Now Available for Streaming: Mickey 17, A Traveler’s Needs, Universal Language, On Becoming a Guinea Fowl, and More.

      Each week, we showcase remarkable titles that have recently become available on streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week's picks below and explore previous collections here.

      The Accident (Giuseppe Garau)

      It’s refreshing to see a film that doesn’t overstay its welcome, a concept writer-director Giuseppe Garau embraces in The Accident. In just 65 minutes, Garau immerses viewers in the life of Marcella (Giulia Mazzarino), a single mother facing a crumbling existence. During a single day where she arrives late to pick up her daughter from school, she faces being fired by her boss (who is also her ex’s father and her child's grandfather), endures a minor car accident with her daughter, and ultimately loses custody. By employing an inventive formal technique that restricts the viewpoint, The Accident provides a dynamic, inventive, and surprisingly humorous experience, illustrating Marcella’s struggle as she navigates one humiliation after another, eventually emerging on the other side. – C.J. P. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Fandor

      The Assessment (Fleur Fortune)

      The “old world” is a desolate place. People reside there, but not for long. In the “new world,” individuals live for hundreds of years due to a drug that delays aging. This revolutionary technology comes with a cost: the combination of limited safe living spaces and a form of figurative immortality results in scarcity for a growing population. Consequently, the extreme enforcement of China’s former “one-child policy” rendered the conception of all children illegal unless a couple secures a government waiver, which is notoriously difficult to obtain. A couple must demonstrate their worthiness through a week-long evaluation. This sci-fi premise sets the stage for Fleur Fortune’s The Assessment. – Jared M. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      Autobiography (Makbul Mubarak)

      General Purna (Arswendy Bening Swara), having never had a son, feels nostalgic when he returns to his mansion in preparation for a reelection campaign. Though military dictatorship in Indonesia may be a thing of the past, the existing power dynamics remain unchanged. His emotions stir when he encounters young Rakib (Kevin Ardilova), the youngest son of Amir (Rukman Rosadi)—a man Purna refers to as a “friend,” despite their actual employer-employee relationship spanning three generations. Regardless of how progressive the nation believes it has become, the locals still fear what Purna represents. If Rakib enjoys a comfortable life as his servant/chauffeur, why not take advantage of it? – Jared M. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Film Movement+

      Eric LaRue (Michael Shannon)

      In his directorial debut, Michael Shannon faced a significant challenge: how to convey the suffocating weight of guilt without overwhelming the viewer with a relentless sense of despair. With his restrained, thoughtful approach, strong performances from Judy Greer and Alexander Skarsgård, and moments of uneasy humor interspersed amidst gut-wrenching situations, Eric LaRue—adapted from Brett Neveu’s 2002 play—skillfully navigates these potential pitfalls and clichés. – Jordan R. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      From Ground Zero

      From Ground Zero is a film that ideally would not exist, and it cannot be discussed as if it were a typical production. This collection of 22 shorts is Palestine’s entry for the Best International Film Oscar and has rightfully made the shortlist of 15 films. Like any anthology, some segments are more effectively realized than others, yet it’s challenging to critique this with any sense of fairness; creating art in a war zone carries an urgency that overshadows dramatic flaws. The title highlights that these are reports from an unimaginable living hell, and the fact that several filmmakers continue to produce work under such dire circumstances is miraculous—something anyone with compassion would trade for the cessation of violence and for these directors to create art freely. – Alistair R. (full review)

      Where to Stream: OVID.tv

      In the Lost Lands (Paul W.S. Anderson)

      Before diving into action, Paul W.S. Anderson’s In the Lost Lands opens with a framing device revisited only at the film's conclusion. This adaptation of George R. R. Martin's work offers minimal context, and when the plot elements unfold, they read almost like a fable, featuring a powerful Queen lamenting her inability to experience the world’s true wonders. She asks the witch Grey Alys (played by Milla Jovovich) to grant her the ability to transform into a werewolf. Until then, the movie unfurls as a series of seemingly disjointed action scenes with no narrative coherence or emotional connection. Events unfold mechanically—at times, a fight scene even occurs telepathically between two characters. Rather than being perplexing, this approach