Streaming Debuts: Jia Zhangke, Nickel Boys, Sacramento, The Friend, and More

      Each week, we showcase the noteworthy titles that have recently become available on streaming platforms in the United States. Below are this week’s picks, with previous compilations available here.

      **Being Maria (Jessica Palud)**

      Last Tango in Paris marked a significant breakthrough and turning point in the life and career of Maria Schneider—a challenging filming experience that motivated her to become an advocate for women in the film industry and the often stereotypical portrayals of female characters in cinema. Her resolve and growing intolerance for foolishness, after encounters with Bernardo Bertolucci and Marlon Brando, led her to walk out on several major directors during production, which earned her a reputation for being difficult. This reputation often overshadowed her own struggles with mental health and substance abuse, which were cited as justifications for not hiring her. Writing about Schneider typically portrays her most notable role as a burden, which caused her to decline any project that seemed likely to place her in precarious working environments—a scenario that could warrant an intriguing retrospective if it were dramatized effectively. Regrettably, director Jessica Palud’s biopic Being Maria focuses primarily on Schneider’s career in the context of that film, devoting most of its time to detailed recreations of scenes. – Alistair R. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **La Cocina (Alonso Ruizpalacios)**

      Tempers flare and egos clash in La Cocina, a chaotic kitchen disaster set in the bustling heart of Times Square, where the staff faces more urgent concerns than just rising temperatures. For instance, there's Pedro (Raúl Briones Carmona, in his third collaboration with Alonso Ruizpalacios), a hardened, undocumented line cook whose ideological outbursts can only temporarily hide his vulnerabilities and frustrations. Then we have Julia (Rooney Mara), who is pregnant with Pedro's child, concealing her morning sickness in the staff room while planning to secretly take a break to obtain an abortion. Estela (Anna Diaz) serves as our guide: newly arrived, barely speaking English, and asking strangers on the subway how to find 45th street before being abruptly thrust into a lunch shift that quickly mirrors The Raft of the Medusa, adrift in a sea of Cherry Coke. – Rory O. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** MUBI (free for 30 days)

      **Directed by Jia Zhangke**

      With the impending U.S. release of his prominent work, Caught by the Tides, Jia Zhangke is being honored with a much-deserved career retrospective on the Criterion Channel. The spotlight features his films including Xiao Wu (1997), Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), The World (2004), Still Life (2006), 24 City (2008), A Touch of Sin (2013), Mountains May Depart (2015), Ash Is Purest White (2018), Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue (2020), as well as his short works such as Xiao Shan Going Home (1995), The Hedonists (2016), and Revive (2017).

      **Where to Stream:** The Criterion Channel

      **The End (Joshua Oppenheimer)**

      In last year’s The Zone of Interest, a moment of visceral reaction mirrored a key point from Oppenheimer’s 2012 debut The Act of Killing. While The Zone of Interest was often mischaracterized as an investigation into the banality of evil, it would also be erroneous to label The End in the same vein. At the recent Telluride festival, Oppenheimer shared his fascination with the self-deceptions we embrace and the inherent dangers of such delusions. Humans uniquely possess the ability to compartmentalize and continue on—it's perhaps our most vital survival instinct. With The End, Oppenheimer delves deeper than reflexive involuntary responses, compelling his characters to confront their actions and their lasting impacts more directly. It's not subtle, but the film’s absence of cynicism is most pronounced in these explicit moments. It is undeniably thought-provoking to depict a wealthy white family that bears direct responsibility for the world's demise, whose immense wealth has shielded them from real consequences for this devastation—then to assert that these individuals deserve love, the opportunity to reconcile their past, and to move forward with renewed hope. – Caleb H. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** Hulu

      **The Friend (Scott McGehee and David Siegel)**

      The latest film from independent filmmakers Scott McGehee and David Siegel, The Friend, represents their continued collaboration of 30 years. It centers on a dog, specifically Apollo, a Great Dane inherited by Iris (Naomi Watts) from her late friend, mentor, and lover Walter (Bill Murray), who had a strong aversion to dogs. Adapted from Sigrid Nunez’s National Book Award-winning novel, the film strikes a light tone despite its exploration of grief,