Quo Vadis, Aida?
Bosnia, July 11th 1995. Aida is a translator for the United Nations in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations Aida has access to crucial information that she needs to interpret. What is at the horizon for her family and people – rescue or death? Which move should she take?
Not Rated, contains violence and language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Quo Vadis, Aida? has the narrative beats and the intensity of a classic thriller: a cornered protagonist, an implacable villain, a breathless pace, hair’s-breadth escapes.” – Ty Burr, The Boston Globe
“This is not historical revisionism, if anything, Quo Vadis, Aida? works to un-revise history, re-centering the victims’ plight as the eye of a storm of evils — not only the massacre itself, but the broader evils of institutional failure and international indifference.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety
“As a fictionalised account of what was once described as the worst European genocide in the post-war period, Quo Vadis, Aida? is wrenching and vital in its bitter grief. As a study of political and diplomatic inertia in the face of contemporary global human tragedies, it could not be more urgent.” – Christopher Machell, Cinevue
Available on Kanopy.
Luce
An all-star high school athlete and accomplished debater, Luce (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a poster boy for the new American Dream. As are his parents (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth), who adopted him from a war-torn country a decade earlier. When Luce’s teacher (Octavia Spencer) makes a shocking discovery in his locker, Luce’s stellar reputation is called into question. But is he really at fault, or is Ms. Wilson preying on dangerous stereotypes?
Rated R for language throughout, sexual content, nudity, and some drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Luce is a dangerous minefield and simply crackles with the kind of distressing pressure that is beginning to define America in every conversation we have about race, marginalization, social strata, woke politics and even marriage.” – Jordan Ruimy, The Playlist
“The film is sleek and shadowy, benefiting from the fact Onah chose to shoot on celluloid and driven by stellar performances across the board.” – Peter Debruge, Variety
“Anchored by standout performances by Naomi Watts, Octavia Spencer and young Kelvin Harrison Jr., it’s a strong indie film about race, family and trust that should connect with fans of smart, provocative cinema.” – Stephen Whitty, Screen Daily
Available on Kanopy.
Shiva Baby
At a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy.
Not Rated, contains language throughout, sexual content, and brief nudity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Paced to perfection and grounded by a magnetic leading performance, Shiva Baby is as painfully awkward as it is impossible to look away from.” – Lauren J. Coates, Consequence
“As a team, Seligman and Sennott share a spot-on sense of comedic timing, knowing just when to throw in the next cutting remark, eye roll, or fake smile. They hit bullseye each and every time, all the way to the credits.” – Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com
“It’s rare for a film to simultaneously balance such wildly divergent tones, to interweave big laughs with gut-wrenching discomfort, but Seligman pulls it off.” – Jason Bailey, New York Times
Available on Kanopy.
The Trench
Focusing on an idealistic group of young World War One soldiers, this film dramatizes the forty-eight hours preceding the 1916 Battle of the Somme.
Not rated, contains graphic violence, brief nudity, and language throughout.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Soberly and intelligently examines the fear, frustration, anxiety, animosity and boredom of waiting to advance into the terrifying other world that lies over the lip of the trenches.” – David Rooney, Variety
“By the time they’re ready to leave their trench, we’re not at all ready to see them go.” – Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
“A powerful anti-war film.” – Ken Fox, TV Guide
Available on Hoopla.
The Reason I Jump
Based on the best-selling book by Naoki Higashida, The Reason I Jump is an immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of nonspeaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Higashida’s revelatory insights into autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
Not Rated, contains mild language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Rothwell uses the language of cinema – macro lens closeups, distortion, off-kilter framing and an evocative blend of sound design and score – to convey the autistic experience of the world.” – Wendy Ide, The Observer
“Care and respect is evident. Camerawork is beautiful, but in the service of the piece, not beauty itself. Sound design is enveloping, and together they convey worlds of light and water, of the humming from electricity that can travel for miles and of a range of emotions from anxiety to shame that run deeper and more vividly than it seems we can possibly understand.” – Fionnuala Halligan, Screen Daily
“It’s a profound, immersive lesson in empathy that should resonate with anyone interested in neurodiversity or simply seeking a more inclusive society.” – Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
Available on Kanopy.
In the Earth
As the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run. Through the night, their journey becomes a terrifying voyage through the heart of darkness, the forest coming to life around them.
Rated R for strong violent content, grisly images, and language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Wheatley and his collaborators have produced something that some of us thought would be impossible: an outrageously entertaining film that feels utterly rooted in the bleak era in which it was made. Lockdown project or not, it’s a milestone.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph
“Freed from studio constraints, In The Earth is a psychedelic visual spectacle and a gory philosophical treatise on humanity’s nebulous and threatening relationship with nature. Restless audiences may quibble with the pacing and length, but fans of bombastic visual sequences and discomforting violence will find plenty to like.” – Joe Lipsett, Consequence
“In the Earth brings us back to Wheatley’s classic world of occult loopy weirdness and cult Britmovie seediness, with a new topical dimension of pandemic paranoia, and what keeps you watching is its unreadable, almost undetectable thread of black comedy.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Available on Kanopy.
Apocalypse Now Redux
During the Vietnam War, Captain Willard is sent on a dangerous mission into Cambodia to assassinate a renegade colonel who has set himself up as a god among a local tribe.
Rated R for disturbing violent images, language, sexual content, and some drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“More than ever it is clear that Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is one of the great films of all time. It shames modern Hollywood’s timidity. To watch it is to feel yourself lifted up to the heights where the cinema can take you, but so rarely does.” – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“Director Francis Ford Coppola’s revamping of his Vietnam epic, Apocalypse Now, with 49 added minutes, has significantly improved the troubled blockbuster. The film now seems both mellowed and — thanks in part to the most vibrant-looking prints in its 22-year history — revitalized.” – Mike Clark, USA Today
“The expanded Redux is even more resonant – partly because of its added material, and partly because the passage of time has increased the film’s value as a key cultural document of the Vietnam War era and its aftermath. It’s a movie not to be missed.” – David Sterritt, Christian Science Monitor
Available on Kanopy.
Monos
In a remote mountaintop setting somewhere in Latin America, a rebel group of teenage commandos bearing noms de guerre like Rambo, Smurf, Bigfoot, Wolf and Boom-Boom perform military training exercises while watching over a prisoner (Julianne Nicholson) and a conscripted milk cow for a shadowy force known only as The Organization. After an ambush drives the squadron into the jungle, fracturing their intricate bond, the mission begins to collapse.
Rated R for violence, language, some sexual content, and drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A pure cinematic experience like Monos is a rare and precious gem. Colombian director Landes has created a surreal, sumptuous assault on the senses that’s as lushly beautiful as it is unforgettable.” – Marc Savlov, Austin Chronicle
“A towering filmic achievement, Monos pulsates like an inescapable vivid trance, cosmic and terrestrial at once, fantastical and violently stark, about victims and victimizers. Like all dualities, those in this excursion are two bends that belong to the same river.” – Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times
“Monos isn’t a social-issue tract, or just a lament for the beasts of no nation. It’s a fever dream of a war drama, caught halfway between realism and the hallucinatory intensity of an ancient fairy tale.” – A.A. Dowd, AV Club
Available on Kanopy.
Dear Comrades!
Novocherkassk, a provincial town in the south of the USSR, 1962. Lyudmila, a devout Communist Party official and idealistic veteran of WWII, is a scourge of anything she perceives as anti- Soviet sentiment. Together with other local Party officials, she is taken by surprise by a strike at the local factory, in which her own daughter is taking part. As the situation quickly spirals out of control, Lyudmila begins a desperate search for her daughter in the face of curfews, mass arrests, and the authorities’ ruthless attempts to cover up the state violence. Her once unquestioning faith in the Party line is shaken by her growing awareness of its human toll, tearing apart the world she thought she knew.
Not Rated, contains mild violence and brief nudity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“In this absorbing and rigorously disciplined account, Konchalovsky proves that a healthy embrace of nuance doesn’t need to result in muddled thinking. Indeed, it can lead to something sharp, bright and dazzlingly precise.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“Beautiful and damning, Dear Comrades! is also an act of remembrance.” – Anthony Lane, The New Yorker
“Konchalovsky has said that he meant to recapture the look of films from the ’60s, but these crisp, high-contrast images speak to another impulse as well: to look into a past shrouded in the fog of delusion and doublespeak, and to see through it with a clarity that burns and even heals.” – Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times
Available on Kanopy.
Wild Mountain Thyme
Rosemary (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning Anthony’s (Jamie Dornan) affections. Having been stung by his father’s (Christopher Walken) plan to sell his farm in Ireland to his American nephew (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams.
Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and suggestive comments.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The gentle spirit of Wild Mountain Thyme envelops us early, to the extent that, midway through, even though there is very little left to resolve, we are in its spell.” – Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
“While Wild Mountain Thyme might be far from a perfect depiction of the intricacies of central Ireland, it is, at its core, the fabled and beautifully shot love story of two witty and eccentric childhood sweethearts that will have the ability to warm the coldest of hearts this holiday season.” – Rex Reed, Observer
“Whether or not the word ‘whimsy’ makes you flinch is probably a fair indicator of whether Wild Mountain Thyme is for you, but if you’re looking for the cinematic equivalent of a hot cup of tea on a blustery day, you might find yourself developing a taste for its particular brand of quirky romance.” – Alonso Duralde, The Wrap
Available on Kanopy.
Berlin Alexanderplatz
Francis, a 30-year-old refugee, is the sole survivor of a boat that crossed the Mediterranean illegally from West Africa. When he wakes up on a beach in the south of Europe, he is determined to live a regular, decent life, but he winds up in present-day Berlin where a stateless person without a work permit is treated mercilessly. He initially resists an offer to deal drugs in Hasenheide park, but then comes under the influence of Reinhold, his neurotic, sex-addicted pal, a drug dealer and human trafficker who takes him in. When he meets club owner Eva and, after several dramatic experiences, the escort girl Mieze, he feels he’s found something for the first time, something he’s never known before: a little bit of happiness.
Not Rated, contains violence, language, nudity, and sexual content.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Exhausting and exhilarating, these desperate characters re-birthed from the Weimar Republic novel and Europe’s colonies won’t stop dreaming, and can’t be forgotten.” – Nora Lee Mandel, Maven’s Nest
“Potent stuff, and Burhan Qurbani, working with co-screenwriter Martin Behnke, marry a novelistic structure with the high-octane energy of cinema.” – Michael J. Casey, Michael J. Cinema
“Burhan Qurbani’s Berlin Alexanderplatz breathes fresh air into the classic tale with his diverse, topically relevant remake.” – Redmond Bacon, Cultured Vultures
Available on Kanopy.
She Dies Tomorrow
After waking up convinced that she is going to die tomorrow, Amy’s carefully mended life begins to unravel. As her delusions of certain death become contagious to those around her, Amy and her friends’ lives spiral out of control in a tantalizing descent into madness.
Rated R for language, some sexual references, drug use, and bloody images.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s intensely disturbing and hilarious in equal measure, as if somebody decided to let David Lynch remake Contagion.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture
“The thrill arises from the way Seimetz constructs and juggles everything, the balance between what she provides (feelings, memories, sensations) and denies (hard answers, explicit philosophy).” – K. Austin Collins, Vanity Fair
“Those looking for a clean resolution or easy answers will not find either here. Instead we get a swirl of absurdist humor, unsettling atmosphere, and malaise. It’s a genuinely chilling look at how a toxic idea can spread if left unchecked, that manages to be doubly upsetting during a pandemic.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
Available on Kanopy.
The Sunlit Night
The Sunlit Night follows an aspiring painter (Jenny Slate) from New York City to the farthest reaches of Arctic Norway for an assignment she hopes will invigorate her work and expand her horizons. In a remote village, among the locals, she meets a fellow New Yorker (Alex Sharp), who has come in search of a proper Viking funeral only to find that the Chief (Zach Galifianakis) is but a re-enactor from Cincinnati. The eclectic crew ranges from “home” to “lost,” within the extreme and dazzling landscape of the Far North. Under a sun that never quite sets, and the high standards of an unforgiving mentor, Frances must navigate between ambition, desire, obligation, and risk in order to find a way forward.
Not rated, contains language, nudity, and sexual content.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“You couldn’t ask for a better guide through the psychological landscape of her character’s desires than Slate. Her ability to be hilarious despite a quiet role like Frances lends an indelible charm that ensures we’re in her corner from the beginning.” – Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage
“What I enjoyed most about the film is how it illustrates the ways in which we view life through the prism of art in order to reach a deeper understanding of it.” – Matt Fagerholm, RogerEbert.com
“Whatever they edited out of The Sunlit Night, they made certain to keep the funny, sweet and sunny parts. And Slate makes the time pass like a late summer Green Flash — an enchanting moment or two or three, and gone.” – Roger Moore, Movie Nation
Available on Kanopy.
Colossal
Gloria (Anne Hathaway) is an ordinary woman who, after losing her job and being kicked out of her apartment by her boyfriend, is forced to leave her life in New York and move back to her hometown. When news reports surface that a giant creature is destroying Seoul, Korea, Gloria gradually comes to the realization that she is somehow connected to this far-off phenomenon. As events begin to spin out of control, Gloria must determine why her seemingly insignificant existence has such a colossal effect on the fate of the world.
Rated R for language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“About halfway into Colossal you may experience the novel vertigo that comes when you genuinely have no idea where a movie is taking you but understand you’re in competent creative hands. That sensation holds until you’re deposited, happy and a little worse for wear, at the end.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe
“From its weird little prologue to a nearly perfect ending, Colossal is a trip in multiple meanings of that word.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“Monster movies aren’t generally known for their subtlety, but leave it to Nacho Vigalondo to make one that keeps surprising its audience until the very end.” – Katie Rife, AV Club
Available on Kanopy.
The Secrets We Keep
In post-WWII America, a woman (Noomi Rapace), rebuilding her life in the suburbs with her husband (Chris Messina), kidnaps her neighbor (Joel Kinnaman) and seeks vengeance for the heinous war crimes she believes he committed against her.
Rated R for strong violence, rape, some nudity, language, and brief sexuality.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“With a small cast and a handful of locations – the only other character of note is Rachel (Amy Seimetz), Thomas’ unsuspecting wife – The Secrets We Keep blends the best of B-movie thrillers and black box theatre.” – Matthew Monagle, Austin Chronicle
“The genre elements are nicely balanced by the adult drama embodied in the lead quartet’s performances, especially Rapace’s turn that is part femme fatale, part damaged soul.” – Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times
“The central dilemma, nonetheless, is so compelling that it smooths over the imperfections. And the final shots are satisfying and chilling.” – Kevin Maher, The Times
Available on Hoopla.
Border
Tina (Eva Melander) is a border guard who has the ability to smell human emotions and catch smugglers. When she comes across a mysterious man with a smell that confounds her detection, she is forced to confront hugely disturbing insights about herself and humankind.
Rated R for some sexual content, graphic nudity, a bloody violent image, and language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“This unusual film sits in a genre of one.” – Phil de Semlyen, Time Out
“It’s not quite horror, crime, or comedy — it really just is ‘fantastic,’ in every sense of the word.” – Vince Mancini, Uproxx
“Unique, unforgettable and cathartic, Border is an oddball, but poignant cult classic in the making. Abbasi’s sincerity wisely avoids caricature and mocking his marginalized characters and in doing so he crafts a surprisingly humanist and artful story of love for the diminished and dismissed outsiders of the world.” – Jordan Ruimy, The Playlist
Available on Kanopy.
Lorelei
After 15 years in prison, Wayland (Pablo Schreiber) reunites with his high school girlfriend, Dolores (Jena Malone), who is now a single mother of three.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
Not Rated, contains nudity and mature themes.
“The film’s writer-director is British-born Sabrina Doyle, who is making her feature debut after spending the past decade in Los Angeles making short films. Her touch is nearly perfect: authentic, patient, guiding — giving her actors plenty of space. And they respond.” – G. Allen Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle
“Lorelei is a lovely story told with heart and without judgment.” – Kim Hughes, Original Cin
“As it stands, Lorelei is perfectly imperfect. It demonstrates a filmmaker willing to go for broke, examine the dark recesses of our minds that others are too timid to touch.” – Alex Saveliev, Film Threat
Available on Hoopla.
Missing 411: The Hunted
Hunters have disappeared from wildlands without a trace for hundreds of years. David Paulides presents the haunting true stories of hunters experiencing the unexplainable in the woods of North America.
Not Rated.
Description provided by IMDb.
“…an eerie film…” – Sarah Cartland, Caution: Spoilers
“[A] fascinating examination of a very human mystery… a must-see for anyone with an interest in unexplained mysteries…” – Jason Stroming, The Occult Section
Available on Kanopy.
Borg vs. McEnroe
At the historic 1980 Wimbledon Championships, rising American star John McEnroe (Shia LaBeouf) sets his sights on dethroning reigning champion Björn Borg (Sverrir Gudnason), sparking an unprecedented media frenzy in the tennis world. At the center of the hype are two legendary tennis icons’ with polar opposite personas and approaches to the game. McEnroe is infamous for his brash, ferocious energy on the court and his equally spectacular, expletive-fueled tantrums, whereas Borg’s coolly composed, elegant style of play complements his unflappable public demeanor. However, both men are hiding deep anxieties, locked in battle with their inner demons.
Rated R for language throughout, and some nudity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Sometimes a movie comes along that, devoid of a noisy publicity push or festival buzz, quietly ambushes the unsuspecting viewer with an absorbing, skillfully executed, meaningful and thoroughly entertaining experience. Ladies and gentlemen, Borg vs. McEnroe is just that kind of film.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
“Of the film’s two stars, it’s LaBeouf who seems especially well cast here. Until now, the actor has never seemed to measure up to the potential that he promised early on in his career. But there’s something about playing McEnroe that brings out the sort of unpredictable subtlety he’s always been capable of.” – Chris Nashawaty, Entertainment Weekly
“Though American sports dramas find it hard to avoid heartwarming elements, this is a decidedly more even-keeled film, its European nature allowing it to focus on the drama of character as well as what happened on the court.” – Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Available on Kanopy.
The Dare
When a childhood prank goes wrong, four strangers are forced to relive a cruel game at the hands of a masked psychopath.
Rated R for sadistic violence throughout, bloody images, and language.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“A nasty, suspenseful, and gory thriller that will keep you guessing to the end.” – Norman Gidney, Film Threat
“The tense and desperate atmosphere is excellent…” – Alix Turner, Ready Steady Cut
Available on Hoopla.
Queen of Hearts
Anne, a brilliant and dedicated advocacy lawyer specializing in society’s most vulnerable, children and young adults, lives what appears to be the picture-perfect life with her doctor-husband, Peter, and their twin daughters. When her estranged teenage stepson, Gustav, moves in with them, Anne’s escalating desire leads her down a dangerous rabbit hole which, once exposed, unleashes a sequence of events destined to destroy her world.
Rated NC-17 for strong sexual content and language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The tricky brilliance of Queen of Hearts is in how el-Toukhy uses a well-worn narrative — the unsuspecting, hidden passion with the appearance of erotic freedom — to unveil what in reality is a poisonous tale of abuse.” – Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times
“The result is an intriguing, smartly sustained drama in which we learn to be wary of those who claim the moral high ground.” – Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
“Director May El-Toukhy paints an engaging, uncompromising film in bold strokes, never looking away or shrinking from Anne’s boldness to act on her desires, or her willingness to remorselessly do whatever she must to restore the status quo of her life.” – Bradley Gibson, Film Threat
Available on Kanopy.
Thelma
Thelma (Eili Harboe), a shy young student, has just left her religious family in a small town on the west coast of Norway to study at a university in Oslo. While at the library one day, she experiences a violent, unexpected seizure. Soon after, she finds herself intensely drawn toward Anja (Okay Kaya), a beautiful young student who reciprocates Thelma’s powerful attraction. As the semester continues, Thelma becomes increasingly overwhelmed by her intense feelings for Anja – feelings she doesn’t dare acknowledge, even to herself – while at the same time experiencing even more extreme seizures. As it becomes clearer that the seizures are a symptom of inexplicable, often dangerous, supernatural abilities, Thelma is confronted with tragic secrets of her past, and the terrifying implications of her powers.
Not Rated, contains violence, sexual content, brief nudity, and mild language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Trier crafts a drama that is sublimely ambiguous, austere and also deeply sad and heartbreaking.” – Rodrigo Perez, The Playlist
“Yes, Thelma is a horror movie — a lovely, transfixing one — but don’t look to it for cheap scares. The terror here cuts far deeper.” – Bilge Ebiri, Village Voice
“A moody, mannered, and lingering coming-of-age story with a Stephen King-like twist. ” – Peter Keough, Boston Globe
Available on Kanopy.
Home
The struggle between two generations and its thin line between trust, friendship and betrayal.
Not Rated, contains language throughout and strong sexual content.
Description provided by IMDb.
“Troch has coaxed fine, wholly unaffected work from her spiky, largely untested young ensemble, many of them first-timers, with Guidotti particularly heart-rending as the tormented, critically unsupported John.” – Guy Lodge, Variety
“Troch handles this complex material with assurance and secures convincing performances from her entire cast.” – Allan Hunter, Screen Daily
Available on Kanopy.
Two Heads Creek
A brother and sister leave post-Brexit Britain to search for their birth mother in Australia. When they arrive in a small town to start their search, they have no idea the tolerant townsfolk are hiding a dark secret.
Rated TV-MA for strong violence, language, and adult themes.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“A smart, yet deliriously insane take on our dangerously ridiculous modern society, Two Heads Creek plays like a Monty Python-meets-Peter ‘Braindead’ Jackson reworking of Wake in Fright.” – Simon Foster, Screen-Space
“It’s clearly a film made with love, and there’s a surprising warmth to the comedy which keeps it from becoming simply grotesque or grim.” – Jennie Kermode, Eye for Film
“A deliciously deranged horror-comedy, overflowing with blood and wit.” – Andrew Stover, Film Threat
Available on Hoopla.
Ham on Rye
A bizarre rite of passage at the local deli determines the fate of a generation of teenagers, leading some to escape their suburban town and dooming others to remain.
Rated TV-14 for language.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Ham on Rye is not obviously political, but it is also deeply political, pointing out, in lazy, absurdist, carelessly clever frames a deep-set American wrongness that was quietly murmuring away long before the current blowhard moment, and that will continue long after.” – Jessica Kiang, The Playlist
“Taormina purposefully dresses his cast and designs their environment in a way that throws them into a sort of temporal never-never land. He achieves a number of other startling effects in this impressive movie, which sheds its naturalism slowly as it embraces a surrealism that’s both disquieting and poignant.” – Glenn Kenny, New York Times
“Ham on Rye will frustrate literal-minded audiences, but it’s a work of gentle, genuine American surrealism — a lo-fi love song to those left behind by character and chance.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Available on Kanopy.
Tazzeka
Growing up in the Moroccan village of Tazzeka, Elias learned the secrets of traditional Moroccan cuisine from his grandmother who raised him. Years later, meeting a top Paris chef and a young woman named Salma inspires him to leave home.
Not Rated.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“All the more powerful as a portrait of south-to-north migration in the 21st century…” – Ted Scheinman, Washington City Paper
“Tazzeka has a lot to say about the passion that fuels people, the way society treats immigrants, and how those two elements interrelate.” – Bobby LePire, Film Threat
Available on Kanopy.
Minor Premise
Attempting to surpass his father’s legacy, a reclusive neuroscientist becomes entangled in his own experiment, pitting ten fragments of his consciousness against each other.
Not Rated, contains strong language and mild violence.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“It’s a finely-crafted puzzle box that speaks as much to the heart and the head, with a simple but poignant message that we are only ourselves if we are complete.” – Richard Whittaker, Austin Chronicle
“It’s smart and engaging once it gets going and presents a tense, fun labyrinth for viewers to navigate.” – Michael Ordoña, Los Angeles Times
“A tight, claustrophobic thriller set in mostly one location, this is one of the best new entries in sci-fi cinema we’ve seen over the last year.” – Austin Trunick, Under the Radar
Available on Kanopy.
The Miracle of the Sargasso Sea
In a small eel-farming town in the west of Greece, two women live solitary lives while dreaming of getting away. Elisabeth is a once-ambitious policewoman forced to relocate from Athens ten years ago and now living a joyless, hung-over life; Rita is the quiet, mysterious sister of a lounge singer in the local disco. When a sudden death upsets the town and turns the local community upside-down, the two women who had been ignoring each other’s existence begin drifting towards each other. As the secrets hidden in the swamps begin to surface, they will have a chance to become each other’s saviours.
Not Rated, contains sexual content.
Description provided by IMDb.
“A stylish, many-stranded mystery that often casts viewers adrift in clashing tides of dark genre convention, nightmarish surrealism and fevered close-up character study.” – Guy Lodge, Variety
“A drumbeat of anxiety and impending violence thuds insistently from this opaque, disquieting spectacle…” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“An exhilarating exercise in genre filmmaking with legitimate dramatic aspirations.” – Zhuo-Ning Su, Awards Daily
Available on Kanopy.
Who’s Crazy?
Accompanied by a frenetic original soundtrack by the great Ornette Coleman, insane asylum inmates escape their confinement and hole up in a deserted Belgian farmhouse, where they cook large quantities of eggs and condemn one of their own in an impromptu court. The actors don’t have much need for words when they can dance around, light things on fire, and drip hot wax on each other instead. Ornette Coleman and the other members of his trio – David Izenzon and Charles Moffett – recorded their score for Who’s Crazy? in one go while the film was projected for them, and the result feels like a bizarre silent film with the greatest possible accompaniment. The soundtrack also features a young Marianne Faithfull singing what are probably her most experimental riffs – written for her especially by Ornette – as she asks, “Is God man? Is man God?” in an original track titled “Sadness.”
Not Rated.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“With bold and canny camera work that yields an uproarious parody of Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, White dynamites the formalist restraint of art films and the bonds of narrative logic to unleash the primal ecstasy of the cinema.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
“Thomas White’s lost-and-found avant-lulu Who’s Crazy? pulses with the newly possible.” – Alan Scherstuhl, Village Voice
“The movie, shot mostly in crisp, sometimes smoky black and white, is far better, a quirky but purposeful grafting of Mack Sennett to the French New Wave. Yet it’s the soundtrack that has the staying power.” – Glenn Kenny, New York Times
Available on Kanopy.
American Badger
A seemingly cold-blooded hitman is assigned to befriend a call girl, but all hell breaks loose when he is forced to kill her.
Not Rated, contains strong language and violence.
Description provided by Metacritic.
“Despite lacking more elaborate storytelling, Kirk Caouette’s indie thriller features enthralling action and a consistent aura of dread.” – Andrew Stover, Film Threat
“As over familiar the story might be, there are plenty of flashes of inspiration, particularly within the action, that sets American Badger apart from the average.” – Kat Hughes, THN
“Kirk Caouette’s hitman movie is at once an action extravaganza and moody existential noir.” – Anton Bitel, VODzilla.co
Available on Hoopla.
La Dosis
Marcos is an experienced nurse. He works in the night shift of a provincial private clinic. He is applied and professional but has a secret: in some extreme cases he applies euthanasia. Gabriel, a new nurse, shakes the sector: he is young, intelligent and beautiful. Seduces everyone. He soon deciphers Marcos’ secret by progressively taking control of his life. Marcos retracts until he discovers that Gabriel also kills, but capriciously. That revelation will force him to confront Gabriel, Marcos knows that only by exposing his true identity will be able to stop him.
Not Rated.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“A dark movie, but also a funny one.” – Liam Lacey, Original Cin
“Martin Kraut captures realistic tremors of physical tension among the characters, and much of the film’s first half is a captivating, slow-burn study of the protagonist in his setting.” – Chuck Bowen, Slant
“It’s a film about threatened masculinity, the ethics of euthanasia, the tension between relevance and irrelevance, all played out with a decidedly subtle hand.” – Clint Worthington, The Spool
Available on Hoopla.
Funny Face
A young Muslim woman runs away from her aunt and uncle’s house desperate for a new life, but quickly finds that she must survive on the street. A disturbed young man from Coney Island dons the menacing “Funny Face” mask, transforming himself into a makeshift superhero with a rage disorder as he seeks revenge on the Real Estate Developer of a soulless high rise that has displaced his grandparents. Misfit avengers in a changing city, the two embark on a neighborhood odyssey that brings danger, love, and tragedy. And pickles.
Not Rated, contains language, mild violence, and nudity.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“Funny Face is a rare gem of a film that will keep you guessing from beginning to end, and you’ll be lucky if you get to see it.” – Enrique Acosta, Film Threat
“Like a gloomier Joker at a fraction of the budget and half the speed, this unusual, pensive drama tells an eerily quiet and hypnotically effective story.” – Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media
“Funny Face may require some work on the viewer’s part to put the pieces together, but for those willing to make the effort, Sutton’s striking drama is ultimately rewarding.” – Gary M. Kramer, Film International
Available on Hoopla.
Once Upon a River
Once Upon A River is the story of Native American teenager Margo Crane in 1970s rural Michigan. After enduring a series of traumas and tragedies, Margo (Kenadi DelaCerna) sets out on an odyssey on the Stark River in search of her estranged mother. On the water, Margo encounters friends, foes, wonders, and dangers; navigating life on her own, she comes to understand her potential, all while healing the wounds of her past.
Not Rated, contains nudity, sexual content, violence, and drug use.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“There’s no trace of Hollywood glamour or gloss to the story, no hint of actor-y flourishes in the deeply resonant performances. Just a lean, finely crafted, memorably real story announcing the presence of a major new filmmaking talent — and a young actor with the promise of limitless potential.” – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“It’s the story of a young woman coming of age against the backdrop of both the injustices of her family and country. The former is overtly portrayed by the events that lead Margo to run, but the latter is never far behind despite its more subtle inclusion.” – Jared Mobarak, The Film Stage
“Mark Twain meets Winter’s Bone in this slice of Americana from first-time feature director Haroula Rose.” – Cath Clarke, The Guardian
Available on Kanopy.
Under the Sun
“My father says that Korea is the most beautiful country… Korea is the land of the rising sun,” says eight-year-old schoolgirl Zin-mi. Despite continuous interference by government handlers, director Vitaly Mansky still managed to document life in Pyongyang, North Korea in this fascinating portrait of one girl and her parents in the year as she prepares to join the Korean Children’s Union on the Day Of The Shining Star (Kim Jong-Il’s birthday). As the family receives instruction on how to be the ideal patriots, Mansky’s watchful camera capture details from comrades struggling to stay awake during an official event to Zin-mi’s tears at a particularly grueling dance lesson.
Not Rated.
Description and score provided by Metacritic.
“The movie raises disquieting questions, including a few that Mr. Mansky might not have meant to.” – Glenn Kenny, New York Times
“What’s more unexpected is just how much Russian documentary filmmaker Vitaly Mansky is able to reveal despite, and often because of, the stringent restrictions imposed upon him.” – Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
“The vision of such severe regimentation is shocking; Zin-mi’s tears of shame and her sharply limited range of knowledge and inhibited behavior embody an outrage.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker
Available on Kanopy.
School’s Out Forever
No sooner has 15-year-old Lee Keegan been expelled from his private school than an apocalyptic event wipes out most of the world’s population. With his father dead and mother trapped abroad, Lee is given one instruction: go back to school. But safety and security at St. Mark’s School for Boys is in short supply. Its high walls can’t stop the local parish council from forming a militia and imposing martial law, while inside the dorms the end of the world is having a dangerous effect on his best friend and his unrequited crush on the school nurse isn’t helping him concentrate on staying alive.
Not Rated, contains language, violence, and mature themes.
Description provided by Rotten Tomatoes.
“If The Lord of the Flies crossed with The Road and a dash of Tom Brown’s School Days sounds like your bag of blood, than this ruthless romp will be a kick in the head.” – Leslie Felperin, The Guardian
“School’s Out Forever is wickedly entertaining and shamelessly brutal, elevated by a magnetic cast and an ostentatious desire to shock and repulse with startling ease.” – Andrew Stover, Film Threat
“Mixing action and drama, this British thriller holds the attention by initially defying expectations, then taking surprising turns later on.” – Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall