Fresh from winning all four acting prizes at this year’s Japanese Academy Awards, Lee Sang-il’s masterful adaptation of the cult novel by Shuichi Yoshida is an extraordinary achievement which combines pitch-perfect performances with a profound and unsettling message. You know the overused expression ‘must-see’? That.

What do you get if you cross a short story from the 17th century, that girl from Babylon AD, and every camera-friendly horse in France? The correct answer could either be ‘The Princess of Montpensier‘, ‘139 minutes you’ll never get back’ or, if you’re actually quite into horses, ‘the best thing ever’. We’re not that into horses, tbh.