Best interests

Floridas: Anastasia Samoylova and Walker Evans
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

Anastasia Samoylova has been documenting her home state of Florida on a series of roadtrips since 2016. Following the environmental focus of her impressive Flood Zone series, she continues to seek out the darker corners of the Sunshine State through unexpected reflections and weather-beaten textures. The pairing with one of her inspirations, the late Walker Evans, is a canny one. He first visited Florida in 1934 but captured a similar mix of tourist trappings and swampy natural beauty.

‘Floridas’ runs from 14 October to 11 May 2025

Dar Disku
Dar Disku

The debut album from the Bahrain-via-London duo of Mazen Almaskati and Vish M is an eclectic mix of genres, heavily influenced by the music traditions of Southwest Asia and north Africa, from Egyptian folk to Khaleeji disco. “Dbayli” was inspired by the smoky discotheques and features great vocals by Algerian singer Yacine Elkhaldi. The album is a worthy tribute to the colourful history of disco.
‘Dar Disku’ is released on 27 September 

Honey
Caribou

Honey is the latest work by Caribou, the moniker of super-successful Canadian musician Dan Snaith. Each Caribou album differs from the last but all nod to the dancefloor. Honey is his most experimental yet with fresh sounds and less introspection. Highlights are “Volume”, with its marrs “Pump Up The Volume” sample, and “Come Find Me”.
‘Honey’ is released on 4 October

Love 679
Dov’è Liana

Don’t be fooled by the Italian name. Dov’è Liana is a French trio that has become an Italian sensation. Inspired by the city of Palermo, the group’s first album, Love 679, is a mix of wild and energetic tracks that go from a French vibe to Italian house music. “Summer of Love” is all dancefloor abandon and “Lover vs Lover” is repeat fodder. It’s a confident debut for the trio, who underpin their live reputation with these tracks.
‘Love 679’ is released on 11 October 

Pop Forever: Tom Wesselmann &…
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris

There was a time when Tom Wesselmann’s work would not have figured highly in a major pop-art retrospective but Gagosian’s Building a Legacy programme has done wonders for his posthumous standing. This latest rehabilitative step places his entire oeuvre in dazzling company: Warhol prints, Lichtenstein comic strips and a Coca Cola-branded Han dynasty urn by Ai Weiwei. It will be interesting to see how Wesselmann’s early collages and controversial nudes hold their own in this setting.
‘Pop Forever: Tom Wesselmann &…’ runs from 16 October to 24 February 2025

Pauline Curnier Jardin
Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Helsinki
Pauline Curnier Jardin tackles taboos head on in the film installations collected here. The Marseille-born artist often uses ritualistic imagery and ancient mythology, as well as a healthy dose of humour. Screened in a giant marzipan coloured arena, “Fat to Ashes” cuts together footage of Köln carnival and pig slaughter, while 2019’s “Qu’un Sang Impur” (or “Bled Out”) is a post-menopausal remake of Jean Genet’s film Un Chant d’Amour. Curnier Jardin is having fun – and it is infectious.
‘ Pauline Curnier Jardin’ runs from 11 October to 23 February 2025

Disclaimer
Apple TV+

A mysterious novel appears at the home of an investigative filmmaker in which her life is the source material. Helmed by Cate Blanchett, directed by Alfonso Cuarón and adapted from Renée Knight’s 2015 bestselling novel, this seven-part series brings cinema to the small screen as the protagonist grapples to protect the life she’s built.

Shrinking
Apple TV+

Therapy is rarely fun but a world in which your counsellors are Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams almost makes it seem so. The lovable cast returns for a second season of this comedy-drama from the producers of Ted Lasso. Braiding unorthodox methods with flawed life choices, it explores grief, loss, family and relationships with a light touch. 

Nemesis
Disney+
Sparked by the murder of a witness in her own home, Nemesis follows a steely public prosecutor who decides to throw out the rule book in pursuit of justice. Adapted from Simon De Waal’s crime-thriller novel of the same name, the release will mark the first-ever original Dutch drama series from Disney+. It’s a gripping ride that tugs at the web of invisible strings steering society from the shadows.

Our Evenings
Alan Hollinghurst

From the Booker Prize-winning author comes a stunning fictional memoir. The protagonist’s life intertwines with his boarding-school bully, who grows up to become a Eurosceptic MP. The novel touches upon themes of racism, ageing, homophobia, illness and love.
‘Our Evenings’ is released on 3 October

The Use of Photography
Annie Ernaux & Marc Marie, translated by Alison L Strayer

Nobel laureate Annie Ernaux and late photographer Marc Marie began a love affair as she recovered from chemotherapy. This moving tale about mortality and eroticism chronicles their liaison through shots of the lovers’ objects. First published in France in 2005, the essay appears in English for the first time.
‘The Use of Photography’ is released on 10 October

The Thinking-About-Gladys Machine
Mario Levrero, tr. by Annie McDermott & Kit Schluter

Released in Uruguay in 1970, these quirky stories, which range from Kafka-esque flash fiction to an  Alice in Wonderland-like novella, re-enchant the ordinary and imagine the extraordinary.
‘The Thinking-About-Gladys Machine’ is released on 15 October

My Old Ass
Megan Park
Ever wished you could give some advice to a younger you? Adult Elliott (Aubrey Plaza) visits her junior self (Maisy Stella) in this indie comedy to try to steer her away from youthful mistakes. A film full of laughs and heart.
‘My Old Ass’ is released on 27 September

The Apprentice
Ali Abbasi

Sebastian Stan portrays a young Donald Trump in this portrait of the business-man’s early years in New York. Having caused a flurry of controversy, the filmtracks the erosion of decency.
‘The Apprentice’ is released on 18 October

The Room Next Door
Pedro Almodóvar

Tilda Swinton and Julianne Moore lead Almodóvar’s debut film in the English language, based on What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez. It follows a war reporter’s friendship with an author in the face of terminal cancer.
‘The Room Next Door’ is released on 25 October