Stuck on what to stream this month? Unlike other lists, we’re on hand to recommend a variety of films for every mood, from tear-jerkers to trailblazers. Here are our picks for the best films to stream in the UK this month.
The Silver Screen Classic
Cat People (1942) dir. Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur’s classic Cat People follows the courtship and marriage of Serbian fashion designer Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) and American marine engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith). Their marriage faces difficulties when Irena won’t consummate the union due to her belief that, upon kissing Oliver, she will transform into a panther and eat him alive. A belief that has followed her since childhood. Ultimately Oliver convinces Irena to visit a psychiatrist and things only get weirder from there. With many of the action scenes taking place as silhouettes, and featuring one of cinema’s earliest jump scares, this atmospheric movie is definitely one to watch. Tourneur’s film manages to stand the test of time and still show very real fears that people have today (less so the turning into a cat, more the inherent fear of intimacy and loneliness).
Available to stream on BBC iPlayer
The Underrated
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (1997) dir. Robert Iscove
The take on Cinderella starring Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother has sadly managed to get lost in the sea of films adapting Charles Perrault’s fairytale, despite being one of the best. With the great soundtrack you can expect from a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, you’ll find yourself humming along to the songs long after the final credits have rolled. The diversity of the cast is also widely considered to be groundbreaking for its time, another reason that Robert Iscove’s film deserves to be remembered. The story follows the usual events of Cinderella with the titular maid (Brandy Norwood) living under the cruelty of her evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters, until her Fairy Godmother steps in and allows Cinderella to attend the royal ball. While the story’s been told time and time again there’s just something about this adaptation that is so fun and special.
Available to stream on Disney+
The Underseen
The Love Witch (2016) dir. Anna Biller
With a 95% score on Rotten Tomatoes, Anna Biller’s homage to the technicolour films of 1960s Hollywood has a cult audience but remains criminally underseen by the masses. The Love Witch follows Elaine (Samantha Robinson), a young and beautiful witch who is desperate to find love. In her Gothic apartment (yes, this film will give you seething apartment envy) she brews up potions and spells that she uses to seduce men and try to find a partner. These spells however have a lethal side effect, and she ends up with a string of dead ex-lovers. Elaine’s desperation to be loved ultimately leads her to the brink of insanity, and problems arise for her when she begins to arouse her neigbour’s suspicions. Stylish, compelling and wicked, The Love Witch is a genuine marvel.
Available to stream on MUBI
The Foreign Language Gem
Tokyo Sonata (2008) dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa
In 2008, Japanese horror director Kiyoshi Kurosawa (no relation to the legendary Akira Kurosawa) successfully turned his talents towards drama instead, with this story of family and identity. Tokyo Sonata follows the story of a seemingly normal Japanese family when the father loses his job and proceeds to keep this a secret from his wife and children. When his wife discovers this secret, her trust in him—and their marriage—suffers. Add to this a son at college who barely returns home, and a younger son who is secretly taking piano lessons without his parent’s knowledge, and you have a situation clearly ready for implosion. At the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Tokyo Sonata won the Jury Prize of the Un Certain Regard section, while also coming away from the Toronto San Sebastian film festivals with further accolades. Not a film to be missed.
Available to stream on MUBI
The Tearjerker
Moulin Rouge! (2001) dir. Baz Luhrmann
Baz Luhrmann’s Academy-award winning musical Moulin Rouge! tells the tale of a doomed love affair set against the backdrop of a fantastical and glamorous Paris on the cusp of the 20th century. When idealistic poet Christian (Ewan McGregor) arrives in Paris, he is drawn into the seedy underworld of the Parisian ‘bohemians’ which leads him to the infamous Moulin Rouge. Here he meets Satine (Nicole Kidman) the cities most famous and sought after courtesan, and the two are plunged into a passionate love affair. This tragic jukebox musical features songs from Nirvana, Madonna and Elton John, making the soundtrack one you will be sure not to forget anytime soon. It is also the third and final film in Luhrmann’s “Red Curtain Trilogy,” along with Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Romeo + Juliet (1996).
Available to stream on Disney+
The Feel-Good
Enchanted (2007) dir. Kevin Lima
In Disney’s Enchanted, a fairytale comes to life in modern-day New York City when fairytale princess Giselle (Amy Adams) is banished from the animated and musical land of Andalasia by an Evil Queen. Now stuck in a chaotic world that doesn’t follow the ‘happily ever after’ rules she is used to, Giselle becomes increasingly confused when cynical divorce lawyer, Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his young daughter come to her rescue. Soon after the fairytale Prince Edward (James Marsden) arrives in New York City to find and rescue Giselle, while Giselle begins to question whether the fairytale happily-ever-after is really all it’s cracked up to me. Magical and wonderous, this is one of the films that established Adams as a leading star, and with a sequel currently in development this is the perfect opportunity to relive this noughties classic.
Available to stream on Disney+
The Trailblazing
But I’m A Cheerleader (1999) dir. Jamie Babbit
Jamie Babbit’s 1999 lesbian romcom But I’m A Cheerleader follows all-American high school cheerleader Megan (Natasha Lyonne) whose life is turned upside down after her parents send her to ‘True Directions,’ a conversion therapy camp run by Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty). Here she, and the other residents, are taught how to be heterosexual. Obviously, this doesn’t work and many of the residents begin to rebel, forming secret relations and sneaking off to gay bars. It’s at this camp where Megan meets tomboy Graham (Clea DuVall). But I’m A Cheerleader is a hilarious and groundbreaking romantic comedy, set against to backdrop of societal and familial homophobia and showing how love can win out even in the harshest of circumstances—complete with appearances from a pre-Drag Race RuPaul!
Available to stream on IMDb TV via Amazon Prime
The Transgressive
Suspiria (1977) dir. Dario Argento
‘The most frightening film you’ll ever see’ goes the tagline for Dario Argento’s classic horror Suspiria. The film follows ballerina Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) after her arrival at the prestigious Tanz Academy in Germany. Suzy begins to feel that something horrible lurks within the walls of the dance school and soon students begin to die in horrific circumstances, with Suzy worried she’ll be next. With a great soundtrack and impressive cinematography, Suspiria is a well-loved film within the horror community. It is also the first entry in the trilogy of films that Argento refers to as The Three Mothers, also comprising of Inferno (1980) and The Mother of Tears (2007). Both the original and Luda Guadagnino’s 2018 remake starring Dakota Johnson have earned cult status, and are both currently available to stream.
Available to stream on Amazon Prime
Read More:
- Films To Stream In The UK In January 2022
- Films To Stream In The UK In December 2021
- Films To Stream In The UK In November 2021
- Films To Stream In The UK In October 2021
Words by Isobel Pankhurst
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