journey

Filled with scenic vistas of lush countryside, sugar-like beaches and crystal-clear waters, this short but impressive train journey has been crowned one of the country’s best

Idle along one of England’s most picturesque stretches of coastline on this stunning train journey that costs less than a tenner. The UK’s railways aren’t perhaps the first thing that springs to mind when you think of sugar-like beaches and crystal-clear waters. Plagued by constant delays, last-minute cancellations and insufferably busy carriages, many Brits only hop on board a train if they have no other choice.

However, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a slew of enchanting routes that snake through lush countryside before rolling past miles of soft golden sands and beach huts. The Riviera Line from Exeter to Paignton is no exception, and urgently needs to be added to your bucket list.

READ MORE: UK’s poshest train with seaside views and £11k cabins suffers major blow

Featuring 12 stops altogether, the train departs from Exeter St Davids, making its way down to the River Exe before hugging the coastline until you reach Teignmouth (this is the most scenic section of the line, so make sure you reserve a good window seat). From here, you’ll head back inland to Newton Abbot, edging close to Dartmoor National Park before heading back to shore for the final three stops in Torre, Torquay and Paignton.

Touted as the ‘family hub of the English Riviera’, exploring Paignton or staying overnight is well worth the effort. You’ll have a long stretch of pristine beach right on your doorstep, along with a promenade, traditional pier, colourful beach huts and even palm trees. Here, you’ll also find rows of arcades, thrilling rides, mini-golf courses and the acclaimed Paignton Zoo.

As previously reported, Paignton is about to become even more attractive following the council’s approval of a huge £14 million regeneration scheme. Described as a ‘once-in-a-generation opportunity’, the proposal, which has secured the backing of the Torbay Council planning committee, aims to revamp two of the town’s seafront areas as part of a broader sea defence initiative.

Apart from giving Paignton’s promenade a facelift with new seating terraces, the existing shelters, kiosks and cafes will find new homes along the sea line. The makeover includes a fresh entrance at South Green, opening up vehicle access to the seafront – though cars won’t be allowed onto the promenade itself.

“Like the rest of the English Riviera, Paignton benefits from a mild climate and sub-tropical palm trees, giving that real continental, holiday feel, and when we are blessed with good weather, you could be anywhere in the world,” hails The English Riviera tourist board. “But, like all our coastal towns, they showcase their own beauty in the winter months too, so whatever time of year you choose to visit, you are sure to have an enjoyable stay.”

With all of this in mind, it’s no surprise the Riviera Line was crowned the most scenic train journey in the country by National Geographic. Outranking prestigious tracks including the Cambrian Coast Highway and the iconic Western Scenic Wonders – the 27-mile journey was hailed for showcasing the ‘best views the English Riviera has to offer’.

“South Devon’s Riviera Line connects Exeter with Paignton, threading its way past towering cliffs, numerous estuaries (look out for egrets, one of the UK’s rarest birds), quaint market towns and Powderham Castle, with its deer-filled grounds,” the publication wrote. “Disembark in Newton Abbot to visit Newton’s Place, a 19^th-century church housing a small museum that explores how railways transformed this part of Devon in the 1800s.”

The Exeter to Paignton service, which takes around 53 minutes, departs multiple times a day. If you’re flexible with dates, you can grab single adult fare for as little as £8.40. There is a shorter version of this train which doesn’t stop at St Thomas, Starcross, or Dawlish Warren – cutting around 13 minutes from the journey, but still offering some pretty fantastic sea views.

*Prices based on Trainline listings at the time of writing.

Do you have a story to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured.

Spain had dominated possession, but they had struggled to break through a resilient defence in Zurich as Christian Wuck’s side dug deep to force extra time.

But with the game looking destined for a penalty shootout, Bonmati stepped up when it mattered – sending Spain to their first Women’s Euro final.

“It was not easy for [Bonmati] at the beginning of the tournament but she has a special personality to be at the maximum level,” said Spain boss Montse Tome.

Bonmati had cleverly darted into space between Germany defenders Rebecca Knaak and Franziska Kett, before receiving Del Castillo’s pass on the half-turn.

Despite the tight angle, she buried the ball in at the near post.

“Top-class players turn up in the moments and that’s what Spain needed. That’s why Bonmati is a Ballon d’Or winner,” ex-Scotland defender Jen Beattie said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

Former England defender Steph Houghton added: “I honestly thought from Spain’s point of view she was definitely their best player and she’s got them through to their first-ever European Championship final.”

The goal sent the Spanish fans at Stadion Letzigrund into pandemonium, while the scorer was immediately embraced by members of La Roja’s bench.

“When the ball was in, I started running and I saw the bench standing so I celebrated with them,” said Bonmati.

“Scoring in a game like this one is super-special. If I can help the team write history, it’s very special.”

She added: “I was confident in my mentality and my physical situation. I wanted to get to this game at my best level. Thanks to all people who were next to me to help me reach this level.”

From green-capped mountains to creamy golden beaches and dense forests, this two-hour train journey has been crowned one of the country’s best – and it’s pretty easy to see why

Watch rolling countryside and golden sandy beaches from the comfort of your own seat on this picturesque train journey. Let’s face it, the UK’s railways don’t exactly have the best reputation. Plagued with constant delays, cancellations, and crowded carriages – hopping on a train for leisure seems like an oxymoron.

However, if you look hard enough, you’ll find a slew of beautiful trains that seem worlds away from your bleak morning commute. Take the Machynlleth to Pwllheli route in Wales, for example, which was recently named one of the best train journeys in the country by Conde Nast Traveller.

READ MORE: UK’s most unique 417-mile train ride passes stunning scenery but has major catch

The 31-mile track, which lasts for around two hours and 12 minutes, idles through breathtaking mountains, stunning beaches, and dense forests, and can cost less than £20 for a return.

“Just inside the southernmost rim of Snowdonia National Park, this route is blessed by nature from the moment the train departs,” the publication hailed. “Passengers gaze onto scenes of tall grass smattered with waist-high wildflowers and puffy clouds over peaks fringed with forest… Not long after Dovey Junction station, the ride follows the bends of the River Dyfi until it opens wide onto the Cardigan Bay coast, shaped by fingers of creamy sand and dunes melting into the water.”

The train has 25 stops, including the ‘most isolated station in Wales’, Dovey Junction, and the acclaimed seaside town of Barmouth – just make sure you get a window seat to make the most of the journey. Most of the track hugs the country’s stunning coastline, allowing for plenty of beach vistas and sea views. However, there are no first class carriages, so it might be worth bringing your own train picnic.

Machynlleth to Pwllheli – the full route

• Machynlleth
• Dovey Junction
• Penhelig
• Aberdovey
• Tywyn
• Tonfanau
• Llwyngwril
• Fairbourne
• Morfa Mawddach
• Barmouth
• Llanaber
• Talybont
• Dyffryn Ardudwy
• Llanbedr
• Pensarn (Gwynedd)
• Llandanwg
• Harlech
• Tygwyn
• Talsarnau
• Llandecwyn
• Penrhyndeudraeth
• Minffordd
• Porthmadog
• Criccieth
• Penychain
• Abererch
• Pwllheli

Machynlleth is located 217 miles from Central London, meaning you’ll have to drive around four hours and 47 minutes to get there. You can catch an indirect train from London Euston, which includes a stop over at Birmingham but only takes three hours and 52 minutes. Single adult fares start from £37.20.

After arriving in Machynlleth, you can hop straight onto the train to Pwllheli or spend the night in the market town. Here, you’ll find an array of museums, the Michelin-starred restaurant Ynyshir, and – if you time it right – Machynlleth Comedy Festival.

You can grab return fares to Pwllheli and back for as little as £21.09. If you have a railcard, this can cut down the price to an even more impressive £13.99 – which works out at less than £7 each way!

*Prices based on Trainline listings at the time of writing.

Do you have a story to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured.

“See the pink roses?” Mariska Hargitay says as she shuffles outside her home.

We’re on a video call, and when asked whether she feels the presence of her late mother Jayne Mansfield any more vividly since directing the documentary that explores her life and legacy, Hargitay swings her laptop around to give me a peek at the lush greenery of her New York home. Hargitay points to blooms a shade of pink that her mother — who famously lived in the Pink Palace, a Mediterranean-style L.A. mansion — would surely appreciate.

“I call it my Snow White balcony. I sit here and squirrels and butterflies and birds come up,” she says. “I was talking to somebody this morning, my friend, who told me the most beautiful analogy for the movie. And as she said, ‘Your mother would be so proud of you,’ these roses, right at that moment — a whole bloom fell off. It can’t be a coincidence. It’s just not.”

The “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” actor also mentions visiting a spa recently and noticing the robes were by the Mansfield brand. “Crazy stuff is happening all the time to me … She’s with me in a new way. I’ve never felt her presence more.”

“Oh, look at this! You want to cry?” Hargitay jolts up, this time lugging the laptop into an en suite bathroom. “This was a whole scene. It’s not in the movie — I wanted it to be. But there are my mother’s sinks.” She pans down to show double sinks that feature a cherub motif.

“I just redid this bathroom because my brother, when they were tearing down the pink house, he got the sinks,” she says. “He gave them to me. I just ripped out our whole bathroom and had them put in with that pink marble. I’m living with her now, with pink roses and her sinks and my pink quartz hearts. She’s with me now.”

Mariska Hargitay in HBO’s “My Mom Jayne,” when she visits the storage unit filled with her mother’s belongings. “Why now? Because I was finally ready … I had so much internal work to do.”

(HBO)

It can all be felt in “My Mom Jayne,” the emotional and revealing documentary about Mansfield, an actor who epitomized the blond bombshell archetype of the 1950s, that premieres at 8 p.m. Friday on HBO and Max.

Hargitay was 3 years old and asleep in the back seat of a car with two of her siblings when their vehicle collided with a truck in 1967, killing Mansfield, who was born Vera Jayne Palmer. In Hargitay’s debut as a documentary director — a role she sometimes juggled while portraying Capt. Olivia Benson on NBC’s long-running crime procedural — she confronts and heals her complicated relationship with a mother she barely knew. As part of the journey, Hargitay reveals a family secret she’s been keeping for more than 30 years: Her biological father is not Mickey Hargitay, the man who raised her, but rather Nelson Sardelli, a former Las Vegas entertainer.

From her home, wearing a pastel blue hoodie that said “New York or Nowhere,” Hargitay discussed what it was like unpacking her mother’s story. Here are edited excerpts of the conversation.

How did you come to the decision that you wanted to share this story and this journey as a documentary rather than as a book? And why now?

I think I’m a better filmmaker than writer. I’m very passionate about documentaries. It’s a very visceral way of grokking a story for me, and I’ve had such powerful experiences with them. One of the things that was so important to me in this was to have everyone’s own words in the story because it’s their story as much as it is mine. It just felt like the most authentic way to approach the storytelling.

Why now? Because I was finally ready. Over the years, there’ve been so many times when various people asked me if I was going to do a doc about my mom, especially after my first one, “I Am Evidence” [the 2017 documentary Hargitay produced about sexual assault survivors whose rape kits went untested for years]. I don’t know if you know this, but I was obsessed with “Hamilton”; I saw it probably 27 times. One night, somebody said, “Oh, I’m friends with Ron Chernow [the author whose biography of Alexander Hamilton served as the inspiration for the musical] and I would love you to meet him.” We went to this dinner, and Ron and I ended up alone in a corner talking because he had seen “I Am Evidence.” He said, “Why haven’t you done a documentary, Mariska, about your mother? I think you should do a documentary.” I said to him, “Well, Ron, I don’t think I could. Everyone’s dead.” He said to me, without irony, “I think I could help you with that.”

In this moment, I realized who I was talking to — this historian, this titan of books. [He was] one of the people who just gently urged me, eased me off the the cliff. But I had so much internal work to do. I had to really shore myself up and and heal myself to make sure that I could come at it in an open, curious and objective way. It was during the pandemic that I was out in my house in Long Island, and I just had time to sit and think and go through things that I hadn’t [before]. I’d found boxes of letters that I’d received from people over the years while I was on “SVU” that I actually couldn’t even take in. If it was a letter, and it started with, “I knew your mother…,” “I knew Jayne Mansfield…,” I’d sort of go, “Ahhhh,” and put it in a box — literally, put it in a box. This is a story of opening boxes, physically and metaphorically.

Mariska Hargitay is reconnecting with her late mother in “My Mom Jayne”: “Crazy stuff is happening all the time to me. … She’s with me in a new way. I’ve never felt her presence more.” (Victoria Will / For The Times)

You were in the early years of your career when you found out this secret about your father. What do you remember about that period, trying to navigate this career while maybe feeling disconnected or untethered to an identity?

It was so disorienting. If I think about it, I can feel it in my body. It felt like the melting of my identity. It felt like I didn’t have footing anymore to stand on. The one thing that I did identify with — being my father’s daughter — was erased. And on top of it, the layers of it being secret, I couldn’t even process. I was so alone in it — because of shame, because of loyalty; I didn’t want to betray him. I remember it being the moment that I became an adult. Obviously, your life is irrevocably changed when we lose that connection with mother, as mother is everything to a child. But also because so much of it was at a time of being pre-verbal, I had all these feelings in me that I couldn’t process, couldn’t metabolize, couldn’t speak about. I was just this child of locked-in pain.

One thing I didn’t say in the movie that I wish I did, which is such a beautiful metaphor — when I left Sabin’s [Sabin Gray operated the Jayne Mansfield Fan Club and alluded to the secret during a meeting with Hargitay] and I went up to see my dad, my father was literally building me a house. How about that for a metaphor? I walked in and I was hysterically crying. He’s like, “What’s the matter?” I said, “Why didn’t you tell me? You lied to me! How could you lie to me?” To see this superhero, strong man, my mentor, my everything be undone and to see him go into such extraordinary denial that even me, as a 25-year-old, went, “Oh, I can handle this. He’s in too much pain. I don’t want to hurt him” — that was the moment that I remember going, “I’ll shoulder this myself. I can handle it.”

Hargitay, who was 3 years old when Mansfield was killed in a car crash, confronts and heals her complicated relationship with a mother she barely knew: “The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” she says. (Walter Fischer / HBO, HBO, courtesy of Hargitay family / HBO)

Something that fascinated me as I entered adulthood was how curious I became about my parents as I became the age they were when they had me. You talk about feeling motherly about your mom now and giving her grace. Tell me more about that.

I think that as little girls, we all want our parents to be this certain way. For me, I wanted a normal mom that stayed home and baked cookies and didn’t run around in heels, in a bikini. I was like, “Why can’t you be normal?” So not understanding and having that myopic view or wish now, being 61 — I have three children, I have a career, I have a foundation, I have a husband. There is so much to manage, and it is hard to do it all with grace and elegance and love. I don’t know how I do it sometimes, other than I have a lot of help and an amazing husband. I got married at 40. I had my first child at 42. I was cooked; I was an adult. I had learned so much. I had so much life experience.

As I say in the film, she [Mansfield] was a baby. She was 16 years old when she got pregnant, and I will never know the story of how she got pregnant. But what she had to navigate alone with a child — I’ll tell you this, if I was pregnant and living in Dallas, Texas, I don’t know that I would have gone to L.A. by myself. I wanted to go to New York for 10 years before I left, and the reason I left is because I had a job. And this girl got in the car with her 3-year-old [Hargitay’s sister, Jayne Marie Mansfield] and said, “We’re going to California.” And the husband said, “I’m out.” But she said, “I’m doing this.” I look at her a little bit like a superhero and go, “I don’t think I could have done that.” The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me. I was wrong to go into this film feeling one way about Nelson and thinking he abandoned me, he left my mother, he knew she was pregnant. And after all of that, to be left with: He did the right thing. He made the ultimate sacrifice for me.

How did you talk about this experience and this journey with your own kids?

First of all, they watched the whole journey. They also watched me go from being hazy — like, they’d say, “Who’s Nelson?” I’d be like, “Well, he’s like family. He’s like a second father.” And they’re like, “What do you mean?” But it was quite extraordinary for them, I think, to see this journey and to see their mother go, “Hey, guys, there are a lot of secrets in my life. I don’t want you to have secrets.” I felt like I deserved to know the truth, and I felt very betrayed finding out at 25 that my life, this person I wanted to emulate, was not my biological father. Now that also has changed because now I go, “It doesn’t matter, and nothing can change the fact that Mickey Hargitay is my father.” But I wanted my children to know that I don’t want secrets to hold them back.

“The process of making this film has been so extraordinary to me and totally reframed the narrative for me,” Mariska Hargitay says.

(Victoria Will / For The Times)

There’s the moment where you speak with your mother’s press secretary, Raymond “Rusty” Strait. He had written a book that revealed the truth about your father. You ask him whether he thought it was his story to tell, and he said yes. What was that experience like for you?

It was a very difficult interview compared to the rest of the film. I felt a lot of feelings, a lot of anger. I wanted to protect her [Mansfield] from him because he did not protect her. He said that he loved her, then right after she died, he wrote this book [“The Tragic Secret Life of Jayne Mansfield”]. Those were two very difficult things for me to reconcile still. What’s hard for me is that there are many things in the book that are not true that I know for a fact. I think if you’re going to write a biography about somebody, do your work. That [interview] was very painful to me because I never really got the response I was hoping for. It’s my job to give people the benefit of the doubt and to try to understand, and that’s what I did. But he betrayed my mother and he betrayed my family.

Yet the beauty of this is that even though it was in the world, somehow the story was protected and I got to tell it. That is extraordinary. I can’t believe that this was written in a book and that I found out when I was 25; I met him [Nelson] when I was 30. All the people — his family that knew, my sisters that knew, my friends that knew, Jayne Marie and Tony — my older sister and my younger brother — and it still never got out. And to me, that is divine intervention.

I was very concerned when I saw the crane hauling your mother’s piano into your Manhattan home. What’s it been like to have that piano in your possession?

It was the happiest day of of my life. It felt like I was reclaiming something. I was actually getting a piece of my mother back. Then there was another part of me that was like, “Who did I marry? What kind of awesome human being did I sign up for? I can’t even comprehend that I was first in line when God was handing out the husbands.”

Then I’m like, “You guys, this cannot be good, just on a physics level.” I kept saying, “Marish. Marish. People do this all the time. This is not their first barbecue.” I’ve never been on edge that much, but it was absolutely glorious.

Do you think you’ll see your mother again?

When I go to heaven? Assuming I get in?

Wherever.

Yes. I didn’t put this in the movie, and my editor wanted to kill me because I told him too late — you never know when memories come. I had this beautiful dream. I never dreamt about her, except one time. I was still living in my house that my dad built for me on Warbler Way. I dreamt that she came to my house, and I was like, “What? Hi!” I said, “I’m so happy you’re here. I can’t believe I get to meet you.” Then I said, “Listen, I need you to come downstairs so you can see [the photos],” because I had a whole wall of photos of her in my house. But she never came downstairs. And I just remember going, “Please, I really want to show you.” She’s like, “I can’t, I have to go.” I just remember how happy I was that she came over and then I got to meet her. But it’s also very telling that she didn’t come downstairs. Maybe I’ll start to dream about her again. I hope.

Mariska Hargitay as Capt. Olivia Benson in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

(NBC/Ralph Bavaro/NBC)

I’m curious what all this means, if anything, for Olivia Benson. Do you feel like you’re bringing a renewed Mariska to that role?

Yes. I do. I’ve been saying that. Kelli Giddish is one of my closest friends, and she was so moved. The “SVU” people lived it with me because I was shooting while I was [working on the documentary]. The last two years, I’ve been flying back and forth and editing at night and on the weekends. Kelli said, “I can’t wait to act with this Mariska.” What I feel is that I have more internal space because I’ve been carrying [this] — I can’t express to you how heavy the load was to carry everyone’s story and my own. There’s a huge sense of deep and profound peace and renewal.

Your closing remarks in the film feel like a letter to your mother. What do you remember about writing those words? Did they come easily?

They did because it was the truth. It was about giving myself space and permission to have those feelings. I just went in the [recording] room by myself, started talking. I didn’t know what I was going to say. It wasn’t something that I wrote. The movie is very much like that.

One of my favorite documentarians is Davis Guggenheim. I was feeling different people out, like, would they want to direct it? I was so taken with “Still” [which chronicled the life of actor Michael J. Fox]. He had shared with me that he had Michael J. Fox’s book and that he thought I should write the book first. I was like, “Thanks so much. It’s not happening.” I said, “Mariska, you’re on your own on this one. You’re doing it your way.” It wasn’t a book to be written, which is interesting because I think I am going to write a book. In telling this story, so much has begun to bubble up about other stories where I’m starting to … connect thoughts of, like, “Oh, that’s what that is. Oh, this is why that happened.” There’s so much stuff that didn’t make it. I could make five more movies. I might make some shorts.

The Made in Chelsea star discovered the truth about his real name in the latest episode of ITV’s DNA Journey, which saw him team up with pal Marvin Humes

Sam Thompson has been left gobsmacked after a family history exploration on ITV’s ‘DNA Journey’ presented him with a surprising revelation about his name, only to discover it wasn’t quite true.

Joining Marvin Humes on the popular ancestry show ‘DNA Journey’, the presenter and reality TV favourite set out to trace his lineage, uncovering some unexpected tales along the way.

Starting off in sunny Jamaica, Marvin uncovered moving stories about his ancestors’ migration to Britain, while he was stunned to learn that his mate Sam had no clue about his own family’s past.

Feeling rather sheepish, the ex-‘Made In Chelsea’ star confessed: “I really don’t know why I haven’t asked,” as he mused over the potential awkwardness brought by the show’s posh image. “When you grow up with – I was on a show called Made in Chelsea, it’s the posh thing. You almost don’t want to know because you almost feel a bit bad.”

He also revealed that Thompson isn’t his full surname. The family name is actually De Courcy Thompson and the former Made in Chelsea star explained the decision to drop part of it, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Sam, 32, candidly expressed his views on having a hard-to-spell name and feeling pretentious, cheekily remarking: “We have a signet ring!”.

Upon uncovering family history, Marvin flipped the script, cautioning Sam with a mixture of jest and solemnity: “It can’t be as nice and fluffy and unicorns and rainbows as it’s been in Jamaica, and I’m sorry to say it, but it’s looking like it’s going to be you.”

Alarm flickered across Sam’s face when learning about his ancestor Charles Thompson’s stint in Jamaica in 1815, while Marvin played up the tension, saying: “This is going to get deep.”

As historical connections were drawn, Sam anxiously responded: “That doesn’t sound good. That sounds really bad.”

But, to Sam’s delight, the true legacy of Charles Thompson unfolded; he was not what Sam feared but rather a notable figure in defeating Napoleon at Waterloo. An elated Sam exclaimed: “Oh my god, I’m so happy! Oh, you really scared me! You were all thinking it…”

The revelation continued that it was Charles’ son Lesley who crafted the De Courcy surname for his own son Sydney, giving the family a veneer of distinction.

Sam laughed as he said: “We faked it and I’m over the moon. I’ve got a signet ring and it doesn’t mean anything. We just gave it to ourselves. It’s like those people who buy a knighthood just to call themselves sir or lady. That’s us!”

You can catch up on DNA Journey on ITVX

The ongoing ICE sweeps taking place across Los Angeles and the country have underscored the many challenges faced by immigrant communities. For decades, migrants across Latin America have traversed rugged terrain and seas in search of a better life in the United States, often risking their lives in the process. Various films have captured the complexities of the Latino immigrant experience. Here are five of them.

“El Norte” (1983) directed by Gregory Nava

Siblings Rosa and Enrique Xuncax (played by Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez and David Villalpando, respectively) decide to flee to the U.S. after their family is killed in the Guatemalan Civil War, a government-issued massacre that decimated the country’s Maya population. After a dangerous trek through Mexico, Rosa and Enrique find themselves in Los Angeles, the land of hopes and dreams — or so they think. The 1983 narrative is the first independent film to be nominated for an Academy Award for original screenplay; it was later added to the National Film Registry in 1995.

Decades later, “El Norte” still feels prescient.

“[Everything] that the film is about is once again here with us,” Nava told The Times in January. “All of the issues that you see in the film haven’t gone away. The story of Rosa and Enrique is still the story of all these refugees that are still coming here, seeking a better life in the United States.”

“Under the Same Moon” (2007) directed by Patricia Riggen

Separated by borders, 9-year-old Carlitos (Adrián Alonso) yearns to reunite with his mother, Rosario (Kate del Castillo), who left him behind in Mexico with his ailing grandmother. After his grandmother passes, Carlitos unexpectedly flees alone to find his mother in Los Angeles, encountering harrowing scenarios as he pieces together details of her exact location. Directed by Patricia Riggen as her first full-length feature, it made its debut at Sundance Film Festival in 2007, where it received a standing ovation.

“All these people risked their lives crossing the border, leaving everything behind, for love,” says Riggen. “For love of their families who they’re going to go reach, for love of their families who they leave behind and send money to. But it always has to do with love and family.”

“Una Noche” (2012) directed by Lucy Mulloy

There is no other option but the sea for the three Cuban youths in “Una Noche” who attempt to flee their impoverished island on a raft after one of them, Raúl, is falsely accused of assaulting a tourist. Lila follows her twin brother Elio, who is best friends with Raúl, but all is tested in the 90 miles it takes to get to Miami. The 2012 drama-thriller premiered in the U.S. at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it won three top awards; its real-life actors Anailín de la Rúa de la Torre (Lila) and Javier Nuñez Florián (Elio) disappeared during the screening while in a stopover in Miami, later indicating that they were defecting.

By this time, it was not uncommon to hear of Cuban actors and sports stars defecting to the U.S.

“[Anailín and Javier] are quite whimsical and I can see how they’d decide to do something like this,” said director Lucy Mulloy when the news broke in 2012. “But this is also an important life decision, and no one in Cuba takes it lightly.”

“I’m No Longer Here” (2019) directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra

Ulises (Juan Daniel García Treviño) shines as the leader of Los Terkos, a Cholombiano subculture group in Monterrey known for their eclectic fashion and affinity for dancing and listening to slowed down cumbias. But after a misunderstanding makes him and his family the target of gang violence, he flees to New York City, where he must learn to navigate the unknown world as an individual at its fringes. The 2019 film swept Mexico’s Ariel awards upon its release and was shortlisted in the international feature film category to represent Mexico at the 93rd Academy Awards.

The contemporary film provided a nuanced perspective on the topic of migration that did not always hinge on violence.

“The idea was to have a film that is more open and has more air so that you can, as an audience, maybe see that yes, violence is part of that environment,” said director Fernando Frías de la Parra to The Times in 2021. “But so is joy and growth and other things.”

“I Carry You With Me” (2020) directed by Heidi Ewing

Iván’s (Armando Espitia) life appears at a standstill — he’s a busboy with aspirations of becoming a chef, and a single dad to his 5-year-old son who lives with his estranged ex. But his monotonous life changes when he meets Gerardo (Christian Vázquez) at a gay bar, which shifts his journey into a blooming love story that traverses borders and decades. The story is inspired by the real-life love story of New York restaurateurs Iván García and Gerardo Zabaleta, strangers-turned-friends of director Heidi Ewing, a documentary filmmaker by training. The 2020 film first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the NEXT Innovator and Audience Awards.

Nostalgia was a crucial element for the film, a poignant feeling for those unable to return.

“Sometimes I dream about when I was a kid in Mexico and that makes my day,” said García to The Times in 2021. “That’s all we have left, to live off our memories and our dreams.”

Emmerdale aired an unexpected twist for Vinny Dingle and his pal Kammy Hadiq on Friday night with a near kiss teasing one character’s big new storyline on the ITV soap

There was an unexpected scene for one Emmerdale duo on Friday night, as Vinny Dingle tried to kiss his friend Kammy Hadiq.

The moment came as a shock to them both, with Vinny currently engaged to Gabby Thomas on the ITV soap. Vinny’s sexuality isn’t something that has been explored on the soap, but judging by his reaction he’s set to be left confused by his moment with Kammy.

Kammy didn’t make much of a deal out of it but when he did mock the situation a flustered Vinny begged him to stay quiet. Fearing Gabby’s reaction and seemingly trying to understand himself why he tried to kiss Kammy, the character was panicked and decided to act as if it did not happen.

Vinny will now be torn over what’s happened trying to understand his feelings and his sexuality, ahead of his wedding to fiancée Gabby. But Kammy actor Shebz Miah has told The Mirror that Vinny won’t be alone on this “journey” ahead, as Kammy vows to support his pal.

The actor teased their relationship would “progress” while Vinny seemingly keeps what happened between them. As Vinny’s huge new storyline kicks off, we will see him turn to Kammy, while Shebz suggested that for now at least there was no romance planned for the pair.

READ MORE: EastEnders fans ‘work out’ Zoe Slater’s ‘return storyline’ – and it’s bad news for Vicki

He explained: “Kammy’s so relaxed with it and I think he’s so comfortable with himself it’s that, it doesn’t affect him. The only thing that does affect him is like, ‘you are getting married to Gabs, you need to understand the situation’. So Kammy isn’t bothered about the kiss, he more feels for him because now it’s opened up this different perspective on the relationship that Vinny has with people.

“Kammy’s trying to I guess, support him on his journey and trying to understand and make it easier for Vinny and help him and guide him as to what is going on because he is obviously in a position where he’d not entirely sure I guess.”

On what’s ahead, the star went on: “We start to see this journey that they go on, Kammy and Vinny and all these factors Kammy does sort of bring up and as their relationship progresses.

“We do talk about the elephant in the room. There’s conversations had and Kammy and Vinny do try to address it in whatever way that is which we’ll have to wait and find out I guess.

“So yeah, Kammy’s initial reaction, it’s not about the kiss, it’s more about the repercussions of everything else from this kiss.” Shebz went on: “As we progress in the story, Kammy does address these different things and it does become an important talking point for the both of them but ultimately Kammy’s objective is just to support him whatever that is with this journey that we go on.”

On Kammy not liking Vinny the way his pal possibly likes him, he said: “Kammy doesn’t fancy him but they are very good friends. I think Kammy’s built this relationship with him.

“I think it’s beautiful because Kammy and Vinny’s dynamic is they’re so different, even physically when you look at them they’re very very different but Kammy does have a soft spot for him and he does really want to help him because he understand that from the kiss, it’s a big thing so Kammy does really want to support him on this journey however that is. So yeah, they’ve got a genuine friendship but I think it’s more that Kammy does want to help him out, he’s obviously going through a lot from everything that’s happening.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

The Snälltåget train takes passengers on a scenic adventure, beginning in Malmö, Sweden and arriving at Innsbruck, Austria, a mere 22 hours and 1,720 km later

You can embark on a picturesque voyage through the European mountains on a train adventure that takes close to a whole day and whisks passengers more than 1,000 miles.

The Snälltåget service offers an unforgettable 22-hour journey from Malmö in Sweden to the delightful Innsbruck in Austria, spanning a staggering distance as Europe’s longest train trip by mile. Travellers are swept from the Swedish landscapes straight to the Alpine splendour, treated to phenomenal views throughout the 1,720-kilometre escapade.

Back on Track EU hails the expedition as “probably the most relaxing, fun and eco-friendly way to get to your destination” with awe-inspiring mountainous scenes en route, including stops at Austrian hamlets that serve as gateways to sought-after ski retreats.

Although devoid of complete sleeper cabins, the journey provides ‘couchettes’, snug berths for overnight comfort, with many describing the setup as ‘super cozy’ – ideal for such an extended trek.

READ MORE: ‘I’m the King of Sunbeds – one habit will get you thrown into the pool’

Malmö, down on the southern coast of Sweden, invites travellers to meander through Lilla Torg, marvel at the historic Malmohus Castle, and experience the Oresund Bridge, an engineering wonder connecting Sweden to Denmark. Alternatively, take a turn for the eccentric at the Disgusting Food Museum, reports the Express.

In contrast, Innsbruck captivates with unrivalled Alpine vistas from the Nordkette cable cars, the city’s Alpine zoo, and the stunning panoramas offered by the beloved St James Cathedral.

Despite the stunning views, travellers have cautioned about limited luggage space on board, and Snälltåget has also been criticised for delays and cancellations. While UK rail passengers might be accustomed to this, it’s something to bear in mind when on a tight holiday schedule.

The train also features an on-board restaurant, ‘Krogen’. Menus offer breakfast, lunch and alcoholic drinks, with prices around the 200 SEK/£15 mark. Snälltåget also provides a convenient ‘Bring to your seat’ self-service checkout option for hot drinks and snacks.

Snälltåget runs a summer and winter service between Malmö and Innsbruck. The summer season operates only through July, so visitors will need to plan carefully to catch it.

The train departs Malmö at 3.40pm every Friday, returning from Innsbruck each Saturday at 6pm.

During the winter season, the service will operate from December 19, 2025 through to March 15, 2026. Across two of Europe’s top destinations in prime ski season, this is the perfect excuse to hit the slopes for the festive period.

The journey will cost you 1999 SEK per person, each way. This equates to £154.06; perhaps more expensive than a tank of petrol, but arguably worth it for the breathtaking views.

If a movie inspires you to get up in the middle of a Koreatown steakhouse and do the robot with your waiter, isn’t that worthy of some kind of award, even if it’s not an Oscar?

I’m Glenn Whipp, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of The Envelope newsletter. Let’s talk about “The Life of Chuck,” the latest Stephen King adaptation, a film possessing the pedigree of an Oscar best picture contender.

Can ‘Chuck’ extend Toronto’s Oscar streak?

The last 12 movies to win the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award have gone on to earn an Oscar nomination for best picture. It’s a list that includes eventual Oscar winners like “12 Years a Slave,” “Green Book” and “Nomadland.” Two years ago, Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” premiered at Toronto and parlayed the momentum from its People’s Choice prize into an adapted screenplay victory for Jefferson.

Suffice it to say, it’s a prime precursor.

Which makes the arrival of “The Life of Chuck,” last year’s People’s Choice winner, all the more of a curiosity. Neon, the indie studio behind best picture winners “Anora” and “Parasite,” bought the film out of Toronto after it won the award, voted on by festivalgoers. With not enough time to craft a marketing or awards season campaign, the studio slotted the movie for the summer of 2025. It opens in limited release today — you can find it in five theaters in the Los Angeles area — and will expand nationwide next week.

“The Life of Chuck,” adapted from a 50-page Stephen King story published in 2020, is feel-good tale about the end of the world. It is indeed about the life of Chuck, a prototypical King everyman, an ordinary accountant we don’t meet until the the second part of the movie’s backward-moving triptych. But we know about him because in the film’s opening section, the one with the world ending and California tumbling into the sea (Steely Dan was right!), Earth’s inhabitants are inundated with baffling billboards and ads featuring a picture of Chuck, thanking him for 39 great years.

Tom Hiddleston, star of “The Life of Chuck,” at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

We eventually learn that Chuck, played as an adult by Tom Hiddleston, is a remarkable dancer and has lived a life filled with loss. In between the tragedies, there were moments of pure, unadulterated joy. The movie, faithfully adapted and competently directed by Mike Flanagan (the man behind Netflix’s “The Haunting of Hill House” and other horror tales), wants to leave you with the message that such moments are enough. And also to remind you that when these occasions come, we should recognize them and store them away as found gold.

It’s an original story arriving in a summer movie landscape dominated by sequels and retreads. Call it counterprogramming. Critics have been split, which isn’t surprising. You either suspend disbelief and settle into this movie’s vibe or you find yourself unmoved and checking the time, thinking that, in the momentary pleasure department, a root beer float would go down easier. I liked it well enough, but given the choice, I’d probably opt for the ice cream.

For “The Life of Chuck” to be an awards season play, moviegoers will need to fall for it as hard as audiences did at Toronto. That feels like a long shot, though maybe the film’s sweetness and optimism will resonate in the current moment. Times film critic Amy Nicholson was mixed on the movie and yet, as I mentioned at the outset, it did make her “make magic out of the mundane” and boogie with a waiter. She sent me the video. Don’t let her tell you otherwise … she’s a dancing machine.

Join us live!

Want to catch the Envelope in person? RSVP for our free live screening and Q&A with the stars of “Landman,” Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter, Andy Garcia and Jacob Lofland.

When: Saturday, June 7 at 2 p.m.
Where: The Culver Theater

Since I’m being a little wistful here, let me call your attention to a recent column I wrote about the late, great Linda Lavin, a singular talent who never won an Emmy.

That may surprise you, particularly if you were around when Lavin headlined the long-running CBS sitcom “Alice,” in which she played a widowed mom working as a waitress while pursuing her dream of singing. The series ran from 1976 to 1985, piling up more than 200 episodes, a spinoff for Polly Holliday (Flo, the “kiss my grits” sass-flinger) and a lasting reputation for presenting an early, understated feminist role model. Alice wasn’t nearly as brash as Bea Arthur’s Maude or quite as lovable as Jean Stapleton’s Edith Bunker, but like her contemporary Mary Tyler Moore, she could turn the world on with her smile.

Lavin, who died in December at 87, did earn two Golden Globes for the role and, after “Alice” ended, she won a Tony Award in 1987 for lead actress in a play for her turn as a Jewish mother navigating a changing world in Neil Simon’s “Broadway Bound.”

“It was one of the greatest stage performances I have ever seen, and I told her that the first day I met her,” says Nathan Lane, who had the opportunity to share his enthusiasm with Lavin when they worked together on the Hulu sitcom “Mid-Century Modern.” Lane recalls watching the play and choking up when Lavin absent-mindedly wiped off a phone receiver — her character was always cleaning — right after a wrenching phone call.

“She could do anything and make it look effortless,” Lane says. “Working with her was the happiest experience I’ve ever had in television.”

(Photo illustration by Susana Sanchez / Los Angeles Times; Getty Images / CBS Photo Archive)

In Emmy history, 33 actors — 22 men and 11 women — have been posthumously nominated. Most recently, Treat Williams earned a nod last year for his supporting turn in the FX limited series “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.” Ray Liotta was nominated in 2023 in the same category for “Black Bird.” And in 1978, Will Geer received three posthumous nominations, including his last season on “The Waltons.” (He lost all three.)

Lavin has a legitimate case. She elevates “Mid-Century Modern” every time she’s onscreen with her vitality and comic timing. In April, she picked up a comedy supporting actress nod from the Gotham Television Awards.

You can read the entire column, which includes some terrific stories from “Mid-Century Modern” showrunners Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, here.

Have a great weekend. Hope you find a moment to dance.

Read more of Glenn’s Emmys coverage

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill’s daughter Gracie McGraw has clarified her coming out journey.

On Monday (2 June), the eldest child of the country music icons celebrated the start of Pride Month with a post on her Instagram story.

“EVERYONE GET MORE GAY NOW. HAPPY FREAKING PRIDE. I love being queer,” she wrote.

Shortly after uploading the joyous message, an array of media outlets interpreted Gracie’s post as a coming-out announcement, resulting in them reporting it as such.

However, it didn’t take long for the 28-year-old to shut down the claims and reveal that she’s been out and proud. 

“It has come to my attention that some tabloids have taken an Instagram story I posted yesterday and have used it as clickbait, saying I’ve come out. Let me be VERY clear here… I have been an out and proud queer, bisexual woman, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she wrote.

“I have and will always be very vocal about my support of LGBTQIA+ rights and the community, but thank you very much to these tabloids for shedding light that it’s pride month!!!”

Instagram: @graciemcgra

Gracie went on to deliver an inspiring message to other LGBTQIA+ people who may not have the support, love or understanding from their families.

“Just know that there is a beautiful community out there that loves you and cares about and for you!! Check on your people and keep safe out there. Give love to each other. GM,” she concluded.

While Tim and Faith have not commented on Gracie’s posts, they have expressed their love and support for their daughter in the past.

In 2020, Tim gushed about his eldest daughter’s acting career in LA, telling PEOPLE: “She makes me proud every day because she’s such a strong, independent young lady who speaks her mind. She makes me proud every day of the way she lives her life.”

Instagram: @graciemcgra

While Gracie has been openly queer for some time now, there are a handful of public figures who have recently come out.

Check out all the celebrities who’ve come out as LGBTQ+ in 2025 (so far) here. 

In a world trying to erase LGBTQIA+ stories, we keep writing them. Join our mission as shareholders in Gay Times and help us fight for your rights. Find out more at investors.gaytimes.com.

Little and England captain Leah Williamson were two of the Gunners best players in Portugal and they jointly lifted the trophy amid the celebrations on the pitch.

For Williamson, who held the Women’s Euros trophy aloft three years ago following England’s 2-1 win over Germany at Wembley, it was a special moment at the club she has always supported.

When Arsenal won the title in 2007, a 10-year-old Williamson had been one of the mascots for the second leg match against Swedish side Umea.

“Eighteen years is a long time to wait for something,” said the now 28-year-old. “I’ve won every domestic trophy with Arsenal now so on a personal level I’m proud of that.

“We turned up to try and do a job and we did it and we’re taking the trophy home. I have a rule not to look at the scoreboard and I broke it three times.”

Barcelona, who won the competition in each of the past two seasons, put Arsenal under pressure for large parts of the final.

However, the 67th-minute introduction of Beth Mead and Blackstenius proved crucial as the England forward set up the Swede to score the winning goal.

“A lot of happy tears,” said an emotional Mead, who celebrated with her family. “I’m proud of being able to do what we did and see my dad at the end.

“It’s been a rough few years, obviously missing my mum [who passed away in January 2023] and it’s the first time I’ve had a big final without her being here. She very much was watching over me.”