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…

A White, White Day (15) (2019) (BBC iPlayer)

This Icelandic thriller is composed in an almost painterly fashion, with the country’s ravishing landscape providing the backdrop for an exploration in rage and grief. 

After his wife’s car careens off the road in odd circumstances, policeman Ingimundur (Ingvar Sigurdsson) finds himself obsessing over her death.  Busying himself with renovating the family’s old farmhouse so that it can be habitable for his beloved eight-year-old granddaughter, Ingimundur discovers what he feels is evidence of adultery. As he investigates his obsessions reach screaming point, the tension ramps, and the film slips into psychological thriller gear….

The Iron Giant (PG) (1999) (Netflix)
The beloved family film The Iron Giant tackles ambitious topics and complex human relationships with a steady hand, courtesy of director Brad Bird.  An animated adaptation of Ted Hughes’ Cold War fable, the film sees a giant alien robot (Vin Diesel) crash-land near the small town of Rockwell, Maine in 1957. When local 9-year-old Hogarth discovers the robot he soon forms an unlikely friendship with the robot. But when paranoid government agent Kent Mansley becomes determined to destroy the robot, Hogarth and his friend Dean (Harry Connick Jr.) must do what they can to save the misunderstood machine.

Hallam Foe (18) (2007) (All 4)
An off-kilter coming of age film with a terrific central performance from Jamie Bell as 17-year-old Hallam Foe, David MacKenzie’s drama, opens with Hallam mourning his mother’s suicide and refusing to open up to his suspicious stepmother Verity (Claire Forlani). When Verity seduces and blackmails him, he runs away from his Highland home to Edinburgh and meets Kate (Sophia Myles), a manager in a hotel who gives him a job. Kate reminds Hallam of his mum and the pair soon begin a complicated and potentially unhealthy relationship…

Macbeth (15) (2015) (Amazon Prime)
Justin Kurzel’s Macbeth is a dark, medieval adaptation of the Bard’s tale, dripping with blood and replete with top-notch acting talent. Michael Fassbender is mesmerising as the Scottish king, consumed with guilt and paranoia after seizing the throne.  At once both intimately theatrical and astoundingly cinematic, Kurzel’s film also stars Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris and David Thewlis.

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

See you next week,

Chris & Jonny