5 best new films to stream this week:
New films to stream this week on select providers:
Forgive Us All (20 August) – Netflix
Director: Jordana Stott
Cast: Lily Sullivan, Callan Mulvaney, Richard Roxburgh
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 93min
In a post-apocalyptic world, a virus has transformed humans into violently deranged cannibals. A bereaved mother has lost everything and takes refuge in an isolated mountain cabin, until a desperate wounded stranger arrives with a story of hope.
When a virus transforms humans into deranged cannibals, bereaved mother Rory is forced to take refuge in a small mountain cabin as the world outside turns into chaos. Having lost everything, she remains wilfully isolated – until a wounded stranger arrives and slowly earns her trust.
Forgive Us All is the directorial debut of Australian filmmaker Jordana Stott, who said she aimed to make a ‘western/horror that challenges moral complexities of survival and has a strong female redemption narrative at its core’.
‘Ultimately, Forgive Us All serves as a testament to the enduring spirit of motherhood,’ she said, ‘the painful search for redemption and the hope that can emerge from the darkest of circumstances.’
If you missed it in cinemas last May, now is your chance to see this impressive Australian debut.
One Hit Wonder (21 August) – Netflix
Director: Marla Ancheta
Cast: Khalil Ramos, Sue Ramirez
Genre: Romance/Drama
Runtime: 112min
When big dreams meet second chances, two dreamers from the Philippines, Entoy and Lorina, chase fame in the world of 90s OPM (Original Pilipino Music). And they might just find love along the way.
One Hit Wonder is a Netflix original from the Philippines in the Tagalog language (with subtitles). The director, Marla Ancheta, is best known for films that gently explore the relationships between humans, but her work often garners mixed reviews.
This film is Ancheta’s first Netflix original, and given that she wrote and directed it, it should at the very least be a unique feature about love and music.
Tornado (22 August) – AMC+
Director: John Maclean
Cast: Kōki, Nathan Malone, Tim Roth
Genre: Western
Runtime: 91min
1870s, Britain: When her father’s puppet samurai show gets ambushed by a notorious gang, Tornado vows to seek vengeance and forge her own destiny by stealing their ill-gotten gold.
Written and directed by John Maclean, a Scottish filmmaker best known for Slow West (2015), Tornado is a US and UK coproduction that is unique in its subject: Japanese immigrants who travel around 19th century England, making their money with puppet shows.
As a a Western, the film sits firmly in Maclean’s wheelhouse. If you enjoyed Slow West, check out Tornado.
Eenie Meanie (22 August) – Disney+
Director: Shawn Simmons
Cast: Samara Weaving, Karl Glusman, Randall Park
Genre: Thriller/Comedy
Runtime: 94min
Australia’s own Samara Weaving stars in this action comedy from debut director Shawn Simmons. As a former teenage getaway driver, Edie (AKA Eenie Meanie) is happy to leave her criminal past exactly where it is – in the past.
But, when the life of her chronically unreliable ex-boyfriend is threatened, it’s all to easy for her former employer to drag her back in.
Weaving may be establishing herself firmly as a Scream Queen, but it will be exciting to see her tackle comedy and action at the same time in Eenie Meanie.
Eileen (24 August) – Paramount+
Director: William Oldroyd
Cast: Thomasin McKenzie, Anne Hathaway, Shea Whigham
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 98min
During a bitter 1964 Massachusetts winter, young secretary Eileen becomes enchanted by Rebecca, the glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works.
Their budding friendship takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret, throwing Eileen onto a sinister path.
Eileen, based on the novel of the same name by Ottessa Moshfegh, masterfully pairs young Thomasin McKenzie with the superb Anne Hathaway to bring a thrilling story to life.
Director William Oldroyd, previously known for Lady Macbeth (2016), handles the adaptation well and captures the feeling of the novel while bringing his unique take to the screen.
