THE CHRISTOPHERS

British acting legend Ian McKellen faces off against the electrifying Michaela Coel, star and creator of the award-winning series I MAY DESTROY YOU. Their on-screen duel is one of the great pleasures of this smart, playful drama, with a criminal plot simmering underneath.

For years Julian Sklar (McKellen), once a star of the London art scene, hasn't painted anything interesting for the art world. His children, however, are convinced that his unfinished paintings could be worth a fortune. They hire Lori (Coel), a gifted conservator and former forger, to charm her way into the eccentric artist’s confidence and secretly finish a series of incomplete works. It sounds straightforward enough – until it becomes clear that everyone has something to hide, and Julian may be far sharper than anyone gave him credit for.

With his trademark lightness of touch and mischievous humour, Soderbergh peels back layer after layer of deception, turning what begins as an intimate chamber piece into an increasingly unpredictable game. Beneath the intrigue are questions about artistic legacy, authenticity and the limits of creative fraud. What makes a painting priceless: the signature, the history behind it, or the story we choose to see in it?

In a world where art can be an investment, a commodity and a way of building one’s own legend all at once, THE CHRISTOPHERS wittily probes the line between value and price. And once ego, family resentment and ambition come into play, even the best-laid plans can unravel. Jessica Gunning (BABY REINDEER) and James Corden shine in supporting roles.