LFS Recommends – October 2020

We’re back, as promised, with another extensive list of home-viewing recommendations during the society’s hiatus. This month’s list is collated by society committee members Helen Hancocks and David Brook, as well as chair Richard Hall.

Miss Juneteenth
A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the “Miss Juneteenth” pageant.

It can be rented on Curzon home cinema or available to watch at The Everyman for a short time.

Be Natural: The Untold Story Of Alice Guy – Blache
Pamela B. Green’s energetic film about pioneer filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché is both a tribute and a detective story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation.

Available to rent on Curzon Home Cinema

Hope Gap
A couple’s visit with their son takes a dramatic turn when the father tells him he plans on leaving his mother.

Available to rent at Curzon Home Cinema

Enola Holmes
When Enola Holmes, Sherlock’s teen sister, discovers her mother missing, she sets off to find her, becoming a super-sleuth in her own right as she outwits her famous brother and unravels a dangerous conspiracy around a mysterious young Lord.

Showing on Netflix

On The Rocks
The new film from Sofia Coppola. A young mother reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York.

Available from 2nd October on Apple TV.

Doctor Zhivago
One of the classic films of choice for this month, but also picked to highlight that on BBC 4 Thursday nights mean Movie Night, with a selection of classics each week, starting at 8pm (or otherwise stated). And most will be available to watch on iplayer too.

I, Tonya
Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.
Showing on BBC iPlayer

The Midwife
A midwife gets unexpected news from her father’s old mistress. It’s got Catherine Deneuve in and is French – it has film society written all over it?!
Showing on BBC iplayer

Volver
After her death, a mother returns to her home town in order to fix the situations she couldn’t resolve during her life. This Pedro Almodovar film is worth a rewatch – we screened it back in the 2006/7 season!
Available on MUBI

Still The Water
if you were a fan of Sweet Bean that we showed a few years ago, (this is part of a triple bill of the directors, Naomi Kawase’s work) might be up your street. On a subtropical island, a teenage couple deal with the interwoven cycle of life, death and love,
Available on MUBI

Monos
High in the mountains of Colombia, a group of teenage guerrillas stand guard over a hostage and practice combat drills. When the hostage escapes, the group track her down but find their unity begins to disintegrate. Stunning cinematography enhances this film which has overtones of Apocalypse Now, Deliverance and Lord of the Flies
Streaming on Netflix

I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Jessie Buckley (Beast) plays a young woman doubting whether her relationship with boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) has any future. Flashbacks and flashforwards offer dips echo her incertain state of mind with a growing sense of something bad about to happen. The end recalls Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.
Streaming on Netflix

RBG
RBG is a timely look at the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the recently deceased US Supreme Court judge who fought to make sure the principle of equal rights before the law extended to everyone, especially women. It’s a straight A-Z of her life, but it sums up her intellect, determination, sense of humour and the impact she had on ordinary lives.
Streaming on Netflix

Made in Hong Kong
Fruit Chan’s superb coming-of-age crime drama that perfectly fuses tragedy with raw beauty. A full review can be found here.
Available to buy on Blu-ray by Eureka

Melancholic
Newcomer Seiji Tanaka’s blackly comic spin on the crime genre. A full review can be found here.
Available to buy on Blu-ray by Third Window Films as well as to rent and buy on all major digital platforms (Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play and YouTube)

Czechmate: In Search of Jirí Menzel
In honour of the passing of the great Czech filmmaker Jiri Menzel, why not indulge in this epic documentary about his work and the Czech New Wave in general. A full review can be found here.
Available to buy on Blu-ray by Second Run

Safety Last!
Harold Lloyd’s silent comedy masterpiece is sure to cheer you up during this testing time. A full review can be found here.
Available to buy on Blu-ray by Criterion as well as available to rent on Apple TV.