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 Damned United (15) (2009) (BBC iPlayer)

Based on the book by David Peace, Tom Hooper’s acclaimed drama tells the story of football manager Brian Clough’s 44-day run at Leeds United Football Club in 1974.

Having won the league with Derby County the legendarily outspoken Clough (Michael Sheen) is offered the top job at Leeds, despite hating the club.  Leaving his devoted number two Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) behind Clough heads off. Determined to impose his own style upon former manager Don Revie’s tough tackling team, he soon alienates his players and the board…

My Octopus Teacher (U) (2020) (Netflix)

Pippa Erlich and James Reed’s incredible nature documentary follows filmmaker/diver and Founder of the Sea Change Trust Craig Foster’s encounters with an octopus whilst diving in the kelp forests of South Africa’s Cape Of Storms. Beautifully filmed, we follow Foster as he observes and makes contact with the octopus over a series of dives, watching as she hunts, outwits the predators around her and ultimately builds up trust in him.

Pinki Elli? (15) (2020) (All 4)

Prithvi Konanur’s hectic thriller Pinki Elli? (Where Is Elli?) tells the story of the disappearance of an 8-month-old baby girl named Pinki, who disappears in the bustling city of Bangalore. Frantic to find her, her parents Bindu and Girish head out on an odyssey through the metropolis, following leads as they try and track their infant down. As they search, the middle-class couple come into contact with a society still entangled in a rigorously upheld class system, gender inequality, and a desperate economic situation…

Poor Cow (15) (1967) (Amazon Prime)

Ken Loach’s debut 1967 drama is a classic of the social-realist movement. Carol White stars as Joy, a battered single mother who gains her freedom from a loveless marriage when her abusive husband is sent to prison. When she hooks up with another career criminal, the happy-go-lucky Dave (Terence Stamp), Joy gets a new lease of life. Showing the flipside of swinging 60s London, Poor Cow is a delve into the bombsites, cafes, tenement flats and busy streets, providing a fantastic insight into a London of the past.

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

See you next week,

Chris & Jonny