must—see? will ferrell struggles in the snow in comedy drama downhill. in the foreign language film everybody‘s talking about that isn't parasites. portraits of a lady in fire. that's the other one. let's start with the invisible man, am i going to be scared out of my wits? will make you love a horror film, don't you? so, you know the story, right? of the invisible man this is a twist on it actually because it's from a different perspective. it's about the invisible man's partner, his girlfriend, and he's a tyrant, he's a bully, and she wants to escape him, she escapes their house, but, of course, because he's invisible, because of his powers, he can secretly stop her. soa can secretly stop her. so a different twist on a classic story. elizabeth moss starts in this, so let's have a look. he has figured out a way to be

invisible. you know exactly what i'm talking about. he's not dead. ijust can't see him. 0k talking about. he's not dead. ijust can't see him. ok i agree with you it was brilliant, but it wasn't because of anything invented, it was how we got in peoples heads. think about it. he came up with the perfect way to torture you, even in death. only thing more brilliant than inventing something that makes you invisible is not inventing it, but making you think he did. he's not dead, tom. hmm. is it very clever? isit...? very clever. yeah, because ultimately, it's — it is a horrorfilm — a horror thriller — but really, it's about that, because of that change of protagonist, it's about a woman trying to escape her abuser and the mental games, the mind games that he plays on her. so, yes, it's creepy. it's made by people who have made

lots of other horror films — the same people who paranormal activity and the purge and all your favourites, jane. oh, yes. seen them all, many, many times! but a lot of very successful and very slick kind of low—budget horror movies. so it has the horror movie pedigree but i think because of that central — that central concept, the twist in the tail, if you like, this actually had something more to it, something much more profound about it. and a very modern notion. i mean, even watching the trailer, it made me quite tense, because this is a woman who has been a victim of whether it's coercive control, some form of domestic violence. so of course everybody around her wants to help her but says "oh, but of course you are traumatised, of course you are — look at what he used to do to you" and that's — that's clever. it's her trying to convince people, mainly men, that this actually happened, you know? because the guy's invisible. no—one's got proof of it, really. she — they think it's all in her head. so there's a lot of mind games in this, and psychological stuff that i really appreciated. you are on the edge of your seat —

to use the old cliche — anticipating the jumps and the scares. great use of silence in this, great use of sort of empty spaces in this. right. so if you want the old schooljumps and scares, they are there, but it does just have that little something extra that makes it a must—see. 0k. really interesting, and people love elisabeth moss at the moment, don't they, so... she's brilliant. so good in it. she'is kinda fragile but really determined as well. yeah. a change of scene for number — your second choice? yeah, so this is downhill. this is an american remake of a film called force majeure, came out in 2014. ruben 0stlund, swedish director, made that great movie about a couple on holiday in the alps and their relationship crisis that happens. so the american version, this new version, stars julia louis—dreyfus, and will... from veep, which everybody loves, from veep, yes. yeah, and seinfeld, back in the day. yes. and will ferrell. pretty much the same story, really, about this couple in the aftermath of an avalanche that happens at their resort. but even before you see this, you can tell that it's going to be different to the original

because this is 90 minutes long, the original was two hours long. so you go "0k, half an hour is gone. "what have they cut out? "what's happened ? " actually, when you watch it — because the original was great and this is largely the same story — it's still an interesting story about a married couple, the problems they have, how they all come to a head on this holiday, and there is some insightful stuff in there. certainly, the husband — will ferrell's character — is a real coward, you know? he's trying to bluff his way through life. so the male—female dynamic remains interesting. but half an hour shorter, which means less complex, less su btle. right. it‘ is kind of the cliff's notes version of the original film, the bullet points of the originalfilm. that doesn't make it bad. it's very easy to watch. but the original one, force majeure, that had the subtleties to it and that's the movie that kind of sticks with you, rather than this one, which is a much simpler thing. and i always think that's so interesting. you know, do these films need to be remade, when you're saying, you know, the original was so much better? yeah! is itjust a studio boss

going "do you know what? we will put it in some beautiful scenery and get the lady from veep — everyone loves her, you know — we'll make a money spinner!" and it is quite a weird tone because, of course, the original was an art house film — a foreign language film to us — and they don't quite know in the new version — is it an art house film again, but it has a—list stars in it. is it a hollywood comedy? they're not sure what tone to take. it's fine, but watch the original — it's better. 0k! and you've got a cracking foreign language film as your final choice today. yeah, yes. so this is a french historical drama, portrait of a lady on fire. celine sciamma is the film—maker behind this. she did a great film called girlhood a few years ago. so end of the 18th century this is set, about marianne. she's a portrait painter. she is commissioned to paint the portrait of heloise, who is a bride—to—be — i think, it's fair to say, a reluctant bride—to—be. yes! she lives out on an island off the coast of brittany, so marianne goes off there to do this painting. quite an awkward relationship between them at first, but that relationship blossoms into romance. let's have a look. hmm.

i wish i could now pull out one of those pipes from my pocket. i was just listening to the crackle of the fire in the clip, thinking how clever it was that there was the crackle of fire through so much of the film. it's — i think it is a very, very classy film. very classy film, and you could kind of get a sense of that in the clip as well. an enigmatic film. i've seen it, you've seen it. i loved it, but it's a film i want to go back to, because i think there's so much more to unlock in this movie. you get it the first time around, but i think you will continue to be rewarded with more things the more times you watch it. looks beautiful. actually, a lot of it is quite austere. it is quite spare, isn't it? quite minimal... yes, yes. ..where they live, where it's set on this island, but i guess it's the passion between these two characters that is the fire — you can see the fire there — that is — that is the warmth of the film and the beauty

of the film — and actually, the paintings as well that you see are beautiful. yes! so there are these little elements of beauty and romance and passion within this quite austere setting. and ultimately, you know, it's about two women who are finally allowed to be what they want to be at a time when they weren't. and, yes, they have to do it in virtual isolation but, you know, it's a film about authenticity, really, isn't it? about people being their authentic selves. i got to the end and i thought how clever it was, because there is the whole — there's a lovely character of the maid as well and there's a whole, right throughout it — i mean, of course, this is the 17705, men are in control. yes. and men utterly control those three women in different ways — without doing any plot spoilers — but then you get to the end of the film and you think "oh, my gosh! there's hardly a man in it at all!" i know! exactly, yeah! any any point! really clever. have you read sarah waters' books? like fingersmith and tipping the velvet and things like that? you know, an element of that there, i think, and hitchcock as well —

there's a few, i think, some hitchcock nods, but entirely its own film — and a beautiful one. very beautiful. very, very beautiful indeed. best out? i'm glad you have chosen this as best out. it's really fascinating. yeah, little joe. it is really good, isn't it? yes. i guess we could call it sci—fi. it's kind of gently science—fiction. yeah, i don't know how to — i don't know what to call it! everyone in the newsroom was saying "what is that film?" and i said "i actually don't know how to categorise it!" they're the best ones, right? yes. that you can't really, easily summarise — although i'm not going to have to! so it's about two scientists. they're in a horticultural laboratory, they develop this genetically modified plant that has this scent, this revolutionary scent that can help with depression. but, of course, there are side effects. it can make you act in quite strange ways and it is a strange film. it is! a seductive film and a strange film shot in a lot of really deep reds and hot pinks, this kind of wild, crazy cacophonous soundtrack going on as well, but i found it really intriguing. yes! jessica hausner is the director — she's an austrian director.

reminded me a little bit of sort of ‘80s david cronenberg films — has that clinical quality about it. very clinical and visually — i mean, visually sort of almost perfect, but in a way it is, of course, too perfect, and that's deliberate and that's very clever, yes. unsettling. absolutely unsettling. i suppose ultimately, it's about our reliance on prescription drugs and pills and things to try to make us feel better, to try to make us think we are worthwhile and we're good people and good parents. but certainly not like anything i've seen before. a quick thought about a dvd for anyone who wants to stay in this weekend? yeah, black and blue. naomi harris, one of ourfinest... 0h, love her! ..who morphs seamlessly into a new orleans cop in this movie, investigating police corruption. and there's a lot of interesting things about the city in this — new orleans, of course, has had plenty of problems over the years, a lot about racism in the city, about the relationship between cops and locals in the city, but ultimately for me, it is her lead performance that makes it, because she isjust such a presence. fantastic. well, lovely to see you, james! you too!

thank you very much, indeed! thank you. and thanks for watching and enjoy your cinema going, whatever you choose to see. see you next time. bye— bye! hello there. very good evening. february turned out to be the wettest february on record, some spots across the uk having their wettest month ever as well, so we still have quite a few fields across the country under water, river levels running high, we could do with a bit of better news now that we're into march, that will be the case in the week ahead, it will not be completely dry by any means, but it will be nowhere near as wet, nowhere near as windy. jet stream pushing to the south was helping to clear some of the rain towards france and iberia, but we are on the colder side of things. so we will see more in the way of frosty nights, that will be the case tonight, we do have this weather system very close to seven counties ofan system very close to seven counties of an will produce rain. on the northern edge into the colder air, we could see sleet and snow to come even a temporary covering near the

children's by the end of the night. most of the snow will be further north in the showers, which will come and go across northern and western areas, leading to some icy conditions, as temperatures could drop close to freezing. cold start to monday morning commute, still some rain to my may be sleet mixed m, some rain to my may be sleet mixed in, clear away from east anglia in the southeast, showers across western areas, particularly westerns, and in northern ireland, not as many as over the weekend, but we will see more developed through the day. thunder, sleet, snow, the windsor later, so if you are showers will make their way east rates. we will make their way east rates. we will spend the day if not largely dry, completely dry, and temperatures around levels they should be for the time of year. not for the chilly years though, the wind is later. when will pick up monday night into tuesday across the northern half of country, showers will keep going into the night into tuesday morning, and this weather system will be pushing back into france. it could be close enough to bring some rain to the channel ivan's devon and cornwall, elsewhere, sunshine and showers to start the day, more showers than we see and run through monday morning

—— islands. by the afternoon, showers fewer in number mainly towards the west, but my sunday dug next sunshine around, still a bit on the call site in the breeze that we do have, although the winds are still later than they will be through the weekend. continuing with later went through the middle part of the week. could be morning for from even a bit patchy bar grounds, we have just got to watch out close rain will get to seven counties of england on wednesday, but otherwise sunshine and showers again. change though through the end of the week thursday night into friday, with the french will bring a spell of rain for all of us quite quickly across the country, not too much to worry about in terms of rainfall totals, there will be summer rain though towards the start of the weekend, whereas the winds will pick up, while the flood warnings are starting to drop, some of those rivers will still be responding to rain over recent days, more rain towards the end of the week, so stay tuned to the latest flood warnings, they are there for you whenever you need them on our website.

you're watching newsday on the bbc. i'm sharanjit leyl in singapore. the headlines: possible murder charges for the head of a south korean religious sect over the coronavirus deaths of some of his followers. in the us, there are concerns the virus could have been circulating for weeks — up to 1,500 people may be infected. i'm samantha simmonds in london. also in the programme. in the us election campaign, mayor pete buttigieg pulls out — it could be a boost forjoe biden's campaign. after the us—taliban agreement, the qatari mediator tells us that outside countries could still wreck the chances