Spotlight: Youssef Chahine
This week, we explore the work of Youssef Chahine. This legendary Egyptian filmmaker's career spanned five decades and countless social and political changes in Egypt and across the Arab world. His themes run the gamut from political revolution to psychological torment to queer identities, with the latter making him a pioneer in Arab cinema and in 20th-century film overall.
Alexandria… Why?
(إسكندرية... ليه؟)
In World War II Alexandria, an Egyptian teenager dreams of making it big in Hollywood.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt, Algeria • 1979
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Farid Shawqi, Mahmoud el-Meliguy, Ezzat El Alaili, Youssef Wahby
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Cairo as Told by Youssef Chahine
(القاهرة منورة بأهلها)
A portrait of both Egypt's most famous city and its most famous filmmaker.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1991
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel
An Egyptian Story
(حدوتة مصرية)
A middle aged man sees his entire life before his eyes during heart surgery.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1982
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Nour El-Sherif, Yousra, Mohsen Mohie Eldein, Gumball Williams, Soheir El-Bably, Magda El-Khatib
- Genre Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Alexandria, Again and Forever
(إسكندرية كمان وكمان)
After a row with one of his lead actors, an aging filmmaker questions his creative and life choices.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Egypt • 1989
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Youssef Chahine, Yousra, Hussein Fahmy, Amr Abdul Gelil, Hesham Selim
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
The Return of the Prodigal Son
(عودة الابن الضال)
A son returns to his ancestral village after 12 years and must face the judgement of his family and community.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1976
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Mahmoud el-Meliguy, Hoda Soltan, Shukri Sarhan, Soheir El-Morshidy, Hesham Selim, Majida El Roumi
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Cairo Station
(باب الحديد)
A newspaper salesman at the train station in Cairo develops an unhealthy obsession with a woman who sells refreshments.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1958
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Farid Shawqi, Hend Rostom, Youssef Chahine, Hassan el Baroudi, Abdel Aziz Khalil, Said Khalil
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix, Fandor Amazon Channel
Destiny
(المصير)
In 12th century Andalusia, a famed liberal philosopher and judge faces criticism and persecution.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Egypt • 1997
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Nour El-Sherif, Layla Olwy, Mahmoud Hemida, Safia El Emary, Mohamed Mounir, Khaled El Nabawy
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads
The Blazing Sun
(صراع في الوادي)
A wealthy landlord floods a village to prevent its inhabitants from making a profit, while his daughter falls for one of the villagers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1954
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Faten Hamamah, Omar Sharif, Zaki Rostom, Farid Shawqi, Abdel Warith Assir, Ahmad Abdel Waress
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Saladin the Victorious
(الناصر صلاح الدين)
Saladin leads the Muslim military campaign against European Christians during the Third Crusade.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1963
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Ahmad Mazhar, Nadia Lotfi, Salah Zulfikar, Leila Fawzi, Hamdy Gheith, Laila Taher
- Genre Adventure, Drama, War
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Dark Waters
(صراع في الميناء)
A fisherman returns home after a three-year absence and must confront the new realities that await him on shore.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1956
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Omar Sharif, Faten Hamamah
- Genre Action, Drama, Romance
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
The Land
(الأرض)
A group of peasant farmers fight for their rights against their corrupt landowner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt • 1969
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Ezzat El Alaili, Mahmoud el-Meliguy, Hamdy Ahmed, Yehia Chahine, Tewfik El Dekn, Ali El Sherif
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
The Emigrant
(المهاجر)
This interesting character study puts an Egyptian spin on the Biblical tale of Joseph.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Egypt, France • 1994
- Director Youssef Chahine
- Cast Ahmad Bedir, Safia El Emary, Khaled El Nabawy, Hanan Turk, Mahmoud Hemida
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Spotlight: Found Family
The films in this week’s Spotlight celebrate finding kinship in unlikely places. They feature characters who have lost or left behind their biological families to build their own. Some temporary, some permanent, these chosen families prove that the bonds of family go beyond blood.
We Are the Best!
(Vi är bäst!)
Three girls in 1980s Stockholm decide to form a punk band.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, Denmark • 2013
- Director Lukas Moodysson
- Cast Mira Barkhammar, Mira Grosin, Liv LeMoyne, David Dencik, Johan Liljemark, Mattias Wiberg
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Magnolia Selects, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, VUDU Free, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, FlixFling, Apple TV
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 Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Plex
Léon: The Professional
An assassin takes a young orphan girl under his wing and helps her get revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1994
- Director Luc Besson
- Cast Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Danny Aiello, Peter Appel, Michael Badalucco
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Tokyo Godfathers
(東京ゴッドファーザーズ)
A bizarre, heartwarming holiday tragicomedy film inspired by Peter B. Kyne's novel "Three Godfathers."
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2003
- Director Satoshi Kon
- Cast Aya Okamoto, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Toru Emori, Satomi Kourogi, Mamiko Noto, Ryûji Saikachi
- Genre Animation, Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, VUDU Free, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Roma
A meditative portrait of a domestic worker's journey through adversity in turbulent 1970s Mexico City.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, United States • 2018
- Director Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta, Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Forced to flee into the New Zealand bush, city kid Ricky must learn to survive with his uncle as a national manhunt ensues.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- New Zealand • 2016
- Director Taika Waititi
- Cast Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Rima Te Wiata, Rachel House, Rhys Darby, Oscar Kightley
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Hoopla, fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Topic, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Redbox, Kanopy, Plex
One Sings, the Other Doesn't
(L'une chante, l'autre pas)
This story of friendship and reproductive rights chronicles 14 years in the lives of two very dissimilar women.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Soviet Union • 1977
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Thérèse Liotard, Valérie Mairesse, Robert Dadies, Mona Mairesse, Francis Lemaire, Ali Rafie
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, HBO Max
Walkabout
Two city-bred children are saved by an Aboriginal boy after escaping from their murderous father in the Australian outback.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Australia • 1971
- Director Nicolas Roeg
- Cast Jenny Agutter, Luc Roeg, David Gulpilil, John Meillon, Robert McDarra, Peter Carver
- Genre Adventure, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV
Kolya
(Kolja)
A poor cellist is forced to care for a small child after his scam backfires.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Czech Republic, United Kingdom, France • 1996
- Director Jan Svěrák
- Cast Andrei Chalimon, Zdeněk Svěrák, Libuše Šafránková, Stella Zázvorková, Ondřej Vetchý, Nela Boudová
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Music
- Available on Amazon Video, Apple TV
Alice in the Cities
(Alice in den Städten)
A German writer journeys with a young girl through Europe in a quest to find her grandmother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- West Germany • 1974
- Director Wim Wenders
- Cast Rüdiger Vogler, Yella Rottländer, Lisa Kreuzer, Edda Köchl, Ernest Boehm, Sam Presti
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Titane
A near-fatal car crash leaves a girl with physical and emotional trauma that shapes her future — and her fetishes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2021
- Director Julia Ducournau
- Cast Vincent Lindon, Agathe Rousselle, Garance Marillier, Laïs Salameh, Mara Cissé, Marin Judas
- Genre Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC on Demand, DIRECTV, Kanopy
A Simple Life
(桃姐)
Companionship is imperishable.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 2011
- Director Ann Hui
- Cast Andy Lau, Deannie Yip, Fuli Wang, Paul Chun Pui, Leung Tin, Hui Siu-ying
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video
Spotlight: Stuck
At what moment do you realize that you have been stuck in one place for too long? These are the films that focus on women struggling in the stagnant waters of life, trying to find their way to a more fulfilling and liberating existence.
Happy Hour
(ハッピーアワー)
Jun, Akari, Sakurako, and Fumi truly believe that they can confide in each other, until Jun confesses that she's seeking a divorce from her husband and the news upsets the other three.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2015
- Director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi
- Cast Hiromi Demura, Shoko Fukunaga, Yuichiro Ito, Rira Kawamura, Hazuki Kikuchi
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, AsianCrush
Vivre Sa Vie
(Vivre sa vie: film en douze tableaux)
A young Parisian woman’s existential crisis — and eventual turn to sex work.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1962
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André S. Labarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger, Gérard Hoffman, Monique Messine
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Kanopy, HBO Max
The Piano
A pianist who has been sold into marriage begins a new life with her daughter by her side.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- New Zealand, Australia, France • 1993
- Director Jane Campion
- Cast Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Cliff Curtis, Kerry Walker
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Redbox, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Pluto TV, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles
A lonely widowed housewife cares for her apartment and teenage son, and uses sex work to make ends meet.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France • 1975
- Director Chantal Akerman
- Cast Delphine Seyrig, Jan Decorte, Henri Storck, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, Yves Bical
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, HBO Max
Cléo from 5 to 7
(Cléo de cinq à sept)
A young singer awaiting life-changing medical results embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1962
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothée Blanck, Michel Legrand, José Luis de Vilallonga
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on TCM, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Kanopy, HBO Max
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(女が階段を上る時)
A middle-aged bar hostess, constantly in debt, is faced with numerous social constraints and challenges.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Katō, Ganjirô Nakamura II
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Nights of Cabiria
(Le notti di Cabiria)
The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1957
- Director Federico Fellini
- Cast Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi, Amedeo Nazzari, Dorian Gray, Aldo Silvani
- Genre Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
I Am Love
(Io sono l'amore)
Emma, an unfulfilled mother of three adult children, finds her senses rekindled by her son's friend.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 2009
- Director Luca Guadagnino
- Cast Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Gabriele Ferzetti, Marisa Berenson
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Magnolia Selects, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Belle de Jour
(Belle de jour)
Luis Bunuel's erotic masterpiece.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1967
- Director Luis Buñuel
- Cast Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviève Page, Pierre Clémenti, Françoise Fabian
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV, HBO Max
Things to Come
(L'avenir)
Thinking through things is one thing; doing them is another...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany • 2016
- Director Mia Hansen-Løve
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, André Marcon, Edith Scob, Roman Kolinka, Sarah Le Picard, Solal Forte
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
The Woman Who Ran
(도망친 여자)
When her husband goes away on business, a woman visits her friends to ruminate over marriage, closeness, and the shapes of their friendships.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2020
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Kim Min-hee, Seo Young-hwa, Song Seon-mi, Kim Sae-byuk, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Eun-mi
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV
A Woman Like Eve
(Een Vrouw als Eva)
A married mother of two finds herself irresistibly drawn to a young feminist and commune-dweller.
- ✭ ✭
- Netherlands • 1979
- Director Nouchka van Brakel
- Cast Monique van de Ven, Maria Schneider, Marijke Merckens, Peter Faber, Renée Soutendijk, Truus Dekker
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Vudu, Night Flight Plus, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Tubi TV
Spotlight: Summer in the City
The heat has set in and there's no escape. You drift through sweltering crowds searching for relief. While these films showcase different urban landscapes across the globe, they all capture one distinct feeling: there's nothing like summer in the city.
Kiki's Delivery Service
(魔女の宅急便)
A young witch goes on fantastic adventures as she runs her own delivery service.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Minami Takayama, Rei Sakuma, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keiko Toda, Mieko Nobusawa, Kôichi Miura
- Genre Animation, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Family
- Available on Microsoft Store, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
The August Virgin
(La virgen de agosto)
An Éric Rohmer-esque love letter to Madrid and affairs of the heart.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2019
- Director Jonás Trueba
- Cast Itsaso Arana, Vito Sanz, Isabelle Stoffel, Joe Manjón, Mikele Urroz, Luis Alberto Heras
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Outsider
City of God
(Cidade de Deus)
Three young men embark on different yet intertwined paths as they try to survive in the dangerous favelas of Rio.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France • 2002
- Director Fernando Meirelles
- Cast Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Phellipe Haagensen, Douglas Silva, Jonathan Haagensen, Matheus Nachtergaele
- Genre Drama, Crime
- Available on Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, YouTube, Pluto TV, Paramount Plus, Apple TV, Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Black Orpheus
(Orfeu Negro)
A retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice that introduced Bossa Nova to the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Brazil, France, Italy • 1959
- Director Marcel Camus
- Cast Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Marcel Camus, Fausto Guerzoni, Lourdes de Oliveira, Léa Garcia
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Music, Romance
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy, Apple TV, HBO Max
Tomboy
When a young girl moves to a new neighborhood with her family, she assumes a new identity as a boy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2011
- Director Céline Sciamma
- Cast Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson, Sophie Cattani, Mathieu Demy, Rayan Boubekri
- Genre Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, 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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Yi Yi
(一一)
Each member of a family in Taipei asks hard questions about life's meaning as they face everyday dilemmas.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Taiwan, Japan • 2000
- Director Edward Yang
- Cast Wu Nien-Jen, Elaine Jin, Issei Ogata, Kelly Lee, Jonathan Chang, Hsi-Sheng Chen
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Roma
A meditative portrait of a domestic worker's journey through adversity in turbulent 1970s Mexico City.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, United States • 2018
- Director Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey, Carlos Peralta, Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Stray Dog
(野良犬)
During a sweltering summer, a rookie detective searches Tokyo’s streets for his stolen Colt pistol.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Noriko Honma
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Plex, Tubi TV
Céline and Julie Go Boating
(Céline et Julie vont en bateau)
Brought together by chance, two young women playfully switch identities until the lines separating reality from fantasy begin to blur.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1974
- Director Jacques Rivette
- Cast Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, Bulle Ogier, Marie-France Pisier, Barbet Schroeder, Nathalie Asnar
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Criterion Channel
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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Oslo, August 31st
(Oslo, 31. august)
As he finishes his drug rehabilitation program, Anders wrestles with the past, and the possibility of a new life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway • 2011
- Director Joachim Trier
- Cast Anders Danielsen Lie, Hans Olav Brenner, Ingrid Olava, Tone Beate Mostraum, Malin Crépin, Øystein Røger
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
Spotlight: Childhood Nostalgia
The filmmakers featured in this week’s Spotlight turn a nostalgic lens on childhood. Often semi-autobiographical, these films lovingly recreate the bygone times and places of youth. Warm, melancholic, sometimes tragic, these films offer a portal into our pasts.
The Long Day Closes
A lonely young boy copes with bullying and his burgeoning homosexuality by spending time at the movie theater.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1992
- Director Terence Davies
- Cast Leigh McCormack, Marjorie Yates, Anthony Watson, Nicholas Lamont, Ayse Owens, Tina Malone
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Children of Heaven
(بچههای آسمان)
A brother and sister swap one worn pair of shoes to avoid burdening their already troubled parents.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 1997
- Director Majid Majidi
- Cast Reza Naji, Amir Farrokh Hashemian, Bahare Seddiqi, Nafise Jafar-Mohammadi, Fereshte Sarabandi, Kamal Mirkarimi
- Genre Drama, Family
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, , Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
The 400 Blows
(Les Quatre Cents Coups)
The story of a misunderstood adolescent boy growing up in Paris.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1959
- Director François Truffaut
- Cast Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy, Georges Flamant, Patrick Auffay, Robert Beauvais
- Genre Drama
- Available on TCM, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Amarcord
In an Italian seaside town, Titta gets into trouble with his friends and watches various eccentrics as they engage in absurd behavior.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1973
- Director Federico Fellini
- Cast Bruno Zanin, Armando Brancia, Pupella Maggio, Giuseppe Ianigro, Nando Orfei, Stefano Proietti
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Cinema Paradiso
(Nuovo Cinema Paradiso)
A celebration of youth, friendship, and the everlasting magic of the movies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1988
- Director Giuseppe Tornatore
- Cast Philippe Noiret, Jacques Perrin, Marco Leonardi, Salvatore Cascio, Agnese Nano, Antonella Attili
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel, Kanopy, Paramount Plus, Apple TV
Summer 1993
(Estiu 1993)
A new family. A new world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2017
- Director Carla Simón
- Cast Laia Artigas, Bruna Cusí, David Verdaguer, Paula Robles, Isabel Rocatti, Montse Sanz
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, fuboTV, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube
My Life as a Dog
(Mitt liv som hund)
After being sent to live with family in rural Sweden, a young boy finds community and strength amongst the eccentric residents.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden • 1985
- Director Lasse Hallström
- Cast Anton Glanzelius, Tomas von Brömssen, Anki Lidén, Melinda Kinnaman, Kicki Rundgren, Lennart Hjulström
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
The Spirit of the Beehive
(El espíritu de la colmena)
In the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, the 7 year-old Ana goes to search for Frankenstein's monster after seeing the film herself.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 1973
- Director Víctor Erice
- Cast Fernando Fernán Gómez, Teresa Gimpera, Ana Torrent, Isabel Tellería, Laly Soldevila, Miguel Picazo
- Genre Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Criterion Channel
Fanny & Alexander
(Fanny och Alexander)
In the wake of their father's death, siblings Fanny and Alexander must adjust to their new life and new home.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden, France, West Germany • 1982
- Director Ingmar Bergman
- Cast Bertil Guve, Pernilla Allwin, Allan Edwall, Ewa Fröling, Erland Josephson, Jan Malmsjö
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Mystery
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV, HBO Max
Au Revoir les Enfants
(Au revoir les enfants)
At a Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, West Germany, Italy • 1987
- Director Louis Malle
- Cast Gaspard Manesse, Raphael Fejtö, Francine Racette, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, Philippe Morier-Genoud, François Berléand
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
Only Yesterday
(おもひでぽろぽろ)
Is the life you have now really everything you imagined it to be?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1991
- Director Isao Takahata
- Cast Miki Imai, Toshirō Yanagiba, Yoko Honna, Mayumi Iizuka, Masahiro Itou, Chie Kitagawa
- Genre Animation, Drama, Romance
- Available on Microsoft Store, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Pather Panchali
(পথের পাঁচালী)
Together, Apu and his sister, Durga, make do with what they have and enjoy the simple joys of childhood.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 1955
- Director Satyajit Ray
- Cast Subir Banerjee, Uma Das Gupta, Karuna Banerjee, Kanu Bannerjee, Chunibala Devi, Runki Banerjee
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Eros Now, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Spotlight: Trainspotting
Films about trains date from the earliest days of the medium, with Auguste Lumière’s 1895 short documentary, Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat. In these films, the setting of the train serves as both a world unto itself as well as a means of transportation from one place to another, literally and otherwise.
Mirai
(未来のミライ)
A young boy meets his sister from the future.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Yoshiko Miyazaki
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC on Demand, Spectrum On Demand, Google Play Movies, YouTube, DIRECTV
Train to Busan
(부산행)
Martial law is declared when a mysterious viral outbreak pushes Korea into a state of emergency.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2016
- Director Yeon Sang-ho
- Cast Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, Jung Yu-mi, Choi Woo-shik, Ahn So-hee, Kim Soo-an
- Genre Action, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Hoopla, Hi-YAH, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Rakuten Viki, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, AMC on Demand, DIRECTV, Alamo on Demand, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Darkmatter TV, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Freevee, KoreaOnDemand, Kanopy, Plex
The Hero
(নায়ক)
A matinee idol is going by train to collect an acting award and is suddenly interviewed by a reluctant journalist.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 1966
- Director Satyajit Ray
- Cast Uttam Kumar, Sharmila Tagore, Bireswar Sen, Somen Bose, Nirmal Ghosh, Premangshu Bose
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV, HBO Max
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train
(Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train)
When an artist dies, a collection of his friends, family, and lovers travel together to his funeral.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1998
- Director Patrice Chéreau
- Cast Pascal Greggory, Valeria Bruni‑Tedeschi, Charles Berling, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Bruno Todeschini, Sylvain Jacques
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Vudu
Last Train Home
(归途列车)
A documentary portrait of a Chinese family where the parents status as migrant workers only allow them to travel to their children once a year.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada, China, United Kingdom • 2009
- Director Lixin Fan
- Cast Changhua Zhang, Suqin Chen, Qin Zhang, Yang Zhang, Tingsui Tang
- Genre Documentary, Drama
- Available on Kino Now, Kanopy, Apple TV
35 Shots of Rum
(35 rhums)
A close-knit father and daughter navigate changes in their relationship as the daughter prepares to live her own life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany • 2009
- Director Claire Denis
- Cast Mati Diop, Nicole Dogue, Grégoire Colin, Alex Descas, Ingrid Caven
- Genre Drama
- Available on Topic, Kanopy, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
Snowpiercer
In 2031, the passengers aboard the Snowpiercer are the only survivors on Earth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, Czech Republic • 2013
- Director Bong Joon-ho
- Cast Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell
- Genre Action, Science Fiction, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, fuboTV, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Showtime, Showtime Apple TV Channel, YouTube, Showtime Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Paramount+ Showtime
The Lady Vanishes
An avalanche blocks the railway, stranding the train's passengers, including a little old lady with a secret.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1938
- Director Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, May Whitty, Paul Lukas, Basil Radford, Naunton Wayne
- Genre Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Freevee, Fandor, Public Domain Movies, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FilmBox+, Amazon Video, Classix, Plex, Pluto TV, Apple TV, HBO Max
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
(劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編)
Tanjiro joins one of the most powerful swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps to take down a monster.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2020
- Director Haruo Sotozaki
- Cast Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Satoshi Hino, Takahiro Sakurai
- Genre Action, Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
- Available on Funimation Now, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube
The Train
The train carried their hopes, and their nation's honour!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy, United States • 1964
- Director John Frankenheimer
- Cast Burt Lancaster, Paul Scofield, Jeanne Moreau, Suzanne Flon, Michel Simon, Wolfgang Preiss
- Genre Action, Thriller, War
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Tubi TV, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Compartment No. 6
(Hytti Nro 6)
On a long train ride, a Finnish student forms an unexpected bond with a Russian miner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Finland, Russia, Estonia • 2021
- Director Juho Kuosmanen
- Cast Seidi Haarla, Yuriy Borisov, Dinara Drukarova, Yuliya Aug, Lidiya Kostina, Tomi Alatalo
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC on Demand, Spectrum On Demand, Google Play Movies, YouTube, DIRECTV
Murder on the Orient Express
When his train is stranded in the snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred the night before.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1974
- Director Sidney Lumet
- Cast Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Cassel
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on TCM, Microsoft Store, fuboTV, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Kanopy, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Spotlight: Hit the Road
Summer is here, and with it, a Spotlight on a favorite summer pastime: road trips. With films from every decade starting in the 1950s, ride along on different journeys made in films from across the globe.
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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, HBO Max
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 Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC+ Amazon Channel, YouTube, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, Apple TV
The Band's Visit
(ביקור התזמורת)
A traveling band comprised of members of the Egyptian Police Force travel to the wrong Israeli town prior to a performance.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Israel, United States, France • 2007
- Director Eran Kolirin
- Cast Sasson Gabai, Ronit Elkabetz, Khalifa Natour, Saleh Bakri, Shlomi Avraham, Rubi Moskovitz
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Apple TV
Il Sorpasso
(Il sorpasso)
Two very different men take a road trip around Italy and learn more about each other's lives and perspectives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1962
- Director Dino Risi
- Cast Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Claudio Gora, Luciana Angiolillo, Linda Sini
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV
Vagabond
(Sans toit ni loi)
A young woman's desire for freedom leads to her demise.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1985
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Sandrine Bonnaire, Macha Méril, Stéphane Freiss, Setti Ramdane, Yahiaoui Assouna, Yolande Moreau
- Genre Drama
- Available on TCM, Criterion Channel
American Honey
A teenage girl with nothing to lose joins a traveling magazine sales crew.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2016
- Director Andrea Arnold
- Cast Sasha Lane, Shia LaBeouf, Riley Keough, McCaul Lombardi, Arielle Holmes, Crystal Ice
- Genre Drama
- Available on Showtime, Showtime Amazon Channel, Hoopla, fuboTV, DIRECTV, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Showtime Apple TV Channel, Paramount+ Showtime, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Kanopy
Taste of Cherry
(طعم گيلاس)
A middle-aged Tehranian 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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Kanopy, HBO Max
The Motorcycle Diaries
(Diarios de motocicleta)
Before he changed the world, the world changed him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina, United States, Chile • 2004
- Director Walter Salles
- Cast Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo de la Serna, Mercedes Morán, Mía Maestro, Jean Pierre Noher
- Genre Drama
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Touki Bouki
(Touki-Bouki)
Tired of poverty, two Senegalese men steal money and clothing, then book passage to France to begin new lives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Senegal • 1973
- Director Djibril Diop Mambéty
- Cast Magaye Niang, Myriam Niang, Christoph Colomb, Mustapha Ture, Aminata Fall
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
Wild Strawberries
(Smultronstället)
A retired doctor reflects on his life during a long road trip to receive an honorary degree.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Sweden • 1957
- Director Ingmar Bergman
- Cast Victor Sjöström, Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Björnstrand, Jullan Kindahl, Gunnar Sjöberg
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Apple TV, HBO Max
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, fuboTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Showtime, Hoopla, Vudu, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Showtime Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Paramount+ Showtime
Kings of the Road
(Im Lauf der Zeit)
Two men find themselves bonding as they travel the border of East and West Germany.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- West Germany • 1976
- Director Wim Wenders
- Cast Rüdiger Vogler, Hanns Zischler, Lisa Kreuzer, Rudolf Schündler, Marquard Bohm, Hans Dieter Trayer
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Spotlight: Food Glorious Food!
One of the irreducible necessities of life, food commands an enormous share of human attention. This week’s films all explore the experience of food – from growing it, to cooking it, to eating it -- and how its tastes and textures can have powerful impacts on our lives.
The Platform
(El hoyo)
Your greed can be deadly.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2019
- Director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia
- Cast Ivan Massagué, Antonia San Juan, Zorion Eguileor, Emilio Buale, Alexandra Masangkay, Zihara Llana
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Babette's Feast
(Babettes gæstebud)
A French housekeeper with a mysterious past cooks an exquisite meal for a circle of pious, stoic villagers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark • 1987
- Director Gabriel Axel
- Cast Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel, Jarl Kulle, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Bibi Andersson
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV, HBO Max
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 Freevee, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Like Water for Chocolate
(Como agua para chocolate)
In Tita's kitchen, ordinary spices become a recipe for passion.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 1992
- Director Alfonso Aráu
- Cast Marco Leonardi, Lumi Cavazos, Regina Torné, Ada Carrasco, Mario Iván Martínez, Claudette Maillé
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Showtime, Vudu, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, YouTube, Apple TV
Kitchen Stories
(Salmer fra kjøkkenet)
Swedish researcher's observe the emergence of the modern housewife in the 1950s and plan to revolutionize the home kitchen.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway, Sweden • 2003
- Director Bent Hamer
- Cast Joachim Calmeyer, Tomas Norström, Bjørn Floberg, Reine Brynolfsson, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Jan Gunnar Røise
- Genre Drama, Comedy
- Available on Amazon Video
Delicatessen
A futuristic comic feast.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1991
- Director Marc Caro
- Cast Dominique Pinon, Marie-Laure Dougnac, Jean-Claude Dreyfus, Karin Viard, Ticky Holgado, Pascal Benezech
- Genre Comedy, Science Fiction, Fantasy
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Boiling Point
Enter the relentless pressure of a restaurant kitchen as a head chef wrangles his team on the busiest day of the year.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Philip Barantini
- Cast Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Alice May Feetham, Hannah Walters, Malachi Kirby, Izuka Hoyle
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, The Roku Channel, ShortsTV Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Still Walking
(歩いても 歩いても)
Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger's life, Kyohei and Toshiko welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2008
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Hiroshi Abe, Kirin Kiki, Yui Natsukawa, Yoshio Harada, You, Kazuya Takahashi
- Genre Drama, Family
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV
Tom Jones
The romantic adventures of a an adopted bastard in 18th century England.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1963
- Director Tony Richardson
- Cast Albert Finney, Susannah York, Hugh Griffith, Edith Evans, Joan Greenwood, Diane Cilento
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Romance
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV, HBO Max
Tampopo
(タンポポ)
Two Japanese truck drivers help a widowed restaurant owner learn to cook amazing ramen noodles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1985
- Director Juzo Itami
- Cast Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Rikiya Yasuoka, Hyôe Enoki
- Genre Comedy
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, FilmBox+, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
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, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Apple TV
The Secret of the Grain
(La graine et le mulet)
In southern France, a Franco-Arabic shipyard worker, assisted by his partner's daughter, pursues his dream of opening a restaurant.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2007
- Director Abdellatif Kechiche
- Cast Habib Boufares, Hafsia Herzi, Farida Benkhetache, Abdelhamid Aktouche, Alice Houri, Bouraouïa Marzouk
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Plex, YouTube
Spotlight: Jean-Louis Trintignant
The career of French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant spanned seven decades and included an astonishing 124 films, from his breakout role in And God Created Woman in 1956, to the career-capping Amour, for which he won a César for Best Actor in 2013, with several of the great auteur films of the 20th century along the way.
A Self-Made Hero
(Un héros très discret)
Set in France at the end of World War II, Albert Dehousse finds out his father wasn't a war hero and his mother is a collaborator.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1996
- Director Jacques Audiard
- Cast Mathieu Kassovitz, Anouk Grinberg, Sandrine Kiberlain, Albert Dupontel, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Nadia Barentin
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Kanopy
Three Colors: Red
(Trois couleurs : Rouge)
Valentine is outraged that an ex-judge in her neighborhood taps phone calls, but their debates lead to a strange bond.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Switzerland, France, Poland • 1994
- Director Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Cast Irène Jacob, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean-Pierre Lorit, Frédérique Feder, Samuel Le Bihan, Marion Stalens
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Romance
- Available on TCM, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV, HBO Max
Z
He is alive!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Algeria • 1969
- Director Costa-Gavras
- Cast Yves Montand, Irene Papas, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jacques Perrin, Charles Denner, Bernard Fresson
- Genre Drama, History, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, HBO Max
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 Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Hulu, YouTube, Apple TV
Flic Story
A detective's nine-year pursuit of a dangerous gangster and murderer who escaped from prison.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1975
- Director Jacques Deray
- Cast Alain Delon, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Claudine Auger, Renato Salvatori, André Pousse, Marco Perrin
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Video, OVID, YouTube, Apple TV
The Conformist
(Il conformista)
A fascist is ordered to assassinate his former professor, a political dissident exiled in Paris.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France, West Germany • 1970
- Director Bernardo Bertolucci
- Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant, Stefania Sandrelli, Gastone Moschin, Dominique Sanda, Enzo Tarascio, Fosco Giachetti
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Confidentially Yours
(Vivement dimanche!)
A man is accused of murder after his wife is found to be the victims mistress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1983
- Director François Truffaut
- Cast Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Philippe Laudenbach, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Philippe Morier-Genoud, Caroline Silhol
- Genre Comedy, Crime, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel
The Great Silence
(Il grande silenzio)
His voice was the silence of death!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1968
- Director Sergio Corbucci
- Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant, Klaus Kinski, Frank Wolff, Luigi Pistilli, Vonetta McGee, Mario Brega
- Genre Action, Western
- Available on Microsoft Store, Film Movement Plus, Criterion Channel, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV
A Man and a Woman
(Un homme et une femme)
See it with someone you love!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1966
- Director Claude Lelouch
- Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant, Anouk Aimée, Pierre Barouh, Valérie Lagrange, Simone Paris, Antoine Sire
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Il Sorpasso
(Il sorpasso)
Two very different men take a road trip around Italy and learn more about each other's lives and perspectives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1962
- Director Dino Risi
- Cast Vittorio Gassman, Catherine Spaak, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Claudio Gora, Luciana Angiolillo, Linda Sini
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV
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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
Happy End
Don't believe the title.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Austria, Germany • 2017
- Director Michael Haneke
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mathieu Kassovitz, Fantine Harduin, Toby Jones, Franz Rogowski
- Genre Drama, Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Redbox, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Vudu
Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train
(Ceux qui m'aiment prendront le train)
When an artist dies, a collection of his friends, family, and lovers travel together to his funeral.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1998
- Director Patrice Chéreau
- Cast Pascal Greggory, Valeria Bruni‑Tedeschi, Charles Berling, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Bruno Todeschini, Sylvain Jacques
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Vudu