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…

Let The Right One In (15) (2008) (BBC iPlayer)
Tomas Alfredson’s intelligent, thoughtful vampire film injected new blood (sorry) into the genre. Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) is a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old living with his mother in suburban Sweden. When he meets his new neighbour, the mysterious and moody Eli (Lina Leandersson) they strike up a friendship.  Oskar and Eli soon form a close bond, but it becomes apparent that she is no ordinary girl…

The Yukon Assignment (PG) (2018) (Netflix)
Gentle in nature, this adventure documentary is a story of the relationship between son Chris Lucas (34) and his father Niall (64) as they canoe down one of the most remote rivers in Canada. The Yukon Assignment is a breathtaking exploration of one of the Earth’s last wildernesses and the story of how adventure can sometimes bring us together, irrespective of age. 

Another Year (12A) (2010) (All 4)
Mike Leigh’s drama follows Tom (Jim Broadbent) and Gerri (Ruth Sheen), an older couple who have been happily married for a long time – an anomaly among their friends and family members. One such friend is Gerri’s friend Mary (Lesley Manville), a single woman whose husband left her and who disguises her loneliness. When Gerri tries to fix her up with another friend, Ken (Peter Wight), she is taken aback when Mary is more interested in the couple’s adult son, Joe (Oliver Maltman), a lawyer who is considerably younger than she is….

Betty Blue (18) (1986) (Amazon Prime)
Steamy and sensual, Betty Blue is the film that graced a million student walls over the years. A phenomenon on its release in 1986, Betty Blue had an amazing breakout success and made an icon of its star Béatrice Dalle. The story follows would-be writer Zorg (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who falls for the unpredictable force of nature Betty (Dalle), only to realise that she is gradually going insane….

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

See you next week,

Chris & Jonny