Spotlight: Nonlinearity
According to Einstein, “the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion," and these filmmakers would agree. Transcending the plot structure of beginning, middle and end, this week’s films all feature storytelling that warps the conventions of time.
Paulina
(La patota)
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Argentina, Brazil, France • 2015
- Director Santiago Mitre
- Cast Dolores Fonzi, Oscar Martínez, Esteban Lamothe, Cristian Salguero, Verónica Llinás, Laura López Moyano
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Kanopy
Ghajini
(गजनी)
A tycoon with short-term memory loss must piece together his past to avenge the death of his lover.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2008
- Director A.R. Murugadoss
- Cast Aamir Khan, Asin Thottumkal, Jiah Khan, Pradeep Ram Singh Rawat, Riyaz Khan, Khalid Siddiqui
- Genre Action, Romance, Thriller
- Available on Sun Nxt, Amazon Video
Eternal Beauty
When Jane is left at the altar, she spirals into a chaotic, schizophrenic world with both humorous and emotionally profound consequences.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2020
- Director Craig Roberts
- Cast Sally Hawkins, David Thewlis, Alice Lowe, Billie Piper, Penelope Wilton, Robert Pugh
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Kanopy, Plex
The Teacher
(Učiteľka)
The strange story of Mrs. Drazdechova --- a teacher who blackmails her students' parents.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Slovakia, Czech Republic • 2016
- Director Jan Hřebejk
- Cast Zuzana Mauréry, Csongor Kassai, Zuzana Konečná, Tamara Fischer, Martin Havelka
- Genre Drama, Comedy
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Vudu, Tubi TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex
Rashomon
(羅生門)
A singular crime from four different perspectives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1950
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Machiko Kyō, Takashi Shimura, Masayuki Mori, Minoru Chiaki, Kichijirô Ueda
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on TCM, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Kanopy, Plex, Apple TV, HBO Max
Vada Chennai
(வடசென்னை)
A young carrom player is pulled into the criminal underworld of North Chennai to settle a feud between two warring gangsters.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2018
- Director Vetrimaaran
- Cast Dhanush, Andrea Jeremiah, Samuthirakani
- Genre Action, Crime, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Mirror
(Зеркало)
The thoughts, emotions, and memories of 40 year-old Alexei, reflecting on his life experiences in three different time periods.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Soviet Union • 1975
- Director Andrei Tarkovsky
- Cast Margarita Terekhova, Ignat Daniltsev, Larisa Tarkovskaya, Alla Demidova, Anatoliy Solonitsyn, Nikolay Grinko
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Freevee, Criterion Channel, Vudu
Run Lola Run
(Lola rennt)
Every second of every day, you're faced with a decision that can change your life.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 1998
- Director Tom Tykwer
- Cast Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri, Armin Rohde, Joachim Król
- Genre Action, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Distant Voices, Still Lives
A view of a working-class family in Liverpool during the 40s and 50s based on Terrence Davies own childhood experiences.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, West Germany • 1988
- Director Terence Davies
- Cast Freda Dowie, Pete Postlethwaite, Angela Walsh, Lorraine Ashbourne, Dean Williams, Sally Davies
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Fandor, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, ARROW, Alamo on Demand, Tubi TV, YouTube, Darkmatter TV, Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Last Night in Soho
A young girl is transported back to the Swinging Sixties in her dreams where she discovers a dark secret
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Edgar Wright
- Cast Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Michael Ajao, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp
- Genre Horror, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on No streaming locations found.
A Monster with a Thousand Heads
(Un monstruo de mil cabezas)
A sharp, urgent tale of a distraught woman intent on protecting her family at all costs, Rodrigo Plá’s latest film is an engrossing combination of thriller, drama and timely socio-political commentary.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2016
- Director Rodrigo Plá
- Cast Veronica Falcón, Jana Raluy, Sebastián Aguirre, Emilio Echevarría, Hugo Albores
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Mulholland Drive
An aspiring actress tries to help a woman with amnesia solve the mystery of her identity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2001
- Director David Lynch
- Cast Naomi Watts, Laura Harring, Justin Theroux, Ann Miller, Dan Hedaya, Brent Briscoe
- Genre Thriller, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Spotlight: Lives of Musicians
How do the lives of artists inform their art? These films focus on musicians from around the world at various points in their careers, showing how the joy and suffering in their personal lives and in the world around them impact the music they create.
The Disciple
A young man devotes his life to achieving greatness in Indian classical music, which proves difficult.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2020
- Director Chaitanya Tamhane
- Cast Aditya Modak, Arun Dravid, Sumitra Bhave, Deepika Bhida Bhagwat, Kiran Yadnyopavit, Abhishek Kale
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Chico & Rita
The romance between a piano player and a singer in 1940s Havana is tested as they pursue musical success.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Fernando Trueba
- Cast Mario Guerra, Limara Meneses, Eman Xor Oña, Jon Adams, Renny Arozarena, Blanca Rosa Blanco
- Genre Animation, Music, Romance
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, realeyz, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, MUBI Amazon Channel, MUBI
Mogul Mowgli
A terminal illness threatens a British Pakistani rapper's career.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2020
- Director Bassam Tariq
- Cast Riz Ahmed, Aiysha Hart, Nabhaan Rizwan, Kiran Sonia Sawar, Anjana Vasan
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
One More Time with Feeling
A documentary following musician Nick Cave as he records an album in the aftermath of the death of his son.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France • 2016
- Director Andrew Dominik
- Cast Nick Cave, Susie Bick, Earl Cave, Warren Ellis, Jim Sclavunos, Martyn P. Casey
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Sisters with Transistors
A documentary focusing on the female pioneers of electronic music.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Director Lisa Rovner
- Cast Laurie Anderson, Delia Derbyshire, Suzanne Ciani, Bebe Barron, Laurie Spiegel
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on Showtime, Showtime Amazon Channel, fuboTV, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, Paramount+ Showtime, DIRECTV, Kanopy
A Hard Day's Night
The Beatles star as themselves in this comedy about their lives at the peak of Beatlemania.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1964
- Director Richard Lester
- Cast John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Wilfrid Brambell, Norman Rossington
- Genre Comedy, Music
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Once
Two aspiring musicians collaborate, finding love along the way.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ireland • 2007
- Director John Carney
- Cast Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh, Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley, Geoff Minogue
- Genre Drama, Music, Romance
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda
A documentary focusing on musician, film composer, and activist Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2017
- Director Stephen Nomura Schible
- Cast Ryuichi Sakamoto, David Bowie, Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Control
This film tells the story of the troubled life of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of English rock band Joy Division.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States, Australia • 2007
- Director Anton Corbijn
- Cast Sam Riley, Samantha Morton, Alexandra Maria Lara, Joe Anderson, James Anthony Pearson, Toby Kebbell
- Genre Drama
- Available on Freevee, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Hoopla, Vudu, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Mali Blues
A documentary showcasing four musicians in Mali who perform in the face of the takeover of much of the country by Islamic fundamentalists.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Mali • 2016
- Director Lutz Gregor
- Cast
- Genre
- Available on Hoopla, OVID, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World
A documentary on the impacts of Native American musicians on the history of American music.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2017
- Director Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana
- Cast Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Martin Scorsese, Tony Bennett, Steven Tyler, Iggy Pop
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Netflix basic with Ads, Vudu, Kino Now, Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Amy
An intimate and delicate portrait of Amy Winehouse's rise to fame.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2015
- Director Asif Kapadia
- Cast Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Tony Bennett, Pete Doherty, Blake Fielder
- Genre Documentary
- Available on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Kanopy
Spotlight: Immersed in the Elements
The subjects of this week’s spotlight find themselves living in the wild, whether by choice or not. Deserts, oceans, forests, and mountains—the untamed elements of nature provide the backdrop not just for tales of isolation and survival, but also for stories of connection and belonging.
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
The Wall
(Die Wand)
A woman finds herself inexplicably cut off from all human contact when an invisible wall suddenly surrounds her countryside cabin.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Austria, Germany • 2012
- Director Julian Pölsler
- Cast Martina Gedeck, Ulrike Beimpold, Karlheinz Hackl, Wolfgang Maria Bauer, Julia Gschnitzer, Hans-Michael Rehberg
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Fandor, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV
All The Time In The World
In search of a new perspective, one family decides to spend nine months living off the grid in the Yukon wilderness
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2015
- Director Suzanne Crocker
- Cast Suzanne Crocker, Gerard Parsons
- Genre Adventure, Documentary, Family
- Available on Apple TV
The Red Turtle
(La tortue rouge)
Come discover the magic of nature...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, Japan • 2016
- Director Michael Dudok de Wit
- Cast Emmanuel Garijo, Tom Hudson, Baptiste Goy, Axel Devillers, Barbara Beretta
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Starz, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Starz Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Spectrum On Demand, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Watchtower
(Gözetleme Kulesi)
Deep in the wilderness, a fire warden haunted by his past finds himself drawn toward a woman with secrets of her own.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, France, Germany • 2012
- Director Pelin Esmer
- Cast Olgun Şimşek, Nilay Erdönmez, Laçin Ceylan, Menderes Samancılar, Rıza Akın, Kadir Çermik
- Genre Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV
Kon-Tiki
In 1948, six Scandinavian scientists sailed from South America to the Polynesian Islands in 101 days using only a wooden raft.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway, Sweden • 1950
- Director Thor Heyerdahl
- Cast Thor Heyerdahl, Herman Watzinger, Erik Hesselberg, Knut Haugland, Torstein Raaby, Bengt Danielsson
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, Hoopla, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV
Alamar
Before his five-year-old son moves to Italy, Jorge takes him to a Mexican coral reef to teach him about his Mayan origins.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico • 2010
- Director Pedro González-Rubio
- Cast Jorge Machado, Roberta Palombini, Natan Machado Palombini, Nestor Marin
- Genre Documentary, Drama, Family
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, FlixFling, VIX
Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
Inhabitants of the Siberian village Bakhta maintain cultural traditions and uphold a lifestyle that has barely changed in centuries.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2010
- Director Dmitry Vasyukov
- Cast Werner Herzog
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, OVID, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Acasă, My Home
(Acasă)
When their home is turned into a public park, a family living in nature is forced to relocate to the city.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, Germany • 2020
- Director Radu Ciorniciuc
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Hoopla, Klassiki, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kino Now, Kanopy
The Survivalist
In a time of starvation, a survivalist lives off a small plot of land hidden deep in the forest.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2015
- Director Stephen Fingleton
- Cast Mia Goth, Martin McCann, Olwen Fouéré, Barry Ward, Andrew Simpson
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Available on AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Styx
A successful doctor’s solo sailing voyage is turned upside down when she comes across a group of refugees at sea.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Austria, Netherlands • 2018
- Director Wolfgang Fischer
- Cast Susanne Wolff, Alexander Beyer, Inga Birkenfeld, Gedion Oduor Wekesa, Kelvin Mutuku Ndinda
- Genre Drama
- Available on Freevee, Film Movement Plus, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Apple TV
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
Spotlight: Animal Characters
This Spotlight focuses on movies featuring animal characters, including live action and animation, and ranging from documentaries to realist drama to fantasy. These films provide a unique perspective on our world, showing how animals interact with each other and with human society.
Cow
An empathetic portrait of the life a dairy cow on an industrial British farm.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2022
- Director Andrea Arnold
- Cast Lin Gallagher
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, YouTube, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Apple TV
Ponyo
(崖の上のポニョ)
A fish makes herself human to return to a boy on land, but she must fix the disastrous consequences of her magic.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2008
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, George Tokoro, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Yuki Amami, Kazushige Nagashima
- Genre Animation, Family
- Available on Microsoft Store, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV, HBO Max
Paddington
A young bear travels to London and moves in with a human family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France, United States • 2014
- Director Paul King
- Cast Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Samuel Joslin, Madeleine Harris, Julie Walters
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Family
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV
White God
(Fehér Isten)
A girl and her dog are separated and must each deal with their harsh situations, culminating in a canine revolt.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hungary, Germany, Sweden • 2014
- Director Kornél Mundruczó
- Cast Zsófia Psotta, Luke, Body, Sándor Zsótér, Thuróczy Szabolcs, Lili Monori
- Genre Drama
- Available on Magnolia Selects, DIRECTV, fuboTV, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy, YouTube, FlixFling, Apple TV
Shaun the Sheep Movie
Shaun the Sheep and his flock must rescue their farmer, who's lost and suffering from amnesia in the big city.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France • 2015
- Director Richard Starzak
- Cast Justin Fletcher, Omid Djalili, Richard Webber, Kate Harbour
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Family
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV
Ernest & Celestine
(Ernest et Célestine)
When mouse Celestine meets bear Ernest, they overcome their learned animosity by forging a life of crime together.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, Luxembourg • 2012
- Director Benjamin Renner
- Cast Anne-Marie Loop, Lambert Wilson, Pauline Brunner, Patrice Melennec, Brigitte Virtudes, Léonard Louf
- Genre Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV
Okja
A young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multi-national company from kidnapping her best friend — a massive animal named Okja.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, United States • 2017
- Director Bong Joon Ho
- Cast Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Ahn Seo-hyun, Byun Hee-bong, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins
- Genre Action, Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Kedi
This documentary looks at the thousands of free-roaming cats in Istanbul, Turkey, showing the city through their perspective.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, United States • 2017
- Director Ceyda Torun
- Cast Bengu, Deniz, Duman, Gamsiz, Aslan Parcasi, Psikopat
- Genre Documentary
- Available on YouTube Premium, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy
Kes
A working-class boy, miserable both at home and at school, finds refuge in learning falconry.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1970
- Director Ken Loach
- Cast David Bradley, Freddie Fletcher, Lynne Perrie, Colin Welland, Brian Glover, Bob Bowes
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Kanopy, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Apple TV
A Cat in Paris
(Une vie de chat)
A girl's cat lives a double life working with a burglar, putting the girl in danger.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium • 2010
- Director Jean-Loup Felicioli
- Cast Dominique Blanc, Bruno Salomone, Jean Benguigui, Bernadette Lafont, Oriane Zani, Patrick Ridremont
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Hulu, Tubi TV, YouTube, Apple TV
The Rabbi's Cat
(Le Chat du rabbin)
A rabbi in 1920s Algeria attempts to teach his cat about religion after it gains the ability to speak.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2011
- Director Joann Sfar
- Cast François Morel, Hafsia Herzi, Maurice Bénichou, Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Daniel Cohen, François Damiens
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, OVID, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Au Hasard Balthazar
(Au hasard Balthazar)
In the French countryside, donkey Balthazar experiences different sides of human nature as he is passed from owner to owner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Sweden • 1966
- Director Robert Bresson
- Cast Anne Wiazemsky, Walter Green, François Lafarge, Jean-Claude Guilbert, Philippe Asselin, Pierre Klossowski
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Apple TV
Spotlight: Divorce Italian Style
On the occasion of the International Day of Families, we’re focusing on Italian cinema of the 1960s that reflects the transformation of society brought about by the post-war economic boom (aka the “Economic Miracle”). These films tackle subjects including women’s entrance into the workforce, divorce, abortion, sex work, and the social shift toward individuality as a result of capitalist consumerism.
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
I Knew Her Well
(Io la conoscevo bene)
A young woman from the Italian countryside moves to Rome hoping to become a star, but discovers the business’s dark side instead.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France, West Germany • 1965
- Director Antonio Pietrangeli
- Cast Stefania Sandrelli, Mario Adorf, Jean-Claude Brialy, Joachim Fuchsberger, Nino Manfredi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Red Desert
(Il deserto rosso)
Her tenuous grip on reality is starting to slip... can a new man save her or will it only get worse?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1964
- Director Michelangelo Antonioni
- Cast Monica Vitti, Richard Harris, Carlo Chionetti, Xenia Valderi, Rita Renoir, Lili Rheims
- Genre Drama
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
Rocco and His Brothers
(Rocco e i suoi fratelli)
DARING in its realism. STUNNING in its impact. BREATHTAKING in its scope.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1960
- Director Luchino Visconti
- Cast Alain Delon, Renato Salvatori, Annie Girardot, Katina Paxinou, Alessandra Panaro, Spiros Focás
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on TCM, Microsoft Store, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, OVID, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Il Posto
(Il posto)
A coming-of-age film about a young man beginning his career at a large, bureaucratic company.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1961
- Director Ermanno Olmi
- Cast Loredana Detto, Sandro Panseri, Tullio Kezich, Mara Revel, Guido Spadea, Corrado Aprile
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Kanopy
Accattone
The poor man's "La Dolce Vita".
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1961
- Director Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Cast Franco Citti, Franca Pasut, Silvana Corsini, Paola Guidi, Adriana Asti, Luciano Conti
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Marriage Italian Style
(Matrimonio all'italiana)
A businessman's mistress of 20 years learns he plans to marry a young woman and schemes to protect her family's interests.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1964
- Director Vittorio De Sica
- Cast Sophia Loren, Marcello Mastroianni, Aldo Puglisi, Tecla Scarano, Marilù Tolo, Gianni Ridolfi
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Video, Kino Now, Kanopy, Metrograph, Tubi TV
Fists in the Pocket
(I pugni in tasca)
A deeply disturbed young man decides to murder members of his dysfunctional family for supposedly altruistic reasons.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1965
- Director Marco Bellocchio
- Cast Lou Castel, Paola Pitagora, Marino Masé, Liliana Gerace, Pier Luigi Troglio, Jeannie McNeil
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Kanopy
La Dolce Vita
(La dolce vita)
A paprazzo's search for love and happiness through booze and sex.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1960
- Director Federico Fellini
- Cast Marcello Mastroianni, Anita Ekberg, Anouk Aimée, Yvonne Furneaux, Magali Noël, Alain Cuny
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on FilmBox+
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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Apple TV, HBO Max
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 HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, HBO Max
Spotlight: Very British Telly
In this Spotlight, we’re exploring Very British Telly. These single-camera comedies are characterized by their dry, cerebral humor and dark comedy. Further, unlike the classic British sitcoms that preceded them, these series represent a modern era in British TV and paint a contemporary portrait of life in the UK and of its inhabitants.
Drifters
Three single women live in Leeds following their college graduation with no plans whatsoever.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2013
- Creator Jessica Knappett
- Cast Jessica Knappett, Lydia Rose Bewley, Lauren O'Rourke, Philip McGinley
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Amazon Video, Freevee
Fleabag
All hail the hot priest!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2016
- Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge
- Cast Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson, Hugh Dennis
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Redbox, Amazon Prime Video
Chewing Gum
24-year-old Tracey Gordon is just trying to get through her day, channel Beyoncé, and maybe lose her virginity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2015
- Creator Michaela Coel
- Cast Michaela Coel, Danielle Walters, Robert Lonsdale, Susan Wokoma, Shola Adewusi, Kadiff Kirwan
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel
We Are Lady Parts
A geeky doctoral student becomes the unlikely lead guitarist of an all-female Muslim punk band.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Creator Nida Manzoor
- Cast Anjana Vasan
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Peacock, Peacock Premium
Feel Good
Some love is worth fighting for, and some love is impossible to quit.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2020
- Creator Joe Hampson, Mae Martin
- Cast Mae Martin, Charlotte Ritchie
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
This Way Up
A young woman puts her life back together after suffering from a nervous breakdown.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Creator Aisling Bea
- Cast Aisling Bea, Sharon Horgan
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Hulu
Catastrophe
Is there a right way to fall in love?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2015
- Creator Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney
- Cast Sharon Horgan, Rob Delaney, Mark Bonnar, Ashley Jensen, Daniel Lapaine, Jonathan Forbes
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Prime Video
The Inbetweeners
Four teenage lads explore their high school years in the most awkward way imaginable.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2008
- Creator Damon Beesley, Iain Morris
- Cast James Buckley, Simon Bird, Emily Head, Joe Thomas, Blake Harrison, Belinda Stewart-Wilson
- Genre Comedy
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Starstruck
An ordinary woman's life is turned upside down when she unknowingly sleeps with a celebrity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2021
- Creator Rose Matafeo
- Cast Rose Matafeo, Nikesh Patel
- Genre Comedy
- Available on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel
Derry Girls
A teenage girl comes of age amidst violent political tensions in Northern Ireland in the mid-1990s.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2018
- Creator Lisa McGee
- Cast Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan, Jamie Lee O'Donnell, Dylan Llewellyn, Tara Lynne O'Neill
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Sex Education
After accidentally helping a bully with his performance anxiety, an insecure teen sets up a sex advice business at his school.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Creator Laurie Nunn
- Cast Gillian Anderson, Asa Butterfield, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Aimée-Lou Wood
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Intelligence
Is cybersecurity more of a threat to British society, or are these bumbling analysts?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2020
- Creator Nick Mohammed
- Cast David Schwimmer, Nick Mohammed
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Peacock Premium
Spotlight: Farm Life
This week, we’re spotlighting a range of documentaries and narrative films set on farms large and small. While some farms are backdrops for family-driven dramas, others become arenas of local resistance against environmental destruction, industrialization, patriarchy, and more.
The Moo Man
A British dairy farmer sells raw, unpasteurized organic milk and cultivates an intimate relationship with his small herd of cows.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2013
- Director Andy Heathcote, Heike Bachelier
- Cast Stephen Hook
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, YouTube
Honeyland
Hatidze Muratova, one of the last "bee hunters" in Europe, raises bees based in a sustainable and minimally invasive manner.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Macedonia • 2019
- Director Tamara Kotevska
- Cast Hatidzhe Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam, Ljutvie Sam
- Genre Documentary
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Rams
(Hrútar)
Sheep farming brothers Gummi and Kiddi haven't spoken in 40 years—until a lethal disease threatens their flock.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iceland, Denmark, Norway • 2015
- Director Grímur Hákonarson
- Cast Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Theodór Júlíusson, Charlotte Bøving, Jón Benónýsson, Gunnar Jónsson, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Tubi TV, Kanopy
The County
(Héraðið)
A widowed dairy farmer stands up for her contained community in rural Iceland.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iceland • 2019
- Director Grímur Hákonarson
- Cast Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Ævar Þór Benediktsson
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Gunda
An intimate look at the life of a sow and her companions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway, United States • 2021
- Director Viktor Kossakovsky
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Hulu, Apple TV
The Auction
(Le Démantèlement)
A sheep farmer must choose between his livelihood and his family when his daughter is in need of financial support.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2013
- Director Sébastien Pilote
- Cast Gabriel Arcand, Gilles Renaud, Lucie Laurier, Sophie Desmarais, Dominique Leduc, Pierre-Luc Brillant
- Genre Drama
- Available on Freevee, Film Movement Plus, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, Apple TV
Red Persimmons
(満山紅柿)
A small Japanese village has grown and packaged persimmons for centuries, but their traditional culture faces the threat of disappearance.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2001
- Director Shinsuke Ogawa, Peng Xiaolian
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, OVID
The Levelling
After learning of her brother's death, Clover returns home to find her family's farm in shambles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2017
- Director Hope Dickson Leach
- Cast Ellie Kendrick, David Troughton, Jack Holden, Joe Blakemore, Angela Curran, Joe Attewell
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex
Qu'est-ce qu'on attend ?
A French village transforms its practices to implement renewable energy and food sovereignty and radically reduce its carbon emissions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2016
- Director Marie-Monique Robin
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on realeyz
Back Home
(Revenir)
After twelve years abroad, Thomas returns to his family farm in southeastern France and finds past tensions resurfacing.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2020
- Director Jessica Palud
- Cast Niels Schneider, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Roman Coustère Hachez, Patrick d'Assumçao, Hélène Vincent, Franck Falise
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, VUDU Free, Plex, Tubi TV, IndieFlix
Jean de Florette
When Jean de Florette inherits land in Provence, he decides to take up farming. But his scheming neighbors have other plans…
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Switzerland, Italy • 1986
- Director Claude Berri
- Cast Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Elisabeth Depardieu, Margarita Lozano, Ernestine Mazurowna
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Hadithi za Kumekucha: Fatuma
A woman and her daughter struggle to find recognition for their contributions to the family farm.
- ✭
- Tanzania • 2018
- Director Jordan Riber
- Cast Ayoub Bombwe, Cathryn Credo, Beatrice Taisamo, Kulthum Maabad, MacDonald Haule
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Spotlight: World Press Freedom Day
In a world increasingly shaped by fake news, celebrating the dogged search for truth is more important than ever. This week we’re spotlighting films that show the role of the Fourth Estate in holding the powerful accountable, and the important work of journalists around the world.
Gunda
An intimate look at the life of a sow and her companions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Norway, United States • 2021
- Director Viktor Kossakovsky
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, Hulu, Apple TV
Virunga
Journalists and park rangers struggle to save the mountain gorillas and their natural habitat, and to expose political corruption.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Congo • 2014
- Director Orlando von Einsiedel
- Cast André Bauma, Emmanuel de Merode, Mélanie Gouby, Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo, Vianney Kazarama
- Genre Documentary, War
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Karl Marx City
A filmmaker goes on a personal journey through East Berlin to investigate her father’s suicide.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2016
- Director Michael Tucker
- Cast Petra Epperlein, Christa Epperlein, Uwe Epperlein, Volker Epperlein, Udo Grashoff, Hubertus Knabe
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Return to Homs
Filmed over three years in Homs, this film accompanies two young men as the war alters their lives.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Syria, Germany • 2013
- Director Talal Derki
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, DOCSVILLE, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World
Investigative journalism group Bellingcat, comprised of an international society of citizen journalists, uses open-source methods to fight against fake news.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Netherlands • 2018
- Director Hans Pool
- Cast Eliot Higgins, Christiaan Triebert
- Genre Documentary
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Five Broken Cameras
Five broken cameras – and each one has a powerful tale to tell.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Palestine, Israel, France • 2011
- Director Guy Davidi
- Cast Emad Burnat, Mohammed Burnat, Soraya Burnat
- Genre War, Documentary
- Available on OVID, Chai Flicks, Kino Now, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, Apple TV
Collective
(Colectiv)
A documentary portrait of a group of Romanian journalists attempting to uncover fraud and corruption in public healthcare.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2020
- Director Alexander Nanau
- Cast Catalin Tolontan, Mirela Neag, Razvan Lutac, Tedy Ursuleanu, Vlad Voiculescu
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Spectrum On Demand, Alamo on Demand, Kanopy
Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
(Burma VJ: Reporter i et lukket land)
Thirty heroic underground video journalists secretly videotaped the peaceful protests and violent military response of the 2007 uprising in Burma.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Denmark, Sweden, Norway • 2008
- Director Anders Østergaard
- Cast George W. Bush, Ko Muang, Aung San Suu Kyi
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, YouTube
A Private War
The Most Powerful Weapon Is The Truth.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2018
- Director Matthew Heineman
- Cast Rosamund Pike, Jamie Dornan, Tom Hollander, Stanley Tucci, Corey Johnson, Faye Marsay
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, AMC on Demand, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Frame by Frame
Four Afghan photojournalists attempt to reframe their country in the post-Taliban photo revolution.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Afghanistan • 2015
- Director Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli
- Cast Massoud Hossaini, Wakil Kohsar, Najibullah Mosafer, Farzana Wahidy
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV
The Killing Fields
Here, only the silent survive.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1984
- Director Roland Joffé
- Cast Sam Waterston, Haing S. Ngor, Craig T. Nelson, John Malkovich, Athol Fugard, Julian Sands
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Writing with Fire
Armed with smartphones, the journalists of India’s only female-run newspaper break traditions and tackle the country’s biggest issues.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2021
- Director Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas
- Cast Meera Devi, Suneeta Prajapati, Shyamkali Devi
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The County
(Héraðið)
A widowed dairy farmer stands up for her contained community in rural Iceland.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iceland • 2019
- Director Grímur Hákonarson
- Cast Arndís Hrönn Egilsdóttir, Sigurður Sigurjónsson, Sveinn Ólafur Gunnarsson, Þorsteinn Bachmann, Ævar Þór Benediktsson
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Frost/Nixon
Former President Nixon sits down for his first interview following his resignation from office in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France, United States • 2008
- Director Ron Howard
- Cast Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Peacock Premium, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Spectrum On Demand, Google Play Movies, YouTube, DIRECTV
Spotlight: Silent Film
Filmmakers in the silent era pioneered influential techniques and crafted unique, moving stories. In this Spotlight, we look at some of the best silent era films from various countries and movements, as well as a couple modern silent films that pay tribute to that era.
The Artist
An homage to Hollywood silent filmmaking about a romance between a fading silent film star and a rising actress at the dawn of film's sound era.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States, Belgium • 2011
- Director Michel Hazanavicius
- Cast Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Malcolm McDowell
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Microsoft Store, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max
The Smiling Madame Beudet
(La souriante Madame Beudet)
An innovative impressionist classic about a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1923
- Director Germaine Dulac
- Cast Germaine Dermoz, Alexandre Arquillière, Jean d'Yd, Yvette Grisier, Madeleine Guitty, Raoul Paoli
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Kanopy
The Passion of Joan of Arc
(La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)
The 15th-century teenage warrior Joan of Arc takes on the French church.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1928
- Director Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Cast Maria Falconetti, Eugène Silvain, André Berley, Maurice Schutz, Antonin Artaud, Michel Simon
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Freevee, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, FlixFling, Apple TV, HBO Max
I Was Born, But...
(大人の見る繪本 生れてはみたけれど)
In moving to a new town, two young brothers come of age when faced with new social and class struggles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1932
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Tomio Aoki, Tatsuo Saitô, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Hideo Sugawara, Takeshi Sakamoto, Teruyo Hayami
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog
A landlady fears that the man lodging with her family and becoming involved with her daughter may be the serial killer terrorizing London.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1927
- Director Alfred Hitchcock
- Cast Ivor Novello, Marie Ault, Arthur Chesney, June Tripp, Malcolm Keen, Reginald Gardiner
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Classix, Plex, Tubi TV, Apple TV, HBO Max
Mother
(Мать)
A mother in 1905 Russia must choose whether to stand with striking workers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Soviet Union • 1926
- Director Vsevolod Pudovkin
- Cast Vera Baranovskaya, Nikolai Batalov, Aleksandr Chistyakov, Anna Zemtsova, Ivan Koval-Samborsky
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video
A Trip to the Moon
(Le Voyage dans la Lune)
A voyage to the beginning of narrative cinema
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1902
- Director Georges Méliès
- Cast Georges Méliès, Henri Delannoy, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet, Depierre, Farjaut
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- Available on Public Domain Movies, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Amazon Video, HBO Max
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
(Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari)
After his friend is found dead, Francis suspects the crazed hypnotist Dr. Caligari and his somnambulist, Casare.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 1920
- Director Robert Wiene
- Cast Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Fehér, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Rudolf Lettinger
- Genre Crime, Drama, Horror, Thriller
- Available on Fandor, Public Domain Movies, Screambox, Cultpix, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Classix, Kino Now, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Fandor Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, Apple TV
A Throw of Dice
(Prapancha Pash)
Two kings fall in love with the same woman and gamble for her hand in marriage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, India, Germany • 1929
- Director Franz Osten
- Cast Seeta Devi, Charu Roy, Himansu Rai, Modhu Bose, Sarada Gupta, Tincory Chakrabarty
- Genre Adventure, Drama, Romance
- Available on Kanopy
The Adventures of Prince Achmed
(Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed)
This earliest surviving animated feature film tells the story of a heroic prince attempting to save his sister from an evil sorcerer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 1926
- Director Lotte Reiniger
- Cast Dana Dempsey
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, OVID, Kino Now, Kanopy
A Page of Madness
(狂った一頁)
A man working as a janitor in the mental asylum where his wife is being kept finds his own sanity slipping away.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1926
- Director Teinosuke Kinugasa
- Cast Masuo Inoue, Ayako Iijima, Yoshie Nakagawa, Eiko Minami, Misao Seki, Minoru Takase
- Genre Drama, Horror
- Available on Amazon Video
Metropolis
This silent science-fiction classic follows a couple from different backgrounds who attempt to reform a dystopian city defined by class division.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 1927
- Director Fritz Lang
- Cast Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Theodor Loos, Fritz Rasp
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Criterion Channel, FilmBox+, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Classix, Kino Now, Kanopy, Metrograph, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Pluto TV, FlixFling, Apple TV