New York Times critics highlight eight new films, from a zombie sequel to a silent restoration

The New York Times critics highlighted eight new films in a Jan. 16, 2026 roundup, saying these releases are worth knowing about, from the zombie sequel 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple to a newly restored silent, Queen Kelly. According to the paper’s reviews, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, directed by Nia DaCosta, leans on gore and provoked a near-standing ovation at one screening.

A Private Life, directed by Rebecca Zlotowski, stars Jodie Foster as a Paris-based psychiatrist whose patient’s death may have been murder; the review called its intrigue far-fetched but praised Foster’s performance. Sound of Falling, set on the same farm across four time periods and directed by Mascha Schilinski, was described as transfixing though psychologically fuzzy.

A Useful Ghost, the first feature by Thai filmmaker Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, was said to weave political allegory, supernatural mystery and tender love stories around a vacuum possessed by the spirit of a dead woman.

Key Topics

Culture, A Private Life, A Useful Ghost, Queen Kelly, Jodie Foster