Most of these lockdown films have featured in our weekly e-shot recommendations and are still available to watch online, but we’ve added a few gems that there wasn’t room for in the e-shots.
There’s a mix of free and paid-for content, so don’t worry if you don’t subscribe to streaming services like Netflix or Sky.
The award-winning director of Rams, Grímur Hákonarson, returns with this crowd-pleasing new comedy. Widowed dairy farmer Inga starts a new life on her own terms when she decides to take on the corrupt establishment that’s been exploiting her and the rest of her local community for years.
★★★★ – Empire. Javier Bardem was nominated for an Oscar for his blistering performance in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s heartrending drama about a single father caught up in Barcelona’s seedy underworld. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, Uxbal struggles to secure his children’s future and face up to his past.
★★★★★ – Guardian. A chance meeting at a railway station brings together Laura Jesson and Dr Alec Harvey. Despite being married they begin an affair, but their happiness is marred by their deception and the realisation that eventually a choice must be made. Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard star in David Lean’s classic romance.
“★★★★★ – supremely intelligent and moving” – Guardian. Retired childless couple Kate and Geoff Mercer are planning their 45th wedding anniversary celebrations. With just a week to go, Geoff receives news connected with his past that leads Kate to rethink their entire life together. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtney star.
★★★★ – Guardian. Ali Soozandeh’s striking rotoscoped animation weaves together the stories of three women – a sex worker, a pregnant woman, and a young nightclub goer – and a male musician living in Tehran, and their desperate attempts to cope with life under the oppressive Iranian regime. “This is fearless, potent storytelling” (Observer).
“★★★★★ – unravels with intelligence, biting wit and a real sense of playful ambiguity” – Empire. Nominated for nine Oscars, Orson Welles’ masterpiece is frequently voted one of the best films ever made. When newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane (Welles) dies, his final word – rosebud – sets reporters scrambling to uncover its meaning.
The new BFI Japan 2020 season has just launched online on BFI Player, beginning with a collection of incredible films from Seven Samurai director Akira Kurosawa. Over the coming weeks we’ll share our pick of Japan 2020’s archive rarities, contemporary works and cult classics.
★★★★★ – Empire. Topping the world cinema charts, Akira Kurasawa’s groundbreaking 1954 masterpiece was a blockbuster in every sense and continues to be a major influence on today’s action films. A village under threat from marauding bandits calls upon a group of samurais to protect them.
Akira Kurasawa’s first colour film is a joyous, tragic and transcendent study of slum life in Tokyo. We meet a young disabled boy who lives in a fantasy world, neglected housewives who swap places unnoticed by their husbands, a homeless father and son picturing their dream house: each is barely scraping by, but each finds reasons to carry on.
“One of the most arresting and haunting films you will ever see” – Mark Kermode. Kaneto Shindo’s erotic horror about an impoverised and murderous mother and daughter-in-law who sell the belongings of their victims to buy food. When a messenger brings news of her son’s death, the mother fears she will be left alone and attempts to scare her daughter-in-law into staying.
★★★★ – Empire. Fans of all ages will enjoy this trip back to where it all began, as Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) takes up his place at Hogwarts and begins his wizarding adventures.
★★★★★ – Telegraph. Ralph Fiennes delivers a delightful comic performance as hotel concierge Gustave in Wes Anderson’s whimsical caper set in a 1930s ski resort. Gustave prides himself on providing first-class service, but finds himself framed for murder when one of the hotel’s elderly guests dies.
“★★★★ – A glorious romp” – Observer. Romanian New Wave director Corneliu Porumboiu’s stylish comedy thriller is a twisty, double-dealing treat. A crooked Romanian police officer is drawn into a money laundering operation that takes him to the Spanish island of La Gomera, where he must learn a secret whistling language to pull off the biggest deal of his life.
“★★★★★ – Devastating drama” – Independent. The widespread abuse prevalent in the film industry is the subject of this pressure-cooker drama, which follows a young idealistic assistant whose dream quickly becomes a nightmare. With weight and intelligence the difficult topics of whistleblowing and systemic complicity are tackled in this very necessary and timely film.
“★★★★ – captivatingly grotesque” – Empire. Afflicted with what she describes as a chromosome deformity, customs officer Tina uses her extraordinary sense of smell to detect contraband. But her encounter with a suspicious-looking man challenges her olfactory powers and leads to a shocking discovery. Ali Abbasi’s dark drama is a “creepy exploration of otherness” (Guardian).
★★★★★ – Time Out. Fellini’s 1953 classic about five restless young men from a small seaside town is filled with exuberance and charm. An early neo-realist work from the Italian maestro, it’s influence on works like Scorsese’s Mean Streets is clear. His first major international success, I, Vitelloni cemented Fellini’s reputation.
“★★★★ – a quiet storm of banked emotions” – Observer. Irrfan Khan (who sadly passed away at the end of April) stars in this wry, bittersweet comedy drama set in Mumbai. A lonely housewife’s tiffin delivery to her husband goes astray and instead winds up in the hands of a curmudgeonly widower. She adds a note to the next day’s delivery and so begins an unusual and heartwarming friendship.
“★★★★ – An exquisite portrait of family life” – Guardian. Hirokazu Kore-eda’s beautiful and tender tale of sisterly love. Three twentysomething sisters are estranged from their parents – first their father left to live with another woman, then their mother walked out – but when their father dies they attend his funeral. There they meet their younger half-sister, which transforms all their lives.
“★★★★★ – Glorious” – Guardian. Powell and Pressburger’s 1943 classic traces the military career of General Clive Wynne-Candy (a superb Roger Livesey) from his days as a dashing VC-winning officer in the Boer War through to WWII, when he’s considered a reactionary old buffer.
“★★★★ – beautiful and entrancing” – Guardian. Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated animation blends the Celtic legend of the Selkies with exquisite imagery to create a magical screen experience to rival Studio Ghibli. Following a startling discovery, Saoirse and her brother Ben embark on an adventure to save Ireland’s faerie creatures.
Full of heroes and heartbreak, football’s weekly 90 minutes of drama can invigorate us with the highest of heights or drag us to the lowest of lows. With no action on the pitch at the moment, we’ve turned to footie in films instead – here’s our fantasy eleven.
“★★★★★ – Profoundly compelling” – The Times. Moffie (a derogatory Afrikaans term for a gay man) tells the story of Nicholas, a young man who is conscripted into 2 years’ compulsory national service in the South African army during the Apartheid era of the early ’80s. Nicholas must hide his sexuality as he tries to survive the brutal and homophobic culture in which he is trapped.
★★★★ – Empire. Evoking both classic British horror and Werner Herzog’s brand of metaphysical arthouse cinema, Wheatley’s “grisly slice of English civil-war psychedelia” (Guardian) sees a group of deserting soldiers forced into a search for magical treasure by a sinister and sadistic necromancer (Michael Smiley) they encounter as they flee the battle ground. Screening as part of our Ben Wheatley mini-season.
★★★★ – Guardian. The team behind Horrible Histories tell the hilarious tale of Shakespeare’s “lost years”. Kicked out of his band, hopeless lute player Bill Shakespeare leaves his home to follow his latest dream of becoming a playwright, only to get caught up in the King of Spain’s plan to blow up Queen Elizabeth. As inventive and entertaining as you’d expect, Bill is perfect family viewing.
★★★★ – Guardian. For anyone who’s enjoyed the BFI’s recent Female Desire on Screen season, this is another must-see film from the director and star of Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Céline Sciamma and Adèle Haenel began their creative partnership with this superb coming-of-age tale about two teenage girls on a synchronised swimming team. Arguably one of the best films on the female gaze.
Hailed as one of the greatest films of all time by the likes of Orson Welles and Martin Scorsese, Jean Renoir’s masterpiece follows a group of French soldiers being held in a WWI prison camp and the unusual bond that develops between one of the prisoners and his German captors. Full of humour and pathos, this sweeping film explores what it is that makes us human – for better and for worse.
★★★★★ – Empire. Merchant Ivory’s landmark EM Forster adaptation has a lightness of touch that only the finest period films can match and features an outstanding cast of British acting talent, including Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith and Daniel Day-Lewis. Romance is sparked in Florence when a young woman and her chaperone trade rooms with fellow tourists, in search of “a view”.
★★★★★ – Guardian. One of the defining films of the 1970s Hollywood New Wave, Michael Cimino’s Oscar-winning epic follows a group of young friends who enlist in the US Army during the Vietnam War and how they cope when they return home after the war ends. With bravura performances from its incredible cast, The Deer Hunter is essential viewing for cineastes.
Our New British Cinema season starts with a trio of films from Ben Wheatley, one of the UK’s most exciting directors. We’re huge fans of his work at Phoenix, and were thrilled when he joined us for the preview of his frenetic bullet-fest Free Fire back in 2017. We present three Wheatley classics for your delectation.
“One of the most moving screen dramas of the 20th century” – Mark Kermode. 40 years since its original release, David Lynch’s Elephant Man remains one of the director’s most beautiful and haunting works, with stunning black and white photography from the Oscar-winning Freddie Francis and an incredible performance from John Hurt as John Merrick.
“★★★★★ – A refreshing and invigorating delight” – Guardian. Kate Beckinsale stars as Lady Susan Vernon, a devilishly acerbic widow surrounded by a whiff of scandal and seeking a wealthy spouse for her daughter. Based on Jane Austen’s novella Lady Susan, Whit Stillman’s gloriously comedic period romp is overflowing with elegance and barbed wit.
“★★★★ – Intoxicating” – Empire. One of the 21st century’s greatest new directors, Pablo Larraín’s films (No, Neruda) have brought historical events in his native Chile to the silver screen with verve and vitality. In his dazzling new film he turns his attention to sex, corruption and chaos in present-day Chile, as dancer Ema navigates the wreckage of her professional and personal life to get her adoptive son back.
★★★★ – Empire. Perfect for fans of The Cube and Snowpiercer, this violent high-concept sci-fi takes place in a brutalist tower-block prison, where each day a table laden with food descends down through the floors. Inmates on the upper levels can eat their fill, but the further down the table goes the less food there is – leaving those on lower levels in a savage fight for survival.
For almost a quarter of a century Wes Anderson has been one of cinema’s most distinctive directors, and we’re eagerly awaiting the release of his tenth film, The French Dispatch, this October. In the meantime it’s his birthday on 1 May, so let’s celebrate with this classic which was voted one of Leicester’s top lockdown films. Happy birthday Wes!
“★★★★★ – Visually and dramatically breathtaking” – Observer. An epic reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in 16th century Japan, Ran is the last great masterpiece from Akira Kurosawa, one of the most revered directors in the history of cinema. Featuring incredible colour and sweeping scale, the director of Seven Samurai delivers a feast for the senses in this enduring tale of power, corruption and betrayal.
★★★★ – The Times. Two of cinema’s most impressive young acting talents, Barry Keoghan (The Killing of a Sacred Deer) and Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth), go head-to-head in this Scorsese-esque Irish thriller. Ex-boxer Douglas “Arm” Armstrong is desperate to escape his life of crime for the sake of his young son, but he finds that leaving the employment of the drug-dealing Devers family is far from easy.
“★★★★ – full of uncomplicated happiness” – Guardian. People have been swimming in Hampstead Heath’s ponds for nearly 300 years and they continue to draw swimmers all year round who hail the power of the cold water. In Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith’s delightful documentary, swimmers of all ages and backgrounds reveal how the ponds have been a source of freedom, healing and solace during the ups and downs of their lives.
“★★★★★ – A low-key wonder” – Telegraph. Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird, Little Women) steals the show in Noah Baumbach’s hit 2012 comedy about an awkward girl and her complex passions. Co-written by Gerwig and Baumbach, it’s the story of Frances whose relationship with her best friend and flatmate Sophie has hit the rocks, leaving her adrift in New York as she tries to follow her dreams.
★★★★ – Empire. Antonio Banderas delivers a career-best performance as an ageing film director, wrestling with his mortality and confronting the ghosts of his life. Pedro Almodóvar’s deeply personal, semi-autobiographical drama is “bittersweet perfection” (The Guardian).
A remote Scottish island runs out of whisky during WWII, but fate intervenes when a ship carrying 50,000 cases runs aground nearby. The locals are determined to rescue the precious cargo for themselves, but the authorities have other ideas. Another charmingly anarchic comedy from Ealing Studios
“★★★★ – expert Southern-Gothic” – Telegraph. A rip-snorting mix of pulpy neo-noir and whodunit, this violent thriller came and went with barely anyone noticing in 2014, and is ripe for re-discovery. After killing an intruder, a family man is dragged into a criminal underworld when the dead man’s father (Sam Shepard) seeks revenge. Don Johnson is on glorious form as PI Jim Bob Luke.
One of cinema’s most iconic actors, Al Pacino turned 80 in April. From his breakthrough role in 1972’s The Godfather right up to last year’s The Irishman his on-screen magnetism has been undeniable, and over the years no-one has done bombast and intensity with more charisma than Pacino. Celebrate the great man’s big day with this absolute gem from his early career.
★★★★★ – Telegraph. A romance unravelled, Derek Cianfrance’s drama charts the effervescent highs and heartbreaking lows of a relationship, past and present. A launch pad for the director, it was also a watershed moment in the fledgling careers of its stars, Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, who have gone on to prove themselves two of America’s finest actors.
Just like Portrait of a Lady on Fire, this romantic drama will sweep you off your feet with its passion and intensity. This modern day tale of rival dancers Merab and Irakli who fall for each other in Tbilisi challenges ideas of masculinity and tradition in Georgian culture. A compelling LGBT drama, mixing the vibrancy of dance with the exhilaration of young love to potent effect.
“★★★★ – Women behaving badly and brilliantly” – Evening Standard. With its cinema release cut short, Philippa Lowthorpe’s marvellous Misbehaviour is now available to stream at home. 1970, and Miss World is the most watched TV show on the planet. But the event is turned on its head when the newly formed Women’s Liberation Movement stage a protest.
★★★★★ – Observer. One of our customers’ top “Leicester Lockdown” films, Paddington 2 is sheer delight from beginning to end. A deliciously hammy Hugh Grant is on show-stealing form as ageing, cravat-wearing actor Phoenix Buchanan, who attempts to frame poor Paddington for theft.
Over on our social media channels, we asked you to share with us your top film recommendations to watch during lockdown. You didn’t disappoint, and we had over 60 great films suggested. We’ve compiled the top 14 into a handy go-to list for your viewing pleasure.
★★★★★ – Empire. Bill Forsyth’s “timeless masterpiece” (Mark Kermode) is gloriously reminiscent of Ealing’s comedies. A young Texas oil executive is sent to a remote Scottish seaside village to arrange the construction of a new refinery. But he find himself facing opposition from the locals.
★★★★ – Guardian. Photographer Zed Nelson documents the changes to a single street in London’s Hoxton over the course of four years, creating an incredible portrait of modern society and how it is leaving some people behind. One of the best British documentaries of recent times.
★★★★★ – The Times. Juliette Binoche delivers a wondrous performance in this timely and unsettling ‘catfish’ drama about a woman who creates a younger online persona in an effort to get her revenge on her ex-lover. Exclusive to Curzon Home Cinema.
★★★★★ – Evening Standard. Winner of the Cannes Jury Prize 2019, this audacious, original film is both a damning allegory of modern Brazilian politics and a neo-Western siege thriller that will appeal to fans of John Carpenter and Sergio Leone.
★★★★ – Guardian. This magnificent, powerful chamber piece was Ingmar Bergman’s final film, and picks up the story of long-divorced couple Johan and Marianne (Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann) which began 30 years earlier in Scenes from a Marriage.
Laura Dern is hilarious in this witty satire from Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, the creative team behind Election and Sideways. Dern plays an aerosol-sniffing slacker who finds herself caught up in the pro-life vs pro-choice debate when she is charged with endangering the life of her unborn child after getting high. Previously unreleased in the UK.
★★★★★ – The Independent. Not just one of this year’s best films, but one of the best films you’re ever likely to see, period. This masterfully told story of forbidden love between a painter and her subject – the betrothed daughter of a countess – is utterly compelling, with what is sure to be considered one of the greatest final shots in the history of cinema.
★★★★ – Guardian. Trailblazing Saudi filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour (Wadjda) returns with this fiery story of a woman determined to break the glass ceiling. Maryam, a young doctor, has one wish – for the dirt road outside her hospital to be surfaced, but it seems no-one else cares. So Maryam decides to run for election to the municipal council, but she’s fighting an uphill battle from the start.
“★★★★★ – One of Deneuve’s greatest performances” – The Times. Adding to his global reputation, Japanese auteur Hirokazu Kore-eda’s (Shoplifters, Our Little Sister) exquisite observation of familial relationships was scheduled to screen at Phoenix this month. Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche play a mother and daughter whose reunion turns to confrontation as long-hidden truths are revealed.
★★★★★ – Observer. Mark Kermode’s ‘Film of the Week’ and winner of 45 international film awards, System Crasher was due to screen at Phoenix in April, but the film’s distributors have now made it available to stream online for £9.99, to support independent cinemas. Select ‘Phoenix Leicester’ from the drop-down menu when purchasing and 10% of the after-tax profit will go to Phoenix.
This portmanteau film from much-loved indie director Jim Jarmusch comprises a series of conversations over coffee and cigarettes, with such pairings as Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, Bill Murray and members of the Wu-Tang Clan, and Cate Blanchett and herself! A delightfully easy watch full of dry wit and character – the art of small talk has never been so fascinating.
“★★★★ – A little miracle of tenderness” – Guardian. The debut feature from Claude Barras, this French stop-motion film follows young Icare who moves to an orphanage after a tragic accident at home. Heart-breaking and heart-warming in equal measure, this is a beautiful film that presents challenging subjects but understands the power of empathy and kindness.
★★★★ – Observer. Fans of Harry Potter and Studio Ghibli will adore this enchanting animation about a young girl who gains magical powers from a rare and mysterious flower she finds in the woods. This first feature from Studio Ponoc (founded by Ghibli veterans Hiromasa Yonebayashi and Yoshiaki Nishimura) is an absolute delight.
If you’re missing your regular Midweek Matinee screening, this charming Ealing comedy starring Alec Guiness is just the ticket. A bumbling criminal gang rent rooms in an old woman’s home, posing as musicians while they commit a robbery. But a slip up in front of her leads to a murder plot.