100 Best Movies on Kanopy Right Now

When something like a World War happens, the generation that grew up at the time inevitably would be changed, and this change sticks to that generation, even if the ones that follow don’t immediately understand. The Last Suit is centered on this idea, but it does so through a relatively lighthearted and humorous way, as Abraham Bursztein goes on a cross-continental trip to see a childhood friend from the war, and meet people with different perspectives along the trip. With at least six different languages, two different timelines, and a compelling protagonist, The Last Suit is a new take on the Holocaust that might be a tad too sentimental for some viewers, but is a poignant reminder of the history that still haunts the world today.

Making a film is sort of a miracle– to make one can sometimes come into fruition through a lucky combination of connections, creativity and circumstances all perfectly aligning as if by fate. But making a film takes cash to do it. In the Soup is an independent comedy centered on an aspiring auteur meeting an eccentric, creative gangster that’s willing to do everything (including crime) to fund it. The film does mostly depend on conversations between characters, witty repartee and Steve Buscemi’s voice-over, but it does capture the importance of patrons in the artistic process, how silly some lofty artistic aspirations can be, and to never forget the human side of the filmmaking process, not just the solitary brainstorming.

Most people are aware that alcoholism doesn’t lead to clear decision-making, but while we’re familiar with the plenty of the usual consequences, such as calling your exes, overspending, and car crashes, it usually doesn’t lead to a kidnapping plot against a multimillionaire. 2008’s Julia takes things to the extreme, with the initial capture escalating into a murder charge, a cross-country escape, and a 2-million ransom bounty, but it feels a bit plausible with the way Tilda Swinton sinks into Julia’s desperation, making bad decision after bad decision with options eventually closing in. While the film might feel a tad too long for some viewers, Julia is nonetheless a compelling thriller, made much more memorable with Swinton’s performance.

When you’re an ex-convict that wants to hide his stint in jail from his parents, among other things, fake dating is a rather strange solution. It’s usually the stuff of cheesy romcoms, but Buffalo ’66 plays out differently. The pretense doesn’t stem from jealousy or money or career status, but rather from desperation, becoming another attempt to win some semblance of self-worth from dysfunctional parents, which inevitably doesn’t work… At least in the way Billy hopes it would. While Layla’s motivations aren’t fully fleshed out, Christina Ricci brings a certain doll-like sweetness that lines up with what’s expected of her by her captor, but also happens to enliven the rest of the family, allowing just a glimpse of the good people they used to be, before they slip back into their usual unkind, thoughtless selves. This, along with Billy’s background– flashbacks of neglect and abuse in frames within frames– makes their connection a bit toxic, but Buffalo ’66 has an interesting style and excellent performances to make it a memorable watch.

Life can get tough if you move to another country. You have to adjust to the language, to the culture, and to the community you choose to move to, and that’s just if you decided to make the move intentionally. But some of these difficulties can be made much easier to bear with a good friend. Shun Li and the Poet is centered on a friendship between two immigrants in a Venetian island town, and although they come from other sides of the world, the kindnesses they share as strangers, and the intimacy they keep when they share more of their life stories, prove to be lovely. It might be a tad slow for some viewers, but the contemplation and celebration of their shared humanity makes for a lovely watch.

When we love a person, most of us are convinced that we love them for their personality, and if we truly love them, love would remain even if their beauty fades away. The Beauty Inside, a Korean remake of the 2012 American interactive Internet series, challenges this notion. As Woo-jin’s body changes regularly, he’s unable to live a normal life because of a lack of a consistent appearance, a lack of a visual reference point that allows him to be recognized by the people he loves. While more can be explored with the premise’s metaphysical elements, and Woo-jin’s characterization is mostly a neutral, blank canvas, The Beauty Inside is still a sweet, feel-good romance that makes the impossible feel wonderfully possible.

In certain heartbreaking instances, children are separated from their parents by the State, supposedly in hopes of finding them a better home. But for plenty of British and commonwealth orphans, the government process is, at worst, systematically designed to separate families to support the Kingdom’s colonies. While the film isn’t really focused on the details and the rationale behind the program, Oranges and Sunshine is much more concerned with the fact that it happened– that it has harmed hundreds of thousands of children for hundred years, and that it only took someone who cared enough to pay attention for things to actually change. It’s a decent depiction of Margaret Humphreys’ work, and it does a great job in promoting the Child Migrants Trust.

It’s not fair to say if you’ve read the book, you’ve seen the movie, but it’s also not wholly untrue. Greg Sinise’s version of the classic tale by John Steinback adds little new details to the story, so the actors have some heavy lifting to do in bringing it to life. Thankfully, they do a fine job. Sinise and Malkovich strike an affecting camaraderie, believable till its tragic end. Malkovich has the meatiest role as the mentally challenged Lennie, and to his credit, he gives the character sensitivity and grace. He isn’t always believable (or maybe I’ve just seen him in too many wry and manipulative roles), but his turn as a sweet giant is always touching. For a more recent generation, the film might bring to mind the ethical question famously asked by the NBC series The Good Place: what do we owe each other? What does George owe his disabled cousin and how far is he willing to put his life over his own? Though the parable at the core of this film is familiar, it’s nonetheless thought-provoking and heartbreaking.

Why do we cling to the people that we love, but who clearly don’t treat us well? It’s a common question in romance films, one that often leads to a conclusion that people shouldn’t feel shackled to partners that don’t treat them right, but sometimes other films seem to shame these unfortunate lovers for making the wrong choice. My King doesn’t do that. Sure, Georgio can seem like an obvious asshole (he is), but writer-director Maïwenn makes clear that the same things that make him erratic– his spontaneity, his enjoyment of life, and his open acceptance– which Vincent Cassel superbly embodies, are also the same things that attracted Tony in the first place. And as Tony recovers her knee, the careful interstitching between her time at the center and her romance with Georgio visually parallels the physical and emotional wounds in an interesting way. Mon Roi is familiar romance stuff, but it’s the approach that makes the film work.

A cynical down-on-his-luck Seoul taxi driver is hired by a German journalist to go to another town called Gwangju. What seemed like an easy and overcompensated journey at first takes him into the heart of a city under siege by the military. This is in fact the student uprising that will be a very important event in South Korean history, known as 1980 Guangju Democratic Uprising. Both the journalist and the taxi driver confront life-threatening situations as they find themselves at the center of the movement. A true-story-based movie, it’s a heartfelt and entertaining political drama about one of the bleakest chapters of modern Korean history. In 2018 it was the country’s official submission to the Oscars.