Spotlight: Best International Feature Film Submissions 2023, Part II
We're back this week with part two of our Spotlight highlighting submissions to the Best International Feature Film Oscar category that are currently available to stream. While only one film can win the Oscar, there were a number of gems among the films presented for consideration this year that we think deserve their fair share of acclaim and applause.
Decision to Leave
(헤어질 결심)
A detective investigating a mysterious death finds himself both suspecting and falling for the dead man's wife.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2022
- Director Park Chan-wook
- Cast Park Hae-il, Tang Wei, Lee Jung-hyun, Park Yong-woo, Go Kyung-pyo, Kim Shin-young
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
EO
(Hi-Han)
A gray donkey begins his life as a circus performer before escaping on a trek across the Polish and Italian countryside.
- Poland • 2022
- Director Jerzy Skolimowski
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, Jacek Murański, Mateusz Murański, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Sandra Drzymalska
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
Carmen
A 50 year old woman goes on a journey of self discovery after the death of her brother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Malta, Canada • 2022
- Director Valerie Buhagiar
- Cast Natascha McElhone, Richard Clarkin, Steven Love, Michaela Farrugia
- Genre Drama
- Available on Freevee, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Last Film Show
(છેલ્લો શો)
A 9-year-old boy living in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India, France, United States • 2021
- Director Pan Nalin
- Cast Bhavin Rabari, Richa Meena, Bhavesh Shrimali, Dipen Raval, Rahul Koli, Vikas Bata
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Plex, Tubi TV, , YouTube, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Plex Player, Amazon Prime Video
Farha
In 1948, A 14-year-old girl in Palestine watches from a locked cellar as catastrophe consumes her home.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden • 2022
- Director Darin J. Sallam
- Cast Ashraf Barhom, Karam Taher, Tala Gammoh, Ali Soliman, Sameera Asir, Majd Eid
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
All Quiet on the Western Front
(Im Westen nichts Neues)
A German film adaptation of the epic 1929 anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, United States, United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Edward Berger
- Cast Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanović, Devid Striesow, Daniel Brühl
- Genre Action, Drama, War
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Darkling
(Мрак)
In a war-torn Kosovo, a young girl writes an essay for the United Nations about her missing father.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Serbia, Denmark, Bulgaria • 2022
- Director Dušan Milić
- Cast Miona Ilov, Danica Ćurčić, Flavio Parenti, Slavko Štimac, Nikola Rakočević, Slaviša Čurović
- Genre Drama, Horror, War
- Available on Klassiki
BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
(Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades)
An acclaimed journalist-turned-documentarian goes on an oneiric introspective journey to reconcile with the past, the present, and his Mexican identity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2022
- Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Cast Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Íker Sánchez Solano, Luz Jiménez, Luis Couturier
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Alcarràs
In rural Spain, a family of peach farmers struggles to stay afloat as they face eviction from their farm.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain, Italy • 2022
- Director Carla Simón
- Cast Jordi Pujol Dolcet, Anna Otin, Xènia Roset, Albert Bosch, Ainet Jounou, Joseph Abadia
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
Spotlight: Best International Feature Film Submissions 2023, Part l
A whopping 93 countries submitted feature films for consideration in the Oscars category of Best International Feature -- including Uganda, which submitted a film for the first time. In the aftermath of the 95th Academy Awards, we present all the submitted films that are currently streaming.
Bantú Mama
A woman evading arrest finds shelter with three children in a dangerous neighborhood in Santo Domingo.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Dominican Republic • 2022
- Director Iván Herrera
- Cast Clarisse Albrecht, Scarlett Reyes, Euris Javiel, Arturo Perez, Donis Taveras, Jarold Santos
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Close
Two teenage boys' close friendship is thrown into disarray when their schoolmates notice their intimacy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, Netherlands, France • 2022
- Director Lukas Dhont
- Cast Eden Dambrine, Gustav De Waele, Émilie Dequenne, Léa Drucker, Igor van Dessel, Kevin Janssens
- Genre Drama
- Available on Showtime, fuboTV, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, , Paramount+ with Showtime, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Girl Picture
(Tytöt tytöt tytöt)
Three teenage girls experience love and pleasure during the intense Finland winter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Finland • 2022
- Director Alli Haapasalo
- Cast Linnea Leino, Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Bruno Baer, Amos Brotherus, Oona Airola
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Argentina, 1985
A team of lawyers sets out to prosecute Argentina's brutal military dictatorship in this legal thriller inspired by real events.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina, United States • 2022
- Director Santiago Mitre
- Cast Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, Paula Ransenberg, Carlos Portaluppi, Antonia Bengoechea
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Amazon Prime Video
Corsage
A stunning exploration of beauty, aging, and loneliness through a fictional account of one year in the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Austria, France, Luxembourg • 2022
- Director Marie Kreutzer
- Cast Vicky Krieps, Florian Teichtmeister, Katharina Lorenz, Jeanne Werner, Alma Hasun, Finnegan Oldfield
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Hulu, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Saint Omer
A novelist attends the trial of a Senegalese immigrant accused of murdering her baby in this haunting portrait of the immigrant experience.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2022
- Director Alice Diop
- Cast Kayije Kagame, Guslagie Malanda, Aurélia Petit, Valérie Dréville, Xavier Maly, Robert Cantarella
- Genre Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
Holy Spider
(عنکبوت مقدس)
A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad to investigate the serial killings of sex workers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, Germany, Sweden • 2022
- Director Ali Abbasi
- Cast Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mehdi Bajestani, Arash Ashtiani, Forouzan Jamshidnejad, Sina Parvaneh, Nima Akbarpour
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Video, Netflix basic with Ads, Vudu, Netflix, Apple TV
In the Heart of the Machine
(В сърцето на машината)
A group of prisoners performing forced labor in a steel plant discovers something extraordinary inside one of the machines.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Bulgaria • 2022
- Director Martin Makariev
- Cast Alexander Sano, Julian Vergov, Hristo Petkov, Hristo Shopov, Igor Angelov, Stoyan Doychev
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Freevee, VUDU Free, Plex, Tubi TV, Plex Player, DistroTV
Mars One
(Marte Um)
A middle class Black family in Brazil adjusts to life under a far-right extremist president.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil • 2022
- Director Gabriel Martins
- Cast Rejane Faria, Carlos Francisco, Camilla Damião, Cícero Lucas, Ana Hilário, Russo Apr
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Utama
An elderly Quechua couple must decide if they want to leave their home and move to the city.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Bolivia, Uruguay, France • 2022
- Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi
- Cast José Calcina, Luisa Quispe, Santos Choque
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, YouTube, Apple TV
Spotlight: Conversations with Friends
Introspective and dialogue-driven, these films follow friends and lovers as they discuss love, life, identity, and even the nature of existence. These minimalist portraits of relationships highlight the beauty of human conversation ranging from our everyday exchanges to our deepest philosophical debates.
Drive My Car
(ドライブ・マイ・カー)
A car ride across Japan leads to an unlikely connection between a widowed stage director and his introverted young driver.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Cast Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
The Class
(Entre les murs)
Based on his real life, a teacher must deal with the challenging dynamics of his multicultural classroom.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2008
- Director Laurent Cantet
- Cast François Bégaudeau, Franck Keïta, Louise Grinberg, Rabah Nait Oufella, Esmeralda Ouertani, Rachel Regulier
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, Tubi TV
Claire's Camera
(클레어의 카메라)
Sometimes you need to see the photo to see the truth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, France • 2018
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, Kim Min-hee, Chang Mi-hee, Jung Jin-young, Shahira Fahmy, Yoon Heesun
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Locke
Ivan Locke must balance duty and honor during the most consequential night of his life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2014
- Director Steven Knight
- Cast Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, Tom Holland, Ben Daniels
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Cinemax Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand
The Trip to Spain
Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon embark on a road trip along the coast of Spain, sampling the mouthwatering regional cuisine.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2017
- Director Michael Winterbottom
- Cast Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Marta Barrio, Claire Keelan, Tom Clegg, Justin Edwards
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Plex Player
Certified Copy
(Copie conforme)
There's more to their new relationship than meets the eye.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy, Belgium • 2010
- Director Abbas Kiarostami
- Cast Juliette Binoche, William Shimell, Jean-Claude Carrière, Agathe Natanson, Gianna Giachetti, Adrian Moore
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
My Night at Maud's
(Ma nuit chez Maud)
The rigid principles of a devout Catholic man are challenged during one night with a divorced woman.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1969
- Director Éric Rohmer
- Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant, Françoise Fabian, Marie-Christine Barrault, Antoine Vitez, Léonide Kogan, Guy Léger
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
(偶然と想像)
Three women deal with the problems of modern relationships in this anthology of unique stories.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Cast Kotone Furukawa, Ayumu Nakajima, Hyunri, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Katsuki Mori, Shouma Kai
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Microsoft Store, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Taste of Cherry
(طعم گيلاس)
A middle-aged man, Mr. Badii, seeks someone to bury him after he commits suicide.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran, France • 1997
- Director Abbas Kiarostami
- Cast Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Safar Ali Moradi, Mir Hossein Noori, Ahmad Ansari
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Kanopy
After Life
(ワンダフルライフ)
What is the one memory you would take with you?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1998
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Susumu Terajima, Takashi Naitō, Kei Tani, Kyōko Kagawa
- Genre Fantasy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Taxi
(تاکسی)
An exiled filmmaker posing as a cab driver captures incisive portraits of diverse passengers in present-day Tehran.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2015
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Jafar Panahi
- Genre Comedy, Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
A middle-aged woman hires a young sex worker in hopes of feeling pleasure for the first time in her life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Sophie Hyde
- Cast Emma Thompson, Daryl McCormack, Isabella Laughland, Les Mabaleka, Lennie Beare
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Hulu
Spotlight: International Films in the Oscars
For the 95th Academy Awards, a grand total of 27 international films received 46 nominations across 21 categories. Leading the pack are All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany), The Banshees of Inisherin (UK), and Triangle of Sadness (Sweden). We are proud to present these and all the nominated international feature films that are currently streaming.
Fire of Love
Katia and Maurice Krafft loved two things: each other, and volcanoes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, United States • 2022
- Director Sara Dosa
- Cast Miranda July
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Hulu, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
Tell It Like a Woman
An anthology of seven short stories about women both in front of and behind the camera.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, United States • 2022
- Director Catherine Hardwicke, Taraji P. Henson, Lucía Puenzo, Leena Yadav, Maria Sole Tognazzi, Mipo O, Lucia Bulgheroni, Silvia Carobbio
- Cast Jennifer Hudson, Pauletta Washington, Cara Delevingne, Marcia Gay Harden, Eva Longoria, Anne Watanabe
- Genre Action & Adventure, Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Plex Player, Amazon Prime Video
BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
(Bardo, falsa crónica de unas cuantas verdades)
An acclaimed journalist-turned-documentarian goes on an oneiric introspective journey to reconcile with the past, the present, and his Mexican identity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2022
- Director Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Cast Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Íker Sánchez Solano, Luz Jiménez, Luis Couturier
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
A cleaning lady decides to move to Paris after setting her eyes on an haute couture Dior dress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hungary, United Kingdom, Canada • 2022
- Director Anthony Fabian
- Cast Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Lucas Bravo, Lambert Wilson, Alba Baptista
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, FlixFling, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Argentina, 1985
A team of lawyers sets out to prosecute Argentina's brutal military dictatorship in this legal thriller inspired by real events.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina, United States • 2022
- Director Santiago Mitre
- Cast Ricardo Darín, Peter Lanzani, Alejandra Flechner, Paula Ransenberg, Carlos Portaluppi, Antonia Bengoechea
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Amazon Prime Video
All That Breathes
A poetic documentary chronicling the efforts of three New Delhi men to help the city’s dying birds.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, India, United States • 2022
- Director Shaunak Sen
- Cast Nadeem Shehzad, Mohammad Saud, Salik Rehman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
Aftersun
A woman reminisces on a holiday she took with her now-absent father over 20 years ago.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2022
- Director Charlotte Wells
- Cast Paul Mescal, Francesca Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Sally Messham, Ayse Parlak, Sophia Lamanova
- Genre Drama
- Available on Showtime, fuboTV, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, , Paramount+ with Showtime, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
RRR
(రౌద్రం రణం రుధిరం)
An epic action film fictionalizing the lives of two historical anti-colonial figures in 1920s British-ruled India.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2022
- Director S. S. Rajamouli
- Cast N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, Olivia Morris, Ajay Devgn, Ray Stevenson
- Genre Action, Drama, History, War
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
The Banshees of Inisherin
Colm abruptly ends his lifelong friendship with Pádraic, resulting in alarming consequences for both.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland, United Kingdom, United States • 2022
- Director Martin McDonagh
- Cast Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan, Gary Lydon, Pat Shortt
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel, Hulu
Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
A darker version of the classic children's fairy tale of a wooden puppet that transforms into a real living boy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Mexico, France • 2022
- Director Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson
- Cast Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, David Bradley, Christoph Waltz, Tilda Swinton, Ron Perlman
- Genre Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Music
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Empire of Light
A poignant love story set in and around an old cinema on the South Coast of England in the 1980s.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2022
- Director Sam Mendes
- Cast Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Toby Jones, Colin Firth, Tom Brooke, Tanya Moodie
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel, Hulu
All Quiet on the Western Front
(Im Westen nichts Neues)
A German film adaptation of the epic 1929 anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, United States, United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Edward Berger
- Cast Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, Aaron Hilmer, Edin Hasanović, Devid Striesow, Daniel Brühl
- Genre Action, Drama, War
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
EO
(Hi-Han)
A gray donkey begins his life as a circus performer before escaping on a trek across the Polish and Italian countryside.
- Poland • 2022
- Director Jerzy Skolimowski
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, Jacek Murański, Mateusz Murański, Lorenzo Zurzolo, Sandra Drzymalska
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
Living
In 1950s London, a humorless civil servant decides to take time off work to experience life after receiving a grim diagnosis.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Oliver Hermanus
- Cast Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood, Alex Sharp, Tom Burke, Adrian Rawlins, Oliver Chris
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV
A House Made of Splinters
(Будинок зі скалок)
This documentary explores the daily routines of young children left in a shelter in Ukraine.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, Ukraine, Sweden • 2023
- Director Simon Lereng Wilmont
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Triangle of Sadness
A cruise for the ultra-wealthy goes awry when the ship sinks, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Sweden, United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Ruben Östlund
- Cast Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Zlatko Burić, Dolly de Leon, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin
- Genre Comedy
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
Spotlight: Winners of the Golden Bear
This week the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival is under way, and we thought we'd take the opportunity to recognize some of the recent winners of the festival's top prize, including narrative films and documentaries, work from established masters and feature film debuts.
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 Hoopla, Hi-YAH, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee, Plex, Plex Player
Synonyms
(Synonymes)
A young Israeli man absconds to Paris to flee his nationality, aided by his trusty Franco-Israeli dictionary.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Israel, Germany • 2019
- Director Nadav Lapid
- Cast Tom Mercier, Louise Chevillotte, Quentin Dolmaire, Léa Drucker
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Taxi
(تاکسی)
An exiled filmmaker posing as a cab driver captures incisive portraits of diverse passengers in present-day Tehran.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2015
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Jafar Panahi
- Genre Comedy, Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
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 Kino Now, Kanopy, Metrograph
On Body and Soul
(Testről és lélekről)
Two introverts who discover they share the same dreams try to recreate them in real life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hungary • 2017
- Director Ildikó Enyedi
- Cast Alexandra Borbély, Morcsányi Géza, Réka Tenki, Nagy Ervin, Zoltán Schneider, Tamás Jordán
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Elite Squad
(Tropa de Elite)
On the streets of Rio only the elite survive
- ✭ ✭
- Brazil, United States, Argentina • 2007
- Director José Padilha
- Cast Wagner Moura, Caio Junqueira, André Ramiro, Milhem Cortaz, Fernanda Machado, Maria Ribeiro
- Genre Drama, Action, Crime
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel
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 Metrograph, Apple TV, Kino Now, Kanopy
There Is No Evil
(شیطان وجود ندارد)
Shot in secret and smuggled out of Iran, this anthology film comprises four stories of men responsible for implementing capital punishment.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Iran, Czech Republic • 2020
- Director Mohammad Rasoulof
- Cast Mahtab Servati, Shaghayegh Shourian, Baran Rasoulof, Darya Moghbeli, Kaveh Ahangar
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
(Babardeala cu bucluc sau porno balamuc)
A secondary school teacher must face the wrath of her community when her sex tape spreads online.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Croatia, Czech Republic • 2021
- Director Radu Jude
- Cast Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia, Olimpia Malai, Nicodim Ungureanu, Alexandru Potocean, Andi Vasluianu
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Vudu, Apple TV, Hulu
Fire at Sea
(Fuocoammare)
More than 17,000 people were reported to have died trying to cross the Mediterranean in the last 15 years...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 2016
- Director Gianfranco Rosi
- Cast Samuele Pucillo, Mattias Cucina, Samuele Caruana, Pietro Bartolo, Giuseppe Fragapane
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, Metrograph, YouTube, Apple TV
Caesar Must Die
(Cesare deve morire)
A scripted documentary showing inmates at a prison in Rome rehearsing for a performance of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 2012
- Director Vittorio Taviani
- Cast Cosimo Rega, Salvatore Striano, Giovanni Arcuri, Antonio Frasca, J. Dario Bonetti, Vincenzo Gallo
- Genre Drama, Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Kino Now, Kanopy
A Separation
(جدایی نادر از سیمین)
Simin wants to leave Iran to give her daughter, Termeh, a different kind of life outside the country. But Nader, Termeh’s father, refuses to leave his ailing father behind.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran, France • 2011
- Director Asghar Farhadi
- Cast Leila Hatami, Payman Maadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, Sarina Farhadi, Babak Karimi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV
Spotlight: First Love on Film
First Love on Film: In celebration of Valentine’s Day, we offer this collection of films about first love, a source of seemingly endless inspiration to filmmakers who seek to capture those formative experiences ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the tender to the tragic.
Bad Education
(La mala educación)
A filmmaker must confront uncomfortable memories when he receives a script from an old friend.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2004
- Director Pedro Almodóvar
- Cast Gael García Bernal, Fele Martínez, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Lluís Homar, Francisco Maestre, Francisco Boira
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance, Thriller, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
Let the Right One In
(Låt den rätte komma in)
Oskar's new neighbor has been 12 years old for 200 years...and she's looking for a friend.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden • 2008
- Director Tomas Alfredson
- Cast Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg
- Genre Horror, Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, fuboTV, Magnolia Selects, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Alamo on Demand, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
Submarine
Off-beat 15-year-old Welsh schoolboy Oliver Tate struggles to maintain a relationship with Jordana, his devilish classmate at their Swansea high school.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2011
- Director Richard Ayoade
- Cast Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Sally Hawkins, Noah Taylor, Paddy Considine, Darren Evans
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Freevee
An Education
An education isn't always by the book.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2009
- Director Lone Scherfig
- Cast Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike, Olivia Williams, Alfred Molina
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, The Roku Channel
My Summer of Love
Two teen girls form an unlikely, and soon passionate, friendship.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2005
- Director Paweł Pawlikowski
- Cast Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine, Dean Andrews, Michelle Byrne, Paul Antony-Barber
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
(Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)
Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2019
- Director Céline Sciamma
- Cast Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino, Christel Baras, Armande Boulanger
- Genre Drama, History, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
A Tale of Love and Desire
(Une histoire d'amour et de désir)
Sparks fly between literature students Ahmed and Farah when their study of erotic Arabic poetry moves beyond the classroom.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Tunisia • 2021
- Director Leyla Bouzid
- Cast Sami Outalbali, Zbeida Belhajamor, Diong-Kéba Tacu, Aurélia Petit, Mahia Zrouki, Bellamine Abdelmalek
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, OVID, VUDU Free, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Being 17
(Quand on a 17 Ans)
When his mother takes in a bully whose own mother is ill, Damien must learn to live with the boy who terrorized him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2016
- Director André Téchiné
- Cast Sandrine Kiberlain, Kacey Mottet Klein, Corentin Fila, Mama Prassinos, Alexis Loret, Jean Fornerod
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Dekkoo, YouTube, Apple TV
Jab We Met
(जब वी मेट)
Aditya is unexpectedly drawn into Geet's whirlwind life when she claims the seat opposite him on the train.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2007
- Director Imtiaz Ali
- Cast Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Tarun Arora, Dara Singh, Pavan Malhotra, Kiran Juneja
- Genre Bollywood, Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Google Play Movies, Tubi TV, Yupp TV, Xumo Play
Goodbye First Love
(Un amour de jeunesse)
Do we ever grow out of our first loves?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany • 2011
- Director Mia Hansen-Løve
- Cast Lola Créton, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Valérie Bonneton, Magne-Håvard Brekke, Serge Renko, Özay Fecht
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on realeyz, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
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
Show Me Love
(Fucking Åmål)
Two teen girls kiss on a dare and must reckon with the feelings and consequences that result.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Denmark • 1998
- Director Lukas Moodysson
- Cast Alexandra Dahlström, Rebecka Liljeberg, Mathias Rust, Erica Carlson, Stefan Hörberg, Josefine Nyberg
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on ARROW, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Spotlight: Directors: Jafar Panahi
In celebration of the recent release from prison of acclaimed Iranian director Jafar Panahi, we offer this retrospective of his work, including his latest film, No Bears, currently in theaters but soon to be available for streaming, as well as the recent feature film debut of his son, Panah Panahi, Hit the Road.
Closed Curtain
(پرده)
A reclusive writer finds his sheltered life upended by a mysterious stranger.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2013
- Director Kambuzia Partovi, Jafar Panahi
- Cast Jafar Panahi, Hadi Saeedi, Maryam Moqadam, Azadeh Torabi, Abolghasem Sobhani, Zeynab Kanoum
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
This Is Not a Film
(این فیلم نیست)
If we could tell a film, then why make a film?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2011
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Jafar Panahi, Igi, Mrs. Gheirat, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Rakhsan, Sima
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Hoopla, Kanopy
No Bears
(خرس نیست)
Lovers in two parallel love stories are thwarted by hidden obstacles, the force of superstition, and the mechanics of power.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2022
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Naser Hashemi, Bakhtiyar Panjeei, Vahid Mobaser, Jafar Panahi, Mina Kavani, Reza Heydari
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
Offside
(آفساید)
Since women are banned from attending men's sporting events in Iran, a group of female soccer fans disguise themselves as men to watch a match at Tehran's stadium.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2006
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Sima Mobarak-Shahi, Shayesteh Irani, Ayda Sadeqi, Golnaz Farmani, Mahnaz Zabihi
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV
Taxi
(تاکسی)
An exiled filmmaker posing as a cab driver captures incisive portraits of diverse passengers in present-day Tehran.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2015
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Jafar Panahi
- Genre Comedy, Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The White Balloon
(بادکنک سفید)
Seven-year-old Razieh and her brother set out for the pet shop, after Razieh sets her heart on a goldfish in the shop window.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 1995
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Aida Mohammadkhani, Mohsen Kafili, Fereshteh Sadre Orafaiy, Anna Borkowska, Mohammad Shahani
- Genre Drama, Family
- Available on Criterion Channel
Crimson Gold
(طلای سرخ)
A delivery driver is a daily witness to Iran’s unjust distribution of wealth, eventually driving him to crime.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2003
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Hossain Emadeddin, Kamyar Sheisi, Azita Rayeji, Shahram Vaziri, Ehsan Amani, Pourang Nakhael
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Hoopla, OVID, Amazon Video, Kanopy
The Year of the Everlasting Storm
The COVID-19 pandemic captured in seven diverse stories.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States • 2021
- Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Jafar Panahi, Laura Poitras, David Lowery, Dominga Sotomayor, Anthony Chen, Malik Vitthal
- Cast
- Genre Drama, Mystery
- Available on Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
Hit the Road
(جاده خاکی)
A family bonds on a road trip through northwestern Iran.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2022
- Director Panah Panahi
- Cast Hassan Madjooni, Pantea Panahiha, Rayan Sarlak, Amin Simiar, Masoud Tosifyan
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Showtime, Hoopla, Vudu, Paramount+ with Showtime, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Kino Now, Kanopy, , YouTube, Apple TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, fuboTV
3 Faces
(سه رخ)
Actress Behnaz Jafari and director Jafar Panahi take a road trip to rural Iran in hopes of saving a missing girl.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2018
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Behnaz Jafari, Jafar Panahi, Marziyeh Rezaei, Maedeh Erteghaei, Narges Del Aram
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The Mirror
(آینه)
When a young girl becomes lost in the hustle and bustle of Tehran, her journey turns into an exploration of the nature of film itself.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 1997
- Director Jafar Panahi
- Cast Mina Mohammad Khani, Kazem Mojdehi, Naser Omuni, M. Shirzad, T. Samadpour
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Spotlight: Architects and Architecture
Buildings are one of the most frequently uncredited heroes of set design — they can add tension, drama, excitement, beauty, and more to a film without audiences ever knowing their architects’ names or the rationale behind their design. To celebrate the link between architecture and cinema, this week's Spotlight is all about buildings and the people who create them.
24 City
(二十四城记)
Three generations reflect on the history of state-owned factory 420 before it is closed and demolished to make way for luxury apartments.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, Hong Kong, Japan • 2008
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Joan Chen, Lü Liping, Zhao Tao, Chen Jianbin
- Genre Drama
- Available on Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
Louis Kahn: Silence and Light
A documentary exploring the life and work of the legendary architect Louis Kahn.
- • 1996
- Director Michael Blackwood
- Cast Louis Kahn, Tadao Ando, Denise Scott Brown, Jonas Salk, Mazharul Islam, Brendan Gill
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, Kanopy
The Belly of an Architect
An architect supervising an exhibition starts to have mysterious stomach pains while his life slowly falls apart.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Italy • 1987
- Director Peter Greenaway
- Cast Brian Dennehy, Chloe Webb, Lambert Wilson, Sergio Fantoni, Stefania Casini, Vanni Corbellini
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, fuboTV, MGM Plus Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Tubi TV
Bauhaus Spirit: 100 Years of Bauhaus
(Vom Bauen der Zukunft - 100 Jahre Bauhaus)
A documentary exploring the past, present, and future of utopian design and architecture school around the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2018
- Director Niels Bolbrinker, Thomas Tielsch
- Cast Torsten Blume, Rosan Bosch, Alfredo Brillembourg, Hubert Klumpner, Stephen Kovats, Christian Mio Loclair
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV, Plex Player, Cineverse
Kevin Roche: The Quiet Architect
A revelatory documentary about the enigmatic Irish-American architect Kevin Roche.
- Ireland, France, Spain • 2017
- Director Mark Noonan
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity
This documentary offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the work and processes of renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2013
- Director Mathias Frick
- Cast Tadao Ando
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video
Rem Koolhaas: A Kind of Architect
An engaging portrait of the revolutionary Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his influence in the field.
- Germany • 2008
- Director Min Tesch
- Cast Rem Koolhaas
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Vudu, Amazon Video
Kochuu
A visual meditation on modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition, and its impact on Nordic architecture.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden • 2003
- Director Jesper Wachtmeister
- Cast Tadao Ando, Sverre Fehn, Toyo Ito, Kisho Kurokawa
- Genre Documentary, History
- Available on OVID, Amazon Video
Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future
A cathartic journey through the life and career of Finnish-American architectural giant Eero Saarinen.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Finland, United States • 2016
- Director Peter Rosen
- Cast Blythe Danner, Peter Franzén, Eric Saarinen
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, DOCSVILLE, YouTube, Apple TV
Still Life
(三峡好人)
A man and woman witness societal changes in their hometown, which is headed for demolition.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- China, Hong Kong • 2006
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Han Sanming, Zhao Tao, Wang Hongwei, Zhubin Li, Haiyu Xiang, Lin Zhou
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube, Kanopy
City Dreamers
(Rêveuses de villes)
Four seasoned female architects from Canada reimagine the cities of our world, for today and for the future.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, United States • 2018
- Director Joseph Hillel
- Cast Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, Denise Scott Brown, Samuel Bronfman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, OVID, Kanopy, Apple TV
Eye Over Prague
(Oko nad Prahou)
The documentary follows the life and work of gifted architect Jan Kaplicky.
- Czech Republic • 2010
- Director Olga Špátová
- Cast Jan Kaplický, Eliška Kaplický Fuchsová, Josef Kaplický, Václav Havel, Dagmar Veškrnová-Havlová, Václav Klaus
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DocAlliance Films, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video
The Architect
(Der Architekt)
A trip to a remote mountain village threatens to change a family forever.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2008
- Director Ina Weisse
- Cast Josef Bierbichler, Hilde Van Mieghem, Sandra Hüller, Matthias Schweighöfer, Sophie Rois, Lucas Zolgar
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Aalto
A documentary about Alvar and Aino Aalto, the great masters of modernism, as well as about people’s personal experiences all over the world in spaces created by them.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Finland • 2020
- Director Virpi Suutari
- Cast Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Elissa Aalto, Martti Suosalo, Pirkko Hämäläinen
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Renzo Piano, an Architect for Santander
A celebration of Renzo Piano, the acclaimed Italian architect who designed some of the most significant contemporary buildings in the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2018
- Director Carlos Saura
- Cast Renzo Piano
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, OVID, VUDU Free, Kanopy, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Spotlight: The Idle Rich
Are the very rich different from the rest of us? The films in this week’s Spotlight certainly make it look that way. They satirize and skewer the one percent in merciless detail — their greed and gluttony, moral failings, mental shortcomings, and spectacular, soul-killing selfishness.
Triangle of Sadness
A cruise for the ultra-wealthy goes awry when the ship sinks, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, Sweden, United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Ruben Östlund
- Cast Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Zlatko Burić, Dolly de Leon, Vicki Berlin, Henrik Dorsin
- Genre Comedy
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
The Exterminating Angel
(El ángel exterminador)
A high society party devolves into chaos when the guests are mysteriously unable to leave the room.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 1962
- Director Luis Buñuel
- Cast Silvia Pinal, Jacqueline Andere, José Baviera, Augusto Benedico, Luis Beristáin, Antonio Bravo
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
PlayTime
The clumsy Monsieur Hulot gets into various mishaps in Paris.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1967
- Director Jacques Tati
- Cast Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden, France Rumilly, France Delahalle, Valérie Camille
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
The Good Boss
(El buen patrón)
A CEO meddles in the lives of his employees in order to prepare for an inspection by a national committee.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2021
- Director Fernando León de Aranoa
- Cast Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo, Almudena Amor, Óscar de la Fuente, Sonia Almarcha, Fernando Albizu
- Genre Comedy
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Showtime, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Paramount+ with Showtime, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Kino Now, , YouTube, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Paramount+ Amazon Channel, fuboTV
Weekend
(Week End)
A bourgeoisie couple's weekend getaway to the French countryside goes bizarrely awry.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1967
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Mireille Darc, Jean Yanne, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Valérie Lagrange, Juliet Berto
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, TCM, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Get Duked!
Four boys find themselves fighting for their lives while trying to earn their Duke of Edinburgh award.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Director Ninian Doff
- Cast Samuel Bottomley, Viraj Juneja, Rian Gordon, Lewis Gribben, Eddie Izzard, Georgie Glen
- Genre Action, Comedy, Horror, Music
- Available on Freevee, Amazon Prime Video
The Rules of the Game
(La Règle du jeu)
A weekend at a marquis’ country château lays bare some ugly truths about a group of haut aristocratic acquaintances.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1939
- Director Jean Renoir
- Cast Marcel Dalio, Nora Gregor, Paulette Dubost, Mila Parély, Odette Talazac, Claire Gérard
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Pantaflix, Kanopy
Divorce Italian Style
(Divorzio all'italiana)
How do you end a marriage when divorce is illegal? It's easier than you think.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1961
- Director Pietro Germi
- Cast Marcello Mastroianni, Daniela Rocca, Stefania Sandrelli, Leopoldo Trieste, Odoardo Spadaro, Margherita Girelli
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
The Menu
A couple encounters shocking surprises at an exclusive island restaurant.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- • 2022
- Director Mark Mylod
- Cast Emma Stone, Ralph Fiennes
- Genre Comedy, Horror
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Max, Max Amazon Channel, Hulu
L'Avventura
(L'avventura)
A new adventure in filmmaking...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1960
- Director Michelangelo Antonioni
- Cast Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti, Lea Massari, Dominique Blanchar, Renzo Ricci, James Addams
- Genre Drama, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Swept Away
(Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto)
A spoiled rich woman and a brutish Communist deckhand become stranded on a desert island.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1974
- Director Lina Wertmüller
- Cast Mariangela Melato, Giancarlo Giannini, Riccardo Salvino, Isa Danieli, Aldo Puglisi, Eros Pagni
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on OVID, Metrograph, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Kanopy
We Are the Nobles
(Nosotros los nobles)
Three spoiled siblings are forced to get jobs as their father's successful company weathers a scandal.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2013
- Director Gary Alazraki
- Cast Gonzalo Vega, Luis Gerardo Méndez, Karla Souza, Juan Pablo Gil, Ianis Guerrero, Mario Haddad
- Genre Comedy
- Available on No streaming locations found.
La Grande Bouffe
Four middle aged men retire to a villa for a weekend of culinary and sexual excess.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1973
- Director Marco Ferreri
- Cast Marcello Mastroianni, Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Piccoli, Philippe Noiret, Andréa Ferréol, Solange Blondeau
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Alamo on Demand, Tubi TV