Denis Villeneuve's films: where to start

Denis Villeneuve comes from Québec in Canada. He started out with small French-language dramas, and today he makes big science fiction films for Hollywood. His films are calmly told, very precisely built, and often have a deep, rumbling sound you feel in your stomach more than you hear it. If you are new to him, you will find quiet puzzles, hard thrillers and huge desert images. Here is a path through his work, without a ranking and without spoilers.

The easy way in

Arrival

2016, 116 minutes. Twelve alien spacecraft appear above Earth, and linguist Louise Banks, played by Amy Adams, is asked to find out how to talk to the beings inside. Not an action film, but a quiet film about language and understanding, based on a short story by Ted Chiang. It was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture. If you only want to watch one Villeneuve film, this is a good choice.

Sicario

2015, 121 minutes. An FBI agent, played by Emily Blunt, is brought into a unit fighting a drug cartel on the border with Mexico. She soon realises that nobody is telling her the whole truth. Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin play the men she is supposed to follow, and the script is by Taylor Sheridan, who later co-created the series Yellowstone. Tense from the first scene, but hard in places.

For a long evening

Dune

2021, 155 minutes. The adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel about young Paul Atreides, played by Timothée Chalamet, whose family is to take control of a desert planet. The film takes a lot of time for its world, its families and their intrigues. It won six Oscars, including for cinematography, score and sound. Worth knowing: it only tells the first half of the novel.

Dune: Part Two

2024, 166 minutes. The direct sequel, which finishes the novel. Zendaya has much more to do here than in the first part, and new faces include Austin Butler and Florence Pugh. Bigger and faster than part one, but hard to follow without it, so watch them in order.

Blade Runner 2049

2017, 164 minutes. Ryan Gosling plays a police officer who hunts artificial humans in a rain-soaked future Los Angeles and comes across a trail that leads him into the past. Harrison Ford returns as Rick Deckard. Roger Deakins won the Oscar for the cinematography. Slow-paced, and at its strongest if you have seen the original from 1982 first.

For strong nerves

Prisoners

2013, 153 minutes. On Thanksgiving two little girls disappear, and the father of one of them, played by Hugh Jackman, will not wait for the police to find them. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the detective. A long, dark crime film that keeps you guessing until the end and asks questions about guilt and taking the law into your own hands. Not for a light evening.

For puzzling