Plus: Reviews of Mickey 17, The Monkey, Dupahiya and The Waking of a Nation. Here are this week's top stories from The Reel.

Jayant Somalkar’s Sthal was premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023. The Marathi movie is finally out in cinemas. Sthal is a clear-eyed look at the selection process that precedes an arranged marriage – none of the exchange of shy glances or “Aap samosa lijiye” business here. Instead, Sthal has a “kanda-poha programme” – a near-comical display of how transactional the selection process can be for women.

Somalkar spoke to Scroll about his impressive film in 2023.

Marathi film ‘Sthal’ exposes the indignity of bride selection

Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s directorial debut has been selected for the Toronto International Film Festival.

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Here is the review.

‘Sthal’ review: A memorable exploration of a woman’s real place in society

Jayant Somalkar’s Marathi movie is out in cinemas.

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The Oscars were held earlier this week. Sean Baker’s Anora won top honours.

‘Anora’ review: A throbbing non-fairy tale

Sean Baker’s Oscar-nominated film can be rented from Prime Video, ZEE5 and and BookMyShow Stream.

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No Other Land, a powerful examination of the Palestinian experience of Israeli occupation, won the Oscar for documentary feature.

Why ‘No Other Land’ won the Oscar for best documentary

The film made by four Israeli and Palestinian activists is a powerful examination of life under occupation.

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The Nickel Boys was nominated for two Oscars but didn’t win anything. It’s still a remarkable film.

Start the week with a film: ‘Nickel Boys’ erases the distance between character and viewer

RaMell Ross’s Oscar-nominated movie is available on Prime Video.

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There’s lots to watch in cinemas this week, including Bong Joon-ho’s goofy sci-fi comedy starring Robert Pattinson and Robert Pattinson and….

‘Mickey 17’ review: A goofy romp through a future with multiple Robert Pattinsons

Bong Joon-ho’s sci-fi comedy is out in cinemas.

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Osgood Perkins’s horror-comedy The Monkey has made it to India after scaring/charming American audiences.

‘The Monkey’ review: Shocked laughs and gross-out chills

Osgood Perkins’s horror movie is out in cinemas.

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A dubbed Hindi version of Saiju Sreedharan’s Malayalam film Footage is out, presented by Anurag Kashyap.

‘Footage’ review: Curiosity leads to voyeurism and then peril for a vlogger couple

Saiju Sreedharan’s Malayalam movie from 2024 has been dubbed in Hindi and re-released in cinemas.

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In the week’s streaming titles, the series Dupahiya is about a madcap hunt for a missing motorbike.

‘Dupahiya’ review: In comedy series, best-laid plans are destined to go awry

The nine-episode Hindi show is out on Prime Video.

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Was there a conspiracy behind the Jallianwala Bagh massacre? The Waking of a Nation seems to think so.

Review: ‘The Waking of a Nation’ works overtime to prove a conspiracy angle

Ram Madhvani’s six-episode series is out on Sony LIV.

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Ibrahim Ali Khan, who looks uncannily like his father Saif Ali Khan, makes his acting debut alongside Khushi Kapoor.

‘Nadaaniyan’ review: Emotional conflict lite

The Khushi Kapoor-Ibrahim Ali Khan starrer is out on Netflix.

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