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?

Today (Friday 11th September)

15:30

Bitter Christmas 15
1h 51m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film is a sun-dappled exploration of life, art and storytelling, as two filmmakers’ lives intertwine in a playful meditation on memory, creativity and the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction.

Book here

18:00

Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Mias 15
1h 52m
Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow) unleashes a bloody, bewildering meta-horror, as a young director and a reclusive scream queen descend into a delirious world of queer desire, fear and blood-soaked obsession. Starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.

Book here

20:30

Bitter Christmas 15
1h 51m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film is a sun-dappled exploration of life, art and storytelling, as two filmmakers’ lives intertwine in a playful meditation on memory, creativity and the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction.

Book here


Tomorrow (Saturday 12th September)

11:00

Making Cars PG
Free Screening + Intro
54m
Five-part Channel 4 series telling the history of Cowley's Morris Motors and Pressed Steel factories through the voices of the workers themselves. Long thought lost, now rediscovered, join us for FREE screenings of episode one for Oxford Open Doors weekend.

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15:00

All About My Mother 15
35mm Presentation
1h 41m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
A grieving mother goes out to find the father of her deceased son, and unexpectedly becomes the heart of a makeshift family. Pedro Almodóvar’s vivid, Oscar-winning meoldrama is a tender exploration of the meaning of motherhood. Presented on 35mm film.

Book here

17:45

Bitter Christmas 15
1h 51m | Spanish w/ English subtitles
Pedro Almodóvar’s latest film is a sun-dappled exploration of life, art and storytelling, as two filmmakers’ lives intertwine in a playful meditation on memory, creativity and the blurred boundaries between reality and fiction.

Book here

20:15

Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Mias 15
1h 52m
Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw the TV Glow) unleashes a bloody, bewildering meta-horror, as a young director and a reclusive scream queen descend into a delirious world of queer desire, fear and blood-soaked obsession. Starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson.

Book here


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 only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!