“Souleymane’s Story” dir. Boris Lojkine (2024)

Streaming on Kino Film Collection via Kino Lorber

Set over two days in Paris, Boris Lojkine’s quietly devastating film follows Souleymane, an undocumented Guinean delivery rider racing against time and exhaustion as he prepares for an asylum interview that could determine his future. The film is anchored by Gotham Independent Film Award Breakthrough Performer Winner Abou Sangaré who gives an extraordinary, lived-in performance.

“An affecting film about struggle set over two days in Paris, is the rare character study that does not only build empathy with its hero’s pain but channels its sensation.” – Natalia Winkelman, The New York Times

For fans of: social realism, “Bicycle Thieves,” the Dardenne brothers, urban odysseys

French, Fula, Maninka with English subtitles

“Sorry, Baby” dir. Eva Victor (2025)

Streaming on HBO Max via A24 

Eva Victor’s debut feature centers on a young woman attempting to regain her footing after a deeply destabilizing experience, capturing how humor, awkwardness and detachment become survival tools when clarity feels out of reach.

“With this film, Victor inhabits the naked uncertainty that hangs in the air after a punchline, and asks us to join them there.” – Katie McCabe, Sight and Sound

For fans of: “Fleabag,” “Frances Ha,” tongue-in-cheek

English

“The Baltimorons” dir. Jay Duplass (2025)

Streaming on AMC+ via Independent Film Company 

On Christmas Eve in Baltimore, a newly sober comedian’s visit with his fiancée’s family is interrupted by a dental emergency that sends him into the city alongside his dentist. As the night stretches on, small talk gives way to honesty, turning an inconvenience into an unexpected connection.

“It’s light on its feet but gradually gathers real emotional weight. It’s also beautifully shot and steeped in atmosphere. We walk away from it feeling like we’ve actually been somewhere and felt something.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture

For fans of: “Before Sunrise” meets “After Hours,” unexpected detours, late-night conversations

English

“It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” dir. Amy J. Berg (2025)

Streaming on HBO Max via Magnolia Pictures and HBO Documentary Films

Constructed from archival material and firsthand accounts, this documentary explores Jeff Buckley’s life through the relationships and creative moments that shaped him. The film allows his story to emerge through memory, performance and absence.

“It’s a deeply personal film, a life story told by the people who knew and loved Jeff. It hums with the emotion and vibrancy of Buckley’s music.” – Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

For fans of: intimate documentaries, archival storytelling, music that will haunt you (if it hasn’t already)

English

“Lurker” dir. Alex Russell (2025)

Streaming on MUBI via MUBI 

A fan infiltrates and becomes increasingly entangled in the life of a successful artist, blurring the line between admiration and intrusion. Shot on 16mm, Alex Russell’s directorial debut examines the tensions between obsession, entitlement and intimacy in a world where fan culture has pushed attention and access dangerously close.

“The film is so acerbic that watching it at times feels like being attached to a drip-feed of pure venom. And while it may not sound like it, that’s high praise indeed.” – Wendy Ide, The Observer UK

For fans of: creative ambition, “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” the inability to look away from a car crash

English

“Dracula” dir. Radu Jude (2025)

Available for rent on Prime Video via 1-2 Special

Radu Jude reworks Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” into a fragmented, deliberately unruly film that mixes satire, history and pop imagery. Set in modern day Transylvania, the film looks at the cultural myth across multiple storylines, twists and turns.

“And unlike so much so-called content, which is so beholden to formula that it may as well be generated by AI, Jude’s gleefully tacky counterattack proves wildly unpredictable.” – Peter Debruge, Variety

For fans of: irreverence, experimental reimaginings, satire

English, Romanian, German with English subtitles

“Plainclothes” dir. Carmen Emmi (2025)

Streaming on MUBI via Magnolia Pictures

In the early 1990s, a young undercover officer is tasked with targeting queer men cruising in public spaces. The film traces the psychological toll of surveillance and the emotional dissonance of living behind a constructed identity.

“Blyth’s performance is an interior one, where what Lucas does is not as important as how he feels inside. Capturing that is a special gift and Blyth delivers.” – Ronda Racha Penrice, TheWrap

For fans of: slow-burn character studies, “Carol,” moral unease, queer dramas, “1984”

English

“Twinless” dir. James Sweeney (2025)

Streaming on Hulu via Roadside Attractions

After the death of his brother, Roman joins a support group for twins separated from their siblings where he meets Dennis. Their friendship develops and the line between intimacy, obsession and deception blurs. Sweeney’s film is a darkly comedic and unflinching exploration of grief and desire.

“What was it Shakespeare said about love, that it looks with the mind, not the eyes? Sweeney’s film argues that grief is also subjective, and that it doesn’t always follow logical paths – or even acceptable ones.” – Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press

For fans of: offbeat relationship films, awkward silence, Dylan O’Brien

English

“Magic Farm” dir. Amalia Ulman (2025)

Streaming on MUBI via MUBI 

A media crew arrives in a rural Argentine town chasing their next big story, only to find themselves far from their intended destination and in need of quick improvisation. Blending satire and acute observation, the film examines how image-making, tourism and digital culture flatten places and people into content.

“The latest bit of mischief by filmmaker Amalia Ulman (“El Planeta”), it’s about how making the world smaller hasn’t widened our curiosity as much as shrunk it into snarky bites — in short, it’s about going everywhere and seeing nothing.” – Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times

For fans of: media satire, “The Curse” meets “The White Lotus,” contemporary culture critiques

English, French, Spanish with English subtitles

“Blue Sun Palace” dir. Constance Tsang (2024)

Streaming on MUBI via Dekanalog 

Two migrants in a Queens, New York Chinese community form an unexpected bond as they navigate loss and longing far from home. Grounded in quiet realism, the film observes how connection emerges in the margins of everyday life.

“Blue Sun Palace lives in the gray area with the rest of us mortals. What it conveys, quite beautifully, is the essentialness in sharing your life with others, through joy and grief.” – Kimberley Jones, The Austin Chronicle

For fans of: quiet dramas, “Past Lives,” human connection, Kelly Reichardt

English, Mandarin with English Subtitles

“Eephus” dir. Carson Lund (2024)

Streaming on MUBI via Music Box Films 

Carson Lund’s directorial debut is set during the final game at a soon-to-be-demolished baseball field, capturing time slipping by almost imperceptibly, focusing on casual conversation and the all too common experience of something familiar coming to an end.

“We come to Eephus expecting a metaphor for life and instead we are faced with life itself.” – Bilge Ebiri, Vulture

For fans of: humorous melancholy, slice-of-life, America’s favorite pastime

English

“Boys Go to Jupiter” dir. Julian Glander (2024)

Available to rent on Prime via Cartuna and Irony Point 

During a Florida Christmas break, teenager Billy 5000 navigates work, friendships and a series of bizarre discoveries that upend his routine. Glander’s film blends absurd humor with surreal adventure and heartfelt moments in a story about finding one’s place in a strange world.

“As wonderfully funny as ‘Boys Go to Jupiter’ is, what makes this micro-production superior to macro-budget studio features is the heartfelt melancholy about the future the hero conveys, which it provides with class consciousness to boot.” – Carlos Aguilar, Variety

For fans of: Julio Torres, “Over the Garden Wall,” “Moonrise Kingdom”

English