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…

Manchester By The Sea (15) (2016) (BBC iPlayer)

Kenneth Lonergan’s rich study of grief bagged two Oscars for Casey Affleck’s icy, damaged performance and Lonergan’s terrific screenplay. When his older brother Joe passes away, Lee Chandler (Affleck) is shocked that Joe made him sole guardian of his teenage nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Dropping his job as a janitor in Boston, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea, the fishing village where his working-class family has lived for generations. There, he must face the difficult past that separated him from his wife Randi (Michelle Williams) and the community where he was born and raised, whilst coming to terms with his newfound responsibility to Patrick.

Jaws (12) (1975) (Netflix)

Who can believe that Stephen Speilberg’s masterpiece is nearly FIFTY years old?! A production built around of trial and error and brilliant innovation, Jaws is a thrilling watch and still the greatest summer blockbuster (in our humble opinion). When a young woman is killed by a shark while swimming at night near the New England tourist town of Amity Island, police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) knows he must close the beaches. But the town’s Mayor, Larry Vaughn has other ideas: The 4th July weekend is coming and the loss of tourist money will cripple the town. Teaming up with young Ichthyologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and grizzled ship captain Quint (Robert Shaw) Brody sets out to capture the killer beast and an epic battle of man vs. nature ensues…

One Cut Of The Dead (15) (2017) (All 4)

Raucous, inventive, bloody and bloody funny, Japan’s One Cut Of The Dead is a brilliant satire on zombie films, moviemaking and oh, so much more.  We won’t spoil the surprises, but the action kicks off when zombies attack a hack director and a film crew who are shooting a low budget zombie film in an abandoned WWII facility. The following 96 minutes takes you to places you really won’t expect, and you’ll be chuckling about it for days and days. A film that made 1,000 times its budget at the box office, One Cut Of The Dead is daring filmmaking that you’ll be scrambling to rewatch.

Saint Maud (15) (2019) (Amazon Prime)

Rose Glass’ debut feature is a chilling fusion of body horror and psychological thriller. Maud (Morfydd Clark), a newly devout hospice nurse, becomes obsessed with saving her dying patient Amanda (Jennifer Ehle)’s soul. However, sinister forces, and her own sinful past, threaten to put an end to her holy calling.  A terrifying performance from Morfydd Clark powers this bold and original film forward, creating a dark portrait of a young woman dealing with a crisis of faith and a crisis of mental health.

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

See you next week,

Chris & Jonny