Review

Best Films to Stream This Week in the UK

We run down the best films to rent and stream, including a glorious ode to Eurovision and a 17th century spin on the home invasion thriller

Going to the cinema might not be an option right now, but bringing the magic of the big screen directly into your home is – especially as 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 film as easy as possible. Whatever you're in the mood for, WeLoveCinema has you well and truly covered…

 

[New Releases]

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Where to watch it: Netflix

Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams are an unlikely Icelandic pop duo dreaming of Eurovision success in this silly, joyful, and – at times – euphoric ode to the campiest of all contests. Directed by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashes) and boasting an array of earwormy original songs, it marks a welcomed return to form for Ferrell after a decade of misfires. Who knew? (read our full review).

 

Fanny Lye Deliver'd

Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema

Maxine Peake (outstanding) is the titular heroine in this gripping period folk horror tale – a kind of home invasion film thriller set in the late 17th century. Helmed by divisive British filmmaker Thomas Clay, it's a strange and genre-shifting story based around the arrival of a mysterious couple – played by Freddie Fox and Tanya Reynolds – who move in under Fanny's roof with vague intent. What are they hiding?

 

The Girl with a Bracelet

Where to watch it: Curzon Home Cinema

A stylish courtroom drama with something of the elusive narrative and enigmatic set-up of Netflix's The Sinner, The Girl with a Bracelet finds a young girl, played by Melissa Guers, standing trial for the alleged murder of her best friend. As the case unfolds, the truth becomes murkier, director Stéphane Demoustie preferring to let the audience fill in the gaps and come to their own conclusions (read our full review).

 

Athlete A

Where to watch it: Netflix

This vital and devastating Netflix doc explores one of the biggest sports scandal of our time, charting the decades of abuse suffered by the young women at the hands of USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. Using interviews from the victims, investigators and those affected, Athlete A offers up a sobering portrait of complicity and asks that we do better (read our full review).

 

On the Record

Where to watch it: Various streaming services

This timely doc, directed by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, tells the story behind the allegations of sexual misconduct against Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons – namely that of music executive Drew Dixon, whose decision to come forward is captured in the film. Featuring interviews with some of the women who have accused Simmons, it makes for riveting, haunting viewing – an essential film of the #MeToo era.

 

Inmate Number #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo

Where to watch it: Various streaming services

Danny Trejo – he of countless action movies, best known for his turn as cult hero “Machete” – gets his own documentary feature, charting the Mexican actor's unlikely rise from drug addict and violent criminal to reformed Hollywood star. Turns out it couldn't have happened to a nicer guy (read our full review).

 

[Still Streaming…]

Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen

Where to watch it: Netflix

Laverne Cox, star of Netflix's female prison drama Orange is the New Black, executive producers and features in this timely documentary about transgender representation on-screen. Sifting through the years, it highlights films like Silence of the Lambs and Dressed to Kill to explore the effect such portrayals have had on American culture and the trans community at large. Featuring Lilly Wachowski, Jamie Clayton, Yance Ford, Chaz Bono, and Mj Rodriguez (read our full review).

 

Da 5 Bloods

Where to watch it: Netflix

Spike Lee's latest couldn't have come at a more appropriate time: an explosive, audacious, angry look at the experience of Black soldiers during the Vietnam war – and beyond. Lee powers his narrative through two separate timelines, dropping trademark flourishes and stylish embellishments, as a group of aged veterans head to Vietnam to dig up the treasure they buried there long ago. The influence of classic Treasure of Sierra Madre is strong; but Da 5 Bloods is as contemporary as filmmaking comes.

[New to Streaming…]

Dark Waters

Where to watch it: Various streaming services

Todd Haynes – Far from Heaven, Wonderstuck – is not the first filmmaker you tend to think of when you hear “murky procedural about the DuPont cover-up,” yet he lends his auteur's sensibility and trademark style (see: Carol) to elevate what could have made for otherwise standard fare. Starring Mark Ruffalo (read our full review).

Where to watch

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