Spotlight: Girls and Girlhood
What does it mean to be a girl? There may be an infinite number of answers to this question. This week, in celebration of the International Day of the Girl, we look at young female protagonists and the diverse experiences of girlhood that transcend time and geographical borders.
Spirited Away
(千と千尋の神隠し)
A ten-year-old girl must save her parents from hostile spirits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2001
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Yumi Tamai, Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Plex
Blue Is the Warmest Color
(La Vie d'Adèle - Chapitres 1 et 2)
Adèle's life changes completely when she meets Emma, a young woman with blue hair.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, Spain • 2013
- Director Abdellatif Kechiche
- Cast Adèle Exarchopoulos, Léa Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche, Aurélien Recoing, Catherine Salée, Benjamin Siksou
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on MUBI, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
Mustang
In a small Turkish village, five sisters struggle against the restrictions of their conservative family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, France, Germany • 2015
- Director Deniz Gamze Ergüven
- Cast Güneş Nezihe Şensoy, Doğa Zeynep Doğuşlu, Elit İşcan, Tuğba Sunguroğlu, Ilayda Akdoğan, Nihal Koldaş
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Cineverse, Kanopy
The Third Wife
In 19th-century rural Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes the third wife of wealthy landowner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Vietnam • 2019
- Director Ash Mayfair
- Cast Nguyễn Phương Trà My, Trần Nữ Yên Khê, Lê Vũ Long, Mai Thu Hường, Như Quỳnh
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Water Lilies
(Naissance des pieuvres)
Marie joins the local pool’s synchronized swim team for a chance to get close to Floriane—the “bad girl” of the team.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2007
- Director Céline Sciamma
- Cast Pauline Acquart, Adèle Haenel, Louise Blachère, Warren Jacquin, Christel Baras, Marie Gili-Pierre
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
The Scent of Green Papaya
(Mùi đu đủ xanh)
An orphan and a servant for a merchant family in Saigon, Mui witnesses all their darkest secrets, but never loses her childlike love for the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Vietnam, France • 1993
- Director Tran Anh Hung
- Cast Trần Nữ Yên Khê, Man San Lu, Thi Loc Truong, Nguyen Anh Hoa, Hoa Hoi Vuong, Ngoc Trung Tran
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Kanopy, Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Hoopla
Pan's Labyrinth
(El laberinto del fauno)
What happens when make-believe believes it's real?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, Spain • 2006
- Director Guillermo del Toro
- Cast Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdú, Sergi López, Doug Jones, Ariadna Gil, Álex Angulo
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, War
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
I Am Not a Witch
An 8-year-old girl is convicted of witchcraft and brought to a penal colony where witches do hard labor.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France, Germany • 2017
- Director Rungano Nyoni
- Cast Maggie Mulubwa, Henry B.J. Phiri, Gloria Huwiler, Nellie Munamonga, Dyna Mufuni
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Metrograph, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Girlhood
(Bande de filles)
A girl with few real prospects joins a gang, reinventing herself and gaining a sense of self confidence in the process.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2014
- Director Céline Sciamma
- Cast Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré, Idrissa Diabaté, Rabah Nait Oufella
- Genre Drama
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A lonely vampire preys on the depraved residents of Bad City — but finds love in another tortured soul.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran, United States • 2014
- Director Ana Lily Amirpour
- Cast Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnò, Dominic Rains, Rome Shadanloo
- Genre Horror, Romance, Western
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Breadwinner
An enchanting story of a brave young girl who puts her life at risk to provide for her family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland, Canada, Luxembourg • 2017
- Director Nora Twomey
- Cast Saara Chaudry, Soma Bhatia, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family, War
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Girl
A transgender 15-year-old girl dreams of becoming a ballerina.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, Canada (Quebec), Netherlands • 2018
- Director Lukas Dhont
- Cast Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Oliver Bodart, Tijmen Govaerts, Chris Thys, Nele Hardiman
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Spotlight: Senior Spotlight
This week’s Spotlight highlights films featuring seniors, especially those who experience — and act upon — late-in-life epiphanies. There is always more to life, as these filmmakers demonstrate: from awakenings and transformations to reckonings and reconciliations.
The Life Ahead
(La vita davanti a sé)
A Holocaust survivor and a young Senegalese orphan form an unlikely bond.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 2020
- Director Edoardo Ponti
- Cast Sophia Loren, Ibrahima Gueye, Renato Carpentieri, Diego Iosif Pirvu, Massimiliano Rossi, Abril Zamora
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
I Dream in Another Language
(Sueño en otro idioma)
If a linguist wants to record a conversation in a now defunct millenary language, he must make two seniors reconcile.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, Netherlands • 2017
- Director Ernesto Contreras
- Cast Fernando Álvarez Rebeil, Eligio Meléndez, José Manuel Poncelis, Fátima Molina
- Genre Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Supernova
A gay couple visits places and people of the past as one of them begins to experience dementia.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Harry Macqueen
- Cast Colin Firth, Stanley Tucci, Pippa Haywood, Peter MacQueen, Nina Marlin, Ian Drysdale
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Paramount+ with Showtime, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Hoopla
Poetry
(시)
A Korean grandmother enrolls in a poetry class, where she finds solace amid the chaos of her personal life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2010
- Director Lee Chang-dong
- Cast Yoon Jeong-hee, Lee Da-wit, Kim Hee-ra, Ahn Nae-sang, Kim Yong-taek, Park Myung-shin
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Plex, Kanopy, Hoopla
Twilight's Kiss
(叔・叔)
Two closeted gay men in the twilight years of their lives contemplate a future together.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 2020
- Director Ray Yeung
- Cast Tai Bo, Ben Yuen, Patra Au, Lo Chun Yip, Lam Yiu-Sing, Wong Kwok-Fai
- Genre Drama
- Available on Strand Releasing Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Amour
Love never ends.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Austria, France, Germany • 2012
- Director Michael Haneke
- Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, William Shimell, Ramón Agirre, Rita Blanco
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Schultze Gets the Blues
A retired salt miner hears zydeco music for the first time and travels from his East German village to Louisiana.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2003
- Director Michael Schorr
- Cast Horst Krause, Harald Warmbrunn, Karl-Fred Müller, Ursula Schucht, Hannelore Schubert, Marylu Poolman
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Mole Agent
(El agente topo)
In this riveting documentary, an elderly man is recruited to infiltrate a retirement home, producing touching and comedic results.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Chile • 2020
- Director Maite Alberdi
- Cast Sergio Chamy, Rómulo Aitken
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel, Darkroom
The Wife
A demure and faithful wife reconsiders her endless devotion to her husband.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Sweden, United States • 2018
- Director Björn Runge
- Cast Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons, Annie Starke, Harry Lloyd
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
The Truth
(La Vérité)
A French film superstar's decision to publish her memoirs causes old tensions, feelings, and conflicts with her daughter to resurface.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Japan, Switzerland • 2019
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Catherine Deneuve, Juliette Binoche, Ethan Hawke, Clémentine Grenier, Manon Clavel, Alain Libolt
- Genre Drama
- Available on AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Great Beauty
(La grande bellezza)
A colorful, enchanting tale of one man's search for grand beauty and purpose in the majestic city of Rome.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 2013
- Director Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, Carlo Buccirosso, Iaia Forte, Pamela Villoresi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, TCM, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Old Cats
(Gatos viejos)
An elderly woman must hide her senility from her scheming daughter — while trapped in the same apartment together.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Chile, United States • 2010
- Director Pedro Peirano
- Cast Bélgica Castro, Claudia Celedón, Catalina Saavedra, Alejandro Sieveking, Alejandro Goic, Alicia Rodríguez
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on fuboTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Spotlight: Actors: Belmondo!
This week we look back at the work of Jean-Paul Belmondo, the iconic actor who played in several of the defining films of the French New Wave and who came to personify the rebellious, rough-edged honesty that it stood for.
À double tour
The mistress of a wealthy vintner is murdered. His wife accuses the milkman, but his daughter's fiancé has other ideas.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1959
- Director Claude Chabrol
- Cast Madeleine Robinson, Antonella Lualdi, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jeanne Valérie, Jacques Dacqmine, Bernadette Lafont
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video
That Man from Rio
(L'Homme de Rio)
On a mission to Brazil, military man Adrien Dufourquet learns that a stolen statue is the key to a hidden Amazon treasure.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1964
- Director Philippe de Broca
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Françoise Dorléac, Jean Servais, Simone Renant, Adolfo Celi, Roger Dumas
- Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy
- Available on Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Two Women
(La ciociara)
Suddenly, love becomes lust and innocence becomes shame, as two women are trapped by violent passion and unforgettable terror!
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1960
- Director Vittorio De Sica
- Cast Sophia Loren, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Raf Vallone, Eleonora Brown, Carlo Ninchi, Andrea Checchi
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Apple TV, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex Channel
Breathless
(À bout de souffle)
When you discover the dirty truth about the person you love...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1960
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg, Daniel Boulanger, Jean-Pierre Melville, Henri-Jacques Huet, Van Doude
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Darkroom
Pierrot le Fou
(Pierrot le fou)
How is life going to look like if one is always on the run?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1965
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Graziella Galvani, Dirk Sanders, Jimmy Karoubi, Roger Dutoit
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Borsalino
In 1930s Marseilles, two small-time crooks join forces when they meet while brawling over a woman.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1970
- Director Jacques Deray
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Alain Delon, Catherine Rouvel, Françoise Christophe, Corinne Marchand, Laura Adani
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Le Doulos
A burglar betraying other criminals prepares for a big heist with a trusted friend that might be as untrustworthy as he.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1962
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, René Lefèvre, Marcel Cuvelier, Philippe March
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
The Professional
(Le Professionnel)
A French secret agent is going to pursue his murderous mission --- whether France wants him to or not.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1981
- Director Georges Lautner
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Robert Hossein, Elisabeth Margoni, Jean-Louis Richard, Jean Desailly, Michel Beaune
- Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Available on Kanopy
Is Paris Burning?
(Paris brûle-t-il?)
The title is Adolf Hitler's question to his chief of staff, Alfred Jodl, on the eve of the liberation of Paris (August 25, 1944).
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 1966
- Director René Clément
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Charles Boyer, Leslie Caron, Jean-Pierre Cassel, George Chakiris, Bruno Cremer
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Apple TV
Mississippi Mermaid
(La sirène du Mississipi)
A tobacco farmer arranges for a mail-order bride and gets more than he bargained for.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1969
- Director François Truffaut
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Catherine Deneuve, Michel Bouquet, Nelly Borgeaud, Martine Ferrière, Marcel Berbert
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Pluto TV
A Woman Is a Woman
(Une femme est une femme)
Sometimes women can't escape what nature makes them desire.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1961
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Anna Karina, Jean-Claude Brialy, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marie Dubois, Jeanne Moreau, Dominique Zardi
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Léon Morin, Priest
(Léon Morin, prêtre)
An atheist begins a series of conversations about religion with a handsome priest, which leads to her conversion -- and more...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1961
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Jean-Paul Belmondo, Emmanuelle Riva, Irène Tunc, Marc Eyraud, Monique Hennessy, Nicole Mirel
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Kanopy
Spotlight: Westerns Worldwide
Gunslingers, outlaws, tragic heroes. The Western film genre has both celebrated and interrogated the mythos of the frontier, whether made in Hollywood, Italy, or any number of countries that have elevated the genre in recent years. This list includes some of the best international Western of all time.
The Nightingale
In 1829, Claire, a young Irish convict, chases a British soldier through the Tasmanian wilderness to avenge her family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Australia, Canada, United States • 2019
- Director Jennifer Kent
- Cast Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Damon Herriman, Ewen Leslie, Harry Greenwood, Baykali Ganambarr
- Genre Adventure, Drama, Thriller
- Available on MUBI, Shudder, MUBI Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Kanopy
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada
After his ranch hand is murdered by a Border Patrol officer, Pete Perkins remembers a promise he made a long time ago.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2005
- Director Tommy Lee Jones
- Cast Tommy Lee Jones, Barry Pepper, Dwight Yoakam, January Jones, Melissa Leo, Julio Cedillo
- Genre Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Western
- Available on fuboTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, The Roku Channel
Bacurau
A Brazilian village is targeted by a group of armed mercenaries… who may have met their match.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2019
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
- Cast Bárbara Colen, Udo Kier, Sônia Braga, Thomas Aquino, Silvero Pereira, Wilson Rabelo
- Genre Mystery, Thriller, Western
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Tears of the Black Tiger
(ฟ้าทะลายโจร)
The son of a peasant becomes the gun-slinging outlaw "Black Tiger” after his love is stolen from him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Thailand • 2000
- Director Wisit Sasanatieng
- Cast Chartchai Ngamsan, Suwinit Panjamawat, Stella Malucchi, Supakorn Kitsuwon, Arawat Ruangvuth, Sombat Metanee
- Genre Action, Comedy, Romance, Western
- Available on Microsoft Store
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo)
A silent gunslinger, a renegade Mexican bandit, and an evil hitman hunt for 200,000 dollars in Confederate gold.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, Spain, West Germany • 1966
- Director Sergio Leone
- Cast Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Aldo Giuffrè, Luigi Pistilli, Rada Rassimov
- Genre Western
- Available on MGM Plus, fuboTV, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Epix Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
Seven Samurai
(七人の侍)
Seven samurai answer a village's request for protection after they lose their masters and fall on hard times.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1954
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katô
- Genre Action, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Good, the Bad, the Weird
(좋은 놈, 나쁜 놈, 이상한 놈)
The story of three outlaws in 1930's Manchuria and their dealings with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2008
- Director Kim Jee-woon
- Cast Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung, Yoon Je-moon, Song Young-chang, Lee Chung-ah
- Genre Action, Adventure, Comedy, Western
- Available on AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video, The Roku Channel
Slow West
A 17-year-old Scottish boy teams up with a mysterious gunman to find the woman he loves.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, New Zealand • 2015
- Director John Maclean
- Cast Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, Rory McCann, Brooke Williams
- Genre Drama, Romance, Thriller, Western
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, FlixFling, Kanopy
The Proposition
Captain Stanley gives Charlie Burns 9 days to kill his older psychopathic brother, or else they'll hang his mentally challenged younger brother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Australia, United Kingdom • 2005
- Director John Hillcoat
- Cast Guy Pearce, Ray Winstone, Emily Watson, Danny Huston, David Wenham, John Hurt
- Genre Action, Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Western
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Unforgiven
(許されざる者)
Jubei vowed to never again pick up a sword, but poverty gives him no choice, and he must become a bounty hunter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Director Lee Sang-il
- Cast Ken Watanabe, Koichi Sato, Akira Emoto, Yuya Yagira, Shiori Kutsuna, Eiko Koike
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A lonely vampire preys on the depraved residents of Bad City — but finds love in another tortured soul.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran, United States • 2014
- Director Ana Lily Amirpour
- Cast Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manesh, Mozhan Marnò, Dominic Rains, Rome Shadanloo
- Genre Horror, Romance, Western
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Western
When darkness descends upon two border towns, a cowboy and a lawman must face a new and threatening reality.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, United States • 2015
- Director Bill Ross, Turner Ross
- Cast
- Genre Documentary, Western
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, OVID, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
They Call Me Trinity
(Lo chiamavano Trinità...)
Trinity and Bambino send the bad guys packing with humor instead of excessive violence, saving the day.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1970
- Director Enzo Barboni
- Cast Terence Hill, Bud Spencer, Steffen Zacharias, Dan Sturkie, Gisela Hahn, Elena Pedemonte
- Genre Action, Comedy, Western
- Available on Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
Aferim!
A policeman is hired to track down a Roma slave in this black-and-white historical drama.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic • 2015
- Director Radu Jude
- Cast Teodor Corban, Mihai Comanoiu, Toma Cuzin, Alexandru Dabija, Luminița Gheorghiu
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Kanopy
Spotlight: The India–Korea Connection
India shares its Republic Day with Korea's National Day, but the connection between the two countries dates back to an Indian princess who became a queen during the Joseon Dynasty. This relationship extends to the film world, where Indian filmmakers have found creative ways to retell Korean stories.
A Millionaire's First Love
(백만장자의 첫사랑)
Kang Jae-Kyung is set to inherit his grandfather's fortune on the day he turns 18, but on one bizarre condition.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2006
- Director Kim Tae-gyun
- Cast Lee Yeon-hee, Hyun Bin, Lim Ju-hwan, Jeong Wook, Lee Young-hoo
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Idhu Enna Maayam
(இது என்ன மாயம்)
Theatre actors run a business on the sly, setting up people with their crushes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2015
- Director A. L. Vijay
- Cast Vikram Prabhu, Keerthi Suresh, Kavya Shetty, Ambika, Navdeep
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Sun Nxt, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Jazbaa
A criminal defense attorney races against time to rescue her kidnapped daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2015
- Director Sanjay Gupta
- Cast Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Jackie Shroff
- Genre Action, Bollywood, Crime, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV
Seven Days
(세븐 데이즈)
To rescue her kidnapped daughter, a prominent lawyer is tasked with defending a convicted felon in court.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2007
- Director Won Shin-yeon
- Cast Yunjin Kim, Kim Mi-sook, Park Hee-soon, Choi Moo-seong, Jang Hang-seon, Oh Gwang-rok
- Genre Crime, Thriller
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Oh! Baby
(ఓ! బేబీ)
In this charming remake, a 70-year-old woman magically transforms into her 24-year-old self.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2019
- Director B. V. Nandini Reddy
- Cast Samantha Akkineni, Lakshmi, Rajendra Prasad, Rao Ramesh, Urvashi, Snigdha Akolkar
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Cyrano Agency
(시라노; 연애조작단)
A dating agency specializes in helping clients woo their crushes in this charming adaptation.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2010
- Director Kim Hyun-suk
- Cast Uhm Tae-woong, Lee Min-jung, Daniel Choi, Park Shin-hye, Park Chul-min, Jeon Min-joon
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
My Sassy Girl
(엽기적인 그녀)
College student Gyeon-woo kindly helps a woman on the subway, not knowing that their fates will entwine from that moment onward.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2001
- Director Kwak Jae-yong
- Cast Cha Tae-hyun, Jun Ji-hyun, Kim In-mun, Song Ok-suk, Han Jin-hee, Yang Geum-seok
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Montage
(몽타주)
The past is never really in the past.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2013
- Director Chung Keun-sup
- Cast Uhm Jung-hwa, Kim Sang-kyung, Song Young-chang, Jo Hee-bong, Jung Hae-kyun, Yoo Seung-mok
- Genre Thriller
- Available on Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Freevee, Plex, Plex Channel
Miss Granny
(수상한 그녀)
When 74 year-old Oh Mal-Soon mysteriously turns 20 again, she decides to make the most out of her newfound youth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2014
- Director Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Cast Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Jin-wook, Jung Jin-young, Park In-hwan, Sung Dong-il, Na Moon-hee
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Family, Music
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Three
(Te3n)
Eight years after his granddaughter's death, an old man pursues justice with the help of a priest and a cop.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2016
- Director Ribhu Dasgupta
- Cast Amitabh Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Vidya Balan, Padmavati Rao, Mukesh Chhabra
- Genre Bollywood, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video
Ugly Aur Pagli
When a carefree engineering student meets a gorgeous yet capricious woman, sparks fly and blows land.
- ✭ ✭
- India • 2008
- Director Sachin Kamlakar Khot
- Cast Ranvir Shorey, Mallika Sherawat, Tinnu Anand, Sushmita Mukherjee, Payal Rohatgi
- Genre Bollywood, Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Pilla Zamindar
(పిల్లజమీందార్)
A rich, spoiled young man is forced to live the life of a pauper to inherit his grandfather's estate.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2011
- Director Ashok G
- Cast Nani, Hariprriya, Rao Ramesh, Srinivas Avasarala, Nagineedu Vellanki, Thagubothu Ramesh
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Sun Nxt, Amazon Video
Spotlight: The Romanian New Wave
More than a decade on, the Romanian New Wave is still going strong. Earlier in 2021, director Radu Jude won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn. Here we’ll start with The Death of Mr. Lazarescu -- the film that started it all --- and catch you up to the present day.
If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
(Eu cand vreau să fluier, fluier)
Two weeks before being released from prison, teenager Silviu's life devolves into chaos
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Sweden, Germany • 2010
- Director Florin Şerban
- Cast Ada Condeescu, Pistireanu George, Mihai Constantin, Clara Voda, Cosmin Padureanu
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Tuesday, After Christmas
(Marți, după Crăciun)
Paul's life story hinges on one decision.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2010
- Director Radu Muntean
- Cast Dragoș Bucur, Maria Popistasu, Mimi Branescu, Victor Rebengiuc, Mirela Oprisor, Ioana Blaj
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Kanopy, Hoopla
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu
(Moartea domnului Lăzărescu)
A retired engineer falls ill and finds himself stuck in an ambulance with a talkative nurse.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2005
- Director Cristi Puiu
- Cast Ioan Fiscuteanu, Luminița Gheorghiu, Doru Ana, Monica Bârlădeanu, Alina Berzunțeanu, Alexandru Potocean
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Fandango At Home, VUDU Free, Kanopy
The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu
(Autobiografia lui Nicolae Ceaușescu)
This towering cinematic achievement tracks the rise, reign, and fall of the infamous Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu through his own propaganda footage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Germany • 2010
- Director Andrei Ujica
- Cast Nicolae Ceaușescu, Elena Ceausescu, Leonid Brezhnev, Mikhail Gorbachev
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID, Kanopy
Touch Me Not
Through blending reality and fiction, this film follows characters who crave intimacy yet also deeply afraid of it.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Germany, Czech Republic • 2018
- Director Adina Pintilie
- Cast Laura Benson, Tómas Lemarquis, Christian Bayerlein, Irmena Chichikova, Grit Uhlemann, Adina Pintilie
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kanopy
California Dreamin'
(Nesfârșit)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2007
- Director Cristian Nemescu
- Cast Armand Assante, Răzvan Vasilescu, Jamie Elman, Maria Dinulescu, Ion Sapdaru, Alexandru Mărgineanu
- Genre Drama
- Available on IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Plex Channel
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days
(4 luni, 3 săptămîni și 2 zile)
At what moment do we begin to live?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Belgium • 2007
- Director Cristian Mungiu
- Cast Anamaria Marinca, Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov, Alexandru Potocean, Luminița Gheorghiu, Adi Cărăuleanu
- Genre Drama
- Available on AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Child's Pose
(Poziţia copilului)
After the accidental killing of a boy in a car crash, the mother tries to prevent her son being charged for the death, and she refuses to accept that her son is a grown-up man.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2013
- Director Călin Peter Netzer
- Cast Vlad Ivanov, Luminița Gheorghiu, Bogdan Dumitrache, Florin Zamfirescu, Mimi Brănescu, Tania Popa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Kanopy
Police, Adjective
(Polițist, adjectiv)
A cop risks his career and goes undercover to bust a drug ring.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2009
- Director Corneliu Porumboiu
- Cast Dragoș Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Irina Săulescu, Ion Stoica, Cerasela Trandafir, Marian Ghenea
- Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Plex, Plex Channel
I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians
(Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari)
An ambitious young theater director faces censorship when she is hired to create a public art project related to Romania's past.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Germany, Bulgaria • 2018
- Director Radu Jude
- Cast Ioana Iacob, Alex Bogdan, Alexandru Dabija, Ion Rizea, Claudia Ieremia
- Genre Comedy, Drama, History
- Available on Klassiki, Kanopy
Aurora
A newly divorced engineer travels across Bucharest in this epic Romanian crime drama.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, France, Switzerland • 2011
- Director Cristi Puiu
- Cast Cristi Puiu, Clara Vodă, Catrinel Dumitrescu, Luminița Gheorghiu, Valentin Popescu, Gheorghe Ifrim
- Genre Drama
- Available on Klassiki, Kanopy
Aferim!
A policeman is hired to track down a Roma slave in this black-and-white historical drama.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic • 2015
- Director Radu Jude
- Cast Teodor Corban, Mihai Comanoiu, Toma Cuzin, Alexandru Dabija, Luminița Gheorghiu
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Kanopy
Spotlight: China Noir
Chinese crime films, which make up the growing subgenre “China noir” or “mainland noir,” relocate the distinctive style and atmosphere of 1940s and ’50s film noir in modern-day China. This Spotlight features 12 of these must-see melodramas set in the shadowy fringes of the neon city.
Long Day's Journey Into Night
(地球最后的夜晚)
A man returns to his hometown, where he is haunted by memories of his long-lost love.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China • 2018
- Director Bi Gan
- Cast Huang Jue, Tang Wei, Sylvia Chang, Lee Hong Chi, Chen Yongzhong
- Genre Drama, Mystery
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
2046
Reality and fiction blend for a grieving sci-fi writer desperate to understand — and forget.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, China, France • 2004
- Director Wong Kar-wai
- Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Gong Li, Faye Wong, Takuya Kimura, Zhang Ziyi, Carina Lau
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
- Available on Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Better Days
(少年的你)
A bullied teen gangs up with a mysterious criminal who uses violence to protect her.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China • 2019
- Director Derek Tsang
- Cast Zhou Dongyu, Jackson Yee, Huang Jue, Yin Fang
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, AsianCrush, Freevee, Cineverse, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Chungking Express
(重慶森林)
Two tales of love and loss told in sequence.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 1994
- Director Wong Kar-wai
- Cast Brigitte Lin, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Faye Wong, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Valerie Chow, Piggy Chan
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Have a Nice Day
(大世界)
A darkly funny animated neo-noir following a young driver who steals a million dollars from a crime boss.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China • 2018
- Director Liu Jian
- Cast Yang Siming, Cao Kou, Ma Xiaofeng, Zhu Changlong, Cao Ka
- Genre Animation, Crime
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Vengeance
(復仇)
A violent action-thriller featuring a French former assassin desperate for revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, France • 2009
- Director Johnnie To
- Cast Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Gordon Lam, Lam Suet, Simon Yam, Sylvie Testud
- Genre Action, Thriller
- Available on Plex, Plex Channel
Cities of Last Things
(幸福城市)
A story about the life and death of a bitter Taiwanese cop — told backward.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan, China, France • 2018
- Director Wi Ding Ho
- Cast Lee Hong Chi, Jack Kao, Louise Grinberg, Ding Ning, Huang Lu, Linda Liu
- Genre Crime, Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Ash Is Purest White
(江湖儿女)
The violent love story of a young dancer and a mobster spanning from 2001 to 2017.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, France, Japan • 2018
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Zhao Tao, Liao Fan, Feng Xiaogang, Xu Zheng, Zhang Yibai, Diao Yi'nan
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Infernal Affairs
(無間道)
Two moles tasked with infiltration struggle to expose one another.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 2002
- Director Alan Mak, Andrew Lau
- Cast Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang Chi-Wai, Kelly Chen, Sammi Cheng
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Free and Easy
(轻松+愉快)
A crime-comedy featuring a traveling soap salesman, two apathetic cops, and a nontraditional monk.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- China • 2017
- Director Jun Geng
- Cast Xu Gang, Zhang Zhiyong
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Kanopy
The Wild Goose Lake
(南方车站的聚会)
A gangster, recently freed from prison, finds trouble amid Wuhan's shadows and neon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, France • 2019
- Director Diao Yi'nan
- Cast Hu Ge, Gwei Lun-mei, Liao Fan, Wan Qian, Qi Dao, Huang Jue
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Black Coal, Thin Ice
(白日焰火)
A neo-noir exploring the serpentine city, its neon lights, and its coal-black heart.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China • 2014
- Director Diao Yi'nan
- Cast Liao Fan, Kwai Lun-Mei, Wang Xuebing, Wang Jingchun, Yu Ailei, Ni Jingyang
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hi-YAH, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee, Plex, Plex Channel
Spotlight: A Day at the Beach
It’s the height of summer (in the northern hemisphere at least) and the time of year when people in countries that border the water head for the coast. They go to escape, to relax, and to daydream in that liminal space where sea, sand, and sky all meet.
Woman on the Beach
(해변의 여인)
A director suffering from writer’s block travels to a beach resort alongside a couple he is friendly with for inspiration.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2006
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Kim Seung-woo, Ko Hyun-jung, Song Seon-mi, Kim Tae-woo, Choi Ban-Ya, Oh Tae-kyung
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Cineverse
On the Beach at Night Alone
(밤의 해변에서 혼자)
An actress ponders her relationship with a married man.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, Germany • 2017
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Kim Min-hee, Jung Jae-young, Seo Young-hwa, Kwon Hae-hyo, Song Seon-mi, Moon Sung-keun
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday
(Les vacances de Monsieur Hulot)
Monsieur Hulot heads to a beach resort for summer vacation, wreaking havoc on the idyllic calmness present along the seaside.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1953
- Director Jacques Tati
- Cast Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Micheline Rolla, Louis Perrault, Valentine Camax, André Dubois
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Bhaji on the Beach
A diverse group of British Punjabi women travel to a beach resort in Blackpool and navigate intergenerational tensions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1993
- Director Gurinder Chadha
- Cast Kim Vithana, Jimmi Harkishin, Sarita Khajuria, Akbar Kurtha, Mo Sesay, Lalita Ahmed
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Atlantics
(Atlantique)
When one comes back to claim what was left behind, what are the consequences?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Senegal, Belgium • 2019
- Director Mati Diop
- Cast Ibrahima Traore, Mame Bineta Sane, Aminata Kane
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Call Me by Your Name
Is it better to speak or die?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France, Brazil • 2017
- Director Luca Guadagnino
- Cast Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Y Tu Mamá También
(Y tu mamá también)
Two teenage boys and an older woman embark on a road trip and learn about life — and each other.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2001
- Director Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast Maribel Verdú, Gael García Bernal, Diego Luna, Diana Bracho, Verónica Langer, María Aura
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Hulu
Aquarius
Sometimes staying put is the greatest challenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2016
- Director Kleber Mendonça Filho
- Cast Sônia Braga, Maeve Jinkings, Irandhir Santos, Humberto Carrão, Fernando Teixeira, Zoraide Coleto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Beaches of Agnès
(Les Plages d'Agnès)
Filmmaking icon Agnès Varda turns the camera on herself.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2008
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Agnès Varda, André Lubrano, Blaise Fournier, Vincent Fournier, Rosalie Varda, Mathieu Demy
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel, DocAlliance Films, Kanopy
Summer of 85
(Été 85)
In the summer of 85, two teenage boys share a tender friendship, a budding romance, and a strange promise.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2020
- Director François Ozon
- Cast Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Philippine Velge, Valeria Bruni‑Tedeschi, Melvil Poupaud, Isabelle Nanty
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Dekkoo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, VUDU Free, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Sex and Lucía
(Lucía y el sexo)
Great sex or true intimacy?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain, France • 2001
- Director Julio Medem
- Cast Paz Vega, Tristán Ulloa, Najwa Nimri, Daniel Freire, Elena Anaya, Silvia Llanos
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, OVID, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Filmzie, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel, JustWatchTV, Darkroom
Pauline at the Beach
(Pauline à la plage)
It was supposed to be a normal holiday...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1983
- Director Éric Rohmer
- Cast Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory, Féodor Atkine, Simon de La Brosse, Rosette
- Genre Romance, Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Spotlight: Films from and about Afghanistan
After nearly 20 years of war, US Armed Forces are withdrawing from Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Taliban forces are re-taking control of the country. This week, we bring you films from and about Afghanistan, telling the stories of ordinary people, which have too often been overshadowed by the conflict.
Afghan Star
Contestants risk their lives to become the next "Afghan Star".
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2009
- Director Havana Marking
- Cast Habib Amiri, Setara Hussainzada, Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on GuideDoc, Apple TV, Kanopy, Hoopla
Osama
In Afghanistan, a teenaged girl dresses as a boy so she can work to support her mother and grandmother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Afghanistan, Ireland, Japan • 2003
- Director Siddiq Barmak
- Cast Marina Golbahari, Arif Herati, Zubaida Sahar, Mohammad Nadir Khwaja, Khwaja Nader
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, fuboTV, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV
A Thousand Girls Like Me
A courageous young Afghan woman forces her father to stand trial for years of sexual abuse.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Afghanistan, France, Netherlands • 2018
- Director Sahra Mani
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Kanopy
Midnight Traveler
An intimate portrait of the search for safety and freedom.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States • 2019
- Director Hassan Fazili
- Cast Hassan Fazili, Fatima Hussaini, Nargis Fazili, Zahra Fazili
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Angels Are Made of Light
A portrait of Afghan students and their teachers weathering national turbulence.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, Norway, United States • 2018
- Director James Longley
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Tubi TV, Hoopla
Sonita
An Afghan girl, her passion for music, and her parents’ plan to sell her hand in marriage for $9,000.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Switzerland, Iran • 2015
- Director Rokhsareh Ghaemmaghami
- Cast Sonita Alizadeh, Ahmad Ahmadi, Latifah Alizadeh, Fadia Alizadeh, Arefe, Farzaneh Davoodi
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on No streaming locations found.
The Breadwinner
An enchanting story of a brave young girl who puts her life at risk to provide for her family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland, Canada, Luxembourg • 2017
- Director Nora Twomey
- Cast Saara Chaudry, Soma Bhatia, Laara Sadiq, Shaista Latif, Ali Badshah, Noorin Gulamgaus
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family, War
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
The Patience Stone
(Syngué sabour, pierre de patience)
A woman in an unnamed, war-torn Middle Eastern country delivers an engrossing, emotional monologue to her comatose husband.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Afghanistan, France, Germany • 2013
- Director Atiq Rahimi
- Cast Golshifteh Farahani, Hamid Djavadan, Hassina Burgan, Massi Mrowat, Mohamed Al Maghraoui, Malak Djaham Khazal
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)
The story of young Afghan girls learning to read, write and skateboard in Kabul.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Director Carol Dysinger
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame
(بودا از شرم فرو ریخت)
A young girl in Afghanistan desperately wants to go to school and learn to read and write, but isn’t allowed to.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran, France, Afghanistan • 2007
- Director Hana Makhmalbaf
- Cast Habbas Alijome, Abdolali Huseinali, Nikbakht Noruz
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Neither Heaven Nor Earth
(Ni le ciel, ni la terre)
As the withdrawal of troops approaches, Captain Antarès Bonassieu and his squad have been assigned a surveillance mission in a remote valley of Wakhan, on the border of Pakistan
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2015
- Director Clément Cogitore
- Cast Jérémie Renier, Swann Arlaud, Kevin Azais, Marc Robert
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, War
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Film Movement Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Freevee, Cineverse, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
In This World
Jamal and his older cousin Enayat embark on a hazardous overland trip from their refugee camp at Peshawar, north-west Pakistan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2002
- Director Michael Winterbottom
- Cast Jamal Udin Torabi, Enayatullah, Imran Paracha
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Frame by Frame
Four Afghan photojournalists attempt to reframe their country in the post-Taliban photo revolution.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Afghanistan • 2015
- Director Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli
- Cast Massoud Hossaini, Wakil Kohsar, Najibullah Mosafer, Farzana Wahidy
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Hoopla