New to Streaming: Presence, La Cocina, A Complete Unknown, Nickel Boys, and More

      Each week, we spotlight notable titles that have recently premiered on streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week's picks below, along with previous compilations here.

      La Cocina (Alonso Ruizpalacios)

      In La Cocina, egos are scorched and tempers flare in a culinary nightmare set in the bustling kitchen of a large Times Square restaurant, where the staff have more urgent concerns than escalating temperatures. Take Pedro (Raúl Briones Carmona, in his third collaboration with Alonso Ruizpalacios), a seasoned and still-undocumented line cook whose ideological outbursts can only disguise his frustrations and vulnerabilities for a limited time. Then there's Julia (Rooney Mara), who is pregnant with Pedro’s child, concealing her morning sickness in the break room and planning to slip away during a break for an abortion. And Estela (Anna Diaz), our observer: recently arrived and with minimal English, she asks strangers on the subway for directions to 45th street before being abruptly thrown into a lunch shift that quickly resembles The Raft of the Medusa, adrift in a sea of Cherry Coke. – Rory O. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      A Complete Unknown (James Mangold)

      A Complete Unknown often appears to struggle in its attempt to align with its eclectic lineage. It tracks Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) from the moment he hitchhiked into New York City in early 1961 to his iconic and divisive performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, where his choice to introduce electric rock music to the revered institution was perceived as a betrayal of his solo acoustic roots. This timeframe, concluding before Dylan turned 25, coincidentally represents the extent of most of the public's understanding of his legacy. Later milestones are readily identifiable: the successes of Blood on the Tracks and Desire in the mid-70s, his highly anticipated Grammy victory for Time Out of Mind; the only notable mention in the concluding title cards is his controversial Nobel Prize for Literature, which is almost dismissed in writing. – Ryan S. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      Eureka (Lisandro Alonso)

      Nine years after that underground revelation, Eureka arrives, a film that, for many scenes, appears to emerge from the same dreamlike territory Jauja unveiled. Continuing the tradition of its predecessors, it unfolds as a literal journey featuring solitary wanderers either in search of or mourning lost relatives. (“All families disappear eventually,” Gunnar was told deep in the cave, a line that might also serve as the director’s mantra.) Despite familiar themes and motifs, Alonso’s latest endeavor is his most ambitious: a tripartite film, Eureka aligns itself not with the outsiders in unfamiliar territories that have long filled Alonso's body of work, but with the native communities confronting these intrusions. Its reach is broad, and its geographical scope expansive. In essence, Eureka aims to absorb something of, and draw parallels between, the experiences of Indigenous communities confined to three distinctly different environments: the Old West; modern-day South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation; and the early-70s Brazilian jungles. – Leonardo G. (full review)

      Where to Stream: MUBI (free for 30 days)

      Ghostlight (Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson)

      Watch an exclusive clip above.

      An expertly crafted film with nearly no missteps, Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Ghostlight is a touching drama infused with profound moments of humor and small victories. The cleverly structured script by O’Sullivan gradually unveils new narrative details as we observe a nuclear family slowly fracturing and later seeking solace in the aftermath of their son’s suicide. Rooted in a real-life family’s experience, the film feels meticulously developed through the same intimate collaboration that lent O’Sullivan and Thompson’s previous feature, Saint Frances, its genuine subtleties. – John F. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Hulu

      Nickel Boys (RaMell Ross)

      RaMell Ross—the Brown University film professor and writer-director behind the stunning impressionist portrayal of rural Alabama life in 2018’s Hale County This Morning, This Evening—made a significant impact with his second film and fictional debut, Nickel Boys. This adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel is a gentle and enchanting film that quickly establishes a mood of dread tied to America’s troubling history with abusive juvenile institutions for Black boys. Shot innovatively in the first person for gripping effect, it follows Elwood Curtis, a young man wrongfully detained at the Nickel Academy, as he forms a life-altering friendship and navigates the horrors of Nickel, where the unmarked graves of misbehaving children haunt those still present. By shifting between Elwood’s experiences at Nickel and his adult life conducting research on its atrocities, Ross immerses us in a blend of beauty and trauma that feels like a lifetime. – Luke H.

      Where to Stream: MGM+

      Presence (Steven Soderber