Red Joan, an intelligent and sophisticated piece of cinema

Red Joan, the intelligent espionage thriller based on Jennie Rooney's novel, is just the kind of art cinema I continue to champion.

With subtlety and precision, the film unravels the complex psyche of Joan Stanley, an elderly widow played poignantly by Judi Dench in her middle age.

Through flashbacks, we begin to understand her dark past as a Soviet spy at the height of the Cold War.

Sophie Cookson manages to embody the young, idealistic but vulnerable Joan well. And the script achieves nuance that avoids both Manichaeism and oversimplification, the historical period is breathed with polish.

But beyond the intricate thriller of loyalties, Red Joan is above all a meditation on the passage of time, the consequences of our actions and the need to redeem our mistakes.

An intelligent and sophisticated piece of cinema that is thought-provoking. My favourite film of that year's festival and winner of several awards.

It proves that auteur cinema continues to be the beating heart of the seventh art.