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| Oscars darling Everything Everywhere All At Once Photo: A24 |
After its slew of wins at the Oscars last night, it would be churlish not to include this multiverse-hopping slice of fun in this week's streaming selection. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert blend humour and action with a tale of familial love in a film that sees a launderette owner (Michelle Yeoh) who while grappling with filing her taxes is unexpectedly enlisted into a world-saving mission by a man who looks like, but is not, her husband (Ke Huy Quan) that's needs to be done in a lot more than triplicate. While using the idea of parallel universes craftily to further the plot, the Daniels also have a hell of a lot of fun - which is nothing if not infectious. Whether you think it's the best of the year or not, this is a solid slice of inventive popcorn entertainment with lovely central performances from Yeoh and Quan.
Mustang, MUBI and ITVX, now
French-Turkish director Deniz Gamze Ergüven made serious international waves with this debut film, which charts the coming-of-age of five young orphaned sisters and won a clutch of Cesars as well as being Oscar-nominated. Infused with the energy of its central characters, it shows what happens when that spirit meets the ultra-conservatism of the Turkish village where they live, head on, as they begin to be married off. Ergüven, writing with fellow French filmmaker Alice Winocour, blends the tense drama of the children's lives with a fairy tale quality that also makes the film accessible for older children. Read what Ergüven told us about collaboration, the dynamics of the sisters and identity.
Don't Look Now, 11.15pm, BBC2, Monday, March 13
Jennie Kermode writes: A riveting exploration of a couple’s attempts to hold onto themselves and one another after the death of their little girl, this is one of the finest works by the late, great Nicolas Roeg, and an absolute must-see for anyone who is serious about cinema. Donald Sutherland plays the architect who tries to find solace in restoring a church but becomes obsessed by the sight of a red hooded figure who recalls his lost child. Julie Christie is his wife, putting her faith in a pair of elderly sisters who might provide a link to the dead. Most of the action takes place in Venice, whose maze of twisting streets, narrow alleyways and canals reflects the mental trap in which the couple are caught. The air is perpetually saturated with moisture, the city never more beautiful. The chemistry between the leads is electric, their interaction tender, a weight of emotion captured in the smallest details.
The Elephant Man, 12.05am, BBC2, Thursday, March 16
Some of David Lynch's wilder flights of fantasy, such as Inland Empire, may have proved a bit labyrinthine for some audiences, but this early feature from his back catalogue, made between cult classics Eraserhead and Blue Velvet offers plenty of mainstream appeal. It tells the tragic tale of John Merrick (played with great nuance despite being covered in prosthetics by the late, great John Hurt). Hurt lost out in the Oscar race to Robert De Niro for Raging Bull, but he would have been just as worthy a winner, bringing a soulful anguish to his portrayal of the disfigured Merrick, who is rescued by surgeon Frederick Treves (Anthony Hopkins, in a similarly strong performance). Watch it and weep.
Four Lions, 11..35pm, Film4, Friday, March 17
Taking the idea of suicide bombing into the arena of comedy is not for the fainthearted. But then Brass Eye satirist Chris Morris had never been one to shy away from controversy when he made his first foray into film with this surprisingly hilarious debut that would go on to win him a Best Debut BAFTA. Despite the subject matter, there's an old school Ealing feel to a lot of the action as the bungling wannabe terrorists (Riz Ahmed, Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novac, Asher Ali and Adeel Akhtar) plot a mass murder. Exploring the way that the completely ordinary and extremism can often be found walking hand in hand, this is both laugh out loud funny and as serious as a bullet through your artery.
Writing With Fire, BBC iPlayer
If you're looking for a good documentary to watch then BBC Storyville is a good place to start - even though they do have a tendency to cut films down in size from their theatrical length. This eye-opening film (which has not been cut) is among them and offers a portrait of the Khabar Lahariya newspaper in India. The outlet is unusual in that it is not only run by women but that they also come from the Dalit caste - who suffer discrimination because of being considered "untouchable" by society. Directors Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh take us not just into the everyday lives of these roving reporters - it also, by extension, offers a snapshot of the country as these women step from the margins to give voices in their columns to many like them. Read our interview with Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas. You can also catch the Oscar-nominated heartbreaking and intimate A House Made Of Splinters in the same strand.
Kung Fu Panda 3, BBC iPlayer
Not all animated franchises have staying power but Kung Fu Panda goes the distance. That's thanks in no small part to the fact that Jack Black's voice suits the bumbling but good-hearted hero to a tee. This time out, the panda discovers who his real dad is but also has his hands full taking on spirit warrior yak General Kai (voiced by JK Simmons). The action, as with all the films in the series, offers a nice blend of knock-about visual humour alongside a decent slice of kung-fu action. There's a sweet appeal to its heartfelt story that should be easy for even the youngest members of the family to follow but enough in the tank to keep older siblings engaged as well.
We're returning to the Oscars for this week's short selection. An Irish Goodbye was named as the Best Live Action Short and you can catch it over on BBC iPlayer. It also screens at 10.40pm on BBC1 tonight.
