Ammonite
1840s England, acclaimed but overlooked fossil hunter Mary Anning and a young woman sent to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship, altering both of their lives forever.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“An exquisite achievement.” – G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
“One of the finest films of the year: a shiveringly passionate period piece.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“There’s an austerity to the film — long shots of stone and candlelight, clipped dialogue — that can feel rigorous, almost grim. But Lee (God’s Own Country) is only building a richer kind of mood, and priming the canvas for his actresses, who reward that faith with remarkable performances.” – Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly
Available on Kanopy.
Clemency
Years of carrying out death row executions have taken a toll on prison warden Bernadine Williams (Alfre Woodard). As she prepares to execute another inmate, Bernadine must confront the psychological and emotional demons her job creates, ultimately connecting her to the man she is sanctioned to kill.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This is screen acting of a very rare sort, and Clemency is a vital emotional powerhouse sorely deserving of being seen.” – Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
“If you want to see what great acting is, watch Alfre Woodard deliver a master class in Clemency.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“It’s Woodard’s film from start to finish. She’s been great for three decades, but this is her best work yet.” – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
Available on Kanopy.
The Queen
The Queen takes audiences behind the scenes of one of the most shocking public events of recent times — providing an illuminating, deeply affecting and dramatic glimpse into what happens in the corridors of power when a tragedy strikes.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A sublimely nimble evisceration of that cult of celebrity known as the British royal family.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times
“Helen Mirren gives the mostly subtly expressive performance based on a living historical figure that I’ve ever seen.” – Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
“The Queen is the kind of thought-provoking, well-written and savvy film that discerning filmgoers long for but rarely get.” – Claudia Puig, USA Today
Available on Kanopy.
Pinocchio
Shot in stunning Italian locations, Matteo Garrone’s rich world of mystery and wonder stars Academy Award winning actor Roberto Benigni as Geppetto, the old woodcarver whose puppet creation, Pinocchio, magically comes to life with dreams of becoming a real boy. Easily led astray, Pinocchio (nine-year-old Federico Ielapi) tumbles from one misadventure to another as he is tricked, kidnapped and chased by bandits through a wonderful world full of imaginative creatures – from the belly of a giant fish, to the Land Of Toys and the Field Of Miracles.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The source material is a neat fit for the Italian film-maker, who traversed similarly episodic fairytale terrain with 2015’s Tale of Tales. It’s also a critique of society that feels timeless or, rather, timely – and not just for Garrone.” – Simran Hans, The Observer
“It has the makings of a stealth classic.” – Lindsey Bahr, Associated Press
“Pinocchio is a thoroughly bizarre story; Garrone makes of it a weirdly satisfying spectacle.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Available on Kanopy.
Amazing Grace
A documentary presenting Aretha Franklin with choir at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Watts, Los Angeles in January 1972.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“One of the great performances of the 20th century.” – Vikram Murthi, AV Club
“Amazing Grace is a showcase of one of America’s greatest talents and a rush of pure spiritual uplift. There are only so many ways to praise Franklin’s voice and they all fall short – just go and hear it for yourself.” – Joe Blessing, The Playlist
“It’s the closest thing to witnessing a miracle — just some cameras, a crowd and a voice touched by God.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Available on Kanopy.
Every Breath You Take
A psychiatrist (Casey Affleck), whose client commits suicide, finds his family life disrupted after introducing the patient’s surviving brother (Sam Claflin) to his wife (Michelle Monaghan) and daughter.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Every Breath You Take is an intriguing character study that examines grief and loneliness while infusing intensity and thrills.” – Stephanie Archer, Film Inquiry
“Affleck and Monaghan are all pro, Eisley is properly emotionally mixed up, and Claflin shows a side he hasn’t gotten to do before in movies. It is all very slick and watchable.” – Pete Hammond, Deadline
“Vaughn Stein has delivered a top-tier psychological thriller in Every Breath You Take. The film… is a twisty old-fashioned thriller – the type that Hollywood no longer makes.” – Niall Browne, Movies in Focus
Available on Kanopy.
Vox Lux
Vox Lux, A 20th Century Portrait, begins in 1999 when teenage Celeste (Raffey Cassidy) survives a violent tragedy. After singing at a memorial service, Celeste transforms into a burgeoning pop star with the help of her songwriter sister (Stacy Martin) and talent manager (Jude Law). Celeste’s meteoric rise to fame dovetails with a personal and national loss of innocence, consequently elevating the young powerhouse to a new kind of celebrity: American icon, secular deity, global superstar. By 2017, adult Celeste (Natalie Portman) is mounting a comeback after a scandalous incident almost derailed her career. Touring in support of her sixth album, a compendium of sci-fi anthems entitled, Vox Lux, the indomitable, foul-mouthed pop savior must overcome her personal and familial struggles to navigate motherhood, madness and monolithic fame.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The movie doesn’t just feel coldly analytical; it’s raw and enveloping, darkly funny and terribly alive.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
“With Vox Lux, Corbet has delivered a towering film, a unique uncompromising vision that reveals the darkness on the edge of town that lurks in the depths of the spotlight. It’s funny, thrilling, deadly serious and achieves genuine depth.” – John Bleasdale, Cinevue
“Vox Lux is an audacious story about a survivor who becomes a star, and a deeply satisfying, narratively ambitious jolt of a movie.” – Manohla Dargis, New York Times
Available on Kanopy.
Ingrid Goes West
Ingrid Thorburn (Aubrey Plaza) is an unhinged social media stalker with a history of confusing “likes” for meaningful relationships. Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen) is an Instagram-famous “influencer” whose perfectly curated, boho-chic lifestyle becomes Ingrid’s latest obsession. When Ingrid moves to LA and manages to insinuate herself into the social media star’s life, their relationship quickly goes from #BFF to #WTF.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The movie lives and dies, however, on Ingrid herself and, remarkably, Plaza finds a way for you to root for her even when she crosses line after line after line.” – Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist
“Aubrey Plaza is a sensation as Ingrid, who is alternately charming and sad and pathetic and absolutely insane. Plaza has a unique and magnetic screen presence that creates great empathy, even when she’s portraying a mostly off-putting character.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“A very smart take on the stalker movie, which resists easy laughs for harder truths, and might make you think twice the next time you’re lining up a photo for social media.” – Olly Richards, Empire
Available on Kanopy.
Under the Shadow
Shideh (Narges Rashidi) and her family live amid the chaos of the Iran-Iraq war, a period known as The War of the Cities. Accused of subversion by the post-Revolution government and blacklisted from medical college, she falls into a state of malaise. With Tehran under the constant threat of aerial bombardment, her husband (Bobby Naderi) is drafted and sent to the frontlines by the army, leaving Shideh all alone to protect their young daughter, Dorsa (Avin Manshadi). Soon after he leaves, a missile hits their apartment building and while failing to explode, a neighbor dies under mysterious circumstances and Dorsa’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic. Shideh finds herself slowly drawn into the ensuing turmoil, struggling to cling onto what is real and what is not. Searching for answers, she learns from a superstitious neighbor that the cursed missile might have brought with it Djinn – malevolent Middle-Eastern spirits that travel on the wind. Convinced that a supernatural force within the building is attempting to possess Dorsa, Shideh has no choice but to confront these forces if she is to save her daughter and herself.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Full of shivers and subtext, this is scarily good. One of the [best] films – horror or otherwise – of the year.” – Jamie Graham, Total Film
“Under the Shadow is not only perfectly paced, the storytelling and plotting is emotionally gripping. The director also uses setting and location, composition and framing like a master of horror.” – Martyn Conterio, Cinevue
“Under the Shadow, a Farsi-language debut feature written and directed by Babak Anvari, creates a world where reality itself is suspect. In a year filled with great first features, add Under the Shadow to the list.” – Sheila O’Malley, RogerEbert.com
Available on Kanopy.
The Lodge
A family retreats to their remote winter cabin over the holidays. When the father (Richard Armitage) is forced to abruptly depart for work, he leaves his children, Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia (Lia McHugh) in the care of his new girlfriend, Grace (Riley Keough). Isolated and alone, a blizzard traps them inside the lodge as terrifying events summon specters from Grace’s dark past.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“While the cabin seemingly offers a rural respite, the endless snow and the situational horror of it all adds agoraphobic washes to any space. Couple that with captivating uses of grey and silver — seriously, the gradient factor in those two colors here is awe-inspiring by itself — and the dread becomes suffocating.” – Michael Roffman, Consequence
“Appropriately frosty and aloof, The Lodge is a meditative plumbing of the darkest parts of the human psyche, our vulnerabilities, and self-doubts and it’s these personal fears that resonate loudly.” – Jordan Ruimy, The Playlist
“An icy cold mix of The Shining and religious mania run wild, The Lodge opens with a bang, and never lets up. Take it from someone who doesn’t scare easy: The Lodge is scary as hell.” – Chris Evangelista, /Film
Available on Kanopy.
Proxima
An astronaut prepares for a one-year mission aboard the International Space Station.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A significant, ambitious and entirely impressive film by a dazzling young French director in full command of her ship.” – Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
“An unostentatious but quietly dazzling meditation on womanhood in the largely patriarchal space race, Alice Winocour’s highly satisfying third feature outdoes many more lavish Hollywood efforts in evoking the otherworldly emotional disconnect that comes with space travel, all without leaving terra firma for the vast bulk of its running time.” – Guy Lodge, Variety
“It’s a fiery mix of ambition, mother-daughter love, female empowerment and childhood dreams – the gravities of each masterfully held together in the film, like planets in the canvas of space, revolving harmoniously around the sun.” – Sara Merican, Cinevue
Available on Kanopy.
The Beach Bum
The Beach Bum follows the misadventures of Moondog (Matthew McConaughey), a rebellious rogue who always lives life by his own rules.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“There’s a moment in The Beach Bum when aging wastrel Moondog smokes a joint in a hammock, surrounded by naked women, with two hands on a bongo drum and a mouthful of gibberish poetry. That moment lasts 95 minutes, and it is glorious.” – Dan Gentile, Austin Chronicle
“The hedonism on display is very much of a piece with Trash Humpers and Spring Breakers, but in a surprising change of pace for Korine, the film is more at ease with itself, and more emotional than either of those two provocative efforts.” – Ryan Oliver, The Playlist
“Korine’s visual gifts are on full display, capturing both the opulence of Florida and its scuzzy side in a way that finds beauty in both.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com
Available on Kanopy.
Risk
Laura Poitras, Academy Award winning director of Citizenfour, returns with her most personal and intimate film to date. Filmed over six years, Risk is a complex and volatile character study that collides with a high stakes election year and its controversial aftermath. Cornered in a tiny building for half a decade, Julian Assange is undeterred even as the legal jeopardy he faces threatens to undermine the organization he leads and fracture the movement he inspired. Capturing this story with unprecedented access, Poitras finds herself caught between the motives and contradictions of Assange and his inner circle. In a new world order where a single keystroke can alter history, Risk is a portrait of power, betrayal, truth, and sacrifice.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Risk is filled with dramatic scenes straight out of a spy thriller.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“As a portrait of power gained and lost, of unchecked self-absorption and what drives people like Assange to do what they do, it’s absolutely fascinating. Watching it feels like history unfolding in close-up.” – Tom Huddleston, Time Out
“There is much to appreciate in Poitras’ low-key, down-to-business approach which employs instinctive editing choices, and not her own persona (she never appears onscreen), to build the most revealing portrait of Assange and his WikiLeaks staff in the public domain.” – Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter
Available on Kanopy.
A First Farewell
When Isa is not at school or working on his parents’ farmyard, he spends carefree days with his friends – until the outside world starts forcing him to say one goodbye after another.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Bolstered by lush imagery and, perhaps more importantly, immensely naturalistic performances from its non-professional child actors, the film conjures up a quietly heartbreaking drama that works on multiple levels. These nuances probably allowed Wang to elude the stringent demands of China’s censors.” – Clarence Tsui, Hollywood Reporter
“If A First Farewell is Wang’s debut, it boggles the mind what her future films hold in store for us.” – Ray Lobo, Film Threat
“Wang’s down-to-earth tone, familiarity with the subject matter, and success in inspiring natural and sometimes delightful performances from the nonprofessional young cast result in a thoroughly engaging, believable, and quietly moving story.” – Anita Katz, San Francisco Examiner
Available on Hoopla.
Bad Samaritan
A valet (Robert Sheehan) develops a clever scam to burglarize the houses of rich customers. Things go smoothly until he robs the wrong customer (David Tennant), and discovers a woman being held captive in his home. Afraid of going to prison, he leaves the woman there and makes a call to the police, who find nothing when they investigate. Now, the valet must endure the wrath of the kidnapper who seeks revenge on him, all while desperately trying to find and rescue the captive woman he left behind.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A well-directed thriller with knuckle-chewing suspense. A cast of unknowns give some first-rate performances, doing everything right to milk the throb of panic and anxiety from ‘what would I do?’ situations. Terror builds from start to finish.” – Rex Reed, Observer
“The filmmaking itself is suspenseful, classic horror filmmaking, with plenty of jump scares and ominous camera movements. But where the film succeeds most is in its realistic use of technology.” – Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times
“Dean Devlin finally steps out from Roland Emmerich’s shadow with a tight, twisty little thriller. Add a fourth star to the rating if David Tennant going full Nicolas Cage sounds like your kind of thing.” – David Hughes, Empire
Available on Kanopy.
Four Good Days
31-year-old Molly (Mila Kunis) begs her estranged mother Deb (Glenn Close) for help fighting a fierce battle against the demons that have derailed her life. Despite all she has learned over a decade of disappointment, grief and rage, Deb throws herself into one last attempt to save her beloved daughter from the deadly and merciless grip of heroin addiction.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The mother-daughter dynamic in Four Good Days is powerful and lasting and devastating and maybe the thing that will help Molly save her life.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“As a relationship movie, not just for the pair but those around them, Four Good Days is more complex than its outward trappings and preachier scenes — like an anguished Molly addressing a high school class — suggest.” – Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times
“What sets Four Good Days apart from the many other films of its ilk are Close and Kunis, who sharpen and elevate its well-worn contours with vivid performances that are honest and grounded. These are characters you can connect to, on both sides of the equation.” – Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post
Available on Kanopy.
Little Sister
October, 2008. Young nun Colleen (Addison Timlin) is avoiding all contact from her family, until an email from her mother announces, “Your brother is home.” On returning to her childhood home in Asheville, NC, she finds her old room exactly how she left it: painted black and covered in goth/metal posters. Her parents (Ally Sheedy and Peter Hedges) are happy enough to see her, but unease and awkwardness abounds. Her brother (Keith Poulson) is living as a recluse in the guesthouse since returning home from the Iraq war. During Colleen’s visit, tensions rise and fall with a little help from Halloween, pot cupcakes, and GWAR. Little Sister is a sad comedy about family – a schmaltz-free, pathos-drenched, feel good movie for the little goth girl inside us all.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“With its blend of terrifyingly intense family bonds and the howling furies of the world outside, this is a great American political film.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“A strange, spiky movie that refuses to beg for our affection, Little Sister, the fifth feature from Zach Clark, molds the classic homecoming drama into a quirky reconciliation between faith and family.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
“Clark is a talent to watch. He’s made a transfixing film about a family that looks touchingly and unnervingly like yours and mine.” – Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Available on Kanopy.
Sicilian Ghost Story
In a little Sicilian village at the edge of a forest, Giuseppe, a boy of 13, vanishes. Luna, his classmate who loves him, refuses to accept his mysterious disappearance. She rebels against the code of silence and collusion that surrounds her, and to find him she descends into the dark world which has swallowed him up and which has a lake as its mysterious entrance. Only their indestructible love will be able to bring her back along.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This beautifully realized movie casts a sensitive, secretive spell.” – Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
“The filmmaking doesn’t simply tell a story but makes us feel its impact.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety
“Bewildering in all the right ways, this is a poetic, sublime interpretation of a sorry story. An evocative, emotional experience, it pits humanity against inhumanity, resulting in something refreshingly new.” – Alex Godfrey, Empire
Available on Kanopy.
Sound of Violence
Alexis, a sound engineer, helps an aspiring musician, Josh, win the drum machine of his dreams in a competition in a mall. She mentors him and helps him find his groove to compose the winning beat. Once he submits his creation, it triggers a chain reaction revealing the competition booth to be a gruesome contraption. Through Josh’s beat and a horrific death, Alexis’ creative design comes to fruition directing the macabre music she envisioned.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Investing in women characters is sadly still a gamble in the cinematic universe, and within the horror genre, it can be hard to get it right. Noyer succeeds in Sound of Violence by leaving the male gaze in the dust.” – Carolyn Mauricette, View From the Dark
“Led by a fantastic lead performance, this novel, gritty little slasher throwback has a lot more on its mind than just mindless carnage.” – Scott Weinberg, Thrillist
“Alex Noyer is out to shock the hell out of you and he does just that with this hardcore horror outing, which is as original as it is gory.” – Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News
Available on Hoopla.
K-12
Strange events plague a young woman when she attends a remote boarding school.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“…multi-layered, gritty and distinctly Melanie… It can’t be overstated what an epic achievement this is. Melanie has created a cohesive, funny, empowering film from scratch.” – Mike Wass, Idolator
“The end result is well-produced, full of Martinez’s characteristic aesthetic, and surprisingly witty at times. In a film that reflects so many unpleasant real world experiences, some viewers may find catharsis in Cry Baby’s journey.” – Emilia Yu, The Knockturnal
“…eerily enchanting… visually stunning… Not only does Martinez tackle important issues, but she also expertly does so while balancing her love for the macabre with her signature pastel style.” – Alyson Stokes, Alternative Press
Available on Kanopy.
Elyse
Elyse (Lisa Pepper) languidly meanders out of a cold, concrete, designer house mirroring a mausoleum, externalizing the spirit of her dead son, Cody. She returns home disoriented, unwilling to join the family dinner, misconceives the gathering as a threat to her private life, and is unwarrantedly infuriated with her egocentric mother, Goldie, and her devoted husband, Steven. In a psychotic blackout, Elyse commits vehicular manslaughter of her son and his nanny, Julia. Elyse isn’t the only victim; her delusional thinking, narcissism, and violence annihilate her husband. Memory and hallucination intertwine to expose a history of trauma, revealing the truth: Elyse is Catatonic and institutionalized in a State Hospital. Elyse’s recovery is reliant on the dissolution of her marriage, the restoration of the relationship with her mother, and the mutual absolution with the nanny’s daughter, Carmen. It’s the care from Dr. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) and the unconditional love from her nurse, David, that promise Elyse a new life.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“Elyse is a strange movie, and it’s hard to imagine more than a handful of people – maybe a dozen, tops – enjoying it… except that, I’m one of those people. Maybe you are, too.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
“[An] interesting take on psychological drama.” – Monique Jones, Common Sense Media
“Anthony Hopkins is really the best thing about it… He’s worth watching.” – Wade Major, FilmWeek
Available on Kanopy.
The Dig
A convicted murderer is released from prison with no memory of his crime and is forced to help the victim’s father dig for the body.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“The story delivers enough twists and dramatic turns to remain compelling, and the psychology is subtle.” – Katy Hayes, Sunday Times
“An impressive oddity that deserves its renown.” – Donald Clarke, Irish Times
“A grittily effective oater, narratively tight as a drum and shot in the gloom of a never-ending winter where it unturfs a twisty ending to delight genre fans.” – Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
Available on Kanopy.
Mood Indigo
When Colin (Romain Duris), a wealthy bachelor whose hobbies include developing his pianocktail (a cocktail-making piano) and devouring otherworldly dishes prepared by his trusty chef Nicolas (Omar Sy), learns that his best friend Chick (Gad Elmaleh), a fellow acolyte of the philosopher Jean-Sol Partre, has a new American girlfriend, our lonely hero attends a friend’s party in hopes of falling in love himself. He soon meets Chloé (Audrey Tautou) and, before they know it, they’re dancing to Duke Ellington and plunging headfirst into love. Their whirlwind courtship is tested when an unusual illness plagues Chloe; a flower begins to grow in her lungs. To save her, Colin discovers the only cure is to surround Chloe with a never-ending supply of fresh flowers.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This is Gondry at his most liberated and inventive. You simply can’t grab hold of Mood Indigo in its early scenes, and you’re better off surrendering to its crackpot energy and enjoying the ride.” – Andrew O’Hehir, Salon
“Mood Indigo is bitter candy, a heartbreaker that uses sugar as a trap.” – Amy Nicholson, Village Voice
“Gondry’s latest demands a high tolerance for whimsy, and will undoubtedly prove anathema to his skeptics. Yet for those willing to abandon logic, suspend disbelief, and give themselves over to Gondry’s crazy, deeply immersive world of play, the result is a wildly inventive head film that’s mood-altering and mind-expanding in its own right.” – Nathan Rabin, The Dissolve
Available on Kanopy.
Around the Sun
A film location scout falls for a flirtatious woman while touring a crumbling French château.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“Around the Sun is part philosophy discourse, part romance, part science-fiction and a beguiling whole of something unusual and charming.” – Andrew Kendall, Stabroek News
“A metaphysical walk-and-talk, it’s a brainy movie, and clever, too, as when its chapters end, it leaves fascinating little clues as to its methods, delightful little pregnant moments that leave off just before closure.” – Jeffrey M. Anderson, San Francisco Examiner
“This confident feature debut by British-Greek director Oliver Krimpas, elegantly written by Jonathan Kiefer, is unique, its own special, weird thing that leaves a long, pleasant, earthy aftertaste, like vintage calvados.” – Leslie Felperin, The Guardian
Available on Kanopy.
Borgman
A vagrant enters the lives of an upper-class family and quickly unravels their carefully curated lifestyle.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“With pitch-perfect performances across the board, and boasting crisp photography and editing, the film never ceases to twist, turn and surprise, taking wicked joy in constantly switching us back on ourselves and our expectations of the characters.” – Jessica Kiang, The Playlist
“Van Warmerdam keeps such a calm, firm hold on the material that he practically hypnotizes you into following along to the end. The craftsmanship is precise; the result is enigmatic.” – Stephanie Zacharek, Village Voice
“A remarkable, thoroughly disturbing creepshow that burrows deep under your skin and refuses to let go.” – Tirdad Derakhshani, Philadelphia Inquirer
Available on Kanopy.
Goat
Reeling from a terrifying assault over the summer, 19-year-old Brad Land (Ben Schnetzer) starts college determined to get his life back to normal. His brother, Brett (Nick Jonas), is already established on campus and with a fraternity that allures Brad with its promise of protection, popularity, and life-long friendships. Brad is desperate to belong but as he sets out to join the fraternity his brother exhibits reservations, a sentiment that threatens to divide them. As the pledging ritual moves into hell week, a rite that promises to usher these unproven boys into manhood, the stakes violently increase with a series of torturous and humiliating events. What occurs in the name of ‘brotherhood’ tests both boys and their relationship in brutal ways.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Goat deals with masculinity, fraternities, and PTSD in equal doses, covering all of them with brutal precision and most importantly, success.” – Justin Gerber, Consequence
“The film is a pointed, astute and unflinching look at unbridled machismo and its consequences.” – Lanre Bakare, The Guardian
“This taut adaptation of Brad Land’s 2004 memoir is less a dramatized depiction of headline-grabbing hazing tragedies than a penetrating consideration of the psychology of violence and its role in defining manhood.” – David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
Available on Kanopy.
In the Last Days of the City
Tamer El Said’s ambitious debut feature tells the fictional story of a filmmaker (Khalid Abdalla) from downtown Cairo as he struggles to capture the soul of a city on edge while facing loss in his own life. Shot in Cairo, Beirut, Baghdad and Berlin during the two years before the outbreak of revolution in Egypt, the film’s multi-layered stories are a visually rich exploration of friendship, loneliness and life in cities shaped by the shadows of war and adversity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A soulful, atmospheric travelogue that toggles between immersing in and removing itself from the chaotic beauty of teeming humanity, El Said’s movie gives a humming, on-the-edge metropolis its heart-pumping, reflective due.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
“Though the story is fictional, the imagery is grounded in a powerful documentary reality.” – Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter
“The real achievement is how the film captures and holds a mood that develops and expands, with a yearning for what was and what might have been.” – Jay Weissberg, Variety
Available on Kanopy.
Cinema Paradiso
Set in an Italian village, Salvatore finds himself enchanted by the flickering images at the Cinema Paradiso, yearning for the secret of the cinema’s magic. When the projectionist, Alfredo, agrees to reveal the mysteries of moviemaking, a deep friendship is born. The day comes for Salvatore to leave the village and pursue his dream of making movies of his own. Thirty years later he receives a message that beckons him back home to a secret and beautiful discovery that awaits him.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Remain open to fantasies but not be consumed by them. These are good lessons for a would-be director. They are good lessons for everybody. And no recent movie has taught them with more patient sweetness.” – Richard Schickel, TIME
“Cinema Paradiso converts you to the credo that art can indeed be holy.” – Jay Scott, The Globe and Mail
“Anyone who loves movies is likely to love Cinema Paradiso.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Available on Kanopy.
Wake in Fright
The film tells the story of a British schoolteacher’s descent into personal demoralization at the hands of drunken, deranged derelicts while stranded in a small town in outback Australia.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Wake in Fright is the closest a movie can get to a primal scream.” – Rex Reed, Observer
“A very, very good film that examines male ego in a way that’s almost more Sam Peckinpah than Sam Peckinpah himself.” – Film Threat
“As a strictly psychological portrait of destructive masculinity it’s a gut-sock, vividly photographed, thrillingly edited and marked by performances (Donald Pleasence and Jack Thompson, most notably) that heave with strange complexity and dark camaraderie. Wake in Fright is true horror.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times