Chris & Jonny’s Filmhouse Watch List 19/06/20

Friday 19th June 2020

Whilst the world is on pause and your Filmhouse Sunderland visits aren’t possible, we’re keeping the independent cinema flag flying with our new weekly watch lists from Chris & Jonny, the people behind the project.  

Each Friday, we’ll post a list of four films that are currently available across BBC iPlayer, All4, Netflix and Amazon Prime that we think you should seek out.  

This week’s selection is…

What We Do In The Shadows (15) (2014) (Amazon Prime)

Having now been the launchpad for two TV shows – one of the same name (season 2 is airing on the BBC now) and the brilliant Wellington Paranormal, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s mockumentary is a charming and hilarious look into the (un)lives of four vampire housemates sharing a house in Wellington, New Zealand. The gags flow thick and fast as the gang bicker about the washing up, go out on the prowl and the documentary crew follows them about their nightly routines. 

Stylish and devilishly funny.

Julieta (15) (2016) (BBC IPlayer) 

Spanish auteur Pedro (All About My Mother, Volver) Almodóvar’s gorgeous melodrama is a sumptuous deep dive into guilt and family history. Told over 30 years, 50-something Julieta digs into the secrets of her past after a chance meeting with a former friend of her daughter Antia, who has seemingly resurfaced after many years. But why is Julieta so sad and why is Antia missing? Hooking us in with these questions, Almodóvar gradually and expertly unveils the story behind Julieta’s sadness…

Leave No Trace (PG) (2018) (Netflix)

Debra (Winter’s Bone) Granik’s incredible drama follows father and teenage daughter Will and Tom, living off the grid in a public country park just outside of Portland, Oregon.  Moving their encampment regularly to remain undetected, living mostly off the land and with only occasional forays into the city, PTSD sufferer Will earns money by selling his medication to other military veterans. The pair live almost exclusively in each other’s orbit, but when they are caught, put into the care of social services and rehabilitated into ‘normal’ life, they clash with their new situations. With Granik’s ear for championing the marginalised communities of America and wonderful performances from Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie (recently seen in Jojo Rabbit), Leave No Trace is intelligent and spellbinding cinema.

Patti Cake$ (15) (2017) (All4)

A delight from start to triumphant finish, Patti Cake$ is the story of bored young woman Patricia (Danielle Macdonald): poor, white and plus-size, Patti’s desperate to escape her small New Jersey hometown via becoming a rap star. She’s not your obvious candidate, but with her friend Hareesh, her grandmother and an eccentric musician in tow, she launches herself headlong into achieving her dream. Perfect for all of those people who wanted to achieve the seemingly impossible, Patti Cake$ is feelgood cinema at its peak – uplifting and inspirational, and boasting some killer beats.

We’d love to hear what you think of the films we recommend – let us know!

See you next week,

Chris & Jonny

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