Lesley Manville's "outstanding" spy thriller is now available to watch in the UK

Lesley Manville's spy thriller Winter of the Crow has been released in UK cinemas today. The movie is based on the short story Professor Andrews Goes to Warsaw, written by Polish Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk.

Manville stars in a gender-swapped role as Dr Joan Andrews, a psychiatry professor visiting Poland as a guest lecturer. When martial law is suddenly imposed in 1981, Joan finds herself in grave danger as she is trapped in the capital.

After photographing the murder of a student by a secret police officer, she becomes "a hunted fugitive running for her life". Joan must navigate the streets of Warsaw to make her escape, while figuring out who she can trust.

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"Compelled by a conscience she did not know she had, Joan finds the courage and determination to try and outsmart a totalitarian regime and pursue a path to justice for her new Polish friends," reads the synopsis.

"But in the face of such oppression, will she make the last flight home and manage to get her incriminating photos out into the world?"

Directed by Kasia Adamik, the movie first debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025. It currently holds a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes from 17 reviews, with Easy Reader (California) calling it an "outstanding independent film that deserves a wider audience".

"Lesley Manville delivers a quietly commanding performance in a film that transforms a bleak winter landscape into a tense, emotionally rich portrait of resistance and survival," said Next Best Picture.

Related: Lesley Manville's "gripping" British spy thriller confirms first UK screening

IndieWire added: "At a time when most budget-conscious period pieces are undone by the glossiness of modern digital formats, Winter of the Crow feels like nothing less than a small miracle of evocation."

Meanwhile, Winter of the Crow isn't the only movie hitting the big screen today. Survival thriller adaptation Whalefall, martial arts comedy Street Fighter and animated fantasy comedy Forgotten Island are all available to watch right now, giving cinemagoers plenty to choose from.

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Divya is a freelance writer with experience in entertainment and lifestyle news. Described as a "telly addict" since childhood, Divya was able to translate her interests into a BJTC-accredited, Honours degree in Journalism and Media. After working in communications and marketing, Divya joined Digital Spy as a Freelance News Reporter. She has also written for various publications including Metro, Asian World News and TwitCelebGossip; as well as interviews, features and reviews on her own blog. Divya prides herself on her TV, film and showbiz knowledge, always offering (not so) fun facts to her long-suffering friends and family. From soaps to superheroes, Divya is the go-to person for tailored recommendations and up to date information.