Best Films to Stream This Week in the UK
With the country still in lockdown, we highlight the best new streaming releases, from charming dramas to fascinating docs
With the UK in another state of lockdown, we’ll have to wait a while longer for the proper big screen experience. Fear not: we’ve rounded up the best of the latest streaming releases to keep you entertained until the capital’s dream palaces return. Whatever you’re in the mood for, from great documentaries to moving dramas, WeLoveCinema has you well and truly covered…
[New Releases]
The Dig
Where to watch it: Netflix
Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan star in this irresistible historical romance, which reimagines the events of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo, in which British archaeologists discovered a Viking ship buried beneath the soil. With the easy-going appeal of a BBC Sunday night drama, it boasts charm in (ahem) spades. Lily James and Johnny Flynn round out the cast (read our full review).
Beginning
Where to watch it: MUBI
A woman strives to get her life back together in the aftermath of a violent extremist attack on a Jehovah’s Witnesses church in this gorgeous and contemplative drama from Georgian filmmaker Dea Kulumbegashvili. Featuring a stunning lead performance by Ia Sukhitashvili, it’s no wonder this was Georgia’s entry for this year’s Oscars (read our full review).
The Furnace
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Roderick MacKay’s directorial debut tells the story of a bandit and an Afghan cameleer who venture through the country’s unforgiving landscape, and is as brutal as it is spiritual. Featuring fine performances from stars David Wenham and Ahmed Malek, not to mention a sense of history to match its palpable heat, it’s yet another fine addition to the revisionist western canon (read our full review).
The Capote Tapes
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
This fascinating documentary grapples with the long-standing question: who was Truman Capote? Using never-before-heard audio tapes in a bid to uncover the truth of the enigmatic writer, The Capote Tapes explores legacy – and makes a convincing case that Capote’s whirlwind of a life might be his most fascinating work of all (read our full review).
Josep
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
French cartoonist Aurel makes his feature debut with this gorgeous animated film about the strange life of Catalan artist Josep Bartolí, who – amongst many other things – fought in the Spanish civil war, became friends with Jackson Pollock, and had a love affair with Frida Kahlo. A moving testament to the power of art, and brilliantly succinct in under 75 minutes (read our full review).
Assassins
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Another documentary to reaffirm that life is indeed far stranger than fiction, Assassins tells the remarkable – and frankly mind-blowing – story of the two women who were duped into killing Kim Jong-un’s brother, Kim Jong-nam, who claimed to have acted under the impression they were taking part in a prank TV show. It really does need to be seen to be believed (read our full review).
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[Still Streaming…]
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema
Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić’s helms this harrowing but arguably essential film about the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, as seen through the eyes of a UN translator – the titular Aida, played by Jasna Djuričić – as she desperately tries to lead her family to survival. It’s a difficult subject, but Žbanić proves herself more than up to the task: the result is an appropriately distressing testament to those who lost their lives – one that refuses to pull its punches (read our full review here).
Away
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Away, from Latvian writer, director, and composer, is that rare thing: an animated feature film made entirely by the hands of a single person. If that sounds remarkable… well, it is. Made on a tiny budget, it has the air of something improvised, its loose, dreamy plot of a silent hero trying to find his way home, whilst tone suggests the influence of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki. A little gem, in every sense (read our full review).
The White Tiger
Where to watch it: Netflix
Based on the acclaimed novel from 2008, The White Tiger tells the story of a driver for a rich Indian family who decides to use his position to advance in society. With shades of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, this is a thrilling and fun look at the divisions and hierarchy inherent to modern Indian society, with an excellent lead performance from newcomer Ardash Gourav (read our full review).
The Rental
Where to watch it: Prime Video
Dave Franco, brother of James, makes his directorial debut with this twist on the home invasion horror, starring Alison Brie (Franco’s real life wife) and Eurovision‘s Dan Stevens. Co-written with mumblecore filmmaker Joe Swanberg, it takes place during a weekend retreat, as two couples find themselves disturbed by the strange nature of their accommodation: the fancy rental of the title (read our full review).
This post was categorised in Archive.