Best Films to Stream This Week in the UK
From a bold examination of US reproductive rights to a documentary about the atom, here are our picks for what to watch online...
Going to cinema might not be an option right now, but bringing the magic of the big screen directly into your home is – especially as more studios opt to release the latest films on VOD platforms instead. What better way to take refuge from the bizarre situation currently gripping our world than with a host of unique, inspiring, and entertaining films?
As always, we’ve assembled the best of what’s showing (read as: streaming) and gathered them here to make choosing a great movie as easy as possible. Whatever you’re in the mood for, WeLoveCinema has you well and truly covered…
[New Releases…]
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Eliza Hittman’s bold examination of US reproductive rights, Never Rarely Sometimes Always (not to be confused with a similarly-named Bill Nighy film) features Sidney Flanigan as seventeen-year-old Autumn, who – following an unwanted pregnancy – sets out from her home state of Pennsylvania to New York with her cousin in tow to get an abortion. It’s an uncompromising look at a broken system, with perfectly pitched performances.
The Orphanage
Where to watch it: MUBI
The second part in a planned five-part film series, Sharhbanoo Sadat’s The Orphanage is nowhere near as downbeat as its dour title suggests; instead what we get is an immersive drama following the adventures of Qodrat (Quodratullah Qadiri) and his friends during their time at a Soviet-funded Afghan orphanage.
What we said: “A carefully constructed film full of hope and jubilation, yet appropriately melancholy, it’s a heartfelt ode to youthful imagination and a lost past (read our full review).”
The Atom: A Love Affair
Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema
This insightful and level-headed documentary, directed by Vicki Lesley and narrated by Lily Cole, finds focus in man’s long held obsession with the atom and offers a compelling and witty deep dive into our complicated relationship with nuclear power.
[Still Streaming…]
The Whistlers
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Romanian filmmaker Corneliu Porumboiu has made a career from purposely uneventful dramas satirising his native country’s awkward bureaucratic systems. His latest, crime thriller The Whistlers, couldn’t be more different. Set on La Gomera, an island in the Canaries, it follows a police officer tasked with infiltrating a crime syndicate by learning a secret whistling language, unravelling with a Tarantino-like playfulness.
What we said: “The Whistlers forgoes the dreariness of small offices and stacks of paperwork for a noir-ish thriller about a police officer – playful, pulpy, and packed with incident for incident’s sake (read our full review).”
The Wretched
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
After moving to stay with his dad for the summer, teenager Ben quickly becomes obsessed with the weird goings on next door. But what is affecting his dad’s neighbours, and what’s all this about an ancient witch?Jean-Paul Howard and Piper Curda star in this Stephen King-inspired horror film that also feels like its directors, brothers Drew and Brett Pierce, are channeling their love for all things Spielberg.
The Assistant
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Unofficially dubbed “the Weinstein movie,” The Assistant hones in on twentysomething Jane, played by a sensational Julia Garner, as she navigates the toxic work environment perpetuated by her unseen boss over the course of a day. An unflinching look at broken power structures, it’s more than just a #MeToo thriller, but a demand that we do better.
What we said: “Utilising an ambient soundscape of keyboard-tapping and coffee-brewing in place of a traditional musical score, Green creates an environment of endless dread, where every ring of the phone feels like a bomb about to explode (read our full review).”
Ema
Where to watch it: MUBI
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín refuses to be put in a box, having moved effortlessly between social-political works like No and biopics like Jackie over the course of his career. His latest, Ema, with its story of an adoption gone wrong, pulsates with a bold and unique energy. Starring Mariana Di Girolamo and Gael Garcia Bernal, it might be his best yet.
What we said: “The woozy atmosphere, emphasised by Nicolas Jaar’s electronic score and Sergio Armstrong’s neon-addled cinematography, makes up for any ambiguity, the film itself – part relationship drama, part music video, part experimental dance piece – pleasurable on purely aesthetic terms (read our full review).”
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[New to Streaming…]
Little Women
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Who’d have guessed Greta Gerwig’s second film as writer-director would have resulted in an outright masterpiece? A brilliantly clever, warm hug of a movie, based on the classic Louisa May Alcott novel, Little Women features standout performances from Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothée Chalamet, proving that even the most familiar story can be reinvented as something bold and refreshing. Essential.
Bad Boys for Life
Where to watch it: Various streaming services
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are back for the fourth time to wisecrack their way through yet another explosive sequel – one that veers a little too close to home. Thankfully Michael Bay decided to sit this one out, resulting in what is perhaps the best entry in this long-running franchise since the original.
This post was categorised in Archive.