Back in July, I recommended 3 films for your weekend. Here are another 3 great films you might have easily missed when fighting with the algorithms on your favourite streaming platforms. Again, I have tried to include films from public platforms like BBC iPlayer and All 4. As I pointed out in my previous post, public film in the UK is important, interesting and overlooked. There are so many good and enriching films in places that we often ignore.
- Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, USA, 2018)
Sorry to Bother You is Boots Riley’s directorial debut and is a refreshing and funny take on white privilege. Cassius Green is a broke black guy who gets a job at a call centre. After being told to use a ‘white voice’ by Danny Glover, Cassius’ fortunes change and he starts to move up the ladder. The films gets strangeer the higher he goes, with the world of white privilege and corporate capitalism both in the firing line of this surrealist black comedy.
Sorry to Bother You is available for the next 25 days on BBC iPlayer.
2. Dance With a Stranger (Mike Newell, UK, 1985)
Going back a few years with this recommendation. This one escaped me on All 4 until recently and it is well worth a watch before it disppears after this weekend. Miranda Richardson stars at Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain in 1955. Having not known much about the back story, and the tragic circumstances that led to her death, the film was enlightening and tells the story with emotional charge.
Dance With a Stranger is available for just 4 days on All 4.
3. A Sun (Chung Mong-Hong, Taiwan, 2019)
This is a stunning film. It tells the story of a troubled family and their two sons: one seemingly a perfect, successful and bright student, whilst the other is more challenged by life. This clear distinction between the two sons is slowly blurred, along with numerous secrets and transformations that unravel how their parents perceive them and the world.
A Sun is currently available on Netflix UK.
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