20 Best British Movies on Max

20 Best British Movies on Max

November 20, 2024

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The name HBO has come to be associated with a certain kind of prestige, and for viewers outside the United Kingdom, British cinema tends to be associated with a certain kind of sophistication. So it should come as no surprise that the list we’ve compiled of its streaming service Max’s best British movies—that are lesser-known but still of good quality—also tend to be award winners, or have prominent names attached to them. HBO has a pedigree that it seeks to uphold, and it seems like films made by the British or produced by British studios go hand-in-hand with the network’s goals to deliver top-of-the-line content.

11. Einstein and Eddington (2008)

7.1

Country

United Kingdom

Director

Philip Martin

Actors

Andy Serkis, Anton Lesser, David Tennant, Donald Sumpter

Eddington and Einstein is a TV movie co-produced by HBO and the BBC, and you can tell. It has a humble setup, costume design, and style of editing, but it’s elevated by a smart script and strong performances. You can’t go wrong with Tennant and Serkis, although it is unfortunate that they rarely share a screen here. The movie parallels their discoveries, shedding light into the drama of their personal lives as well—Einstein with his love for a woman other than his wife, Eddington with his forbidden love for his friend William. These parts tend to get soapy, but scenes where they almost seemed possessed with scientific knowledge more than make up for it. Another drawback is the terrible misuse of Rebecca Hall, relegated here as Woman Who Pushes Male Lead To Follow His Heart, but again, all is forgiven when you see Eddington and Einstein in action. You can almost hear the whir of their clockwork brains when they think of something new to ground Einstein’s theory of relativity.

12. The Commandant’s Shadow (2024)

7.0

Country

Germany, Israel, Poland

Director

Daniela Völker

Actors

Adolf Hitler, Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, Hans-Jürgen Höss, Kai Höss

If you’ve seen the bone-chilling Oscar-winning film The Zone of Interest, then The Commandant’s Shadow isn’t just supplementary but necessary viewing. It interviews and interrogates the son of SS officer Rudolf Höss, who describes his childhood in Auschwitz as “idyllic,” and parallels his life with that of an Auschwitz survivor and her family. They’re not asked “gotcha” questions, though there are some moments where Höss’s family members’ insularity shocks you. Instead, everyone is given the time and space to reflect honestly about the pain and trauma that continues to live on in their families. It’s a difficult film to sit through, but insightful and ever-so-resonant in an age where mass torture and genocide continue in many parts of the world.

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