5 things to watch this weekend – 30 August to 1 September

Where’s it on? Cinemas nationwide

To mark the 85th anniversary of the superhero’s first comic book appearance, a number of big-screen Batman adaptations are returning to cinemas over the next few weeks. One of the first is perhaps the ultimate synthesis of all the different ideas and iconography that have made the caped crusader such an enduring pop culture figure. A standalone spin-off of the highly acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series (1992-95), this mystery thriller is engrossing for kids and adults alike, mixing art deco design and film noir with inventive spectacle, gothic tragedy and elegant character work. And in the late Kevin Conroy, you have the definitive screen Batman – at least when it comes to the voice.

Where’s it on? Cinemas nationwide

Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes, director Guan Hu’s Black Dog was, perhaps more importantly, also recipient of the Grand Jury Prize at the Palm Dog awards. An absurdist drama, the film is set in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as China’s economic march forward looks to leave some communities behind unless they can modernise. Fresh off of a long prison sentence for a violent crime, largely silent Lang (Eddie Peng) gets a job with a dog-catching patrol at a Gobi Desert outpost, while stubbornly avoiding addressing the fractured relationships in the town he left behind. Initially tormented by one similarly feral, skinny dog, he bonds with the creature, putting new targets on his back. Look out for director Jia Zhangke in the film’s supporting cast.

Where’s it on? 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray

Since it’s been a TV schedule staple for decades now, there’s a strong chance that you’ll have watched The Silence of the Lambs on many a weekend, even quite recently. But not since its initial cinema run will you have seen Jonathan Demme’s manhunt horror look and sound as vivid as it does on Arrow Video’s new edition, released on both 4K Ultra HD and standard Blu-ray. You’d think there wouldn’t be much more to say about this still hugely influential thriller 33 years on, but Arrow has proved otherwise in the accompanying special features. Given long-standing controversies in queer communities concerning the visual tropes and characterisation of serial killer Buffalo Bill (Ted Levine), Arrow’s edition is notably the first home video release of the film to have a significant presence from trans critics and scholars among the supplements, in the form of audio commentaries and video and booklet essays.

Where’s it on? Cinemas nationwide

Winner of the Sutherland Award for Best First Feature at last year’s London Film Festival, Swedish director Mika Gustafson’s film echoes Hirokazu Koreeda’s Nobody Knows (2004) in its tale of siblings left to fend for themselves by their absent mother. It’s not entirely grim, though, as the film is rife with a sense of exuberance not wholly dissimilar from a certain famous caper about a child being left home alone. Walking a fine line between serious drama and euphoric hijinks, Gustafson draws out authentic performances from her trio of teen and pre-teen girls (Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Asaad and Safira Mossberg), who are trying to keep social services off their scent.

Where’s it on? Talking Pictures TV, Sunday, 02:10

Fully exploiting advancements in technology and director David Cronenberg’s pet interests, the 1986 take on The Fly is widely regarded as one of the best remakes – or re-adaptations in this case, as George Langelaan’s short story came first. What is often overshadowed by the gloopy visual effects is how structurally different the 80s version is compared to the 1958 film. Directed by Kurt Neumann and written by James Clavell, the first Fly hews closer to the short story, playing out like a domestic murder mystery: when scientist André Delambre (David Hedison) is found dead with his arm and head crushed by a hydraulic press, suspicion falls on his wife, Hélène (Patricia Owens), who confesses to killing André but not to murder. Largely told in flashback, Neumann’s film is an oddly affecting affair, with one climactic horror reveal – courtesy of optical effect wizardry – remaining absolutely chilling to this day. Two words: “Help me!”