Lore
MA15+Germany, Australia, UK, 2012Genre: War, Period DramaLanguage: GermanDirector: Cate ShortlandStarring: Saskia Rosendahl, Kai Malina, Mika Seidel, Nele Trebs, Mike WeidnerWhat’s it about?Saskia Rosendahl shines as Lore, the oldest child of a family who must lead her siblings to safety when the Allies move into Germany in 1945 and their parents have met their fate. Thomas (Kai Malina) shows up at the perfect time, forcing Lore to question what she’s been taught to believe as his arrival changes the dynamics irrevocably between the children. A powerful film. (Cate Shortland’s 2017 thriller Berlin Syndrome starring Teresa Palmer is also streaming at SBS On Demand.)
Watch Lore at SBS On Demand.
One Sings, The Other Doesn’t
MA15+France, 1977Genre: DramaLanguage: FrenchDirector: Agnès VardaStarring: Valérie Mairesse, Thérèse LiotardWhat’s it about?Set in the early sixties, close friends Suzanne, a young mother, and would-be singer Pauline, are embarking on adulthood with the backdrop of the women’s movement influencing their lives. When their lives diverge, a chance encounter at a protest years later reconnects the pair. We follow their friendship across a decade and a half, as they face the various challenges of lovers, parenting and building a career.
SBS On Demand is also streaming a number of iconic filmmaker Agnès Varda’s other films over the decades: 1969 comedy Lions Love (… And Lies), 1987 documentary in which fellow feminist Jane Birkin is interviewed by and performs for Varda Jane B For Agnès V, 1961 black and white drama Cléo From 5 To 7, 1985 drama Vagabond and 1956 relationship drama La Pointe Courte.
Watch One Sings, The Other Doesn’t at SBS On Demand:
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
MFrance, 2019Genre: Period RomanceLanguage: French, ItalianDirector: Céline SciammaStarring: Noemie Merlant, Adele HaenelWhat’s it about?Héloïse’s future holds an unwanted marriage. Her betrothed commissions a portrait of her, and painter Marianne travels to her isolated seaside locale to observe her before she can begin painting. Tension between the women builds in this sumptuous 18-century-set beauty from writer/director, Céline Sciamma.
Watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire at SBS On Demand.
Evolution
MA15+France, 2015Genre: Mystery, ThrillerLanguage: FrenchDirector: Lucile HadžihalilovićStarring: Max Brebant, Roxane Duran, Julie-Marie ParmentierWhat’s it about?When you see Evolution, you’ll understand why French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (who has Bosnian heritage) fears losing control over her body and mind. On a remote coastal outcrop live a group of boys and their mysterious mothers. Medical procedures are taken out on the boys, linking them to starfish. A truly original filmmaker, you’ll be hard-pressed to find another film to liken to this one. Hadžihalilović says, “It’s a film about sensations, emotions – not storytelling” that asks you to bring your “imagination to the table”.
Watch Evolution at SBS On Demand.
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts
MA15+France, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, 2017Genre: Thriller, DramaLanguage: IndonesianDirector: Mouly SuryaStarring: Marsha Timothy, Egy Fedly, Dea Panendra, Yoga PratamaWhat’s it about?When the widowed young Marlina’s remote farm is taken over by a gang of would-be robbers and rapists, she decides to fight back, killing some of the attackers. She executes one of the seven men more brutally than the others, and it’s his ghost who reappears to haunt her. A devastating film not for the faint-hearted.
Watch Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts at SBS On Demand.
From the Land of the Moon
MA15+France, 2016Genre: Romance, War DramaLanguage: FrenchDirector: Nicole GarciaStarring: Marion Cotillard, Louis Garrel, Alex BrendemühlWhat’s it about?Oscar winner Marion Cotillard is impassioned as the untethered Gabrielle, married to the unfortunate José. Not performing as a good wife is expected to in post-war rural France, she’s sent away for a brief sojourn to a sanatorium where she falls for broody war veteran André, who captivates her completely, and he knows it. Their affair wreaks further havoc on her marriage after José arrives to bring her home.
Watch From the Land of the Moon at SBS On Demand:
Tuesday Club
MSweden, 2022Genre: Romantic ComedyLanguage: SwedishDirector: Annika AppelinStarring: Marie Richardson, Peter Stormare, Ida Engvoll, Carina M JohanssonWhat’s it about?
Alternately titled Food and Romance, this gorgeous funny film centres on Karin, who discovers her husband has been cheating on her. With the encouragement of her friends, she signs up to a cooking class helmed by the gruff but attractive Henrik. Reigniting her passion for cooking serves up a few steamy side dishes as well. A feel-good film that’s just delicious.
Watch Tuesday Club at SBS On Demand.
The Loneliest Planet
MUSA, Germany, 2011Genre: ThrillerLanguage: English, Georgian, SpanishDirector: Julia LoktevStarring: Gael García Bernal, Hani Furstenberg, Bidzina GujabidzeWhat’s it about?If you’re a fan of thrillers, you will be chilled to bits watching The Loneliest Planet. Alex and Nica are engaged, and blissfully happy. The pair embark on a guided tour through the majestic Caucasus Mountains, and we follow their loving adventure, all the while knowing that something is coming. It’s a mere moment, yet it changes everything irrevocably. Director Julia Loktev expertly times the unfolding drama.
Watch The Loneliest Planet at SBS On Demand.
Bedevil
PGAustralia, 1993Genre: Thriller, HorrorLanguage: EnglishDirector: Tracey MoffattStarring: Diana Davidson, Tracey Moffat, Lex Marinos, Jack Charles, What’s it about?The feature film debut of one of our national treasures, prolific visual artist, performer, photographer and filmmaker Tracey Moffatt, Bedevil is also the first feature film made by an Indigenous Australian woman. With her haunting and evocative style, Moffatt weaves together her take on three supernatural stories, each set in Queensland, which melt away time and blur the lines between realms of the living and the dead. An unforgettable cinematic experience.
Watch Bedevil at SBS On Demand.
Four Sisters and a Wedding
MPhilippines, 2013Genre: Romantic ComedyLanguage: English, TagalogDirector: Cathy Garcia-MolinaStarring: Toni Gonzaga, Bea Alonzo, Angel Locsin, Shaina MagdayaoWhat’s it about?There’s something about weddings and funerals that amp up family drama. Here, it’s the upcoming wedding of our titular sisters’ younger brother that stirs the hornet’s nest. While they momentarily put aside their differences to convince him not to go through with the marriage, longstanding issues must rear their ugly heads. In this case, the romp is delightfully entertaining.
Director Cathy Garcia-Molina loves a romance, and SBS On Demand is also streaming three of her other films: One More Chance, She’s Dating a Gangster and My Perfect You.
Watch Four Sisters and a Wedding at SBS On Demand.
SBS Movies is also marking International Women’s Day on 8 March, with The Hours starring Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep at 8.30pm and Miss Marx at 10.35pm. The Hours will be available at SBS On Demand for 30 days after it airs. Miss Marx is streaming now at SBS On Demand:
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