Moto Watch (2026)

My favourite 'smart' watch of the moment, and for many months now, is the Moto Watch Fit. I love how slim and sleek it is on my wrist, and the oblong shape maximises the amount of information and the easy-view aspects of it for me. I do understand why some will prefer the more traditional 'round' watch, though, even if it loses, by definition, some of the above. So when MotoPR sent over the 2026 Moto Watch, I wasn't convinced that I'd be looking to switch. But we'll see!

First things first: here is a link to my review of the Moto Watch Fit so you can click through and grab the context. Neither of these are WearOS watches, but, as I say over there, this certainly has some advantages. It's nicely boxed in Moto's now-usual white eco-friendly cardboard, and inside this £130 edition you get a Matte Silver watch, a charging pad for the back of the watch which has a USB-C plug on the end of a short cable, a silver stainless steel bracelet and a second, silicone strap in Pantone's Herbal Garden colour - which is a kind of lime green. There's also a vice/clamp thingie which enables the user to remove links from the steel bracelet if it's too long. No additional links are supplied, but it's quite long; most people won't need more, I guess. I didn't need to take any out, but I have huge wrists! The good thing about the strap/band system here is that it uses standard 22mm pins, so for those of us who don't fancy either of the supplied options, we can use our own preferred strap. Which I have done!

You can buy the black version of the watch - Pantone's Volcanic Ash - with just a matching colour strap and no steel bracelet, reducing the package to £89. I have to be honest and say that if I were buying one, I'd have gone the cheaper, black way - but my Phones Show Chat co-host Joe Hickey loves the silver one and the all-macho steel-linked bracelet! Each to their own, I guess, and it's great to have the choice. The round face and steel bracelet certainly make the watch feel much more like a 'traditional' one over the Watch Fit style. I'm trying hard to like it rather than my favourite Watch Fit - not helped by the arrival of the Pebble Time 2! So many options! I have reviewed the Pebble Time 2 here on my blog, incidentally, but that's a very different beast.

So yes, the Moto Watch is traditional, chunky and circular. It features a large 47mm sandblasted aluminium case with a rotating crown and a physical button on the right side. It is basically a classic chronograph-style watch. Whereas, the Moto Watch Fit is sleek and rectangular, using a smaller 44.5mm x 38mm aluminium alloy case with just a single physical button. It is built for a more understated, sporty look. The circular Moto Watch is heavier at around 40g (though closer to 35g without that steel strap), while the Watch Fit is incredibly light at just 25g - you don't know it's there! The Moto Watch has a 1.43" circular OLED display covered in Corning Gorilla Glass 3 with a stylised, non-rotating (and certainly not functional in any way) fairly wide 'bezel' around the circumference. You don't get that with the Watch Fit, so consequently, you are able to see more screen in terms of overall area. Both watches have an Always-on Display with lots of colours and great brightness (over 1,000 nits), but the Watch Fit's larger 1.9" rectangular OLED screen (also Gorilla Glass 3) with its 348 x 442 resolution seems clearer to me - probably because of the shape - and the AoD options just seem to fill more of the panel.

Both the Moto watches operate under their lightweight RTOS software rather than having a shot at Google's WearOS, but they're keeping things relatively simple - and making battery life so much better. These are for a different kind of user who doesn't need to be deep-diving into the complexities of WearOS. As I said in my Watch Fit review, it's neat, refreshing and, I contend, for most people, is all they need. Gym-going, workout-centric exercise folk will likely be best served elsewhere, though to be fair, Moto has stuffed in meaningful data syncing and lots of workout/exercise options here too, with this new watch, in partnership with Polar's health suite.

Polar's health suite includes advanced insights like Nightly Recharge Status and Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) tracking. For runners, it features upgraded dual-frequency (L1/L5) GPS for much tighter accuracy around buildings or heavy tree cover. Whereas, the Moto Watch Fit uses a standard, proprietary optical sensor stack for heart rate and stress data. While it still tracks over 100 sports modes and includes automatic walking/running detection, it relies on standard single-band GPS. It lacks the deep, algorithmic data recovery and sleep coaching metrics provided by the Polar engine on this new watch.

Neither of these watches will replace a full Wear OS device, meaning no Google Wallet/NFC payments and no app store; however, their hardware differs considerably. The new one has 512MB RAM and 4GB of eMMC storage, which allows you to sideload up to 150 songs for local, phone-free playback via Bluetooth headphones. It features a built-in microphone and speaker, enabling Bluetooth calling directly from the wrist. It also has a barometer and an altimeter. If paired with a recent Moto phone supporting MotoAI, both watches get 'catch-me-up' type summaries and services. The Moto Watch Fit has unspecified storage, so no local music saving. It doesn't have a loudspeaker or microphone either, meaning it cannot handle phone calls. It's more of a notification pass-through device that controls your phone's media playback, sets timers and pushes phone alerts. It's worth mentioning that both watches can be happily paired up with any Android or iOS phone via Moto's app and everything works perfectly well - except for that one exclusive MotoAI feature that requires an Android Moto phone with MotoAI onboard.

Battery life on both watches is excellent, not being bogged down by WearOS or the like. The new watch is supposed to run for 13 days with basic use. In real-world testing with the Always-On Display enabled, I'm getting 5–7 days. On the Watch Fit, yes, more than that, but not much more. As always, it depends on how you use them - playing music on the new version is certainly a battery-draining activity! The new one features fast charging that supposedly gives a "day's worth" of power in about 5 minutes (perfect for forgetful people rushing out the door), with a full 0–100% charge taking about an hour and a half. The Moto Watch Fit has a more impressive baseline of 16 days of battery, but, as I imply above, it's more like 7–10 for me.

The Moto Watch (2026) is built for the user who wants a traditional, premium-looking timepiece. The addition of local music storage, wrist calling, dual-frequency GPS and Polar's recovery algorithms make it a vastly superior hardware package, despite the bulkier 47mm size. The Moto Watch Fit is a pure, lightweight fitness band masquerading as a smartwatch. It wins on screen brightness (1,000 nits is excellent for outdoor use), waterproofing (5 ATM vs 1 ATM), and wrist comfort, but it lacks the audio, calling and advanced tracking depth of its round sibling. That 1 ATM rating is a point to note for fitness users, as it effectively means "rain and splashes only". So while the new watch has better tracking (Polar), it is actually less suited for swimmers or people jumping into showers than the Watch Fit!

The app on the phone is fairly simple and straightforward. If you make a Moto account you can back up your data to their cloud and then restore it to another watch if switching to a new phone. One thing I found, though, is that you can't switch the data between different watches. So, a backup of the Watch Fit will not be available on the next phone if trying to pair up with the new Moto Watch, and vice-versa. The data is all locked into one watch model. But beyond that, the back up/restore works perfectly well and is quick to execute, unlike WearOS sometimes! The graphs and charts on the app are simple and easy to read, but many of them can also be seen on the watches too. They aren't as clear, obviously, as they are much smaller - but data can be viewed if needed.

As I said at the outset, my heart still belongs to the Moto Watch Fit. For my 63-year-old eyes, that larger, rectangular screen is just so much easier to see at a glance. Plus, at a featherweight 25g, I completely forget I'm wearing it, and the superior 5 ATM waterproofing means it survives the daily routine without a second thought. But I cannot deny the sheer hardware value Motorola has stuffed into this new 2026 Moto Watch either. For £130 (or an absolute steal at £89 for the black version), you're getting dual-band GPS, local music storage, wrist calling and those genuinely excellent Polar health algorithms. If you're a casual runner, or simply someone who prefers their tech to look and feel like a proper, traditional chronograph, this is a big step up from the Watch Fit.

Just remember the trade-offs - you are sacrificing decent water resistance, losing a bit of screen space to the circular form factor, and gaining a noticeably chunkier device. However, by swerving the battery-draining bloat of WearOS, both of these watches offer a wonderfully refreshing, multi-day alternative to the mainstream smartwatch market.

Ultimately, it comes down to what you want strapped to your arm. A sporty, invisible notification screen? Stick with the Watch Fit. A handsome, feature-rich timepiece that won't die before bedtime? The 2026 Moto Watch is a superb option. As Joe would undoubtedly agree, each to their own!

Motorola Edge 70 Fusion - Battery Beauty!

The first, and possibly most important aspect of this device to point out at the top of the shop is that Moto are providing this phone in two battery-size editions. A 5,200mAh and 7,000mAh. They are both Silicon-Carbon batteries but one makes the phone fatter and heavier than the other. The smaller one is 7.21mm thick and it would seem was originally the one destined for the UK/EU (no doubt because of EU regulations). The bigger one is 7.99mm thick and it looks like originally destined to be the 'global' model, particularly for India and South America. But now, the Motorola UK's website is offering both units, with the exact same name, for purchase.

The 7,000mAh unit is also 193g over the 5,200mAh's 177g. Apart from that, it looks like both are the same except for one further aspect, the 7,000mAh unit getting the SnapDragon 7s Gen 3 for UK/EU and the global one, 7s Gen 4. And the 5,200mAh version, 7s Gen 3 across the board. All very confusing, especially as the thickness of the unit makes it physically different. I wonder why they didn't just call the bigger one 'Power' or something to differentiate. I suppose that would make for a long and unwieldy Motorola Edge 70 Fusion Power or the like!

Just to confuse everyone even more, there's also a Motorola Edge 70 Fusion Plus! This shares a very similar design footprint but there are a few changes internally. The Plus acts less like a simple size bump and more like a targeted upgrade for performance and photography. Processing power (though some regions get the SD 7s Gen 4 in the Fusion anyway, as per the above), camera capabilities and battery configurations. The Plus does get 12GB RAM across all models, rather than the 8GB on some Fusion variants, the Fusion has a dual-lens setup in the cameras (which we'll come to later), while the Plus gets triple. It gets the same 50MP main sensor but steps up to a 50MP ultrawide lens and adds a dedicated 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. The Selfie also gets bumped to a 50MP sensor capable of 4K video capture. The Edge 70 Fusion Plus doesn't get the 7,000mAh battery though, rather that 5,200mAh one keeping it slim and light (like the Edge 70 and 5,200mAh Fusion). Confused? You're not alone. The Plus model only seems to be available in select markets anyway, but for me - I'd rather forget the Plus and get the big battery!

Anyway, yes, the Fusion that MotoUK PR have sent over for review is the 7,000mAh version, thankfully, as this is clearly the USP and what makes it stand out from the mid-tier range of devices - from Moto and many others. We are, more so than ever before, getting more and more features in the mid-range as OEMs squeeze in as much as they can to compete. None of the others are quite like a Moto though - you might have noticed what a MOTOvator and fan I am!

I do have other Moto phones here, so it will be interesting to see how it stacks up with my Signature and super-slim Edge 70 (links to my reviews). Maybe a tad unfair to put it up against the flagship former, but I reckon that the latter is fair game - and even shares the series' number. I know for a fact that my usual gripe will rear its head here - no Always on Display - but maybe the huge battery can make up for that, or even happily support a third party add-on app running in the background. I chose to use one of my favourites, Always on Display XPath by aodlink and after extended testing with it turned on, I can report that with the app set to 50% brightness, the basic clock, day, date, weather and battery on display, a SIM Card in the phone, connected to WiFi but basically sat doing nothing, the battery was depleted in 2 days. Now, your mileage may certainly vary with that as different AoD apps will be coded differently and if using another you might get more. Or less!

So, that out of the way, the AoD app uninstalled, otherwise exactly the same experiment, setup and criteria - and yes, what a difference! It sat there just the same and the 100% charged battery slowly, very slowly, went down as follows. Each data point is exactly 24 hours after the previous. Day 0 (100%), Day 1 (95%) Day 2 (88%), Day 3 (80%), Day 4 (72%), Day 5 (65%), Day 6 (57%), Day 7 (52%), Day 8 (42%), Day 9 (30%), Day 10 (22%), Day 11 (15%) and finally Day 12 (4%). So on that test, a staggering 12 days of power. However, sitting on a desk not being used, is hardly a real-world experience, so next up is just that, putting it to use with the screen on in the usual kind of pattern, as people would be using it. It was useful, however, to establish a kind of standby time and a line in the sand.

Under normal, moderate daily usage for me (web browsing, streaming, handling notifications, and communication without heavy 3D gaming), three full days is doable. If you use Moto's built-in auto battery management, you can stretch that to four. Even if you hammer it, it's pretty hard to not get through even the longest of a single day. Remember that there's a pretty efficient chipset in the phone and Moto have clearly made sure that this battery is going to be a peach. As above, introduce a 3rd party AoD and it clearly canes it by more than half. Which then begs the question of Moto, given that this phone has an LTPO OLED panel, why on earth they have chosen to exclude a built-in, OEM-optimised and efficient (as we know they are, generally, over 3rd party apps) Always on Display?! It defies logic and I can only conclude that it's a marketing decision in order to make more expensive phones have more features. It's perfectly capable of having this - and, though not a software engineer, I'd be willing to bet that it could even now be added in, if they wanted, in an update. Even the marketing and pricing argument doesn't add up when the Edge 60 Neo, cheaper and with a smaller battery, has an AoD which works perfectly. Even if they think most won't use it, why not just have it as an option, I wonder. Very disappointing.

The same is true of the lack of wireless charging really, though to be fair, this addition, for (no doubt) the price of a dollar or two in parts, is a hardware one. Again, I quote the Edge 60 Neo example of all this having been done right. Still, what do I know?! Fortunately, there's an awful lot more here with the Fusion that, for most folk, will more than make up for these shortcomings. Particularly that fabulous battery! And I do get the argument that with a battery that big, who needs Qi Charging anyway as it won't need charging that often! We all have our foibles! Through all this, if you read my stuff, you'll know that I love Motorola stuff. I'm a huge fan. And these things will be trivial to many! It should be noted that, again, like the Edge 60 Neo, the phone supports 68W wired charging, so armed with an appropriate brick you can get up and running swiftly enough.

So, away from my petty gripes - here's what's in the box. It looks like a UK retail version that has been sent, so this should be the experience buyers will get. The same style hard plastic case (though without the Qi2 magnet ring on the back) that was supplied with the Signature and Edge 70 is here, which is nicely-shaped for good access to everything with proper cut-outs rather than soft plastic covering buttons. I approve. Of course, because of that, it can't be a soft TPU, which has other benefits - the primary one being grippiness. The hard plastic here, like for the other two phones I mentioned, is really slippery. Pros and cons I guess. There's a USB-C to USB-C cable, SIM pokey-tool and papers. That's it - no charger. But we're getting used to that now. At least in Europe.

The box is the becoming-usual simple white one with a Pantone fragrance/perfume that hits the senses as soon as opened up! We're getting used to that too! It doesn't last forever - but maybe a few weeks on the device (and longer in the closed-up box). Nice touch. The phone reminds me of my Motorola Edge 40 in the hand - not for size as this is bigger - but for heft, weight and clutchability! It's a nicely chunky feel which gives a confidence in build and quality. The phone measures 162.8 x 75.6 x 8mm (in this variant), weighs 193g and has a plastic frame. It's IP68/69 rated for ingress of dust and water, and even MIL-STD-810H compliant. This unit has a single nanoSIM slot and eSIM functionality, but regions may vary, so check yours.

As usual with Moto, the 6.78", 1272 x 2772, 19.5:9 OLED panel with 450ppi on the front, which is Gorilla Glass 7i certified, is lovely. Bright (5,200 nits peak), colourful and vibrant. And I love this subtle quad-curve thing that the Edge phones generally get. No ludicrous waterfall edges - just classy-looking 'last minute' turns in the glass to assist hugely with on-screen swipes. I have not had any accidental touches in my review period, but I guess that there is a risk of damage on the edges more so than a flat screen and TPU lifting up and over the edges. But then you lose the premium look/feel of the quad-curve. I'll take the risk, every time as it's gorgeous! The refresh rate of the screen goes up to 144Hz in auto, with some applications designed for it. The 'routine' max is 120. There's an auto option and forced 60Hz for those who want it and (for some reason) feel the need to save battery!

I used my all signed-up, signed-in Motorola Razr 60 Ultra and Google's toolset to do the initial 'copy' wirelessly and for my 150GB or so of data it took about a half-hour or so. All done beautifully well, homescreen layouts, almost all settings, apps, some signed in and ready to use, a few not - and certainly not any financials. So they'd need setting up of course, which is good, right and proper for security. Then, on startup we get that page of "Discover New Apps" full of crappy Games and junk. Fortunately, they can all be unticked, or allow you to 'skip' the page. Is this a phone aimed at 8-year olds?! 

The level of bloatware on setup is not too bad and seems to follow the now-usual pattern with Moto phones. All uninstallable but some hook into MotoAI or baked-in services these days so it might be best to leave Perplexity, Microsoft Copilot and Amazon Music (if you're going to make use of them inside Moto's system) but Adobe Scan AI PDF Scanner OCR, Opera Browser with VPN, Booking and LinkedIn are just add-ons which you're not allowed to set up the phone without installing. Hoops to jump through so that, presumably, the server sees it being installed and they get their claw-back of cash from whatever firm it is. Welcome to the modern world, I guess. Still - I've seen an awful lot worse from other OEMs, plenty not uninstallable (so disable and force-stop instead, forever in ROM).

However, they do, again, especially after system updates, drop a ton of nags for childish games for downloading and installing. Very annoying, but for those of us who know, you need to disable background bloatware and promotional app managers by force-stopping the Moto App Manager responsible for pushing all that sponsored software and promotional games, then delete any unwanted games that have made it through. And after updates, again, they're smartly re-enabling all this so you have to do it again. Very annoying Moto. Stop it and make your phone £50 more! Having said that, maybe some people like it and want it. Each to their own.

The stereo speakers are surprisingly good. They're not that far away from the powerhouse Signature's with nicely balanced tone, a little bass in the mix and more than decent volume. No need for the Wavelet app here - in fact, barely any need to set the Dolby Atmos to anything but 'flat' in terms of EQ either. There's no top-edge 'left' firing speaker, rather the earpiece doubling up, but even so, it does a good job with the stereo and provides a decent enough soundstage up to 18" from the face in landscape while enjoying media. There's Bluetooth audio of course, but no 3.5mm audio jack. The Bluetooth is v6.0 and sounds great. You can also plug ear/headphones into the USB-C port of course and that, too, in my tests sounds great too. Enough to burst the eardrums!

Much like the Edge 60 Neo and Edge 70, there's no physical MotoAI button on the left side of the phone, presumably to save some pennies. This doesn't mean that it's not packed with all the MotoAI tools, as it is! It just means that you have to get to them via the menus/app (or assign the power button or double-tap-the-back [Quick Launch] to invoke them). I don't really think this is much of a miss and, at this stage anyway, I think Moto's AI stuff is still in early days and most users will still be using Google's options. I certainly can't remember the last time I used them for anything beyond testing/reviews. But MotoAI has made a decent enough start and they're clearly trying hard, baking in tools from, as I said above, Perplexity, Microsoft, Amazon Music and more. So we'll certainly keep any eye on progress. For a full rundown of what MotoAI brings, do head for my full overview.

The phone arrived in March 2026 with Android 16 baked in and a promise that it will get Android 19 eventually. There's 5 years of Google Patching Security Updates, so to March 2031 as defined by the United Kingdom’s Product Security and  Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 - so your region may vary on that if not the EU (or under its influence). The phone as I type in June 2026 has the May 2026 Security Patches, so not far behind.

If you get a unit sourced in India you'll get the SnapDragon 7s Gen 4 (4nm) but the international variant drops to Gen 3. I guess that on a testbench there might be differences but in day-to-day here I really don't see any. Probably only picked up by hardcore gamers and, frankly, I'm not sure why they'd be buying this kind of phone if that's them! Everything runs just fine and yes, it's not as fast as higher-spec'd flagships when doing heavy lifting, but for 99% of users, 99% of the time, it'll be just fine.

This unit has 256GB of storage and 8GB RAM but in some regions you can source a 128GB version and also a 256GB one with 12GB RAM, so check your specs locally. For my use these days, I find that 256GB is enough but, as always, it depends on how much data you want to carry with you, how much gaming you're getting stuck into and quantity of high resolution you're shooting and expecting to store. But choose well (if you can) as there's no microSD Card slot here. The 8GB RAM I don't see as a problem and it works just fine, wirelessly, with Moto's Smart Connect on my PC and other equipment for extension. Smart Connect really is impressive and, in my view, leads the 'desktop mode' field still. Yes, even over DeX as, apart from anything else, it has Windows PC software, unlike Samsung who stripped it out. Here's a link to my Summary of Smart Connect.

In terms of connectivity and security, the phone comes with an under display, optical fingerprint scanner which works just fine, supported by Moto's excellent face unlock engine. By the time you lift the phone (in good-enough light), the fingerprint scanner is rarely needed. WiFi is v6e, GPS efficient, NFC does the job and Bluetooth seems to keep up too. Decent connectivity all-round with good range, good lock and all very efficient.

The camera system is heavily geared toward lifestyle photography and social sharing. Featuring a 50MP f1.8 sensor with OIS. It lacks a dedicated telephoto lens and struggles with low-light focus tracking at times. The wide-angle/macro shooter has a 13MP f2.2 sensor and the Selfie is 32MP f2.2. The main sensor does well in good lighting, capturing high-enough detail for the class, accurate white balance and wide-enough dynamic range. The wide-angle produces surprisingly good, consistent detail, making switching between lenses feel natural without sudden colour shifts. The main lens produces good portraits, offering attractive background blur and solid edge detection and for night/low-light, the main camera brightens scenes well and keeps noise under control. However, complex textures (like leaves) can turn into soft, muddy blobs in very low light and autofocus can occasionally hunt. Beyond 2x, detail and dynamic range fall off rapidly.

All cameras are capped at 4K video shooting at 30fps. Daytime footage is sharp-enough and well-stabilised. Low-light video can suffer from wobbling and noise, however. There are extra creative modes like Horizon Lock and Dual Capture, though you can experience autofocus hunting in video mode sometimes. The Pantone thing does help to ensure colours appear balanced and true to real life, particularly on the phone’s display. The shutter generally performs well, but there is sometimes a slight post-processing lag after taking a shot, which can be annoying if you're in a hurry!

The phone is available, as I say, in the UK, for a very good price of £329 as I write, reduced from launch price of £379. It's available in Orient Blue, Sporting Green, Blue Surf, Country Air and Silhouette - depending on market and battery/thickness variant ordered. The Motorola Edge 70 Fusion (7,000mAh version) is a veritable compromise - in the best way possible. By prioritising a huge battery, Moto has carved out a unique space in the crowded mid-range market. While I am still baffled by the lack of an Always-on Display and the inexplicable omission of wireless charging, the sheer longevity of this device is a game-changer for anyone tired of daily top-ups. Yes, the naming strategy and regional hardware variations are confusing, and the 'bloatware' nag-fest remains a frustration, but these are small prices to pay for a phone that can genuinely last three to four days on a single charge with moderate use. If you value endurance above all else and don't mind a slightly chunkier profile, the Edge 70 Fusion is a standout, reliable workhorse that, frankly, makes other mid-rangers feel incomplete. Recommended.

Hood Witch (2023)

Originally titled Roqya and directed by Saïd Belktibia, Hood Witch is a nerve-shredding, modern-day witch hunt that highlights how ancient superstition, religious extremism and the viral, unchecked power of social media collide to create a living nightmare.

Yes, I’ve been on the Golshifteh Farahani trail again! She is an awesome actress, showing off all her talents here in pretty much every scene as she pins the story together. The film is a bit of a game of two halves. We join her and her son, Amine, living in an apartment in a gritty, tense, working-class suburb of Paris, which is heavily populated by communities with North and Sub-Saharan African roots.

The first half introduces us to Nour flitting through customs - or trying to - smuggling exotic animals to sell to people in the community who believe in Roqya. This is the practice of Islamic exorcism or healing intended to cure afflictions caused by the 'evil eye', jinn possession or black magic (apparently)! In this world, traditional medicine is often mistrusted or financially inaccessible, giving rise to an unregulated black market of local, so-called 'healers', religious figures and mystics.

The second half of the film explodes into a modern-day witch hunt and survival tale. Following a tragic death, the community blames Nour because of her antics peddling the ingredients needed for their ceremonial rituals - especially as her business is taking off with an online app called Baraka, which is drawing loads of interest. She is basically cashing in on their culture, even though she is just as rooted in it as they are. But for them, it is suddenly convenient to find a scapegoat for this death and assemble an unruly mob to hunt her down.

The tone is set in the opening scenes, by the way, which deliver black-and-white sequences that contrast the historical concept of a medieval witch hunt with the grim reality of modern housing projects. But anyway, back to Golshifteh and her character, Nour, who is a fierce, resourceful single mum trying to build a stable life for her small family. There are some cracking early scenes where we see her extracting poisonous frogs hidden inside condoms that she swallowed for her flight from Morocco!

Nour’s new app is an overnight success, which immediately threatens the local, male-dominated network of religious leaders and healers who view her as an economic and cultural threat. Compounding her stress is her toxic, aggressive ex-husband, Dylan (Jérémy Ferrari), who is heavily behind on child support, hostile towards her business and aligns himself with conservative religious men who claim Nour is a corrupting influence - and that Amine needs to be 'purified'.

When the aforementioned death occurs - which is certainly not Nour's fault - the film shifts gear into a relentless, real-time survival thriller. Local religious leaders and influencers take to social media, uploading videos branding Nour a murderous witch and the viral algorithm spreads the accusation like wildfire. Overnight, Nour goes from a respected community member to a social media villain. A violent mob descends on her neighbourhood, laying siege to her apartment block and eventually setting her home on fire while she is trapped inside.

We stay right with Nour as she darts through traffic and back alleys, entirely isolated - anyone who might have helped her turns away out of fear of the mob or a belief in the online rumours. Having lost track of Amine, the mob grabs him so they can forcibly 'purify' him - or at least use him as bait to lure her out. She must navigate the darkest corners of the underground market, utilising every ounce of her survival wits to stay one step ahead and work out how to rescue Amine.

The problem is that even if they do survive all this, what next? Their lives in the community are finished and they would simply need to get out and away. Perhaps they won't, though - which seems increasingly likely as we see what the mob is doing to Amine in the name of religious 'cleansing'. I shall leave you to find out via the crashing, gory finale!

The film is well shot, frantically paced and chaotic - often using a lot of handheld camera work as we race around the city with Nour as she is chased. It makes deep points about the nature of modern life versus old customs and beliefs - a community using cutting-edge smartphones and social media algorithms to organise a witch hunt that belongs in the 17th century.

The acting is first-class from the whole cast, especially Golshifteh, of course, but also Amine Zariouhi, who plays her son (sharing the actor's actual first name). For me, it’s a powerful look at the exploitation of ageing cultures - and ultimately, a case of science over religion.

PodHubUK Podcasts for the Month of June 2026

      

...a roundup of our month of podcasting. Links to the team, communities and podcast homes on the net at the foot, so scroll down!

PSC Photography

Episode 22 - Long Exposure Photography

Thursday 4th June

Chris, Charlie, and Joe join me this week as we long focus on Long Exposure Photography! Plenty of time for more, including from phones like the Vivo X300 Ultra, DJI Osmo Action 6 accessories, Chris' run-in with Reddit, Canon's new compact, GoPro a-going, a flash with a round head and plenty to talk about as we look at oodles of photos in the PSC Photography Google Photos Shared Album.

The Tech Addicts Podcast 2026

Series 3, Episode 1 - Lenovo and the Ill-Gotten Games of Doom

Sunday 7th June

Join Tech Addicts as we discuss Samsung’s Galaxy Book6 Ultra, Beelink’s affordable 10GbE mini PCs, Asus’ return to tablets, controversial high-end audio amplifier clones, Google Drive security and Lenovo’s Game Boy-inspired handheld gaming device. Plus loads more, as always.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 898 - PSC Drop-In IV

Monday 8th June

Jeremy Harpham, Steve and Sam drop in and join Joe and I as we natter about lots of phone-related stuff as usual. Most importantly, Jeremy's PSC Pub Meet is first up set for Saturday 20th June. We also natter about Android Play System Updates, Apple WWDC, the OnePlus 15, various Motos, Xperias and Honors - and even the everso 'umble Fairphone!

Whatever Works

Episode 242 - Bread Bin Linn Din!
Tuesday 9th June

Aidan and I are here once again with an hour of merryment and nonsense for your amusement! Aidan becomes Santa in June, conducts a shuffle by his pond, eyes up Google Glasses and designs a Kludge House - while I get lost in a double-decker, slow-cook my hand and try to define what 'round' means! Oodles more as always, so do join us!

Tech Addicts 2026

Series 3, Episode 2 - Britain: The Biggest Hole Ever!

Sunday 14th June

In this episode Gareth and I dive into the massive £1bn Amazon UK investment, Google’s AI liability and the bizarre truth behind “Britain’s biggest hole”. Also, we look at Lenovo’s batteryless rugged tablet, the Lenovo Legion Go S and take in my retro review of the Pebble Time 2. Available from the usual sources, so do get stuck in!

Projector Room

Episode 212 - Irreversible Dawn
Wednesday 17th June

In this episode Gareth and I are proving that even if The Dead Don’t Hurt, They Will Kill You! The Fuze is officially lit for 11:14, where an Animale might get lost in The Fog while navigating The Boroughs. Expect a complete breakdown as Zombie Flesh Eaters launch a Dawn of the Dead style Walkabout in the Sahara, a high-octane Tuner tries to outrun The Dead Next Door, and Mad Max 2 goes hunting for Gold. Tune in, or things might get Irreversible!

PSC Photography

Episode 23 - Genres for the Beginner

Thursday 18th June

Ian, Charlies and Joe join me this time and are amazed by Charlie's graphing skills again! Really interesting chat about the theme, a real deep-dive. We also look at photos which have been taken over the last fortnight (and beyond) from those who have dropped them into the Shared Album, including Chris, from Thailand, a little bit of news and we also hear about Ian's challenging trip to Monaco with his broken foot!

Tech Addicts 2026

Series 3, Episode 3 - UK Social Media Nasty List

Sunday 21st June

It’s another packed week in tech with Gareth and I covering stories ranging from niche gadgets to major software changes that could affect millions of users. This week’s show includes an industrial-grade vinyl cutter that lets music lovers press their own records at home, Lenovo’s surprisingly audio-focused new Android tablet, new legislation designed to make the internet safer for children, Microsoft Teams becoming a little too aware of where you’re working and fresh criticism of Windows 11’s Media Player. Plus loads more as always including Bargain Basement!

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 899 - Winging it at the PSC Pub Meet

Sunday 21st June

It's Joe and I, a day early, dodging the heat! We catch up on all sorts of stuff outstanding and take in an audio insert from Jeremy Harpham's London PSC Pub Meet from yesterday! News from Commodore about dumb/smart phones, Android 17, WearOS 7, an oddity from Huawei and more from Honor and Moto of course! But plenty more besides, so dive in for a packed show as we lead up to PSC900 next week!

Tech Addicts 2026

Series 3, Episode 4 - A Callback for Commodore

Sunday 28th June

Another packed lineup of tech news. From a modern flip phone designed to help curb social media addiction to RedMagic’s ambitious gaming tablet that promises PC emulation on the go, there’s plenty to get excited about. We also take a closer look at whether Google’s latest smart speaker is a genuine upgrade over the Nest Mini, discuss O2’s plans to finally retire its ageing 2G network in the UK and round things off with the latest developments surrounding Samsung’s One UI 9 beta rollout. Whether you’re into smartphones, gaming, smart home tech, or the future of mobile networks, there’s something for every tech enthusiast in this week’s show.

The Phones Show Chat Podcast

Episode 900 - A Pool of Palmtops

Monday 30th June

Anyone in a party mood? Steve joins Joe and I as we celebrate, 17 years later, 900 episodes! We inevitably look back across this timespan (and before) to chat about all things Psion, Symbian, Palm, Blackberry, Android, iOS, Windows Phone and loads more! It's a great bunch of nostalgia that we hope you'll enjoy - and if not, we'll be back with more up-to-date stuff next week!

The Podcasts

Phones Show Chat (PSC) - Whatever Works - Projector Room - Tech Addicts - PSC Photography

The MeWe Community Groups (follow the links to join up)

Phones Show Chat (PSC) - Whatever Works - Projector Room - PSC Photos - PSC Camera Creations - Tech Addicts

The Team
Ted Salmon - Aidan Bell - Gareth Myles - Joe Hickey - Chris Clayton - Ian Bundey - Charlie Winston

Affection (2025)

Affection is a sci-fi psychological horror film written and directed by BT Meza, starring Jessica Rothe, Joseph Cross and Julianna Layne. It's a claustrophobic, three-actor show that leaps between domestic family thriller and bleak sci-fi body-horror nightmare. It's quite good fun but had me scratching my head most of the time, with the 'science' bit not quite hanging together (not that I'm a scientist, so what do I know?)!

Anyway, the film starts with a bang as the camera moves eerily along a deserted road, empty other than a car, askew, with one door open, engine running, lights on and a woman lying on the tarmac. The suggestion is that some kind of accident has happened. Then, suddenly, the woman's eyes bolt into life as she suffers some kind of seizure. This goes on for a few moments, subsides, then we see her staggering along the road, dragging one leg, which is clearly broken at the ankle. Then another tragedy strikes - it's clearly not her day!

Cut to her waking up in a lovely country home next to a man asleep in their double bed. She has no idea who he is or where she is and is convinced that her name is Sarah - and that she has a son. Bruce (Cross), the man, tries to convince her otherwise. Downplaying her panic, he tells her that she is Ellie Carter and is his wife. Just then, a little girl rushes in calling her 'mummy'. He explains that the little girl, Alice (Layne), is their daughter. Bruce tries to explain to her that she survived a car accident which caused a severe, traumatic brain injury. He tells her that her brain can no longer properly process new data, mixing up reality with vivid, fabricated nightmares. He claims he moved the family out to this remote estate, cut off from the outside world, so she can heal in complete peace.

As the days progress, Ellie experiences more seizures, full-body tremors and horrifying hallucinations - including seeing a blood-splattered, moving body bag dumped in the woods. Every time she has a major fit, her memory seems to completely reset, forcing Bruce to patiently show her family albums, home videos and wedding photos to convince her of her identity all over again. Bruce often turns from the calm, loving and kind man helping her to recover into a frustrated abuser when she isn't 'getting it' quickly enough for him.

Eventually, she accepts her life as 'Ellie', but small details don't add up. She finds a mysterious, raw puncture mark on the back of her neck - and notices one on Alice's too. Bruce and Alice give her conflicting stories about whether Ellie's parents are dead or alive. Driven by suspicion, Ellie breaks away from Bruce's watchful eye and investigates the isolated property. In the woods, she discovers a hidden outbuilding where Bruce seems to spend a lot of his time.

And so the mystery of what's actually going on - or not - starts to unfold for us. The film evolves into a brutal, claustrophobic but also heartbreaking game of survival with a violent, gory showdown! Apparently, the director has said that the film was heavily inspired by his own family history of watching a parent fall into an abusive relationship and the cycle of domestic abuse that followed, replacing all trust and love.

It's fairly well shot with the three actors doing a decent job, particularly Rothe and the little girl, Layne. They are convincing enough and lend their performances to what is a decent, if far-fetched, little 90-minute thriller. It's gory at times, some of the make-up is pretty good, and the sci-fi scenes are well-imagined, but it's kind of clichéd too - nothing new here.

The first half is certainly better than the second; the mystery holds our attention but as the reveals come along, it becomes less potent and interesting, I felt. It has some tension here and there, but it feels like the filmmakers wanted it to be more sci-fi than thriller or drama really, but somewhat missing the target. And sadly, the DVD cover presents us with a bit of a giveaway to it all! Worth a look though for sure, now streaming on various platforms in the UK.

Alpha (2025)

Julia Ducournau’s Alpha was criticised at Cannes, and beyond, with opinion fiercely divided. Some found it a frustrating departure from the aggressive, high-octane body horror of Titane and Raw. But this feels like something different. It is more of a deeply artistic story about grief, prejudice and marginalised people, wrapped up in a surreal, slow-burning psychological thriller.

Alpha is a 13-year-old girl played by Mélissa Boros, and her single mother, played by Golshifteh Farahani, is a doctor in a hospital completely overwhelmed by an unexplainable, contagious bloodborne pandemic that is gradually turning infected people into marble-like stone. Alpha is a bit of a tearaway and her mum is often not around to contain her desire to get out and about, exploring life's less conservative opportunities. After passing out at a party one day, Alpha wakes to find someone has given her a crude capital letter 'A' tattoo on her arm.

The next day, her mum instantly panics, terrified that a contaminated needle has infected Alpha with this marbling virus. She forces Alpha to have a tetanus jab and a blood test just to be sure. Unfortunately, they have to wait two weeks for the results. During this time, word leaks at school about the tattoo and the kids around her start to isolate and bully her, treating her like a walking hazard. Even her love interest, Adrien, turns on her.

Back at home, Alpha's heroin-addicted uncle, Amin, played by Tahar Rahim, suddenly returns after years of being away, high and in jail, and she finds him hiding out in her bedroom. She does not know or remember him, so she thinks there is a stranger in her room while her mum is at work. She pulls a knife on him, threateningly, trying to get him to prove who he is. Mum turns up and smoothes out the misunderstanding, doing her best to shelter her brother after he unexpectedly reappeared.

Over time, Amin and Alpha form a touching, protective bond, but the film jumps about the timeline a bit, visiting scenes from the present and from eight years previous, when Alpha was five. It does get a bit confusing here as to what is in the past and what is the present, who is what age at any given time, and in amongst all that, what state of infection or drug influence Amin is actually under. What we see are scenes from both time periods, with the three characters presented at different ages, dreamily mixed between fantasy and reality.

To be honest, I did find it hard to keep up with the exact meaning and who was where at any given scene. It is certainly one of those films that you need to watch twice once you get your head around the meanings and the characters' actions. But it is safe to say that it is a very moving tale of a family's unresolved trauma, guilt and grief. Can Alpha work out the reality of her situation? Is she sick with the infection? Is Amin sick, beyond being high on drugs? Does he have HIV/AIDS? How is that related to the marbling, if at all? Can they find a path to resolve the past and present between them?

There are further moving scenes throughout the film involving other players, including Alpha's gay English teacher (who is verbally abused by her classmates) whose partner is turning to marble. There are a couple of incredibly moving and emotional scenes between Alpha and Amin where they conclude that words are simply not enough. We also see Maman at work - frantic, exhausted and emotionally invested in her patients' wellbeing, even when she knows there is very little she can do for them beyond general care and pain management.

Then there are the cultural dynamics of their North African immigrant family, being in France. The grandmother attributes the illness to a superstitious, demonic force she calls The Red Wind. This layer highlights a marked generation gap between the traditional, superstitious grandmother and the Western-educated, rational and scientific doctor mum - with Alpha trapped in the middle, trying to find her own way. There are also striking surreal elements throughout the film, like the walls of Alpha's bedroom literally closing in on her, symbolising how choked she feels by her isolation and guilt, it would seem.

The gorgeous, melancholic piano score contrasts beautifully with the tactile horror of human bodies turning to marble, elevating it from a standard body horror film into something altogether poetic. So no - it doesn't deliver the shocking, violent body horror of Raw or Titane, but rather a reflective, heartbreaking family drama that uses body horror as a theme rather than a shock tactic.

The three lead actors are fabulous and worth watching the film for, regardless of the story. Tahar Rahim’s portrayal of addiction in Amin is the most 'shocking' thing about the film, and the emotional performances from the two female leads move this much higher up the watchlist. The raw family emotion makes it through and past the chaos of the tale. Alpha is a tragic, challenging, artistic film full of puzzles and mysteries to unpick (as I said, probably a second time around)! You can catch it now in the UK on a few streaming services and it comes highly recommended.

The Killer Feature

Do you ever use a piece of gear that really doesn't tick enough boxes for you to want to use, but has that one feature that you can't get anywhere else which just draws you in?! Now Playing on Pixels comes to mind. But this week's focus seems to be on the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra here and, most importantly, it's really very good and usable speaker output for playing music on-the-go, on-the-wrist. Hear me out...

Yeah, I know, you're likely to have your phone with you anyway, so what's the point you might ask, but it makes for a fun gadget and I do use it (when I'm in Samsung Mode)! Wandering around the house, putting the kettle on, popping to the lav, cooking - 101 ways - and it's always with you, always rolling, without having to plug your ears up with buds, isolated from the world. The sound from it is certainly loud enough for the above-mentioned activities - and there's a little bit of bass, but perfectly good enough for casual listening. At least, for me. And I don't know of another watch that has/does this.

You do need a Samsung Galaxy Phone to service it, mind you. You can, kind of cludge it on with a non-Galaxy phone, but it's sweet with one. Inside the Wearable app, head for Manage Content and you can see that there's an option to Auto sync which refreshes the tracks from whatever is on the phone's playlists, what looks like randomly. So I asked Gemma!

"When you select a playlist or a general pool of music to sync, the Galaxy Wearable app doesn't treat the source as a massive bucket of individual, isolated files to random-sample one by one. Instead, it respects the structural metadata of how that music was ingested or grouped on your phone (often relying on the Samsung Music app or Android's media store database). If your 4,000-track pool is comprised of albums that are technically cataloged as playlists, or if the auto-sync logic decides to grab a recently added or most played group, it will pull down the entire cohesive unit (the album) to ensure playback continuity on the watch. To optimise battery and storage, the background process prefers doing a single, sequential block transfer of a folder/album rather than constantly querying the storage database for 15 or 20 distinct, scattered audio files. It essentially picks a starting point - often an album or a specific sub-folder - and syncs the entire block until it reaches its self-imposed limit for that specific sync cycle. So the process is pseudo-random at best. It usually prioritises tracks or albums added to the phone recently and content you listen to frequently on the phone. It might just be traversing your 4,000-track directory sequentially from a random starting index, meaning it hits Album A, grabs all its tracks because they are contiguous in the database and then stops when the sync quota is filled. If you want a truly mixed selection on your Galaxy Watch Ultra rather than full albums taking up space, the auto-sync toggle isn't smart enough to shuffle-pick for you. Best workarounds are to create a dedicated, say, Watch Shuffle Playlist on your phone, create a static or dynamic playlist of, say, 200 tracks that you manually shuffle or refresh. In the Wearable app, uncheck the massive 4,000-track pool and only check this specific playlist then turn off Auto Sync. It's a bit more old school granular file management, but it ensures exactly what you want on the storage is what stays there." (Course, she could be talking bollox!)

My Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra has 32GB of storage and she reckons that about half of that will be available for my media, so given the average size of an mp3 track, possibly up to 2,000 files are possible to make it across.

It's not going to work terribly well without it being paired to a Samsung phone, as I say. It will do the sync and stay on the watch even if the Samsung phone is then turned off, but if you pair the watch with another phone, it's all gone. So you have a watch on your wrist which isn't terribly functional but is at least a strap-on mini Bluetooth speaker of sorts! So yes, a feature best used within Samsung's ecosystem of course. And some people won't feel the need or desire - or get the kick - out of it doing this on the wrist and will argue that there are better solutions - the simple one, to use the phone - but I like it very much and, as I say, for my purposes, the output is good enough. In fact, remarkably good.

I did notice that there was missing album artwork and so went on a long, slow and winding quest to fix that - and did in the end by embedding jpg images using the open source Album Art Downloader, checked and fixed by Mp3tag, both for Windows. I saved them to my master files on my PC then re-sync'd them to the phone, then the next time it synced to the watch they appeared! More old-school file management. It would be nice if the Samsung phone could do that all for me by flying off like PowerAmp does, collecting the images and plonking them in. Even PowerAmp doesn't seem to make them available system-wide for other apps, writing them to the files, so I've done it long-hand! Feel free to pipe up and tell me what a fool I've been and highlight a simper way! It's all good fun though, pretending it's 1998 again!

Anyway, that's my Killer Feature item which often throws the toggle for me to meander my way back to Samsung (in my case). What's your Killer Feature that pulls you back in somewhere, regardless of other compromises?

Disclosure Day (2026) - A Guest Review by Adrian Brain

This is Spielberg's latest addition to the SciFi genre he once owned. It could easily be considered “Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Part Two”, though it is nowhere near as accomplished as his earlier classic. In fact in places it is a real mess, though there are redeeming features.

If you have seen the trailer, you essentially know the plot, so I won’t waste your time or give any spoilers in that area. Imagine a bunch of episodes of the X-files cut up and reassembled and you essentially have the tone, style and substance of this film.

The first redeeming feature is the brilliant casting - Emily Blunt, Josh O'Connor, Colin Firth and Colman Domingo are the leads and each are superb. Even actors in supporting roles shine - Spielberg knows how to let actors perform at their best.

He also knows how to direct thrilling action set pieces; there is one outstanding piece that recalls his “Raiders Of The Lost Ark” heyday. Sadly though there is a lot of “this happened, then that happened” presented without his usual story telling flair. Plot holes and implausibility also get in the way of enjoying the proceedings.

I did enjoy the main themes of the film though (empathy is a super-power, religion is not belief in an external entity but belief in humanity), even if they were hammered home rather obviously. All in all, far from a classic but just about enough going on to be worth a watch.

Lulu on the Bridge (1998)

Written and directed by acclaimed novelist Paul Auster (who also wrote those other Harvey Keitel gems Smoke and Blue in the Face in the 90s), this is the story of Izzy Maurer (Keitel), a jazz saxophonist who plays live in a New York club regularly. Music is his world. He has no other interests and, as we discover later, would rather die than live without it. He is not wildly successful, but has, in the past, produced recordings which made it to CD releases.

He is a moody chap - laid-back and mellow, depressed at times and self-isolated. He is much more like the Keitel character we saw in The Piano (1993) than any up-tempo Tarantino film! Anyway, the story starts as we watch him going about his craft, when some fruit-loop bursts in with a gun, shoots Izzy in the chest and then shoots himself. Izzy survives a seven-hour operation but loses his left lung. Because his lung capacity is gone, his identity and his passion for playing are completely destroyed. He falls even deeper into an isolated depression.

Slowly venturing back into the world after a while, coaxed by his ex-wife Hanna (played by Gina Gershon), he goes to a dinner party she is throwing, where he meets film director Catherine Moore (Vanessa Redgrave). Meanwhile, we are briefly introduced to Celia Burns (Mira Sorvino), a struggling young actress working as a waitress who happens to buy Izzy’s CD, fascinated by the musician who can never play again. One night, walking through the wet streets of Manhattan, Izzy stumbles upon a dead body. Panicked, he steals the dead man's leather bag. Inside, he finds a serviette with a phone number and a strange, unearthly stone that glows with a brilliant blue light and levitates when the room is dark!

Intrigued, Izzy calls the number and Celia answers. He invites himself to her flat, demands to know what she knows about the dead man, and shows her the serviette and glowing stone. They are both transfixed by it, and when they touch it together, they experience a magical kind of surge of connection and immediately fall deeply, intensely in love! Izzy becomes entirely consumed by Celia. He gets a job at her restaurant just to be near her and when she auditions for Catherine Moore's new film - a remake of Frank Wedekind's classic tragedy Lulu - Izzy uses his connections to help her land the title role.

So Celia flies out to Dublin to begin filming, with Izzy promising to join her in a few days. But the moment she leaves, things take a bizarre turn for the worse for Izzy. Things are going swimmingly for Celia and she is doing a fab job with her acting, but he has disappeared. She tries to phone him (these are landline days, so there is no ready access to mobiles) but he doesn't answer. We see what happens to him, but I won't spoil that for you - from hereon in, you're on your own!

A young-looking Willem Dafoe pops in for a kind of cameo as a deeply unsettling Dr Van Horn, who seems to know something about the stone Izzy found, and wants it back! He seems to know everything there is to know about Izzy and his life, even his recent infatuation with Celia, who is still trying to phone Izzy at his flat between filming scenes. Turns out that through reflection, Izzy really has been a bit of a selfish cad his whole life and Van Horn brings it all up for us to know too.

Back to Dublin, then, and Celia is panicking by now because she hasn't heard from Izzy. She abandons her filming on the last day, much to the distress of those around her, and, like Izzy, disappears (with the stone). Nobody knows where she is, except for us, and huge searches of Dublin return nothing.

Keitel is terrific, as always, and the supporting cast is right up there with him. There's a very funny cameo when Lou Reed pops into a scene that Celia has filmed in the past and is showing Izzy, but she tells him that it's not Lou Reed - and in the credits, the character is actually called 'Not Lou Reed', but it is Lou Reed!

The film also has a 1980s feel about it, even though it's not, and for me, features many nods to Woody Allen. The music - solo piano with hints towards light jazz - and the story being about filmmakers and scriptwriters all hint at a romantic, tragic love story, though without being littered with Allen's signature one-liners! Then there's Mira Sorvino, who was fabulous in Mighty Aphrodite three years prior, and Gina Gershon from Allen's Rifkin's Festival in 2020. It might be my imagination, but it just feels like a largely dialogue-driven New York story of which he'd have been proud.

The cinematography was also interesting, as the director made good use of lighting and shadows, verging on a noir approach. When Izzy was alone, particularly, wallowing in self-pity, isolated, sad and reflective, he was often half-lit in dim interiors and other characters in long shots of wet streets were significant throughout. It also seems to have been shot in 4:3, adding to the nostalgic tone. It's a super little film which has some real depth to it, and which I enjoyed very much. Now for the spoilers...

Spoilers From Hereon In

When Izzy disappears, he has actually been abducted by Van Horn's heavies and thrown into a dungeon-style room, where the doctor interrogates him to find out where the stone is, as it's valuable and he needs it back. He doesn't buy the notion that Izzy stumbled on the body, but thinks rather that he knew the man. Izzy doesn't crack, though, even when Van Horn reveals that he knows all about Celia and that Izzy will never see her again if he doesn't hand over the stone. He's locked in this room for days on end.

Meanwhile, Celia, heartbroken in Dublin and thinking that Izzy has abandoned her, takes the stone and throws it into the river. She then suddenly realises that she is being cornered by Van Horn's henchmen. Believing life is not worth living without Izzy, she follows the stone into the drink and ends it all.

But hold on, because we now cut right back to the beginning with Izzy lying on the floor of the club with a bullet in him and we see him being loaded into the back of an ambulance. On the way to the hospital, he dies. He never had surgery. He never lost his lung. He never found a body, a stone or got abducted. As the ambulance pulls away, it passes Celia walking along the pavement. In reality, she and Izzy never met. She simply walks away into the night.

Lulu on the Bridge takes place entirely in the brief window of time between life and death. The glowing rock, the intense romance and the kidnapping are the subconscious mind desperately spinning a narrative to cope with sudden trauma. The rock represents the final spark of human consciousness. When Izzy and Celia touch it, they feel 'connected to everything' - the euphoric feeling of transitioning out of life.

Willem Dafoe's character isn't a mobster, a government agent, or a doctor, he is Izzy’s own conscience forcing him to confront his selfishness, his coldness and his ego before his 'soul' can move on. Izzy's captivity in the room is the painful process of dying - a dying man's dream. He is trapped inside his own failing mind, often half-lit, as mentioned above, because he is transitioning from the light of life into the darkness of death. It's a heavy, hauntingly poetic film about what might have been if two souls had crossed paths under different circumstances and well worth a look. Particularly if you didn't read these spoilers!

I have the DVD from years back and shockingly never watched it! I'm sure it can be found by now in various places though being 28 years old!