish pub in small European capital’, and keeping the façade of previous inhabitants Loafing (a bakery-café, apparently struggling on this stretch of Well Street) is pretty confusing. But get past all that and, courtesy of Sacha and smiley, front-of-house mixologist Eoghan, you’re in for treat a

What do you think the path to heaven looks like? A cobbled alleyway lined with smiling pals, past and present? A technicolour highway fringed with waving Maneki-neko cats? A cool, alluringly lit staircase filled with bottles of only the nicest wines? Maybe. Just maybe. Because in this new dining space at the top of a pub in Fitzrovia, you’ll find just that, opposite the toilet. Head down the corridor, tipsy, mid-meal, and you’ll feel almost like you’re about to ascend to the promised land. The charcuterie platter: moreish, every last bit Much else about this place is dreamy. It helps, of course, that the food is excellent. It’s no surprise when the kitchen is led by chef James Knappett, who’s known for running two Michelin star restaurant Kitchen Table. The food is less fancy chef’s counter diner experience and more top-shelf pub grub. The charcuterie platter: moreish, every last bit. The juniper steelhead smoked trout: an abundance of flavours, perfectly matched. The Cornish lemon sole with brown shrimp and mussels: just the right amount of buttery. The steak tournedos rossini: three layers of brown that don’t look like much but taste formidable, so good in fact that you can almost forgive yourself for accidentally ordering foie gras. Any place that prides itself on serving up ‘the best of British’ is inherently a bit annoying, but these lot smash it.   And these lot, it turns out, are a friendly bunch. And they’re super-attentive to annoying things like a coeliac coming in

If you’ve ever floundered when asked to tell a joke off the cuff, you’ll feel Roman’s pain. Except he has it much worse. He has to weave an entire story. All night long. Surrounded by 200 jeering prisoners nicknamed things like ‘Half-Mad’ and ‘Petrol’. Not ideal.The real name of this new arrival isn’t Roman – that’s the title assigned to him by the Dangôro, named Blackbeard, the supreme master who rules over this prison in the Ivorian rainforest. It’s a place of superstition and folklore, evocatively captured by Philippe Lacôte in this meandering movie which blends myth and reality, fact and fiction, with a generous sprinkling of song and dance.A guard describes the place as the ‘only prison in the world run by an inmate’, but the real power in Night of the Kings lies in their beliefs. One is that whenever the leader falls ill, he must kill himself. Another, which Blackbeard (Steve Tientcheu, playing a frailer version of his mayor in Les Misérables) uses to distract rival factions vying to topple him, is that whoever he assigns as Roman must tell a story that lasts the duration of the red moon. If he doesn’t, he dies too.So the basis of this story is another story: the ruminations of this young kid (Koné Bakary, fear and anxiety welling in his eyes), whose real name we never find out. Through his narrative, we learn of the period when royals still reigned over the Côte d’Ivoire. The civil war that shook the country in the mid-2000s. And a certain gangster called Zama King.Wit

What does the colour pink mean to you? Forced femininity? Rose-tinted positivity? For Sylwia (Magdalena Koleśnik, magnetic), it’s both. She’s a fitness influencer and wears a lot of the stuff. In bougie Warsaw, her job gets her loads of freebies. Through her videos, TV appearances and workout demonstrations, she remains poised and professional. Occasionally she feels liked – but she wants to be loved. Her eyes betray anxiety and unhappiness. Loneliness, too. Sweat, assuredly helmed by writer-director Magnus von Horn, follows Sylwia in the build-up to a chat show interview. By the end, she’s hit breaking point. She’s misunderstood by family. Misunderstood by her 600,000 followers. Misunderstood by men. And then there’s the small matter of the stalker parked by her flat. As she tells her family, there’s a dark side to what she does. There are good days and there are bad days. But the cleverest thing? The film also poses the question: is she really so unhappy, or is that a performance too? Von Horn’s second feature is a sharp critique of the influencing world and the nefarious impact it can have on its practitioners. It could so easily have been patronising, but it feels honest. The direction is sharp, the camerawork in-your-face, and the lilting synth score by Piotr Kurek recalls Drive – as do Sylwia’s neon outfits. And through it all, Koleśnik gives a remarkable performance that nails the public/private schism at the heart of Instagram celebrity. In UK cinemas and streaming on

Danger has many flavours in Those Who Wish Me Dead. Ferocious fires rage across the Montana wilderness. So do nightmarish storms. And most unsettlingly of all, so do two damn suave assassins: an unlikely duo, played by Aidan Gillen and Nicholas Hoult, who’ve been charged with hushing up a big political corruption case.Unhappily for the protagonists in this impressively silly yet gripping western thriller, they will slay pretty much anyone who gets in their way. That even applies to Connor (Finn Little), a wise-for-his-years kid whose dad is a forensic accountant. He knows stuff he shouldn’t. They flee to the forests, Connor ends up lost and alone. And then, fortuitously, running along a creek, he meets Hannah (a fierce, assured Angelina Jolie), a ‘smoke-jumping’ firefighter who surveys the picturesque woodland from her watchtower.It’s immediately apparent she is traumatised by a recent blaze. She blames herself for failing to save three boys who were caught up in it. And so – with pacy, stylish direction from Taylor Sheridan (Sicario, Hell or High Water), who also co-wrote the script with author Michael Koryta – Those Who Wish Me Dead tracks Hannah’s attempts to save this other young kid. Ridden with flashbacks and with a punchy orchestral score, it’s a thoroughly improbable story of her internal redemption. And it’s largely pretty great.The plot abounds in ridiculousness. Twice – twice! – Hannah is struck by lightning. For some reason, the assassins start a forest fire thems

The Place Charles Dullin, in the lower reaches of Montmartre, is one of those Parisian squares that is always so damn busy it feels like its own self-contained world. People come and go, kids hang, there’s always a spot waiting for you at the café-terrace. This sprawling quartier acts as the stage for Suzanne Lindon’s debut feature Spring Blossom: an age-gap romance that sweeps you up in the joys and disillusions of youth.Making us all feel like underachievers, 21-year-old Lindon (daughter of actors Sandrine Kiberlain and Vincent Lindon) directs in a confident and cheerily brisk style – while also playing a version of her 16-year-old self. This Suzanne is bored. She doesn’t fit in at parties, the conversation is crap. Her parents (Florence Viala and Frédéric Pierrot, particularly loveable) are a little too sweet. Everything – and everyone – is embarrassing. Then she meets an actor at the local theatre, Raphaël (a moody and rugged Arnaud Valois), who somehow seems just as fed up with his lot. He’s 35, which makes their liaison questionable, but the film avoids overt sexuality in favour of simple emotions that make you long for the fun and freedom of early adulthood. It helps that everything is seen from her perspective. She’s fleetingly enamoured. Who is this bloke with a motorbike who parks up outside the theatre? She engineers another accidental meeting. And another. Their affinity is their ennui, the sense that their life is on pause – even if it isn’t, really. Creepiness s

This short is a starburst of immaculate Almodóvar. The emotions are big and histrionic. Alberto Iglesias’s soundtrack is punchy and opulent. The set is drenched in rich, kaleidoscopic colour. The Human Voice is the Spanish director’s first English-language film and you’ll inevitably go away yearning for more as soon as the half hour is up.An outlandishly attired actress (Tilda Swinton) is pacing about her apartment. She’s on the phone to her lover, who has now eloped with another woman. The movie, ‘freely based’ on the play of the same name by Jean Cocteau (also an inspiration for Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown), follows that conversation through despair and anger and indifference before finally reaching some form of muddied closure. She monologues on their relationship, her career, her morbid fear of knives. They appear to speak for hours. The film dips in and out, showing her journey from meltdown to catharsis. But what does she do? What does she say? And what does she simply think? The woman readily admits that much of what she tells him is made up. Maybe some of the things we see – the pills, her swinging a literal axe into a suit he’s left behind – are made up too. Pedro Almodóvar makes The Human Voice a comment on artifice and theatricality: Swinton’s glances break the fourth wall and the woman’s technicolour flat, it transpires, is a soundstage in a film studio. We say – and see – unreal things in the throes of heartbreak. Swinton acts out this idea perfectl

That night by the fire. Wine, giggles – then what happened? He seemed sweet. She knew him well. It must have been a drunken slip-up. And just like that, rape-revenge horror Violation dexterously exaggerates and exposes your prejudices before summarily dismantling them. The aftermath is unforgettably brutal. You actually see the act of revenge before you see what triggered it; the two events are woven together in a muddle of memory. This daring and disturbing debut, by Canadian directing duo Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli, cuts back and forth between the night of trauma and the subsequent dismemberment, exsanguination and burning of the perpetrator. Perhaps that’s why you didn’t necessarily side with Miriam (played by Sims-Fewer, fantastically physical and ambiguous) in the first place.There is little plot to follow, instead a complex jumble of flashbacks – you’re processing that night just as she is. Miriam and husband Caleb (Obi Abili) were visiting her younger sister Greta (Anna Maguire) and brother-in-law Dylan (Jesse LaVercombe). The former relationship is tired; the latter fizzes with sexual energy. But then, one night, Miriam and Dylan – long-time friends – teeter on the edge of something else too. While the rape scene is suggestive rather than explicit, the ensuing violence is anything but. The attacker is stripped, beaten and strung up – a rare reversal of horror’s typical gender roles. She even grinds his bones and sprinkles it in ice cream. (A darkly com

This is a story ostensibly about a love affair, but really just about Hélène (Laetitia Dosch), a divorced lecturer from Paris who is lost in infatuation. It’s a subtle and exquisite performance. The object of her desire is Alexandre (ballet star Sergei Polunin), a Russian diplomat and hunk with little substance beyond being able to explain the provenance of his tattoos. They couldn’t be more different. And yet this imbalance enhances the film’s central message. He likes fast cars, Putin and Dior suits. She likes the seventeenth-century English playwright Aphra Behn. But still, they are together – secretly, on snatched afternoons, consumed by their thirst. Particularly her. In one scene she goes to the cinema to see Hiroshima Mon Amour, Alain Resnais’s French new wave classic. Not a fan. It’s a male fantasy run wild, she says, the camera lingering far too long on a beautiful, lusted-after woman. And so here is another kind of film, based on the 1991 autofictional work by Annie Ernaux, in which the female gaze gets sumptuous free rein. Directed by Danielle Arbid (Parisienne), Simple Passion brims with close-ups: cheeks, ears, thighs. Time appears to slow as the camera observes Alex hazily, blearily, just as she does. There are many intense sex scenes. These are candid, realistic, unglamorous. And their relationship goes no deeper than that. They rarely speak to each other outside of her bedroom – and when they do, it’s in a broken franglais. He circles freely in and out of her