BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD (12A, 93 mins) “Once there was a Hushpuppy and she lived with her daddy in the Bathtub...” The opening voiceover of Benh Zietlin’s extraordinary debut suggests a modern-day fairytale. However, there’s no happy ever after in Beasts Of The Southern Wild, a poetic and grimly compelling portrait of shattered lives in a fictional bayou where six-year-old Hushpuppy (Quvenzhane Wallis, above right) lives off the sodden land with her father Wink (Dwight Henry). He practises tough love so his little girl can survive the unforgiving elements but, like all children, she rebels. Hushpuppy’s journey of self-discovery is brilliantly realised, anchored by a tour-de-force performance from non-actor Wallis. Magical realism flourishes, such as a stampede of mythical aurochs, inviting us through Hushpuppy’s eyes as the banks burst, threatening to wash her childhood away. One of the best films of the year.

l Phoenix Picture House, tomorrow, see left GINGER AND ROSA (12A, 90 mins). Ginger (Elle Fanning) and her best friend Rosa (Alice Englert, pictured below) were born on the same day and in many respects are kindred spirits, enjoying the freedoms of swinging 1962 London. They play truant together and talk excitedly of where their lives might lead – of something bigger than the domestic drudge endured by their mothers. Ginger is incredibly close to her parents Roland (Alessandro Nivola) and Natalie (Christina Hendricks) but tensions crackle and the girls’ friendship feels the strain when Rosa embarks on an affair with Roland. As her parents’ marriage falls apart, Ginger finds emotional refuge with a charming gay couple (Oliver Platt, Timothy Spall) and their poet friend May Bella (Annette Bening).

l Odeon, Magdalen Street, Oxford and The Regal, Henley, see left ROOM 237: BEING AN INQUIRY INTO THE SHINING IN 9 PARTS (15, 96 mins) A sparkling new digital transfer of the extended 144-minute cut of Stanley Kubrick’s horror masterpiece, The Shining, screened across the UK and Ireland for the first time this Halloween ahead of a nationwide release on November 2. To whet our appetites, Rodney Ascher’s artfully composed documentary provides a forum for fans and scholars to expound theories on the film’s errors and subliminal imagery, spinning conspiracies including one runaway train of thought that posits a connection to the Apollo moon landings. Ascher keeps contributors off screen and constructs each narrative with a mosaic of Kubrick’s work spliced with other films, illustrations and digital trickery. The director’s method is the perfect accompaniment to their madness.

Screened at limited number of cinemas – room237movie.com Tickets for The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey, opening on December 14 on sale at The Phoenix.