Spotlight: Volcanoes
From disaster flicks to documentaries, from Mount Vesuvius to Mount Paektu, to Mount Doom, this week we‘re watching movies about volcanoes. With computer generated imagery, stop-motion animation, and spectacular live action footage, these filmmakers attempt to capture the singularly cinematic phenomenon of fire-breathing mountains.
Ashfall
(백두산)
A series of eruptions of Mount Paektu threaten to destroy the entire Korean peninsula.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2019
- Director Lee Hae-jun, Kim Byung-seo
- Cast Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Ma Dong-seok, Jeon Hye-jin, Bae Suzy, Lee Kyung-young
- Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Available on Freevee, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, AsianCrush, Peacock Premium, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Peacock, Plex Player
Journey to Italy
(Viaggio in Italia)
A bored English couple must face the cracks in their marriage on a trip to Italy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1954
- Director Roberto Rossellini
- Cast Ingrid Bergman, George Sanders, Jackie Frost, Maria Mauban, Anna Proclemer, Leslie Daniels
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
You Only Live Twice
James Bond travels to Japan to investigate the disappearance of American and Russian spacecraft.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States, Japan • 1967
- Director Lewis Gilbert
- Cast Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Tetsurō Tamba, Teru Shimada, Karin Dor
- Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, fuboTV, MGM Plus Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox
Gamera vs. Gyaos
(大怪獣空中戦 ガメラ対ギャオス)
A gigantic bat emerges from a volcano to terrorize Japan and only one thing can stop it...Gamera!
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1967
- Director Noriaki Yuasa
- Cast Kōjirō Hongō, Kichijirô Ueda, Reiko Kasahara, Naoyuki Abe, Taro Marui, Yukitaro Hotaru
- Genre Action, Adventure, Horror, Science Fiction
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Screambox Amazon Channel, ARROW, Midnight Pulp, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Vudu, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV
Mysterious Island
A world beyond imagination! Adventure beyond belief!
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1961
- Director Cy Endfield
- Cast Michael Craig, Joan Greenwood, Michael Callan, Gary Merrill, Herbert Lom, Beth Rogan
- Genre Adventure, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, Tubi TV
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
The Northman
A viking prince returns home after years of training in order to take revenge on his uncle.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States • 2022
- Director Robert Eggers
- Cast Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk
- Genre Action, Adventure, Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Peacock Premium, YouTube, FlixFling, Apple TV
Islands of Fire
(Isole di fuoco)
This prize-winning short is a poetic portrait of life on the coast of Sicily before, during, and following a volcanic eruption.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1955
- Director Vittorio De Seta
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel
Pompeii
No warning. No escape.
- ✭ ✭
- Canada, Germany, United States • 2014
- Director Paul W. S. Anderson
- Cast Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kiefer Sutherland, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jared Harris
- Genre Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Romance
- Available on Netflix, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, Vudu, AMC on Demand
Into the Inferno
What we worship can destroy us.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Germany, Canada • 2016
- Director Werner Herzog
- Cast Werner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer, Katia Krafft, Maurice Krafft, Sri Sumarti
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Ixcanul
María, a 17-year-old Kaqchikel Maya, hopes to escape her arranged marriage and explore the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Guatemala, France • 2015
- Director Jayro Bustamante
- Cast María Mercedes Coroy, María Telón, Manuel Antún, Justo Lorenzo, Marvin Coroy, Fernando Martínez
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, Metrograph, YouTube, Apple TV
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
As dark forces threaten, a king reignites a broken fellowship and a quest is undergone.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- New Zealand, United States • 2003
- Director Peter Jackson
- Cast Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Liv Tyler, Orlando Bloom
- Genre Action, Adventure, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
Spotlight: Cities: New York
New York has served as a port of entry, both literally and imaginatively, for people from around the world coming to America. These films tell their stories, and in so doing, offer a kaleidoscopic vision of the city from the outside in.
Carol
Some people change your life forever.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2015
- Director Todd Haynes
- Cast Rooney Mara, Cate Blanchett, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, John Magaro
- Genre Romance, Drama
- Available on Netflix, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Kanopy
Shame
When his wayward younger sister moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2011
- Director Steve McQueen
- Cast Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie, Alex Manette, Hannah Ware
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
Unorthodox
A young Hasidic Jewish woman flees to Berlin.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2020
- Creator Alexa Karolinski, Anna Winger
- Cast Shira Haas, Tamar Amit-Joseph, Aaron Altaras, Ronit Asheri, Felix Mayr
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Brooklyn
Two countries. Two loves. One heart.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland • 2015
- Director John Crowley
- Cast Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Jessica Paré
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
A King in New York
The king of comedians!
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 1957
- Director Charlie Chaplin
- Cast Charlie Chaplin, Maxine Audley, Jerry Desmonde, Oliver Johnston, Dawn Addams, Sid James
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, DIRECTV
Man on Wire
1974. 1350 feet up. The artistic crime of the century.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2008
- Director James Marsh
- Cast Philippe Petit, Jean François Heckel, Jean-Louis Blondeau, Annie Allix, David Forman, Alan Welner
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, realeyz, Hulu, Hoopla, Magnolia Selects, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Peacock, Peacock Premium, Kanopy
Hair
Protesting the Vietnam War through peace, drugs, and stylish hair
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- West Germany, United States • 1979
- Director Miloš Forman
- Cast John Savage, Treat Williams, Beverly D'Angelo, Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright, Don Dacus
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance, War
- Available on Freevee, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
News from Home
A female film director explores New York City while enduring demanding letters from her mother.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France, West Germany • 1977
- Director Chantal Akerman
- Cast Chantal Akerman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Two Men in Manhattan
(Deux hommes dans Manhattan)
Two French journalists become embroiled in a criminal plot in New York City involving a disappeared United Nations diplomat.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1959
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Jean-Pierre Melville, Pierre Grasset, Christiane Eudes, Ginger Hall, Jean Darcante, Paula Dehelly
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Cohen Media Amazon Channel, Kino Now, Kanopy
Son of Monarchs
(Hijo de monarcas)
A Mexican biologist living in NYC returns to his hometown following the death of his grandmother, undergoing an intense personal journey.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Mexico, United States • 2020
- Director Alexis Gambis
- Cast Tenoch Huerta, Kaarlo Isaacs Barria, Noé Hernández, Angel Adrian Flores, Ignacio Guadalupe, Alexia Rasmussen
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, YouTube, Apple TV, Max Amazon Channel
King Kong
An overly ambitious movie producer must save his leading lady from the clutches of a giant ape monster.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- New Zealand, United States, Germany • 2005
- Director Peter Jackson
- Cast Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks
- Genre Action, Adventure, Drama
- Available on Peacock Premium, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Spectrum On Demand, FlixFling, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
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 realeyz, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, Apple TV
Spotlight: More is More
At a time of year that lends itself to over-indulgence, we offer a slate of films that take a "more is more" approach. Over-the-top, campy, and melodramatic, these films invite the viewer to embrace the excess and worry about the consequences in the morning.
La Cage aux Folles
(La Cage aux folles)
Two gay men living in St. Tropez try to hide their homosexuality when their son's fiancée and her conservative parents come to visit.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1978
- Director Édouard Molinaro
- Cast Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Claire Maurier, Michel Galabru, Venantino Venantini, Rémi Laurent
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy
Mr. Freedom
A pro-America superhero flies to France to prevent Communists from taking over.
- ✭ ✭
- France • 1969
- Director William Klein
- Cast John Abbey, Delphine Seyrig, Philippe Noiret, Serge Gainsbourg, Catherine Rouvel, Jean-Claude Drouot
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video
One Hundred and One Nights
(Les Cent et Une Nuits de Simon Cinéma)
Centenarian Simon Cinema engages a young woman to tell him the stories of all the movies ever made.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France • 1995
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Michel Piccoli, Marcello Mastroianni, Henri Garcin, Julie Gayet, Mathieu Demy, Emmanuel Salinger
- Genre Comedy, History, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Rouge
(胭脂扣)
The ghost of a courtesan who died in 1934 returns to Hong Kong fifty-three years later, seeking to reunite with the man she loved.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong • 1987
- Director Stanley Kwan
- Cast Anita Mui, Leslie Cheung, Alex Man, Emily Chu Bo-Yee, Irene Wan, Tam Sin-Hung
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Summer Night with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and Scent of Basil
(Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico)
A charming billionaire kidnaps a criminal and locks him up in her private villa in Sardinia.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 1986
- Director Lina Wertmüller
- Cast Mariangela Melato, Michele Placido, Roberto Herlitzka, John Steiner, Arnaldo Ninchi
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Google Play Movies, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
(Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant)
Sex is the ultimate weapon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- West Germany • 1972
- Director Rainer Werner Fassbinder
- Cast Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake, Eva Mattes, Gisela Fackeldey, Irm Hermann
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Branded to Kill
(殺しの烙印)
A rice-obsessed hit-man botches an assignment and is forced to play a cruel game of kill or be killed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1967
- Director Seijun Suzuki
- Cast Jō Shishido, Kôji Nanbara, Isao Tamagawa, Annu Mari, Mariko Ogawa, Hiroshi Minami
- Genre Action, Crime
- Available on realeyz, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video
That Obscure Object of Desire
(Cet obscur objet du désir)
In flashback, an aging man recounts his sexual frustrations when falling for his 19 year-old former chambermaid Conchita.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Spain • 1977
- Director Luis Buñuel
- Cast Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina, Fernando Rey, Milena Vukotić, Julien Bertheau, André Weber
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
(Les parapluies de Cherbourg)
A film for all the young lovers of the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, West Germany • 1964
- Director Jacques Demy
- Cast Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Mireille Perrey, Marc Michel, Ellen Farner
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
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
Tommy
A psychosomatically deaf, mute, and blind boy becomes a master pinball player and the object of a religious cult.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1975
- Director Ken Russell
- Cast Roger Daltrey, Oliver Reed, Ann-Margret, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Tina Turner
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
The Legend of the Stardust Brothers
(星くず兄弟の伝説)
The story of a fictional New Wave duo manufactured by a devious music mogul, and their meteoric rise to fame.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1985
- Director Makoto Tezuka
- Cast Shingo Kubota, Kan Takagi, Kyôko Togawa, Issay, Kiyohiko Ozaki, Jun Togawa
- Genre Comedy, Music
- Available on Freevee, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Night Flight Plus, ARROW, Tubi TV, YouTube, FlixFling, Cineverse, Midnight Pulp
Spotlight: The End Times
As 2022 careens to a close, we present a selection of films about endings of all kinds -- from the end of childhood to the end of the world, and all the many things that end along the way.
Extinction: The Facts
An exploration of the consequences of millions of species being at risk for extinction.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2020
- Director Charlotte Lathane
- Cast David Attenborough
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, Hoopla, Kanopy
No Home Movie
Conversations between Chantal Akerman and her mother, chatting and sharing memories both in person and through Skype.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France • 2015
- Director Chantal Akerman
- Cast Chantal Akerman, Natalia Akerman, Sylvaine Akerman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, OVID, Kanopy
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 MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Topic, Kanopy
Sharkwater Extinction
Filmmaker and activist Rob Stewart is determined to save a shrinking shark population, investigating the corrupt fishing industry destroying aquatic wildlife.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Canada • 2018
- Director Rob Stewart
- Cast Rob Stewart, Paul Watson, Madison Stewart, Les Stroud, Boris Worm, Randall Arauz
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Graduation
(Bacalaureat)
Is there anything a father wouldn't do to save his daughter's future?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania, France, Belgium • 2016
- Director Cristian Mungiu
- Cast Adrian Titieni, Maria Dragus, Lia Bugnar, Mălina Manovici, Vlad Ivanov, Gelu Colceag
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
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 Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
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
Amour
Love never ends.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Austria, France, Germany • 2012
- Director Michael Haneke
- Cast Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, Isabelle Huppert, William Shimell, Ramón Agirre, Rita Blanco
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
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 Max Amazon Channel, Max, DIRECTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
Mad Max: Fury Road
In an apocalyptic future, two rebels join forces.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Australia, United States • 2015
- Director George Miller
- Cast Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Josh Helman, Nathan Jones
- Genre Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV
The Past
(Le passé)
With every mystery comes another, and another, and another...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy, Belgium • 2013
- Director Asghar Farhadi
- Cast Bérénice Bejo, Ali Mosaffa, Tahar Rahim, Pauline Burlet, Elyes Aguis, Jeanne Jestin
- Genre Drama, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, DIRECTV, Tubi TV
Five Times Two
(5x2)
As a young French couple separates, the milestone moments in their relationship are unveiled in reverse order.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2004
- Director François Ozon
- Cast Valeria Bruni‑Tedeschi, Stéphane Freiss, Géraldine Pailhas, Françoise Fabian, Antoine Chappey, Michael Lonsdale
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Kanopy, Shout! Factory TV, Plex, Plex Player
Spotlight: World Cup 2022
With a billion people estimated to watch the World Cup, soccer is everywhere this month. With that in mind, we present these soccer stories from around the world, ranging from documentaries on the star players, to dramas about the impact of those players on the rest of us.
The Damned United
The controversial story of Brian Clough’s 44 day reign as head manager of the Leeds United football club in 1974.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2009
- Director Tom Hooper
- Cast Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent, Maurice Roeves, Stephen Graham
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV
Gregory's Girl
Teenager Gregory develops a crush on Dorothy, the only girl on his soccer team.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1981
- Director Bill Forsyth
- Cast John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, Jake D'Arcy, Clare Grogan, Robert Buchanan, Billy Greenlees
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
The Hand of God
(È stata la mano di Dio)
Based in part on the life of director Paolo Sorrentino, this film tells the story of a fateful encounter with soccer superstar Diego Maradona.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 2021
- Director Paolo Sorrentino
- Cast Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo, Teresa Saponangelo, Luisa Ranieri, Marlon Joubert, Massimiliano Gallo
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Infinite Football
(Fotbal infinit)
A former Romanian soccer player works toward uncovering and evaluating new theories and practices with the aim of making the sport of soccer safer for all.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Romania • 2018
- Director Corneliu Porumboiu
- Cast Laurențiu Ginghină, Corneliu Porumboiu
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Fandor, Kanopy, Metrograph, Fandor Amazon Channel, Apple TV
Shaolin Soccer
(少林足球)
Get ready to kick some grass!
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, China • 2001
- Director Stephen Chow
- Cast Stephen Chow, Zhao Wei, Ng Man-tat, Patrick Tse Yin, Wong Yat-fei, Tenky Tin Kai-Man
- Genre Action, Comedy
- Available on Hoopla, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Redbox, Alamo on Demand, AMC on Demand
The Pass
The night before their debut game, Jason and Ade, two nineteen-year-old professional soccer players, share a kiss.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2016
- Director Ben A. Williams
- Cast Russell Tovey, Arinzé Kene, Lisa McGrillis, Nico Mirallegro, Rory J. Saper
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Crackle, Vudu, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Plex Player
Bend It Like Beckham
18-year-old Jess Bharma secretly joins a semi-pro soccer team in England, against her strict parent's wishes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Germany, United States • 2002
- Director Gurinder Chadha
- Cast Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher, Shaheen Khan, Frank Harper
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Showtime, fuboTV, Disney Plus, Showtime Roku Premium Channel, , Paramount+ with Showtime, Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel , Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, AMC on Demand
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
Diego Maradona
Rebel, Hero, Hustler, God.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2019
- Director Asif Kapadia
- Cast Diego Maradona, Pelé, Dalma Maradona, Daniel Arcucci, Alberto Bigon, Gonzalo Bonadeo
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DIRECTV, Max, Max Amazon Channel
Cold Sweat
(عرق سرد)
Based on a real-life incident: an Iranian futsal champion can’t travel to a match abroad without her husband’s permission.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iran • 2018
- Director Soheil Beiraghi
- Cast Baran Kosari, Amir Jadidi, Sahar Dolatshahi, Leili Rashidi, Hoda Zeynolabedin
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kanopy
The Keeper
(Trautmann)
A former Nazi becomes a British hero when he finds he excels at soccer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, United Kingdom • 2018
- Director Marcus H. Rosenmüller
- Cast David Kross, Freya Mavor, John Henshaw, Gary Lewis, Harry Melling, Michael Socha
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Chai Flicks, VUDU Free, Kino Now, Kanopy, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel
Captains of Za'atari
(كباتن الزعتري)
Fawzi and Mahmoud, two best friends living in Za'atari, the world’s largest camp for Syrian refugees, dream of being professional soccer players.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- • 2021
- Director Ali El Arabi
- Cast Fawzi Qatleesh, Mahmoud Dagher, Xavi Hernández, Robert Lewandowski, Franck Ribéry
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Kanopy, Apple TV, Hulu
Spotlight: Movies about Math
Abstract thinking is one of those activities that is notoriously difficult to represent onscreen in a compelling way. And yet mathematicians have been among the most important and consequential figures in human history – what could be more cinematic? These films try to do justice to their stories.
X+Y
A math prodigy finds new friendships when he lands a spot at the International Mathematics Olympiad.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2014
- Director Morgan Matthews
- Cast Asa Butterfield, Rafe Spall, Sally Hawkins, Eddie Marsan, Jo Yang, Alex Lawther
- Genre Drama
- Available on Starz Apple TV Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kanopy, Starz Roku Premium Channel, Starz, YouTube, Starz Amazon Channel, Apple TV
A Brief History of Time
A documentary film about the life of English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Japan, United States • 1991
- Director Errol Morris
- Cast Stephen Hawking, Isobel Hawking, Janet Humphrey, Mary Hawking
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
The Oxford Murders
At Oxford University, a professor and a grad student work together to try and stop a potential series of murders seemingly linked by mathematical symbols.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain, United Kingdom, France • 2008
- Director Álex de la Iglesia
- Cast Julie Cox, Burn Gorman, Leonor Watling, Tom Frederic, Elijah Wood, Anna Massey
- Genre Crime, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Hulu, fuboTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling
Shakuntala Devi
(शकुंतला देवी)
The movie explores Shakuntala Devi's life and her personal relationships, in addition to her mathematical capabilities.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- India • 2020
- Director Anu Menon
- Cast Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra, Jisshu Sengupta, Amit Sadh, Luca Calvani, Sheeba Chaddha
- Genre Bollywood, Comedy, Drama, Family
- Available on Amazon Prime Video
The Man Who Knew Infinity
The story of Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan and his mentor G.H. Hardy.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2016
- Director Matt Brown
- Cast Stephen Fry, Kevin McNally, Dev Patel, Devika Bhise, Jeremy Northam, Anthony Calf
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Vudu, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, AMC+, Apple TV, Plex Player
The Theory of Everything
His mind changed our world; her love changed his.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Japan, United States • 2014
- Director James Marsh
- Cast Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Emily Watson, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, Spectrum On Demand, FlixFling, DIRECTV, AMC on Demand
In Our Prime
(이상한 나라의 수학자)
An outcast student as a prestigious high school gets math lessons from the school's security guard.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2022
- Director Park Dong-hun
- Cast Choi Min-sik, Kim Dong-hwi, Park Hae-jun, Park Byung-eun, Jo Yoon-seo, Tang Jun-sang
- Genre Drama
- Available on Rakuten Viki, KoreaOnDemand, Amazon Video, Kocowa, Tubi TV
The Imitation Game
Alan Turing and his team race against time to decipher Nazi codes during World War II.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States • 2014
- Director Morten Tyldum
- Cast Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard
- Genre History, Drama, Thriller, War
- Available on DIRECTV, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, AMC on Demand, Hoopla, Vudu, Netflix, Plex, Tubi TV, , YouTube, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Plex Player
Fermat's Room
(La Habitación de Fermat)
Four mathematicians must solve a puzzle in order to escape death.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain • 2007
- Director Luis Piedrahita, Rodrigo Sopeña
- Cast Lluís Homar, Santi Millán, Alejo Sauras, Federico Luppi, Elena Ballesteros, Helena Carrión
- Genre Mystery, Thriller
- Available on AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, DIRECTV, Apple TV
Cartesius
The story of French philosopher René Descartes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1974
- Director Roberto Rossellini
- Cast Ugo Cardea, Renato Montalbano, Anne Pouchie, Claude Berthy, Vernon Dobtcheff, Joshua Sinclair
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Breaking the Code
A biography of the English Alan Turing, a genius codebreaker during WWII who was persecuted for his homosexuality.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1996
- Director Herbert Wise
- Cast Derek Jacobi, Alun Armstrong, Blake Ritson, Prunella Scales, Harold Pinter, Julian Kerridge
- Genre Drama, History, TV Movie
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Inside Einstein's Mind: The Enigma of Space and Time
A documentary on Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 2015
- Director Jamie E. Lochhead
- Cast Jay O. Sanders, David Tennant, Hamza Ripley
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Kanopy
Spotlight: No Man's Land
In honor of Veterans Day, we offer this selection of films about war and the toll it takes on soldiers and civilians alike. These 12 films address conflicts around the world, from those that ended over a century ago to those playing out in the present day.
Hive
(Zgjoi)
Fahrije’s husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo: does she wait for his return, or move forward on her own?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Kosovo, Switzerland, Albania • 2021
- Director Blerta Basholli
- Cast Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha, Adriana Matoshi, Molike Maxhuni
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Kino Now, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
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
Son of Babylon
(Syn Babilonu)
A boy and his grandmother travel across Iraq in search of the boy’s missing father, a stranger to him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Iraq, United Kingdom, France • 2009
- Director Mohamed Al Daradji
- Cast Shazada Hussein, Yasser Talib, Bashir Al Majid
- Genre Drama, Road Movie
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
(Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage)
The true story of a young woman who did what few in Nazi Germany dared even think!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany • 2005
- Director Marc Rothemund
- Cast Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf, André Hennicke, Florian Stetter
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Hoopla, OVID, Chai Flicks, Metrograph, Kino Now
Donbass
(Донбас)
In the Donbass, war is called peace, propaganda is presented as truth, and hatred is declared to be love.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, Ukraine, France • 2018
- Director Sergey Loznitsa
- Cast Valeriu Andriuță, Irina Plesnyaeva, Evgeny Chistyakov, Georgiy Deliev, Vadim Dubovsky
- Genre Drama
- Available on DIRECTV, Film Movement Plus, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Quo Vadis, Aida?
A UN translator returns to Bosnia to help her family at the height of the 1995 War with Serbia.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Romania • 2021
- Director Jasmila Žbanić
- Cast Jasna Đuričić, Izudin Bajrović, Boris Ler, Dino Bajrović, Johan Heldenbergh, Raymond Thiry
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV, Hulu
The Earth Is Blue as an Orange
(Земля блакитна, ніби апельсин)
Hanna and her four children live in war-torn Ukraine and attempt to make a film about their traumatic experiences.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Ukraine, Lithuania • 2020
- Director Iryna Tsilyk
- Cast Hanna Hladka, Stanislav Hladkyi, Anastasiia Trofymchuk, Myroslava Trofymchuk, Vladyslav Trofymchuk
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Criterion Channel, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
See You Up There
(Au revoir là-haut)
Two soldiers bonded by tragedy navigate the changing world of post World War 1 France.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada • 2017
- Director Albert Dupontel
- Cast Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Albert Dupontel, Laurent Lafitte, Niels Arestrup, Émilie Dequenne, Mélanie Thierry
- Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama, War
- Available on Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
For Sama
Director Waad Al-Kateab captures the bombing of Aleppo as she and her husband lived it.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, Syria, United States • 2019
- Director Edward Watts
- Cast Sama Al-Khateab, Hamza Al-Khateab, Waad al-Kateab
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Tangerines
(Mandariinid)
An Estonian man Ivo has stayed behind to harvest his crops of tangerines despite the war. In a bloody conflict at his door, a wounded man is left behind, and Ivo is forced to take him in.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Estonia, Georgia • 2013
- Director Zaza Urushadze
- Cast Lembit Ulfsak, Giorgi Nakashidze, Elmo Nüganen, Misha Meskhi, Raivo Trass, Zura Begalishvili
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
Foxtrot
(פוֹקְסטְרוֹט)
After Michael and Daphna receive terrible news about their soldier son, they experience one of life's unfathomable twists.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Israel, Switzerland, Germany • 2017
- Director Samuel Maoz
- Cast Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonaton Shiray, Shira Haas, Yehuda Almagor, Karin Ugowski
- Genre Drama
- Available on Starz Apple TV Channel, Microsoft Store, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, YouTube, Apple TV
Grave of the Fireflies
(火垂るの墓)
Can these two siblings beat the odds?
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1988
- Director Isao Takahata
- Cast Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi
- Genre Animation, Drama, War
- Available on Apple TV, Vudu
Spotlight: Cuffing Season
Cuffing season, the time of year when people are more likely to start new romantic relationships, is upon us! Whether you’ve found someone to cuddle up to as the weather gets colder or are remaining single and uncuffed, we offer these films about the early stages of courtship.
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
Sylvia and the Ghost
(Sylvie et le fantôme)
A girl's sixteenth birthday party is made all the more interesting when the ghost she is in love with makes an appearance.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1946
- Director Claude Autant-Lara
- Cast Odette Joyeux, François Périer, Pierre Larquey, Claude Marcy, Jean Desailly, Paul Demange
- Genre Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Rafiki
When Kena and Ziki start to become more than friends, they need to make a choice between their happiness and their safety.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Kenya, South Africa, Germany • 2018
- Director Wanuri Kahiu
- Cast Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva, Jimmi Gathu, Nini Wacera, Dennis Musyoka, Patricia Amira
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on DIRECTV, Film Movement Plus, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hoopla, Vudu, Spectrum On Demand, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
The Visitor
(La visita)
A man travels from Rome to a small Italian village to meet a woman who placed a lonelyhearts ad in the newspaper.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1963
- Director Antonio Pietrangeli
- Cast Sandra Milo, François Périer, Mario Adorf, Gastone Moschin, Angela Minervini, Ettore Baraldi
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Kanopy, YouTube
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
Loves of a Blonde
(Lásky jedné plavovlásky)
A girl working in a factory town follows a one-night stand to his parents' house in Prague.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Czechoslovakia • 1965
- Director Miloš Forman
- Cast Hana Brejchová, Vladimír Pucholt, Vladimír Menšík, Ivan Kheil, Jiří Hrubý, Milada Ježková
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
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
Stormy Waters
(Remorques)
A married tugboat captain falls for a woman he rescues from a sinking ship.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1941
- Director Jean Grémillon
- Cast Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud, Michèle Morgan, Fernand Ledoux, Charles Blavette, Jean Marchat
- Genre Action, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
I Know Where I'm Going!
Englishwoman Joan Webster travels to the Scottish Hebrides and finds herself unexpectedly attracted to a charming local naval officer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1945
- Director Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell
- Cast Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown, Finlay Currie, George Carney, Nancy Price
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Amazon Video, Freevee, Shout! Factory TV, Plex, Plex Player
Aurora
A chance encounter at a hot dog stand in the Finnish Lapland could mean the difference between life or death.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Finland • 2019
- Director Miia Tervo
- Cast Mimosa Willamo, Amir Escandari, Oona Airola, Hannu-Pekka Björkman, Ria Kataja, Chike Ohanwe
- Genre Comedy, Drama, Romance
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
Gregory's Girl
Teenager Gregory develops a crush on Dorothy, the only girl on his soccer team.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom • 1981
- Director Bill Forsyth
- Cast John Gordon Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, Jake D'Arcy, Clare Grogan, Robert Buchanan, Billy Greenlees
- Genre Comedy, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
2046
Reality and fiction blend for a grieving sci-fi writer desperate to understand — and forget.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, China, France • 2004
- Director Wong Kar-wai
- Cast Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Gong Li, Faye Wong, Takuya Kimura, Zhang Ziyi, Carina Lau
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Science Fiction
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, DIRECTV
Spotlight: Film from Turkey
From a country with a long filmmaking history comes a remarkable crop of recent films. Despite challenging political and economic conditions, these directors tell powerful personal stories that interrogate larger social issues including gendered violence and discrimination, corruption, immigration, and more.
Chronology
(Kronoloji)
When Hakan's wife mysteriously disappears, he must face his inner demons to discover what happened to her.
- Turkey • 2019
- Director Ali Aydın
- Cast Birkan Sokullu, Cemre Ebuzziya, Tansu Biçer, Serkan Keskin, Esra Kızıldoğan, Beran Soysal
- Genre Thriller
- Available on Redbox, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, VUDU Free, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Apple TV, Plex Player
The Announcement
(Anons)
In this deadpan black comedy loosely based on actual events, four retired colonels attempt to take over Turkey’s national radio station.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Bulgaria • 2019
- Director Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun
- Cast Murat Kılıç, Ali Seçkiner Alıcı, Tarhan Karagöz, Sencan Güleryüz, Serkan Ercan, Erdem Şenocak
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Flix Premiere, Filmzie, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Player
Queen Lear
(Kraliçe Lear)
A group of women from the mountains of southern Turkey form a theater group and take to the road with an adaptation of King Lear.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey • 2019
- Director Pelin Esmer
- Cast Behiye Yanık, Cennet Güneş, Ümmü Kurt
- Genre Documentary
- Available on True Story, GuideDoc, DocAlliance Films, IndieFlix
The Pigeon
(Güvercin)
A quiet young man finds peace and comfort in the pigeons he keeps on the rooftop of his apartment building.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey • 2018
- Director Banu Sıvacı
- Cast Evren Erler, Kemal Burak Alper, Ruhi Sarı, Demet Genç, Michal Elia Kamal
- Genre Drama
- Available on Flix Premiere
Brothers
(Kardeşler)
Yusuf's return home after spending four years at a detention center raises questions about the family dynamics that sent him there.
- ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Germany, Bulgaria • 2018
- Director Ömür Atay
- Cast Yiğit Ege Yazar
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video
The Wild Pear Tree
(Ahlat Ağacı)
A son returns home to only to be met with his father's debt.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Macedonia, France • 2018
- Director Nuri Bilge Ceylan
- Cast Aydın Doğu Demirkol, Murat Cemcir, Bennu Yıldırımlar, Hazar Ergüçlü, Serkan Keskin, Tamer Levent
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, Vudu, Kanopy, YouTube, Apple TV
Between Two Dawns
(İki Şafak Arasında)
When a worker is injured at his family's factory, Kadir must determine exactly what happened, who’s to blame, and what to do.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Romania, France • 2021
- Director Selman Nacar
- Cast Mücahit Koçak, Nezaket Erden, Burcu Gölgedar, Ünal Silver, Bedir Bedir, Erdem Şenocak
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
A Tale of Three Sisters
(Kız Kardeşler)
Three sisters are sent back to their father in a poor village in central Anatolia after failing in affluent foster families.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Germany, Netherlands • 2019
- Director Emin Alper
- Cast Cemre Ebuzziya, Ece Yüksel, Helin Kandemir, Kayhan Açıkgöz, Müfit Kayacan, Hilmi Özçelik
- Genre Drama
- Available on Google Play Movies, YouTube
When I'm Done Dying
(Bir Nefes Daha)
An aspiring young rapper's ambitions are threatened by his addiction to a cheap and dangerous drug.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, United States, Germany • 2021
- Director Nisan Dağ
- Cast Oktay Çubuk, Hayal Köseoğlu, Eren Çiğdem, Ushan Çakır, Müfit Kayacan, Ayris Alptekin
- Genre Drama, Music
- Available on Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Vudu, VUDU Free, YouTube, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video
Saf
As gentrification hits Istanbul, one desperate young resident must decide whether to sacrifice his ideals to pay his rent.
- Turkey, Germany, Romania • 2022
- Director Ali Vatansever
- Cast Erol Afsin, Saadet Işıl Aksoy, Onur Buldu, Ümmü Pütgül, Kida Khodr Ramadan
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kanopy
Clair Obscur
(Tereddüt)
A parallel study of two women — a psychiatrist with a long-time live-in partner and a wife in a conservative, nearly tyrannical household.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, France, Germany • 2016
- Director Yeşim Ustaoğlu
- Cast Okan Yalabık, Metin Akdulger, Mehmet Kurtuluş, Funda Eryiğit, Ecem Uzun
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix basic with Ads, Netflix
Passed by Censor
(Görülmüştür)
By day, Zakir works as a censor at a prison in Istanbul; by night, he is a student in a creative writing course. Then the two worlds collide.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, Germany, France • 2019
- Director Serhat Karaaslan
- Cast Berkay Ateş, Saadet Işıl Aksoy, Füsun Demirel, Erdem Şenocak, Müfit Kayacan, İpek Türktan
- Genre Drama
- Available on Tubi TV
Sibel
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Turkey, France, Germany • 2019
- Director Cagla Zencirci
- Cast Damla Sönmez, Erkan Kolçak Köstendil, Emin Gürsoy, Elit İşcan, Gülcin Kultur
- Genre Drama
- Available on Freevee, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, VUDU Free, Filmzie, Kanopy, Plex, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Popflick, Apple TV, Plex Player