TVIf you only watch one, make it …Gisèle Pelicot: The Newsnight Interview
BBC iPlayer
Gisèle Pelicot on Newsnight. Photograph: BBC
Summed up in a sentence A perfectly judged questioning of the feminist icon and source of hope to women around the world – in which her innate dignity shines through.
What our reviewer said “Sitting, perfectly calm, effortlessly poised, even when occasionally moved to tears … Mme Pelicot cuts an extraordinary figure. You can only gaze in admiration at her strength and grace.” Lucy Mangan
Further reading ‘These men think they’ve done nothing wrong’: the philosopher who tried to understand Gisèle Pelicot’s rapists
You may have missed …Girl Taken
Paramount+
Tallulah Evans and Delphi Evans in Girl Taken. Photograph: Clapperboard TV/Paramount +
Summed up in a sentence A deeply engaging, psychologically complex thriller about a family dealing with a kidnapped daughter.
What our reviewer said “There are enough twists and reveals as the episodes unfurl to let the show retain its thriller title, but Girl Taken gives a lot more than that.” Lucy Mangan
Dinosaur
BBC iPlayer
Summed up in a sentence Refreshing, groundbreaking and full of gags, this Glaswegian sitcom’s return is very welcome indeed.
What our reviewer said “At first sight Dinosaur treads the same ground as every other British sitcom about loving yet dysfunctional families, regional quirks, a good dose of farce, and the requisite cringingly cute will-they-won’t-they storyline. But all this so-called normality is undercut by Nina’s autistic perspective.” Chitra Ramaswany
FilmIf you only watch one, make it …The Secret Agent
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Wagner Moura stars as an academic on the run in Brazil’s murderous 1970s as he attempts to escape corrupt politics in a novelistic study of corruption in high and low places.
What our reviewer said “Its visual brilliance, sensual big-city intrigue, shaggy-dog comedy, gruesome lowlife walk-ons and epically languorous mystery combine to create something special.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘I’ve been advised not to say certain things’: The Secret Agent makers on Oscars, dictators and death threats
Pick of the restIf I Had Legs I’d Kick You
In cinemas now
Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. Photograph: If I Had Legs LLC/PA
Summed up in a sentence Rose Byrne stars as a psychotherapist nearing breakdown after a series of crises upend her life, as well as the long-term issues of caring for a sick child.
What our reviewer said “It’s a terrific performance from Byrne as someone who as mother and therapist must present at all times as keeping it together, but who in fact is losing it every day.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading The mother of all meltdowns: Rose Byrne on playing a parent cracking up in her taboo-busting new film
Wasteman
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Brutally violent Brit prison drama with David Jonsson as an addict trying to avoid trouble inside, and Tom Blyth as the inmate aiming to take over.
What our reviewer said “Some of the tropes are familiar, but this film sidesteps the cliches with the committed acting and fierce storytelling punch.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘Every role I do, I’m going to be a Black man first’: David Jonsson on winning Baftas, rebooting Alien and leaving TV’s hottest show
A Knight’s Tale
In cinemas now
Summed up in a sentence Rerelease of the postmodern medieval romp starring Heath Ledger and with Queen on the soundtrack.
What our reviewer said “It’s somehow very entertaining, and its bizarre, in-your-face anachronisms are carried off with such insouciance, such cheerful effrontery, that you can’t help indulging them.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘Heath Ledger knocked my tooth out jousting with a broom’: how we made A Knight’s Tale
Man on the Run
In cinemas now; Prime Video 27 Feb
Summed up in a sentence Documentary directed by Morgan Neville focusing on Paul McCartney’s immediate post-Beatles years, forming Wings and settling into domestic life with wife Linda.
What our reviewer said “You might find yourself wondering why we are going over this ground again, but it’s a watchable film, and there is always something mesmeric in McCartney’s face: cherubic, and yet sharp and watchful.” Peter Bradshaw
Further reading ‘The world said I was dead – in so many ways I was’: Paul McCartney on the lost years after the Beatles
BooksIf you only read one, make it …A World Appears by Michael Pollan
Reviewed by Edward Posnett
Summed up in a sentence The bestselling author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind explores the nature of consciousness.
What our reviewer said “Pollan’s great gift is being able to parse complicated ideas in pain-free prose – and it’s always fun being along for the ride with him.”
Further reading ‘I’m the psychedelic confessor’: the man who turned a generation on to hallucinogens returns with a head-spinning book about consciousness
Pick of the restOur Better Natures by Sophie Ward
Reviewed by Lara Feigel
Summed up in a sentence Andrea Dworkin is a character in a portrait of power, freedom and revolutionary ideas in 1970s America.
What our reviewer said “Ward seems to be dramatising her own ambivalence about whether to rage against the loss of revolutionary activism and try to revive it, or to accept that loss and focus on justice in our personal lives.”
The Last of Earth by Deepa Anappara
Reviewed by Sana Goyal
Summed up in a sentence An intricately researched, immersive novel about 19th-century colonial exploration in Tibet.
What our reviewer said “For years, the British train, coax and bribe Indians to cross over, conducting surveying expeditions on their behalf; they also venture into the ‘Forbidden Kingdom of Tibet’ in thinly veiled disguises.”
Leaving Home by Mark Haddon
Reviewed by Alex Clark
Summed up in a sentence The Curious Incident author looks back on a loveless childhood in a memoir that includes many of Haddon’s own illustrations.
What our reviewer said “Alongside the evident joy he finds in acts of creation, in personal relationships and in activities such as running, there is damage that the book suggests he needs to examine and catalogue, to somehow fix in place.”
Further reading ‘To say I was the favourite would imply I was liked’: Mark Haddon on a loveless childhood
You may have missed …Endling by Maria Reva
Reviewed by Marcel Theroux
Summed up in a sentence A Ukrainian caper about endangered snails and “mail order” brides is disrupted by Russia’s full-scale invasion in this witty, Booker listed novel.
What our reviewer said “Rather than feeling distracting or tricksy, the author’s intervention heightens the impact of the story, giving it a discomfiting intensity and a new, more intimate register. We all have skin in the game at this point.”
AlbumsIf you only listen to one, make it …Mitski: Nothing’s About to Happen to Me
Out now
Mitski. Photograph: Lexie Alley
Summed up in a sentence Whether retreating from fame or heartbreak, the US musician writes gorgeous songs about the appeal of disconnection, flecked with horror and humour.
What our reviewer said “The album’s 35 minutes are variously thought-provoking, wrenching and lol-inducing listening. If misery loves company, then Mitski’s company is worth keeping.” Alexis Petridis
Pick of the restHen Ogledd: Discombobulated
Out now
Hen Ogledd. Photograph: James Hankins
Summed up in a sentence Featuring taunts in Welsh, “bard rap” and spirited jigs, the British quartet’s ragged, rich music underpins their vision for change.
What our reviewer said “The collectivism is in the music itself: ragged yet richly populated arrangements of guitars, sax, trumpet and more, with plenty of guests (including children on flute and vocals).” Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Johann Ludwig Bach: The Leipzig Cantatas
Out now
Summed up in a sentence The first ever recordings of JL Bach’s cantatas, preserved thanks to distant cousin JS Bach.
What our reviewer said “Johanna Soller’s conducting is incisive yet flexible, while her splendid lineup of fresh-voiced soloists basks in sumptuous sound thanks to some scrupulous engineering. A remarkable rediscovery.” Clive Paget
Hedera: Hedera
Out now
Summed up in a sentence The Bristol-based folk ensemble travel widely on their first album, exploring global influences with sparkling, springlike warmth.
What our reviewer said “When so much music fusing global traditions can drain it of its specificity, this is an album that masterfully twists together its influences, intensifying their colours.” Jude Rogers
Now touring Raye
Touring the UK to 2 March
Raye. Photograph: Aaron Parsons Photography/The Guardian
Summed up in a sentence A big, bold show from the singer, who has entered her self-proclaimed “dramatic era”.
What our reviewer said “It’s testament to Raye’s skills as a vocalist, and her formidable band, that she can switch gears so seamlessly, turning the vast arena from a whispered croon one moment into a Europop dance party the next.” Daniel Dylan Wray
Further reading ‘They are not manufactured’: how Brit school stars took over the Grammys