If you’re staying in town this summer but still want some escapism, SBS On Demand has a movie line-up that will transport you to new locales. Stop by a resort in Turkey to see Paul Mescal in a star-making role, trek Moroccan mountain ranges, or travel to unseen parts of Senegal. Wherever you choose, you’re in for an adventure – all from the comfort of your couch.
When a model (Harris Dickinson) and his influencer girlfriend (Charlbi Dean) head out on a luxury cruise, their holiday turns into a fight for survival after they end up shipwrecked in the Greek Islands. While this sounds like the plot for a gritty horror flick, acclaimed Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund turns the story into a messy satire of the uber wealthy. As it becomes clear that the yacht’s cleaning lady is the only one able to catch fish, social hierarchies on the island (and your expectations) are quickly turned on their head. Both delighting and disgusting critics with its madcap plot – and a seasickness scene you’ll never forget – there’s a reason this dark comedy won Östlund his second Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.
Equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking, Charlotte Wells’s directorial debut premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. Loosely based on her own childhood, the moving drama follows a young girl and her troubled father on holiday at a Turkish resort. Star Paul Mescal, who recently hit leading man (and certified internet boyfriend) status with Gladiator II, scored his first Oscar nomination for his emotionally charged performance. In one of many rave reviews, the New York Times said that Wells is “very nearly reinventing the language of film”.
Pairing screen legend Morgan Freeman with acclaimed English actor Florence Pugh, this moving drama sees a woman trying to reclaim her life in the wake of an unimaginable tragedy. After losing everything in the blink of an eye, Allison (Pugh) forms an unlikely friendship with her would-be father-in-law (Freeman) as she battles an opioid addiction and unresolved grief. Set in Zach Braff’s native New Jersey, it’s the third film with the writer-director at the helm – and Variety has labelled it “a return to form”. An unflinching and authentic story of heartbreak and hope, it’s anchored by two outstanding performances that will stay with you after the credits roll.
Drawing comparisons to the work of Terrence Malik and Stanley Kubrick, director Sofia Alaoui’s debut marks the arrival of a new auteur with a bold, original vision. The sci-fi thriller follows Itto (Oumaïma Barid), a young pregnant woman from a modest background who is adapting to her husband’s privileged family at their Moroccan estate. But when extra-terrestrial events put the country in a state of chaos, she finds herself stranded on her own. As she treks across towns and mountain tops in search of her husband, the mystical story ruminates on class, religion, and the status of women in contemporary Morocco. An extension of her Sundance-winning short film So What If The Goats Die, Variety described Alaoui’s first feature as “a compellingly different cultural and social perspective on a classic sci-fi premise”.
A mesmerising debut from Ramata-Toulaye Sy – a Sengalese French director to watch – this emotional drama feels like a modern take on Romeo and Juliet. After falling madly in love, young adults Banel (Khady Mane) and Adama (Mamadou Diallou) decide to move away from their families to be together. When Adama refuses to fulfil his birthright and become the leader of his village, chaos ensues. Premiering at last year’s Cannes Film Festival – as the only film in the Official Competition from a first-time director – the film features a star-making performance by Mane, which The Guardian called “a knockout”. Filmed on location in Senegal, the gorgeous cinematography showcases the remote beauty of a region not often seen onscreen.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with SBS On Demand.
