Best New British Films and Where to Stream Them

What with the sudden and unexpected need to self-isolate, avoid social contact, and live our lives in quarantine, time is the one thing that most of us suddenly have in abundance. For cinema lovers, of course, there lies an opportunity to catch up on all the films they've missed in the last few years.

Here we've assembled our top choices for some very worthwhile – and very British – films available to stream across a multitude of VOD platforms. Think of this as a simple but enjoyable way to support the British film industry as it navigates its way through this uncertain period…

The Kid Who Would Be King

Where to stream it: Now TV

One to gather the whole family around, comedian-turned-director Joe Cornish’s follow up to Attack the Block is a smart, funny reinvention of the classic King Arthur tale that cleverly transplants the old story’s characters into a present day school setting. If you’ve ever wondered how you might defend your own town from the evil hordes (and who hasn’t?), this is a film that will fire your imagination into overdrive – and its epic battles are the stuff of pure wish fulfilment. JB

The Souvenir

Where to stream it: Amazon Prime Video

Writer-director Joanna Hogg has been making brilliantly observed films with an unmistakable British sensibility for well over a decade now, but it was her latest venture, The Souvenir, that brought her to international attention. Deeply autobiographical, it tells the story of Julie (Honour Swinton Byrne), a film student living in 1980s London who attracts the attention of a mysterious man, played by Tom Burke. Shot with Hogg's trademark detachment, yet affecting and intimate and contagious in its melancholy, it's the sort of film that lodges itself within you and refuses to budge. No wonder Martin Scorsese – credited here as a producer – was such a fan. TB

Bait

Where to stream it: BFI Player, Amazon Prime Video

Based in Somerset, and shot in black-and-white, Bait unravels as a salty tale that ponders the effects of gentrification on a small fishing village, told with a distinct retro vibe. As thrillingly weird and unique a British film as you could hope to see, Bait is a brilliant calling card from a major new filmmaker (kudos to Mark Jenkin). Winning rave reviews across the board and exceeding commercial expectations, now's the perfect time to join the fan club, or simply experience its hypnotic magic all over again. JB

Dirty God

Where to stream it: Amazon Prime Video, BFI Player

This English-language debut from Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak explores the plight of a woman trying to get her life back together in the wake of an acid attack. Raw, affecting, and echoing the work of Andrea Arnold, it also stars real-life burn victim Vicky Knight as Jade, a single mum living on a council estate in Hackney. The story is simple: we follow Jade, fresh out of hospital, as she navigates her old life in a bid to find a new one. Given Knight's personal history, her performance lends the film a real sense of authenticity. TB

Fighting with My Family

Where to watch it: Netflix

The definition of a Sunday afternoon film, Fighting with My Family’s predictable but fun underdog culture clash comedy is a perfect balm for the anxieties of the outside world. Stephen Merchant and The Rock might seem like an odd pair to make a movie together, but their different sensibilities make for a film just as enjoyable to wrestling newbies as it is to die hard fans. Where else can you see Florence Pugh, Nick Frost, and Dwayne Johnson all in the same place? JB

For Sama

Where to stream it: All4, Amazon Prime Video

Shot by student-turned- filmmaker Waad Al-Khateab over a five year period (and put together with the help of British director Edward Watts), this highly personal chronicle war-torn Syria is an unmissable feat of documentary filmmaking. Dedicated to her daughter, Sama, who was born during the Siege of Appelo, it makes for nail-biting and at times extremely harrowing viewing. But this is not a film without hope. Indeed, For Sama's power stems from its depiction of those living their daily lives in and amongst the horrors of war. It's not just one of the best documentaries of last year – it's one of the best documentaries ever. TB

Early Man

Where to stream it: Amazon Prime Video

Another family gem, Early Man comes from the creative geniuses over at Aardman, and Aardman always feels perfect for when you’re stuck inside. Featuring their typical, near-peerless balance of jokes for the kids and for the grown ups, this stop-motion tale of cavemen and football is certain to delight anyone in your household. JB

The Aeronauts

Where to stream it: Amazon Prime Video

After The Theory of Everything, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones re-teamed for this blustery caper, based on a true story (sort of). He's Victorian meteorologist James Glaisher, whose belief that the weather can be predicted urges him on a record-breaking hot air balloon to the stars. She's plucky pilot Amelia Wren, an acrobat with ambitions to go higher than ever before. And whilst The Aeronauts might fall short in the script department, it's the euphoric spectacle that really counts – not to mention the array of heart-pounding set-pieces. Watch it with your mum. TB

Apostle

Where to stream it: Netflix

Starting to feel a little stir crazy? Need to let off some steam? Bring on Apostle. Gareth Evans’s wildly violent cult horror takes his action expertise from the Raid series and puts it to more ominous, disconcerting use in this blood-soaked carnival of strangeness. It’s certainly not for everyone, but for a dose of adrenaline, Evans is a hard director to match, and Apostle’s vision of an isolated British community in crisis thanks in part to the flailings of a leader out of his depth rings truer now that it might ever will again. JB

Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

Where to stream it: BBC iPlayer

If you’re self-isolating with family and they’re starting to getting on your nerves a little bit, look no further than Happy New Year, Colin Burstead: chances are your frustration will quickly turn to gratitude when you realise you're not isolating with the Burstead clan, a shrieking cavalcade of feckless drunks and cowards. One of Ben Wheatley’s best films (and one of the best British films of the last few years), this blackly comic and superbly acted reimagining of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus is gripping from start to finish. JB