Spotlight: The Greek Weird Wave
Catapulted by Greece’s recent financial crisis, this week's spotlight highlights the Greek Weird Wave, a movement focused on Greece’s decade-long financial, social, and political turmoil. Through their unsettling realism, these films seek to uncover the macabre and bizarre within everyday life.
Dogtooth
(Κυνόδοντας)
A teenager confined to a family compound with her siblings concocts an escape plan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece • 2009
- Director Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Angeliki Papoulia, Hristos Passalis, Mary Tsoni, Anna Kalaitzidou
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy
Xenia
A New Greek Odyssey
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece, France, Belgium • 2014
- Director Panos H. Koutras
- Cast Kostas Nikoulis, Nikos Gelia, Yannis Stankoglou, Marisha Triantafyllidou, Aggelos Papadimitriou
- Genre Drama
- Available on realeyz, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Attenberg
A small factory town in Greece provokes nothing but sexual frustration and disdain for other people in a young woman named Marina.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece • 2010
- Director Athina Rachel Tsangari
- Cast Ariane Labed, Evangelia Randou, Vangelis Mourikis, Yorgos Lanthimos, Kostas Berikopoulos, Michel Dimopoulos
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Interruption
A group of gunmen take over an Athens theater and stages a Greek tragedy with the audiences where art becomes reality.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece, France, Croatia • 2015
- Director Yorgos Zois
- Cast Alexandros Vardaxoglou, Maria Kallimani, Alexia Kaltsiki, Christos Stergioglou, Maria Filini, Sofia Kokkali
- Genre Drama, Mystery
- Available on realeyz
Suntan
Some bronze, others burn.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece, Germany • 2016
- Director Argyris Papadimitropoulos
- Cast Makis Papadimitriou, Elli Tringou, Hara Kotsali, Milou Van Groesen, Dimi Hart, Marcus Collen
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV
The Waiter
Renos, a lonely professional waiter, sees his well-organized life routine changing after an unexpected series of events.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece • 2018
- Director Steve Krikris
- Cast Aris Servetalis, Yannis Stankoglou, Alexandros Mavropoulos, Chiara Gensini, Maria Kallimani, Yorgos Glastras
- Genre Mystery
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, VUDU Free, YouTube
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Domestic bliss requires sacrifice.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Ireland, United States • 2017
- Director Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone
- Genre Drama, Thriller, Mystery
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Showtime, Netflix basic with Ads, Hoopla, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Paramount+ with Showtime, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Kanopy, , Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, fuboTV
The Eternal Return of Antonis Paraskevas
(Η Αιώνια Επιστροφή Του Αντώνη Παρασκευά)
- ✭ ✭
- Greece, Czech Republic • 2013
- Director Elina Psikou
- Cast Christos Stergioglou, Maria Kallimani, Yorgos Souxes, Theodora Tzimou, Syllas Tzoumerkas
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Amazon Video, Tubi TV
The Lobster
An unconventional love story...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland, United Kingdom, Greece • 2015
- Director Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Léa Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Ariane Labed, John C. Reilly
- Genre Thriller, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Science Fiction
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Kanopy
Son of Sofia
(Ο Γιος Της Σοφίας)
An 11-year-old boy travels from Russia to Athens during the 2004 Olympic Games to live with his mother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece, Bulgaria, France • 2017
- Director Elina Psikou
- Cast Ivonni Maltezou, Christos Stergioglou, Maria Filini, Viktor Khomut, Valery Tcheplanowa, Thanasis Papageorgiou
- Genre Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV, Plex Player
Alps
(Άλπεις)
A group of people start a business where they impersonate the recently deceased in order to help their clients through the grieving process.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece, United States, France • 2011
- Director Yorgos Lanthimos
- Cast Angeliki Papoulia, Aris Servetalis, Johnny Vekris, Ariane Labed, Stavros Psyllakis, Efthymis Filippou
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Kanopy
Chevalier
Everything can spark a fierce competition; but, only one can wear the precious chevalier. Who will it be?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Greece • 2015
- Director Athina Rachel Tsangari
- Cast Yiorgos Kendros, Panos Koronis, Vangelis Mourikis, Yorgos Pirpassopoulos, Sakis Rouvas
- Genre Drama, Comedy
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Spotlight: Favorite Series of 2021
As the holiday season begins, we offer our favorite series of 2021 for your bingeing pleasure. Some of these series launched this year; others kept going strong; and a few came to a close. From fantasy to gritty reality, from Israel to Iceland, from detectives and cleaners to monsters and zombies, this lineup has something for everyone.
Sex Education
After accidentally helping a bully with his performance anxiety, an insecure teen sets up a sex advice business at his school.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Creator Laurie Nunn
- Cast Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Aimée-Lou Wood
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
It's a Sin
Four gay men form a close friendship group and live fiercely through the rise of the 1980s UK HIV/AIDS crisis.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Creator Russell T Davies
- Cast Olly Alexander, Omari Douglas, Callum Scott Howells, Lydia West, Nathaniel Curtis, Keeley Hawes
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max
Squid Game
(오징어 게임)
A man struggling with debt receives an invitation to join a brutal survival game with a life-changing cash prize.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2021
- Creator Hwang Dong-hyuk
- Cast Lee Jung-jae, Park Hae-soo, Jung Ho-yeon, Wi Ha-joon, Oh Yeong-su, Heo Sung-tae
- Genre Action & Adventure, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Line of Duty
Steve Arnett and his partner Kate Fleming work to uncover corruption in the police force and bring those responsible to justice.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2012
- Creator Jed Mercurio
- Cast Martin Compston, Vicky McClure, Adrian Dunbar, Gregory Piper
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Redbox, Amazon Prime Video, Crackle, Hulu, Tubi TV, Acorn TV, AcornTV Amazon Channel, BritBox Amazon Channel, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, fuboTV, Pluto TV, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Spectrum On Demand, Plex, Freevee, Britbox Apple TV Channel , Plex Player
Lupin
Gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2021
- Creator George Kay
- Cast Omar Sy, Hervé Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier, Soufiane Guerrab
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Attack on Titan
(進撃の巨人)
When the human race is hunted nearly to extinction by giant monsters, a small group of humans fight back.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Creator
- Cast Yūki Kaji, Marina Inoue, Yui Ishikawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Saki Fujita, Yoshimasa Hosoya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Funimation Now, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
We Are Lady Parts
A geeky doctoral student becomes the unlikely lead guitarist of an all-female Muslim punk band.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Creator Nida Manzoor
- Cast Anjana Vasan
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Peacock, Peacock Premium
Shtisel
(שטיסל)
The story of Jerusalem's Shtisel family across time and generations.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Israel • 2013
- Creator Yehunatan Indorski, Ori Alon
- Cast Michael Aloni, Doval'e Glickman, Neta Riskin, Shira Haas
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Trapped
(Ófærð)
A small town is trapped after a heavy snowstorm, with a killer hiding among them.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iceland, Denmark, Finland • 2015
- Creator Baltasar Kormákur
- Cast Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Ethos
(Bir Başkadır)
In modern-day Istanbul, a group of women from different social, cultural, religious, and economic worlds find their lives intersecting.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey • 2020
- Creator Berkun Oya
- Cast Öykü Karayel, Fatih Artman, Funda Eryiğit, Defne Kayalar, Settar Tanrıöğen, Tülin Özen
- Genre Drama, Mystery
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Kim's Convenience
The funny, heartfelt story of The Kims, a Korean-Canadian family who run a convenience store in downtown Toronto.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2016
- Creator Ins Choi, Kevin White
- Cast Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Jean Yoon, Andrea Bang, Simu Liu, Andrew Phung, Nicole Power
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Amazon Video, Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads,
Money Heist
(La casa de papel)
A criminal mastermind enlists a ragtag team of robbers to carry out his perfect crime: a heist on the Royal Mint of Spain.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2017
- Creator Álex Pina
- Cast Úrsula Corberó, Álvaro Morte, Itziar Ituño, Pedro Alonso, Alba Flores, Miguel Herrán
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Netflix
Spotlight: Golden Horse Awards
As the Golden Horse Awards draw near, we present a slate of films from the Taiwanese New Wave that were nominated for or won the award for Best Feature Film. Together, they represent an era of cinema known for its realistic portrayals of quotidian life in Taiwan.
A Brighter Summer Day
(牯嶺街少年殺人事件)
A colorful coming of age odyssey set against the backdrop of 1960s Taiwan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1991
- Director Edward Yang
- Cast Chang Chen, Lisa Yang, Elaine Jin, Chen Shiang-Chyi
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Time to Live and the Time to Die
(童年往事)
Born in mainland China and raised in Taiwan, a young boy grapples with generational differences and conflicting cultural identities.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1985
- Director Hou Hsiao-hsien
- Cast Tien Feng, Mei Fang, Tang Ru-Yun, Hsiao Ai, Yu An-Shun
- Genre Drama
- Available on AsianCrush, Amazon Video, Freevee
Tropical Fish
(熱帶魚)
A junior high student with a vivid imagination goes on an unusual adventure when he is accidentally kidnapped
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1995
- Director Chen Yu-Hsun
- Cast Yi-fan Chen, Wen Ying, Akio Chen, Lin Cheng-sheng, Lien Pi-tung
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Eat Drink Man Woman
(飲食男女)
Food unites the diverging lives of a widowed chef and his four daughters
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan, China • 1994
- Director Ang Lee
- Cast Sihung Lung, Yu-Wen Wang, Wu Chien-Lien, Yang Kuei-Mei, Winston Chao, Sylvia Chang
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Kanopy
Reunion
(我們都是這樣長大的)
The reunions of an elementary school class over a span of nearly 40 years
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1986
- Director Ko I-Chen
- Cast Terry Hu, Hsu Ming, Chang Fu-Mei
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Flowers of Shanghai
(海上花)
The lives of four "flower girls" in an upscale brothel in 19th century Shanghai
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan, Japan • 1998
- Director Hou Hsiao-hsien
- Cast Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Michiko Hada, Carina Lau, Michelle Reis, Jack Kao, Rebecca Pan
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Terrorizers
(恐怖分子)
The intertwining lives of three groups of people cause a butterfly effect that leads to a tragic event.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1986
- Director Edward Yang
- Cast Cora Miao, Lee Lichun, Chin Shih-Chieh, Wang An, Shaojun Ma, Gu Bao-Ming
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, Amazon Video, Cineverse, Kanopy
Kuei-mei, a Woman
(我這樣過了一生)
The story of how a girl from mainland China raised a family from poverty to stability in Taiwan
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1985
- Director Chang Yi
- Cast Yang Hui-shan, Lee Lichun, Elten Ting, Wen Ying, Hu Hsiang-Ping
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Vive L'Amour
(愛情萬歲)
Three lonely people unknowingly share an apartment in Taipei.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1994
- Director Tsai Ming-liang
- Cast Lee Kang-Sheng, Yang Kuei-Mei, Chen Chao-jung, Lu Yi-Ching
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hoopla, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
The Wedding Banquet
(喜宴)
A gay Taiwanese American man plans a marriage of convenience to a Chinese woman in order to appease his parents
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan, United States • 1993
- Director Ang Lee
- Cast Winston Chao, May Chin, Gua Ah-leh, Sihung Lung, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Dion Birney
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Vudu, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee, Kanopy
Three Times
(最好的時光)
There's a time for love, a time for freedom, and a time for youth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Taiwan • 2005
- Director Hou Hsiao-hsien
- Cast Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Mei Fang, Su-jen Liao, Mei Di, Chen Shi-Zheng
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Video
Growing Up
(小畢的故事)
A mischievous boy's journey from childhood to adulthood.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan • 1983
- Director Chen Kun-Hou
- Cast Doze Niu Cheng-Tse, Fanny Chang Chun-Fang, Yen Cheng-kuo, Hsi Chang, Chang Ping-Yu
- Genre Drama, Family, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Spotlight: Body Horror Anime
Feast your eyes as this week's spotlight brings together the human and the grotesque through the boundless medium of animation. These anime films and series nauseate and fascinate while exploring themes of corruption, agency, and power through body horror.
Tokyo Ghoul
(東京喰種トーキョーグール)
A young man is turned into a half-monster and must figure out how to navigate his new life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2014
- Creator Shuhei Morita, Chuuji Mikasano
- Cast Natsuki Hanae, Sora Amamiya, Shintaro Asanuma, Takahiro Sakurai, Sumire Morohoshi, Yuuya Uchida
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Hulu, Funimation Now
Seoul Station
(서울역)
Are the walking dead the only monsters?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2016
- Director Yeon Sang-ho
- Cast Ryu Seung-ryong, Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Joon, Kim Jae-rok, Jang Hyuk-jin, Yeon Sang-ho
- Genre Animation, Drama, Horror
- Available on Freevee, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Night Flight Plus, FILMRISE, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, AMC+, Apple TV
Parasyte: The Maxim
(寄生獣 セイの格率)
A normal high schooler finds himself caught between two sides of a struggle over planet Earth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2014
- Creator Ken'ichi Shimizu, Yuki Inaba, Kenichi Kawamura
- Cast Nobunaga Shimazaki, Aya Hirano, Kana Hanazawa, Miyuki Sawashiro, Atsuko Tanaka
- Genre Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Crime
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Hulu, Crunchyroll, HiDive, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Akira
(AKIRA
)
Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1988
- Director Takashi Nakamura
- Cast Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshou Genda, Hiroshi Ohtake, Kōichi Kitamura
- Genre Science Fiction, Animation
- Available on Hulu, Funimation Now, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Vudu
Lily C.A.T.
(LILY-C.A.T.)
The expendable crew of a space vessel must stop a murderous organism that somehow got on board.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1987
- Director Hisayuki Toriumi
- Cast Chikao Ohtsuka, Eiko Yamada, Osamu Saka
- Genre Animation, Horror, Science Fiction
- Available on The Roku Channel
King of Thorn
(いばらの王 -King of Thorn-)
What would happen if you could turn imagination into reality?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2009
- Director Kazuyoshi Katayama
- Cast Kana Hanazawa, Kohsei Hirota, Misaki Kuno, Tsutomu Isobe, Sayaka Ohara, Ayako Kawasumi
- Genre Animation, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- Available on Funimation Now, Crunchyroll
Ghost in the Shell
(GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊
)
A group of cybernetically enhanced cops are called into a stop a biohacking threat.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 1995
- Director Mamoru Oshii
- Cast Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Iemasa Kayumi, Kouichi Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano, Tesshou Genda
- Genre Action, Animation, Science Fiction
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV, Freevee
Attack on Titan
(進撃の巨人)
When the human race is hunted nearly to extinction by giant monsters, a small group of humans fight back.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Creator
- Cast Yūki Kaji, Marina Inoue, Yui Ishikawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Saki Fujita, Yoshimasa Hosoya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Funimation Now, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Perfect Blue
(パーフェクトブルー)
A retired pop singer starts to lose her hold on reality when she is stalked by an obsessive fan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1998
- Director Satoshi Kon
- Cast Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ōkura, Yōsuke Akimoto, Yoku Shioya
- Genre Animation, Thriller
- Available on Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Wicked City
(幼獣都市)
For centuries a treaty has existed between the human world and the realm of the demons.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1987
- Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri
- Cast Yusaku Yara, Toshiko Fujita, Ichirō Nagai, Takeshi Aono, Koji Totani, Tamio Ohki
- Genre Action, Animation, Fantasy, Horror
- Available on Screambox Amazon Channel, Viewster Amazon Channel, HiDive, Retrocrush, Midnight Pulp, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Plex, Plex Player
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust
(吸血鬼ハンターD ブラッドラスト)
A half-human, half-vampire bounty hunter must battle malicious forces to rescue a young woman.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2000
- Director Yoshiaki Kawajiri
- Cast Hideyuki Tanaka, Ichirō Nagai, Kouichi Yamadera, Emi Shinohara, Yūsaku Yara, Megumi Hayashibara
- Genre Action, Animation, Fantasy, Horror
- Available on Amazon Video
Princess Mononoke
(もののけ姫)
The fate of the world rests on the courage of one warrior.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Yōji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yūko Tanaka, Kaoru Kobayashi, Masahiko Nishimura, Tsunehiko Kamijô
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox
Spotlight: Chance Encounters
Sometimes, all it takes for everything to change is being in the right place at the right time. This week, we explore chance encounters in film—the moments of fateful coincidence that turn ordinary lives upside down, for better or for worse.
Shoplifters
(万引き家族)
Sometimes it's better to choose your own family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kirin Kiki
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, FlixFling, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
The Day He Arrives
(북촌방향)
Aimlessly wandering around a town for three days, Sang-Joon has a series of chance encounters.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2011
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Yu Jun-sang, Kim Sang-joong, Song Seon-mi, Kim Bo-kyung, Kim Eui-sung
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Kanopy
Weekend
A one night stand turned 48-hour love story.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2011
- Director Andrew Haigh
- Cast Tom Cullen, Chris New, Jonathan Race, Laura Freeman, Loreto Murray, Kieran Hardcastle
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on realeyz, Criterion Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Kanopy
The Illusionist
(L'illusionniste)
When life loses its wonder, all it takes is one person who still believes in magic.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Sylvain Chomet
- Cast Jean-Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin, Jacques Tati
- Genre Animation, Drama
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
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 DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV
Summer with Monika
(Sommaren med Monika)
During a summer, two teenagers in love leave their small town and get married after an unexpected pregnancy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden • 1953
- Director Ingmar Bergman
- Cast Harriet Andersson, Lars Ekborg, Dagmar Ebbesen, Åke Fridell, Naemi Briese, Åke Grönberg
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Lola
A chance encounter with Lola has Roland falling in love, but she may not return his feelings.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1961
- Director Jacques Demy
- Cast Anouk Aimée, Marc Michel, Jacques Harden, Alan Scott, Elina Labourdette, Margo Lion
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion 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, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Little Prince
Growing up isn't the problem... forgetting is.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2015
- Director Mark Osborne
- Cast Jeff Bridges, Mackenzie Foy, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Riley Osborne, James Franco
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, YouTube, Apple TV
Brief Encounter
After a chance meeting, two married people begin a passionate, but doomed, romantic affair.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1945
- Director David Lean
- Cast Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, FlixFling, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, The Roku Channel, Freevee, Shout! Factory TV, Plex, Plex Player
Lost in Translation
Everyone wants to be found.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Japan • 2003
- Director Sofia Coppola
- Cast Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris, Akiko Takeshita, Fumihiro Hayashi
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
In the Mood for Love
(花樣年華)
Longing and loneliness collide in this understated romance.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, China • 2000
- Director Wong Kar-wai
- Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Maggie Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Kelly Lai Chen, Siu Ping-Lam, Mama Hung
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
Spotlight: Animal Planet: Great Animal Documentaries
As global leaders meet for the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and shape the fate of our planet, we offer this slate of great documentary films about the animals -- wild and domestic -- that share this planet with us.
The Year Earth Changed
As we retreat into lockdown, Mother Nature makes a comeback.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Tom Beard
- Cast David Attenborough, Bhashkar Bara, Dulu Bora, Anshul Chopra, Christine Gabriele
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV Plus
Honeyland
Hatidze Muratova, one of the last "bee hunters" in Europe, raises bees based in a sustainable and minimally invasive manner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Macedonia • 2019
- Director Tamara Kotevska
- Cast Hatidzhe Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam, Ljutvie Sam
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
Born in China
An epic journey into the Chinese wilderness that follows the adventures of three animal families: panda, golden monkey, and snow leopard.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, China, United States • 2016
- Director Lu Chuan
- Cast John Krasinski, Zhou Xun
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Disney Plus, Apple TV
Earth
This documentary follows three remarkable, yet sadly endangered, families of animals across the globe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Germany, United States • 2007
- Director Mark Linfield
- Cast Patrick Stewart, Constantino Romero, James Earl Jones, Ken Watanabe, Ulrich Tukur, Anggun
- Genre Documentary
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Winged Migration
(Le peuple migrateur)
Five film crews follow a rich variety of bird migrations through forty countries and across each of the seven continents.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany, Switzerland • 2001
- Director Jacques Perrin
- Cast Philippe Labro, Jacques Perrin
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV
Gunda
An intimate look at the life of a sow and her companions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway, United States • 2021
- Director Viktor Kossakovsky
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Apple TV, Hulu
My Octopus Teacher
A diver and a wild octopus earn each other’s trust — and friendship.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- South Africa • 2020
- Director Philippa Ehrlich, James Reed
- Cast Craig Foster, Tom Foster
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Microcosmos
(Microcosmos : Le peuple de l'herbe)
15 years of research. 2 years of equipment design. 3 years of shooting. And one great movie to restore your sense of wonder.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Switzerland, Italy • 1996
- Director Marie Pérennou
- Cast Jacques Perrin, Kristin Scott Thomas
- Genre Documentary
- Available on
March of the Penguins
(La Marche de l'empereur)
In the harshest place on Earth, love finds a way.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2005
- Director Luc Jacquet
- Cast Charles Berling, Romane Bohringer, Jules Sitruk, Morgan Freeman, Torsten Michaelis, Andrea-Kathrin Loewig
- Genre Documentary, Family
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV
Project Nim
The world will be a different place once you've seen it through his eyes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2011
- Director James Marsh
- Cast Bob Angelini, Bern Cohen, Reagan Leonard
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Flight of the Butterflies
A documentary about the monarch butterfly, which has one of the longest known insect migration routes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Mexico, Canada • 2012
- Director Mike Slee
- Cast Megan Follows, Gordon Pinsent, Shaun Benson, Patricia Phillips, Sofía Sisniega, Stephanie Sigman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV
Virunga
Journalists and park rangers struggle to save the mountain gorillas and their natural habitat, and to expose political corruption.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Congo • 2014
- Director Orlando von Einsiedel
- Cast André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo, Vianney Kazarama
- Genre Documentary, War
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Spotlight: Halloween
A longstanding and distinctive trope of Asian horror is that of the vengeful female – women who were wronged in life and who return after death to exact their revenge. To celebrate Halloween, this Spotlight features some of the most chilling stories of women out to settle the score.
Ringu
(リング)
One curse, one cure, one week to find it
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1998
- Director Hideo Nakata
- Cast Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Hiroyuki Sanada, Yuko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô, Yôichi Numata
- Genre Horror, Thriller
- Available on Shudder, Screambox, Screambox Amazon Channel, Shudder Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, AMC+ Amazon Channel, ARROW, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Alamo on Demand, Tubi TV, Darkmatter TV, Midnight Pulp
The Housemaid
(Cô Hầu Gái)
What happens when love becomes too possessive?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Vietnam, Korea • 2016
- Director Derek Nguyen
- Cast Kate Nhung, Jean-Michel Richaud, Kim Xuân, Svitlana Kovalenko, Kien An, Rosie Fellner
- Genre Horror, Romance
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV
Satan's Slaves
(Pengabdi Setan)
A woman's unwavering love for her family, even in death.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Indonesia, Korea • 2017
- Director Joko Anwar
- Cast Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Dimas Aditya, Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz, M. Adhiyat
- Genre Drama, Horror, Mystery
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Shudder, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, YouTube, Shudder Amazon Channel, AMC+, Apple TV
Ju-on: The Grudge
(呪怨じゅおん)
From a terrible crime, a curse is born.
- ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2002
- Director Takashi Shimizu
- Cast Megumi Okina, Misaki Ito, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa, Kanji Tsuda
- Genre Horror
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand, The Roku Channel
Shutter
(ชัตเตอร์ กดติดวิญญาณ)
Photographs can capture what the eyes can't see.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Thailand • 2004
- Director Parkpoom Wongpoom
- Cast Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool, Titikarn Tongprasearth, Sivagorn Muttamara
- Genre Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Vudu, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Audition
(オーディション)
She always gets her part.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1999
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, Jun Kunimura, Tetsu Sawaki, Renji Ishibashi, Miyuki Matsuda
- Genre Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Screambox, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Hi-YAH, AsianCrush, ARROW, Apple TV, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, Tubi TV, Darkmatter TV, Midnight Pulp, Kanopy
The Maid
(สาวลับใช้)
She didn’t come to serve the dishes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Thailand • 2020
- Director Lee Thongkham
- Cast Ploy Sornarin, Kannaporn Puangtong, Savika Chaiyadej, Theerapat Sajakul, Keetapat Pongrue
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, VUDU Free, Plex, Tubi TV, , YouTube, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Plex Player, Amazon Prime Video
Dumplings
(餃子)
Eternal youth comes at a human cost.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 2004
- Director Fruit Chan
- Cast Bai Ling, Miriam Yeung, Tony Leung Ka-Fai, Pauline Lau, Meme Tian, Miki Yeung
- Genre Horror
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, VUDU Free, Tubi TV, Apple TV
Wishing Stairs
(여고괴담 3: 여우계단)
Watch your step
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2003
- Director Yun Jae-yeon
- Cast Song Ji-hyo, Park Han-byul, Jo An, Park Ji-yeon, Gong Sang-ah, Hong Soo-a
- Genre Horror
- Available on Kanopy
The Maid
The dead have returned to tell the tale.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Singapore • 2005
- Director Kelvin Tong
- Cast Alessandra de Rossi, Hong Huifang, Benny Soh, Zhenwei Guan, Chen Shucheng, Mohd Haizad Bin Imram
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Kanopy
Bedevilled
(김복남 살인사건의 전말)
Nothing is more deadly than a woman seeking revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2010
- Director Jang Cheol-soo
- Cast Seo Young-hee, Hwang Geum-hee, Baek Su-Ryeon, Park Jeong-hak, Bae Sung-woo, Oh Yong
- Genre Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Hi-YAH, Amazon Video, Alamo on Demand, Apple TV
A Slit-Mouthed Woman
(口裂け女)
There is no right answer to her question.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2007
- Director Kôji Shiraishi
- Cast Eriko Satō, Haruhiko Katō, Chiharu Kawai, Rie Kuwana, Kazuyuki Matsuzawa, Kaori Sakagami
- Genre Horror
- Available on Kanopy
Spotlight: Cities: London
From 1935 to the present, from the south of the city to the north, and spanning genres from horror to science fiction to romantic comedy, we present films made in and about London. Here the city is not just a backdrop, but an integral part of the characters’ lives and the stories that are told about them.
Small Axe
An anthology series consisting of five films telling stories from the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to 1980s.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2020
- Creator Steve McQueen
- Cast
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video
Babylon
A dancehall DJ battles racism and xenophobia in Thatcher-era London.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Italy • 1980
- Director Franco Rosso
- Cast Brinsley Forde, Trevor Laird, Karl Howman, Brian Bovell, Victor Romero Evans, David N Haynes
- Genre Drama
- Available on Metrograph, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Kino Now, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy
Blow-Up
Michelangelo Antonioni's first British film
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Italy, United States • 1966
- Director Michelangelo Antonioni
- Cast David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles, John Castle, Veruschka von Lehndorff, Jane Birkin
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV
The Ladykillers
An oddball group of criminals plan a robbery.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1955
- Director Alexander Mackendrick
- Cast Alec Guinness, Cecil Parker, Herbert Lom, Peter Sellers, Danny Green, Katie Johnson
- Genre Comedy, Crime
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Freevee
Kind Hearts and Coronets
A hilarious study in the gentle art of murder.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1949
- Director Robert Hamer
- Cast Dennis Price, Valerie Hobson, Joan Greenwood, Alec Guinness, Audrey Fildes, Miles Malleson
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, Kino Now, Kanopy
Happy-Go-Lucky
Poppy is a thirty-year old schoolteacher with a relentlessly positive attitude that is often in contrast with those around her.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2008
- Director Mike Leigh
- Cast Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Eddie Marsan, Samuel Roukin, Sinéad Matthews, Kate O'Flynn
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Hoopla, Vudu, Amazon Video, DIRECTV, Pluto TV
The 39 Steps
A classic spy thriller about an everyman and his beautiful accomplice on a mission to save England.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1935
- Director Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim, Godfrey Tearle, Peggy Ashcroft, John Laurie
- Genre Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Cineverse, Shout! Factory TV, The Film Detective, Popflick
Rocks
A British teen is forced to play parent for herself and her younger brother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2020
- Director Sarah Gavron
- Cast Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, D'angelou Osei Kissiedu, Shaneigha-Monik Greyson, Ruby Stokes
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
My Beautiful Laundrette
A British-Pakistani man renovates a rundown laundrette after rekindling love with a former flame.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1985
- Director Stephen Frears
- Cast Gordon Warnecke, Daniel Day-Lewis, Roshan Seth, Saeed Jaffrey, Derrick Branche, Rita Wolf
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles star as themselves in this comedy about their lives at the peak of Beatlemania.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1964
- Director Richard Lester
- Cast John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington
- Genre Comedy, Music
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Alamo on Demand
28 Days Later
His fear began when he woke up alone. His terror began when he realised he wasn't.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2002
- Director Danny Boyle
- Cast Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns, Christopher Eccleston, Noah Huntley
- Genre Horror, Thriller, Science Fiction
- Available on No streaming locations found.
A Clockwork Orange
The adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence, and Beethoven.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 1971
- Director Stanley Kubrick
- Cast Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke, James Marcus
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
Notting Hill
Can the most famous film star in the world fall for the man on the street?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 1999
- Director Roger Michell
- Cast Julia Roberts, Hugh Grant, Gina McKee, Tim McInnerny, Rhys Ifans, Emma Chambers
- Genre Romance, Comedy, Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Spectrum On Demand, FlixFling, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
Attack the Block
Inner City vs. Outer Space
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France • 2011
- Director Joe Cornish
- Cast Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Luke Treadaway, Nick Frost, Terry Notary, Selom Awadzi
- Genre Action, Comedy, Science Fiction
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Pluto TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Shaun of the Dead
"Dawn of the Dead" gets a satirical update with this 30-something loser.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France • 2004
- Director Edgar Wright
- Cast Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Nick Frost, Dylan Moran, Bill Nighy
- Genre Horror, Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
The Long Good Friday
Who lit the fuse that tore Harold's world apart?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1980
- Director John Mackenzie
- Cast Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Dave King, Bryan Marshall, Derek Thompson, Eddie Constantine
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
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.
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 Film Movement Plus, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Plex Player
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 DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
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 Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Kino Now, Kanopy, Tubi TV, Apple TV, MUBI, Cineverse
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 Freevee, Film Movement Plus, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Plex Player
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, Metrograph, Vudu, Amazon Video, Kino Now
Girl
A transgender 15-year-old girl dreams of becoming a ballerina.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, Netherlands • 2018
- Director Lukas Dhont
- Cast Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter, Oliver Bodart, Tijmen Govaerts, Chris Thys, Nele Hardiman
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
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, AMC Plus Apple TV Channel , DIRECTV, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Tubi TV, Kanopy
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 Showtime, Hoopla, fuboTV, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, , Paramount+ with Showtime, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
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 Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, Metrograph, YouTube, Apple TV
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, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
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, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox
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, Kino Now