Writer-director M. Night Shyamalan had been in an extended slump since paranormal suspense thrillers The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Signs. This split personality drama, starring a sensational James McAvoy, marks a major return to form for the Scottish actor. (Opens on January 19)

2. Land of Mine

The Hurt Locker meets Dead Poets Society in this nerve-shredding historical drama, which vividly recalls a little-known episode in the immediate aftermath of the second world war, where young German prisoners were put to work defusing land mines along the coast of Denmark. (Opens on January 19)

3. Arrival

It is easy – and probably justified – to say that this is the film Interstellar tried to be, and failed. Adapted from an exquisitely written novella by Ted Chiang, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi parable blends time and memories to tell a poignant tale about the life-affirming impact of parenthood. (Now showing)

4. Glassland

As an alcoholic mother and her struggling taxi driver son, Toni Collette and Jack Reynor deliver a pair of wonderfully understated performances in this Dublin-set kitchen sink drama by young Irish director Gerard Barret, who gives the proceedings a minimalist purity. (Opens on January 19)

5. Marnie

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