THE LADY IN THE VAN World Cinema

Based on the smash hit play of the same name, THE LADY IN THE VAN stars Maggie Smith as Miss Mary Shepherd, a cantankerous yet eloquent homeless woman who sets up residence on the curb outside the home of a single writer. As the writer struggles to navigate having a lunatic on his front lawn, he begins to learn that all is not as it seems with Miss Shepherd. As always, Smith is in top form, in a role she played in the original theatrical production in London’s West End. With humor and heart, THE LADY IN THE VAN proves we never know who might be living right under our noses. —Lane Kneedler