Parasite
Meet the Park Family: the picture of aspirational wealth. And the Kim Family, rich in street smarts but not much else. Be it chance or fate, these two houses are brought together and the Kims sense a golden opportunity. Masterminded by college-aged Ki-woo, the Kim children expediently install themselves as tutor and art therapist, to the Parks. Soon, a symbiotic relationship forms between the two families. The Kims provide “indispensable” luxury services while the Parks obliviously bankroll their entire household. When a parasitic interloper threatens the Kims’ newfound comfort, a savage, underhanded battle for dominance breaks out, threatening to destroy the fragile ecosystem between the Kims and the Parks.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Thrillingly played by a flawless ensemble cast who hit every note and harmonic resonance of Bong and co-writer Han Jin-won’s multitonal script, it’s a tragicomic masterclass that will get under your skin and eat away at your cinematic soul.” – Mark Kermode, The Observer
“Parasite is quite simply a supreme feat of film-making, a tense and hilarious jewel box of a film that draws you deeper and deeper into its wicked, absurdist satire.” – Tom Duggins, Cinevue
“This is a film of such dramatic power and innovative comedy and romantic poetry and melancholy beauty that upon exiting a screening, you might well feel the urge to tell everyone in the lobby of the multiplex to delay their plans to check out some mainstream offering because if they truly love cinema, they should see THIS movie, immediately.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“It oscillates wildly between satire, drama, mystery, and even a touch of horror, but is so well-structured that each tonal shift fits perfectly, all leading up to an ending that feels both shocking and inevitable. A true masterpiece.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
Available on Kanopy.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse’s portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of and testament to their love.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The movie dramatizes the constraints of the era, the imposition of a narrow and religion-based morality, the stern discipline that’s internalized as a result, the elision of women and their world from public life, and the firm expectations of family and society that Héloïse will endure in her unwanted marriage. Yet it does more than merely depict them—it embodies them, in the characters’ poised stillness, which makes the airy surroundings feel as rigid as stone.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“‘Do all lovers,’ wonders Héloïse in a passionate moment, ‘feel as though they’re inventing something?’ Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a bittersweet celebration of passion and art, feels like that; you’ve never seen another movie quite like this. In its quiet gaze, love becomes art — and vice versa.” – Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times
“There are theme-park rides; there is cinema; there are sacred love poems to take with you for the rest of your life. Thank you for giving us the last one, Céline Sciamma.” – Sophie Monks Kaufman, Empire
“Just like the short time the lovers have together, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is minimal but perfect, without an image, a glance, or a brushstroke to spare.” – Dana Stevens, Slate
Available on Kanopy.
Shirley
Renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) is on the precipice of writing her masterpiece when the arrival of newlyweds upends her meticulous routine and heightens tensions in her already tempestuous relationship with her philandering husband. The middle-aged couple, prone to ruthless barbs and copious afternoon cocktails, begins to toy mercilessly with the naïve young couple at their door.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Decker succeeds in transporting viewers inside the mind of a tortured genius. With its mesmerizing cinematography, a deliciously waspy script, and fantastic performances, Shirley is a smart and intricately woven look at a woman’s struggle to create in a world telling her to be something else.” – Jenn Adams, Consequence of Sound
“Gubbins’ script is tart, verbally lively and neatly constructed, while director Josephine Decker, in her first outing since her well-received 2018 Sundance entry Madeline’s Madeline, keeps a very tight rein on things, adroitly mixing in tension, innuendo and dark humor to keep the drama at a satisfying low boil most of the way.” – Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter
“To some extent, Shirley delights in its own dissembling, but it also uses these complications to arrive at a place of startling truth. The sorcery in which Jackson claimed to dabble in real life finds a cinematic corollary in the movie’s bewitching late passages, which are by turns disorienting and illuminating.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
Available on Kanopy.
Shadow in the Cloud
In the throes of World War II, Captain Maude Garrett (Chloë Grace Moretz) joins the all-male crew of a B-17 bomber with a top-secret package. Caught off guard by the presence of a woman on a military flight, the crew tests Maude’s every move. Just as her quick wit is winning them over, strange happenings and holes in her backstory incite paranoia surrounding her true mission. But this crew has more to fear… lurking in the shadows, something sinister is tearing at the heart of the plane. Trapped between an oncoming air ambush and an evil lurking within, Maude must push beyond her limits to save the hapless crew and protect her mysterious cargo.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Hardly a minute of the movie registers as ‘realistic,’ but that hardly matters, since Liang so fully commits to its over-the-top sensibility that you’ll be clutching the armrest and grinning with glee for most of the ride.” – Peter Debruge, Variety
“Shadow in the Cloud has that boisterous B-movie energy, and it’s a reminder that narrative shamelessness is permissible, even welcome, in the hands of an assured storyteller.” – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap
“The deeper Shadow in the Cloud dives into sci-fi fantasy territory, the more we’re asked to just go with it and enjoy the spectacularly choreographed action sequences — but thanks in large part to Moretz’s ferociously effective work, we’re all too happy to take that zany ride.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
Available on Kanopy.
The Informer
Honorably discharged Special Ops soldier Pete Koslow’s (Joel Kinnaman) world is turned upside-down when he is jailed after a fight to protect his wife (Ana de Armas). He’s given a chance for early release by becoming an informant for the FBI (Rosamund Pike and Clive Owen) and using his covert skills in an operation to take down The General, the most powerful crime boss in New York. But when the FBI sting meant to finally earn Koslow his freedom results in the death of an undercover NYPD cop, Koslow finds himself caught in the crossfire between the mob and the FBI. The General insists Koslow takes the heat and sends him back to prison to spearhead a drug operation from inside, and the FBI affirms that going back to jail to do The General’s bidding is the only way for Koslow to keep his deal with them alive. Caught in a world of impossible choices, Koslow must return to prison, where he formulates a plan to escape the clutches of three of New York City’s most powerful organizations – the mob, the NYPD and the FBI – in order to save himself and his family.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The Informer is one of the year’s more pleasant genre surprises: a clenched fist of a crime thriller in the mode of The Departed or The Town, in which every element is just a notch smarter than you’d expect. Generic though the film may look, it holds together absorbingly, thanks to a sturdy script which ups stakes and adds characters with cunning and intelligence.” – Tim Robey, The Telegraph
“The climactic scenes when all hell breaks loose are gripping and enthralling, and in the midst of all the blood, sweat and tears, Joel Kinnaman is kicking ass and taking names in true action movie-star fashion.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“Outside of the Easy Money series, Kinnaman has rarely been allowed to utilize his tightly wound intensity this explicitly.” – Chuck Bowen, Slant
Available on Kanopy.
Apollo 11
From director Todd Douglas Miller (Dinosaur 13) comes a cinematic event fifty years in the making. Crafted from a newly discovered trove of 65mm footage, and more than 11,000 hours of uncatalogued audio recordings, Apollo 11 takes us straight to the heart of NASA’s most celebrated mission—the one that first put men on the moon, and forever made Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin into household names. Immersed in the perspectives of the astronauts, the team in Mission Control, and the millions of spectators on the ground, we vividly experience those momentous days and hours in 1969 when humankind took a giant leap into the future.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Somehow, it doesn’t look like something that happened 50 years ago – but rather an extraordinarily detailed futurist fantasy of what might happen in the years to come, if we could only evolve to some higher degree of verve and hope.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Apollo 11 is a great documentary, and its greatness can largely be attributed to the stunning archival scenes compiled within it. It’s impossible for anybody who wasn’t there to truly understand what it felt like to see Apollo 11 complete its travels, but for at least 93 endlessly arresting minutes, Apollo 11 does its very best to put you right there.” – Dominick Suzanne-Mayer, Consequence of Sound
“It takes you right up past the stratosphere alongside these souls. Then it brings everything back down to Earth with equal agility and grace. It is a revelation.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone
Available on Kanopy.
Proud
A three part mini series about a French family spanning the generations, with each episode coinciding with a crucial moment for gay rights in France.
Description provided by IMDb.
“Proud astutely parallels the intimacy of family dynamics and the thirty-year transformation of what it means to be masculine, with the attending social and political turmoil.” – Brian Bromberger, Bay Area Reporter
“A series that is largely engaging and provocative… It can – and should – be watched in one sitting. When it ends… most viewers will want more.” – Gary M. Cramer, Gay City News
“Proud… will leave viewers with a real and effective snapshot of how progress has been made in the fight for LGBTQ rights and how much more ground the movement has to cover in the future. The characters are real and authentic, never fitting into a societal box easily.” – John Soltes, Hollywood Soapbox
Available on Kanopy.
Hero Mode
A teenage coding genius has just 30 days to create the world’s greatest video game or his family loses everything. No pressure.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Hero Mode might make some adult viewers roll their eyes or just groan with its misunderstanding of technology. But the screenplay offers up some genuine laughs along with a general sweetness making it great for viewers of all ages.” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat
“A lively saga about a young coding wizard who’s charged with saving his family’s gaming business, this celebration of old- and new-school creativity doesn’t break novel ground in any respect. Fortunately, though, its good humor, spry pacing and likable performances should appeal to its pre-high-school target audience.” – Nick Schager, Variety
“As a heartfelt feel-good story about industrial espionage and how to win the right way, Hero Mode is charming if undemanding, and feels at least a little authentic to its milieu.” – Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
Available on Hoopla.
Three Identical Strangers
Three strangers are reunited by astonishing coincidence after being born identical triplets, separated at birth, and adopted by three different families. Their jaw-dropping, feel-good story instantly becomes a global sensation complete with fame and celebrity, however, the fairy-tale reunion sets in motion a series of events that unearth an unimaginable secret – a secret with radical repercussions for us all.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Three Identical Strangers tells a remarkable story. In fact, it tells several. It’s already extraordinary 20 minutes in, and then it goes to unexpected and yet more amazing places, like a narrative feature by a master storyteller.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
“The best documentaries reveal the ways in which truth can be stranger (and wilder and weirder) than fiction. And director Tim Wardle’s stunning and tragic Sundance sensation, Three Identical Strangers, is stranger (and wilder and weirder) than most.” – Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly
“Wardle spent five years making Three Identical Strangers after several other filmmakers had given up on this subject because they were always hitting a dead end, and so he deserves credit for journalistic doggedness and also for making a documentary that plays like a nerve-jangling thriller.” – Dan Callahan, The Wrap
Available on Kanopy.
The Cat and the Moon
While his mother seeks treatment in rehab, teenager Nick (Alex Wolff) comes to New York to stay with a musician friend of his father’s (Mike Epps) and to meet people who can show him what the city has to offer. Nick’s time away from home causes his buried pain and vulnerabilities to bubble to the surface and forces him to deal with them.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Wolff has made a debut feature as impressive in its deliberate modesty and unpretentiousness as it is in matters of psychological nuance and technical skill.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
“I still can’t believe this is Wolff’s first film as writer and director. He shows an excellent command of storytelling. There’s a lot of backstory and very little exposition (which can be a first-time filmmaker trap). His dialogue is natural and authentic to the age of its characters, and the way eventual conflicts between the friends play out feels unforced.” – Alan Ng, Film Threat
“…Wolff mines his own experiences of anger, frustration, and loneliness to create a stirring slice-of-life drama that never stoops to condescension or exaggeration while capturing a formative moment in teenage years.” – Douglas Davidson, Elements of Madness
Available on Kanopy.
The Invisible Witness
Adriano Doria is “the entrepreneur of the year” in Milan. He drives a BMW, wears a flamboyant Rolex, has an adorable wife and daughter and a beautiful mistress. But now he is under house arrest, accused of murder.
Description provided by IMDb.
“…fun to watch… The best parts occur when you think you’ve clinched the plot, only to have it go one—or two or three—steps further. The overserious giallo vibes add to the fun; it takes itself seriously so you don’t have to.” – Kathleen Sachs, Chicago Reader
“Director Stefano Mordini did a masterful job of pacing the action, building to a crescendo at the end. This was one of my very favorite films this year.” – Karen Samdahl, Film Jabber
“Get ready to fire up those grey cells lovers of Agatha Christie. This Italian neo-noir wasn’t written by the mystery queen, but it reaches her level. It not only fooled me, it flat-out floored me.” – Randy Myers, Mercury News
Available on Kanopy.
And Then We Danced
A passionate tale of love and liberation set amidst the conservative confines of modern Georgian society, And Then We Danced follows Merab, a devoted dancer who has been training for years with his partner Mary for a spot in the National Georgian Ensemble. The arrival of another male dancer, Irakli—gifted with perfect form and equipped with a rebellious streak—throws Merab off balance, sparking both an intense rivalry and romantic desire that may cause him to risk his future in dance as well as his relationships with Mary and his family.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Akin’s assured directing makes this a film that doesn’t put a foot wrong.” – Clara Bradbury-Rance, Cinevue
“Buoyant first-time actor, Levan Gelbakhiani goes from unknown to galvanizing star in a unique role. His presence is one of stunning physicality, proving there’s strength in what others see as a weakness in his character.” – Carlos Aguilar, The Playlist
“The result is at once empowering… heart-wrenching… and inspirational.” – Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage
Available on Kanopy.
Breaking Fast
Set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood, Breaking Fast is a romantic comedy that follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars –the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan– meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s a witty, beautifully observed and well-acted film that proves as engaging as it is boundary-shattering.” – Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
“Breaking Fast is a sweet romantic comedy that shows how it’s possible to observe nearly every convention of the mainstream romantic comedy yet still deliver something that feels new.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
“If you’re looking for a movie to watch for Pride Month, this would make for an excellent choice, that will leave you just as in love with Mo and Kal as they are with each other.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
Available on Kanopy.
Lapsis
In a parallel present, delivery man Ray Tincelli is struggling to support himself and his ailing younger brother. After a series of two-bit hustles and unsuccessful swindles, Ray takes a job in a strange new realm of the gig economy: trekking deep into the forest, pulling cable over miles of terrain to connect large, metal cubes that link together the new quantum trading market. As he gets pulled deeper into the zone, he encounters growing hostility and the threat of robot cablers, and must choose to either help his fellow workers or to get rich and get out.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A refreshing instance of world building where the emphasis is on satirical wit, activist smarts and character, it feels like one of those movies we’ll be looking at decades from now and, however tech has transformed our lives, saying ‘Yeah, Lapsis had that.'” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
“Witty, astute, perfectly absurd in a plausibly grounded way, and political without feeling like a polemic, Hutton’s quiet satire is merciless about life in the daily hustle – and a lesson about the power of the worker.” – Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
“The filmmaker does a phenomenal job of setting up this world in a natural-seeming way, smuggling mountains of pertinent fact into conversations that pretend to be banal.” – Matt Zoller Seitz, RogerEbert.com
Available on Kanopy.
Spoor
Retired civil engineer Duszejko lives a secluded life in a mountain village close to the border between Poland and the Czech Republic. She is charismatic and eccentric, a passionate astrologer and a strict vegetarian. One day her beloved dogs disappear. On a snowy winter’s night shortly afterwards she discovers the dead body of her neighbour and, next to it, deer tracks. More men die in a similarly mysterious way. All of them were pillars of the village community, and all were passionate hunters. Were these men killed by wild animals? Or has someone been provoked to pursue a bloody vendetta? At some point Duszejko herself comes under suspicion.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Though vastly different, Spoor is a fascinating counterpoint to Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, as both feature a feminine inflected natural sphere attempting to defend itself from the depredations of a boorish patriarchy. But where Aronosky’s allegory flattens its Mother Earth figure into an eternal victim, Spoor plays a more subversive game, suggesting that the repressed will rise and that victims will not always remain that way.” – Joe Blessing, The Playlist
“This wildly entertaining eco-feminist crime caper, anchored by a winning lead performance from Agnieszka Mandat, isn’t just worth the wait, it’s an imperative watch.” – Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times\
“Spoor remains witty throughout, breaking even the tensest moments with the lead’s acid-tongued appraisals of the local hunters.” – Ben Croll, IndieWire
Available on Kanopy.
The True Adventures of Wolfboy
Paul lives an isolated life with his father in upstate New York. He finds making friends impossible due to a rare condition he has known as congenital hypertrichosis – an affliction that causes an abnormal amount of hair growth all over his face and body. On his 13th birthday, Paul receives a mysterious gift that compels him to run away and seek out the mother he has never known.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A coming-of-age story that melds fantastical elements with its exploration of what it’s like to grow up looking different from everyone else, The True Adventures of Wolfboy, with its affecting performances and direct rejection of normalcy, works like a charm.” – Roxana Hadadi, RogerEbert.com
“Director Martin Krejcí’s first feature has the fairy-tale surrealism and penchant for oddball outsiders that distinguished Burton’s work, as well as a similar lighthearted quirkiness that balances the undercurrents of gothic dread.” – Eric Kohn, IndieWire
“Wolfboy is a compassionate film with some insight into being different and into the destructiveness of letting the world’s unkindness shape one’s self view.” – Michael Ordona, Los Angeles Times
Available on Kanopy.
The Ground Beneath My Feet
Lola manages her personal life with the same ruthless efficiency she uses to succeed in the business world. She keeps her relationship with her boss Elise a secret, as well as the existence of her older sister Conny, who has a long history of mental illness. But when she receives the news that Conny has attempted suicide, Lola’s secrets begin to unravel into the workplace. As she tries to do what’s best for her sister without jeopardizing all that she’s worked so hard for, Lola slowly finds her own grip on reality slipping away.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The Ground Beneath My Feet is essential viewing for our anxiety-ridden times.” – Carlos Aguilar, The Wrap
“This is crafty, first-rank filmmaking.” – Glenn Kenny, New York Times
“This oppressive, atmospheric Austrian drama takes the kind of alpha female high achiever familiar from Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, but undermines her with splinters of Hitchcockian paranoia.” – Wendy Ide, The Observer
Available on Kanopy.
Beats
Two best friends in a small Scottish town in the summer of ’94 who head out for one last night together before life takes them in different directions. Going to an illegal rave, the boys journey into an underworld of anarchy, freedom and collision with the law as they share a night that they will never forget.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The biggest strength, of course, is Ortega and Macdonald, who have great chemistry. These two actors know exactly who these guys are and their history comes through naturally.” – Collin Souter, RogerEbert.com
“It’s a terrific little film that combines the earthy humour and honesty of a Shane Meadows movie with an unexpected expressionistic section – flooded with colour – that channels the boys’ joyful dancefloor abandon.” – Wendy Ide, The Observer
“An infectiously enjoyable slice of knockabout nostalgia that wears its Trainspotting heritage proudly on its rough-edged tartan sleeve.” – Neil Young, Hollywood Reporter
Available on Kanopy.
Honeyland
Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A documentary about a Macedonian beekeeper doesn’t sound like one of the best films of the year, does it? But few movies capture the great wheel of nature turning with as much beauty and empathy as Honeyland, and fewer still show how easily the wheel can slip its track and come crashing to pieces.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe
“The opening minutes of Honeyland are as astonishing — as sublime and strange and full of human and natural beauty — as anything I’ve ever seen in a movie.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times
“While the characters and events are real, the artful design of this film and its allegorical resonances seem to put Honeyland in its own genre – that of a real-life fable.” – Liam Lacey, Original Cin
Available on Kanopy.
A Very Sordid Wedding
Tired of the religious zealotry and anti-gay bigotry in their Texas town, sisters Latrell, LaVonda, and Aunt Sissy decide to protest an “Anti-Equality Rally” which aims to forbid any same sex weddings in their county. The colorful characters from the previous Sordid Lives decide a wedding is exactly what this small-minded town needs.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A Very Sordid Wedding offers some undeniably entertaining moments, and its talented ensemble, clearly encouraged to pull out all the stops, delivers their comic shtick with admirable gusto.” – Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
“If you liked the original, the overdue sequel to Sordid Lives will both delight you and warm your ever-lovin’ heart.” – David Noh, Film Journal International
“Although far from the sordid affair the title suggests, this joyously camp film is a definite guilty pleasure that will be a flat out triumph to returning fans- and an enjoyably trashy time for newcomers to the franchise.” – Alistair Ryder, Gay Essential
Available on Kanopy.
Haymaker
Haymaker follows a retired Muay Thai fighter (Nick Sasso) working as a bouncer, who rescues an alluring transgender performer (Nomi Ruiz) from a nefarious thug, eventually becoming her bodyguard, protector, and confidant. The relationship leads Sasso’s character to make an unexpected return to fighting, risking not only his relationship, but his life. Haymaker tells a story about human dignity and love.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“Haymaker has a little something for everyone, and it’s totally worth the watch. I’m excited to see what Nick Sasso does next.” – Lorry Kikta, Film Threat
“Light on its feet and doesn’t overstay its welcome.” – Peter Martin, ScreenAnarchy
“A seemingly standard romantic drama that breaks the mold by being comfortable in its own skin.” – Nathaniel Muir, AIPT
Available on Hoopla.
Son of the South
Based on Bob Zellner’s autobiography, The Wrong Side of Murder Creek, this true story set in Montgomery, Alabama follows a Klansman’s grandson who must choose which side of history to be on during the Civil Rights Movement. Defying his family and white Southern norms, he fought against social injustice, repression and violence to change the world around him.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This is an old-fashioned and borderline corny biopic that looks like it could have been made 40 years ago — but it’s also a true-life story about a man who denounced his racist lineage and dedicated himself to the cause, a man who is still with us today, and it’s a story well worth telling.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“Brown’s well-crafted and period-persuasive biopic strikes a dramatically sound and emotionally satisfying balance between the moral awakening of its white protagonist and his relationships with sometimes encouraging, sometimes skeptical Black leaders and foot soldiers.” – Joe Leydon, Variety
Available on Kanopy.
The Painter and the Thief
Desperate for answers about the theft of her 2 paintings, a Czech artist seeks out and befriends the career criminal who stole them. After inviting her thief to sit for a portrait, the two form an improbable relationship and an inextricable bond that will forever link these lonely souls.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“So compelling is The Painter and the Thief — and ultimately so powerfully moving in its faith in human resilience — that you may not notice the illuminating ways in which Ree plays with form and viewpoint. The documentary won a special jury award for creative storytelling at the most recent Sundance Film Festival and it comes to streaming video as one of the year’s most affecting and subtly radical movie experiences.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe
“Think better of art’s power, Ree’s filmmaking tells us, but especially think better of each other, too.” – Andrew Crump, Paste
“By the time the breathtaking final moment arrives, we have learned, a little better, how to really look at the world, as a lover of both beauty and the strange bits of ourselves that make us really human.” – Alissa Wilkinson, Vox
Available on Kanopy.
The Biggest Little Farm
The Biggest Little Farm follows two dreamers and their beloved dog when they make a choice that takes them out of their tiny L.A. apartment and into the countryside to build one of the most diverse farms of its kind in complete coexistence with nature. The film chronicles their near decade-long attempt to create the utopia they seek, planting 10,000 orchard trees, hundreds of crops, and bringing in animals of every kind– including an unforgettable pig named Emma and her best friend, Greasy the rooster. When the farm’s ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, and to survive they realize they’ll have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature, and of life itself.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Often fascinating, and sometimes even moving. There are lessons here about the cycle of life that can only be driven home by the real, random, and sometimes cruel dictates of fate.” – Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Daily News
“The Biggest Little Farm not only has by-the-minute drama and an ever-present tension between success and failure, but as an accomplished cinematographer, the film’s images of the farm are breathtaking.” – Alan Ng, Film Threat
“As the story unfolds over nearly a decade, Biggest becomes something even more impactful: a thoughtful and often profoundly moving portrait of the remarkable work involved in producing mindful food — and an eloquent reminder that so much of what we take for granted on our plates is, in its own everyday way, a miracle.” – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
Available on Kanopy.
Then Came You
A lonely widow (Kathie Lee Gifford) plans a trip around the world with her husband’s ashes, to visit the places they loved in the movies. During her first stop in Scotland at the beautiful estate she stays in, she meets the innkeeper (Craig Ferguson) who changes her life forever.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“[If] you’re looking for a low-key, old-school, charming-as-a-basket-of-kittens lark, give Then Came You a shot. It serves as a great reminder of Gifford’s prodigious talents – and as a hint that she may yet have more to reveal.” – Alex Saveliev, Film Threat
“[Finds] just enough heart and honesty at key moments to keep Then Came You from being just a sweetly disposable confection.” – Simon Foster, Screen-Space
“It’s sweet, charming, and a mental getaway that is very much needed at this time.” – Paul McGuire Grimes, KSTP-TV
Available on Kanopy.
The Dead Lands
Hongi (James Rolleston) – a Maori chieftain’s teenage son – must avenge his father’s murder in order to bring peace and honor to the souls of his loved ones after his tribe is slaughtered through an act of treachery. Vastly outnumbered by a band of villains, led by Wirepa (Te Kohe Tuhaka), Hongi’s only hope is to pass through the feared and forbidden Dead Lands and forge an uneasy alliance with the mysterious “Warrior” (Lawrence Makoare), a ruthless fighter who has ruled the area for years.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Neatly balances a folkloric coming-of-age tale with violent action thrills.” – Damon Wise, Empire
“Once you get past an awkward and artificial beginning and roll with the movie’s crazy rhythm, The Dead Lands is also a blast, and one that delivers an unexpected emotional wallop along with gore, thrills and spectacular scenery.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon
“While the primal you-killed-my-family-now-I-kill-you story smacks of old Westerns (and newer Liam Neeson movies), the pic rises somewhat above formula due in large part to its being acted out in this particular historic cultural context. Depictions of pre-colonialist Maori life are rare enough onscreen, let alone in this kind of muscular genre effort.” – Dennis Harvey, Variety
Available on Kanopy.
Assassins
The audacious murder of the brother of North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jon Un in a crowded Malaysian airport sparked a worldwide media frenzy. At the center of the investigation are two young women who are either cold-blooded killers or unwitting pawns in a political assassination. Assassins goes beyond the headlines to question every angle of this case, from human trafficking to geo-political espionage to the secretive dynamics of the North Korean dynasty.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Although the event and aftermath were widely, exhaustively covered, I don’t think I’m the only one who lost the thread early. This not knowing is part of what makes Ryan White’s extraordinary documentary Assassins, about the trial of the two young women, so compulsively compelling.” – Lindsay Bahr, Associated Press
“What an extraordinary story of sexism, violence, diplomatic bad faith and dishonesty on an international scale.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Assassins is a terrific true-crime story, but it’s also a documentary thriller about the new world disorder.” – Owen Gleiberman, Variety
Available on Kanopy.
The Kite Runner
Based on one of the most acclaimed novels in recent memory, The Kite Runner is a profoundly emotional tale of friendship, family, devastating mistakes, and redeeming love. In a divided country on the verge of war, two childhood friends, Amir and Hassan, are about to be torn apart forever. It’s a glorious afternoon in Kabul and the skies are bursting with the exhilarating joy of a kite-fighting tournament. But in the aftermath of the day’s victory, one boy’s fearful act of betrayal will mark their lives forever and set in motion an epic quest for redemption. Now, after 20 years of living in America, Amir returns to a perilous Afghanistan under the Taliban’s iron-fisted rule to face the secrets that still haunt him and take one last daring chance to set things right.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Like House of Sand and Fog and Man Push Cart, it helps us to understand that the newcomers among us come from somewhere and are somebody.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“Whatever our misfortune, The Kite Runner says, sometimes we are fortunate enough to get a second chance to make amends for a first mistake.” – Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer
“For all the pain and loss that The Kite Runner depicts, it is still a film of exhilarating, redemptive humanity, conveying an enduring sense of hope.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Available on Kanopy.
Battle Royale
In the near future, the economy has collapsed, unemployment has soared and juvenile crime has exploded. Fearful of their nation’s youth, the Japanese government passes The BR Law: Each year, a 9th grade class is sent to a remote island where they will be locked into exploding neck collars, given a random weapon, and forced to hunt and kill each other until there is only one survivor left.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“American fans of The Hunger Games may not embrace – or even be permitted to see – Battle Royale, which is too bad. It is in many ways a better movie and in any case a fascinating companion, drawn from a parallel cultural universe. It is a lot uglier and also, perversely, a lot more fun.” – A.O. Scott, New York Times
“You would never suspect that a 70-year-old man made this film: it positively hums with youthful lust and rage.” – Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy
“It gets no points for subtlety, but this confronting, devastating, hilarious and extremely fun film is a masterpiece all in its own right.” – Shaun Munro, What Culture
Available on Kanopy.
Postal
A young man’s life unravels over the course of a customer service phone call.
Description provided by IMDb.
“…fun and energetically written… [An] extremely promising debut that deserves some credit and attention.” – Camden Farrell, Disappointment Media
“…one of the most insane stories you will ever see… a really great dark comedy.” – Sean Boelman, Pop Axiom
“[This] comedy/thriller hybrid delivers nail-biting tension and hilariously relatable situational humor.” – Josh Batchelder, Josh at the Movies
Available on Hoopla.
The Giant
On her graduation night, Charlotte learns her first love has returned to her small Georgia town for the first time since vanishing the year before, in the midst of an awful trauma in her life. But on that night, a girl her age is found dead – and then another. Something terrible has arisen in this place, and as her final summer speeds towards a nightmarish conclusion, Charlotte gets the unshakeable feeling that somehow it is coming for her – in ways more troubling than she could ever know.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“Try as I might, I can’t quite shake nor stop thinking about The Giant, and that makes me believe Raboy’s done something very, very right, here – even if you might have to squint a bit to see it.” – Nick Rocco Scalia, Film Threat
“A terrifying emotional puzzle.” – Cristina Aparacio, Caimán Cuadernos de Cine
“Rather than take what we see at face value, those able to let The Giant wash over them will witness pieces of themselves instead.” – Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage
Available on Kanopy.
Respeto
An aspiring young rapper strikes up an unexpected friendship with an elderly bookstore owner who has a dark past of his own.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“Respeto offers a gripping if sometimes slightly melodramatic look at the chaotic clash of values shaping the Philippines today.” – Clarence Tsui, Hollywood Reporter
“It is all exquisite bleakness, a portrait of words falling and failing resulting again in an act of violence that is both warranted but empty.” – Oggs Cruz, Rappler
“A captivating look at the bonds that bring people together, and the dangerous politics that rip communities apart.” – Courtney Small, In the Seats
Available on Kanopy.
The Beyond
Set in 2019, The Beyond chronicles the groundbreaking mission which sent astronauts – modified with advanced robotics, through a newly discovered wormhole known as the Void. When the mission returns unexpectedly, the space agency races to discover what the astronauts encountered on their first of its kind interstellar space journey.
Description provided by Metacritic.
Available on Kanopy.
Feels Good Man
Artist Matt Furie, creator of the comic character Pepe the Frog, begins an uphill battle to take back his iconic cartoon image from those who used it for their own purposes.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Feels Good Man is, in some sense, a horror movie about the legacy of images, the ownership of images by their creators, and the lives they take on outside of the artists who make them. In particular, it’s a horror story about the life of one particular image: Pepe.” – Abby Olcese, /Film
“Beyond putting the focus back on the artist and his art, what makes Jones’ documentary important is that it actually takes on internet culture in a serious fashion.” – Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
“Feels Good Man’s greatest strength is affirming that even the most lighthearted things are worth fighting for. Even when it means buying a suit and going to court to protect your frog-man.” – Jacob Oller, Paste
Available on Kanopy.
The Flowers of War
An unprincipled American is caught in the turmoil of China during the 1937 invasion by Japan. Seeking refuge in a Catholic Church, he meets up with a courtesan desperate to protect a group of schoolgirls from the vicious onslaught. Putting aside his usual selfish tendencies, the American risks everything to help them.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Ultimately an inspiring, stirring and unforgettable human drama in the face of a horrifying war. It is highly recommended.” – Pete Hammond, Boxoffice
“It’s a special film of sacrifice, redemption and hope in the shadow of a holocaust that packs an emotional wallop from which there is no escape. I can’t get it out of my thoughts, and I recommend it highly.” – Rex Reed, Observer
“Bale admirably shoulders the burden of Western identification figure, but the heart of the story is the ongoing tension between the schoolgirls and the hookers, who see in each other aspects of womanhood that are out of their respective reach.” – J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Available on Kanopy.
The Surrogate
Jess Harris (Jasmine Batchelor), a 29 year old web designer for a nonprofit in Brooklyn, is ecstatic to be the surrogate and egg-donor for her best friend Josh (Chris Perfetti) and his husband Aaron (Sullivan Jones). Twelve weeks into the pregnancy, a prenatal test comes back with unexpected results that pose a moral dilemma. As they all consider the best course of action, the relationship between the three friends is put to the test.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This clear-eyed ethical drama is propelled by a performance of stunning psychological insight and raw feeling from Jasmine Batchelor. But the film is rendered even more affecting by the careful consideration it gives to the impact of her character’s fluctuating decision-making, both on the people directly involved and those on the fringes.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
“As Jess, Jasmine Batchelor (the film marks her first starring role in a film, the actress also produced it) turns in one of the year’s best performances, profound work that twists an already propulsive concept into a riveting character study.” – Kate Erbland, IndieWire
“There are many layers of complex, sensitive, and controversial subjects in The Surrogate, but writer/director Jeremy Hersh never lets it get preachy.” – Nell Minnow, RogerEbert.com
Available on Kanopy.
The Appearance
When a medieval monk unexpectedly dies in a horrific way, the Church sends Mateho the Inquisitor, a rational man of science, to investigate the alleged ‘witch’. When Mateho himself becomes implicated as more monks die mysteriously, he must learn that science cannot explain the horrors around him, before he is seduced by the evil that haunts this monastery.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“Knight does a good job of establishing the political complexities of a more theocratic age.” – Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times
Available on Kanopy.
Therapy for a Vampire
Vienna, 1930. Count von Kozsnom has lost his thirst for life, and his marriage cooled centuries ago. Fortunately, Sigmund Freud is accepting new patients; the good doctor suggests the Count appease his vain wife by commissioning a portrait of her by his assistant, Viktor. But it’s Viktor’s headstrong girlfriend Lucy who most intrigues the Count, convinced she’s the reincarnation of his one true love. Soon, the whole crowd is a hilarious mess of mistaken identities and misplaced affections in this send-up of the vampire genre, proving that 500 years of marriage is enough.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The strongest aspect of Therapy for a Vampire is its exquisite visual homage to the vamp films of old, and also the screwballs.” – April Wolfe, Village Voice
“A stylish, painterly picture that evokes classic horror films from the 1930s.” – Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer
“Director David Rühm’s German language vamp-com Therapy for a Vampire gives the vampire film a much needed transfusion.” – Kristen Lopez, Spectrum Culture
Available on Kanopy.
Re-Elected
Friends battle former U.S. presidents when they come back from the dead as zombies on the Fourth of July.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“[An] enjoyably silly and good natured send up of the genre.” – Jim Morazzini, Voices from the Balcony
“What makes Re-Elected work so well is its great deal of charm and huge heart. Radbill and his cast and crew obviously had a great time making the film, and it shows.” – Joseph Perry, The Scariest Things