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…

Don’t Look Now (15) (1973) (BBC iPlayer)
Nicolas Roeg’s chilling masterpiece stars Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland as Laura and John, a couple grieving over the accidental death of their daughter Christine. Heading to Venice, where John’s been commissioned to restore a church, the couple meet two mysterious sisters who claim to be in touch with the spirit of their daughter. Taking them seriously, Laura is enraptured by the sisters’ claims, whilst John is not taken in. Until, that is, John spies a glimpse of what looks like Christine running through the streets of Venice…

The Piano (15) (1993) (Netflix)
Jane Campion’s sumptuous, emotive and erotic masterpiece stars Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel, and a young Anna Paquin, who won an Oscar for her performance. After a long voyage from Scotland, pianist Ada McGrath (Hunter) and her young daughter, Flora (Paquin), are left with all their belongings, including a piano, on a remote New Zealand beach. Ada has been mute since childhood, and has been sold into marriage to a local man named Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neill). With no interest in Alisdair, Ada becomes intrigued by his acquaintance, George Baines (Keitel) and a torrid relationship flowers….

Attack The Block (15) (2011) (All 4)
Joe Cornish’s fun and fresh south London alien invasion comedy stars a young john Boyega and future Doctor Who Jodie Whittaker. When a group of feral aliens invades the UK and terrorise the inhabitants of a South London tower block, the tower’s resident gang of hoodies must team up with the trainee nurse (Whittaker) they’ve just mugged to survive…  Distinctly British, Cornish effortlessly mixes scares, laughs, and social commentary to create a thrilling, action-packed classic! 

Hara-Kiri: Death Of A Samurai (18) (2011) (Amazon Prime)
Always unpredictable, Japan’s Takashi Miike (Audition) here tells an inventive and layered story of a poverty-stricken samurai (Ebizô Ichikawa) who seeks permission to commit ritual suicide in the courtyard of a prominent feudal lord.  Discovering the gruesome fate of his ronin son-in-law, a tense showdown of vengeance against the house of a feudal lord is set in motion…

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

See you next week,

Chris & Jonny