Chris & Jonny’s Film (in the) House Watch List
Friday 2nd April 2021
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…
The Commune (15) (2016) (BBC iPlayer)
Danish superstar Trine Dyrholm excels in Thomas Vinterberg’s drama about the fraught life inside a 1970s Copenhagen commune. She plays regional news anchor Anna, married to successful lecturer Erik (Ulrich Thomsen). The pair, with their 14-year-old daughter Freja, upend their lives when Erik inherits his father’s vast family home and they invite their friends and peers to move in with them. Their experiment in social living starts off well, but pretty soon the cycle of collective decision-making, regular parties and love affairs begins to upend the commune, and Erik and Anna’s relationship too…
The Last Tree (15) (2019) (Netflix)
Director Shola Amoo tells the story of Femi, a young man plucked from an idyllic countryside foster home to be reunited with his birth mother in inner-city South London. As Femi adjusts to life with a mother he barely knows, his life changesin multiple ways, and he resigns himself to leaving his beloved foster mother behind. A gobsmacking performance by rising star Sam Adewunmi powers Amoo’s terrific film, and Femi’s journey is beautifully told via shimmering camerawork and a terrific soundtrack.
Dogman (15) (2018) (All 4)
Matteo Garrone’s (Gomorrah) Dogman is a tense crime drama about Marcello, a mild-mannered dog groomer who commits petty crimes for Simoncino, a former boxer who terrorizes the neighbourhood. When Simoncino brings Marcello to breaking point, he finally decides to take matters into his own hands. A fairytale-cum-crime drama, Garrone is an investigation into masculinity shot through with delicious dark humour.
Train To Busan Presents: Peninsula (15) (2020) (Amazon Prime)
After the smash hit horror Train To Busan crashed into cinemas in 2016, it was inevitable that we would return to the zombie-infected Korean peninsula – and what fun it is! Eight years after the apocalypse closed the peninsula off from the world former soldier Jung-Seok is caught up in a heist. The mission? Go back into the infection zone, packed with hordes of zombies, to get a truck full of money. Chaos ensues.
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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