The Boy and the Heron12A

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki | Japan | 2023 | 2h 4m | Japanese language version voiced by: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Kô Shibasakim, Yoshino Kimura, Takuya Kimura. English language version voiced by: Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh

After the death of his mother during the Second World War, twelve-year-old Mahito moves to the countryside with his father. But when a talking heron informs him that his mother is still alive, he enters an abandoned tower in search of her, plunging him into a bizarre parallel universe. A decade since his last feature, renowned Studio Ghibli director Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro) makes a triumphant return with this captivating and enchanting adventure brimming with imagination and emotion. Winner of Best Animated Feature at this year’s BAFTAs and Oscars.

Reviews

‘A mind-mangling, logic-teasing explosion of poetry, philosophy and pure emotion. A more perfect final statement you could not imagine.’
★★★★★
Mark Asch, Little White Lies

‘Don’t call it a comeback — or another retirement. Do call it an astonishing, sumptuous animated fantasy featuring everything you love about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.’
★★★★★
Ben Travis, Empire Magazine

Sorry - you missed it!

We showed The Boy and the Heron between January 19, 2024 and April 4, 2024.

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What else is on?

Tomorrow (Tuesday 28th October)

18:00

Gargantua 15
24m + Q&A
Gargantua is a hand-drawn short film inspired by François Rabelais’ scandalous 16th-century novel. Each scene uses a unique visual style, reimagining the tale’s wild, intellectual chaos. Q&A screening with director Stephen Crowe. £5 tickets plus free drink.

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20:00

Scream 18
£6 for Members
1h 51m
Wes Craven’s modern classic mixes razor-sharp satire with genuine scares. A masked killer terrorises teens obsessed with horror movies. Clever, bloody, and subversive, it redefined the genre, with queer-coded survival themes sharpening its slasher edge.

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Wednesday 29th October

15:15

Urchin 15
1h 39m
Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut follows a homeless Londoner battling addiction. With humour and compassion, this raw portrait explores alienation, resilience, and the struggle to find belonging within unforgiving social structures.

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17:30

One Battle After Another 15
2h 41m
A paranoid ex-revolutionary and his daughter are forced into confrontation when an old nemesis returns. Leonardo DiCaprio stars in Paul Thomas Anderson’s (There Will Be Blood, The Master) sharp satirical adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Vineland’.

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20:45

The Smashing Machine 15
2h 3m
In the early 2000s, MMA fighter Mark Kerr rises to fame while battling the punishing demands of his sport and personal life. Starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, Benny Safdie’s acclaimed debut won Best Director at Venice.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road. We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We don’t show adverts, just a couple of trailers, so don't be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!