New to Streaming: EPiC: Elvis Presley Live, My Father’s Shadow, Dreams, The President’s Cake & More

      Each week, we spotlight notable titles that have recently arrived on streaming platforms in the United States. Take a look at this week's picks below and explore previous compilations here.

      **Dreams** (Michel Franco)

      After **Memory**, Michel Franco and Jessica Chastain collaborate again in **Dreams**, one of the director's most accomplished films, which follows a socialite who enters a perilous affair with an emerging ballet dancer. In her Berlinale review, Savina Petkova noted, “Some images have become metonymic by nature, reflecting today’s political issues with little context necessary. One such shot opens Michel Franco’s latest film, **Dreams**, featuring a massive truck left next to a railway: illegal border-crossing. The truck rumbles and shakes with the cries of people trapped inside, pleading for help; you can already sense the dire situation the fugitives face when the police finally break down the back door. Amid the chaos, one ‘illegal’ escapes: a young, strong-looking man (Isaác Hernández) whose determination is evident in each step he takes down that desolate path. We don’t know his identity, but he clearly has a destination in mind, displaying a fierceness that overshadows his apparent suffering.”

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert** (Baz Luhrmann)

      The closing remarks of Baz Luhrmann’s **EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert**—the extravagant and polarizing first documentary from the Australian visionary, with hopes for more to come—highlight something essential about the late Elvis, seen anew: the rock 'n' roll icon poured everything into his Vegas years. In many respects, **EPiC** is the most naturalistic film Luhrmann has crafted, using the conventional structure of a revealing music documentary in an unconventional way. However, that’s misleading under the vibrant lens of the **Moulin Rouge** and **Romeo + Juliet** director, who infuses a dazzling energy—equally breathtaking in cinematic terms as The King’s concerts were musically—into the familiar documentary style that captivates viewers from start to finish. – Luke H. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Heads or Tails** (Alessio Rigo de Righi, Matteo Zoppis)

      Following their transporting adventure **The Tale of King Crab**, directors Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis return with a prominent cast. Starring John C. Reilly as Buffalo Bill, **Heads or Tails** also features Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Alessandro Borghi, Peter Lanzani, Mirko Artuso, Gabrielle Silli, and Gianni Garko. Rory O’Connor remarked in his review, “There are few living filmmakers more suited for the Western than Alessio Rigo de Righi and Matteo Zoppis. The duo behind **The Tale of King Crab**—a film I treasure like a sacred artifact—have carved out their own niche in contemporary Italian magical realism, alongside Alice Rohrwacher and Pietro Marcello while maintaining their distinct style. Their latest, **Heads or Tails**, is another of their ethereal campfire tales. While it may not fully manifest their Western potential, it will suffice until they reach that point.”

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **My Father’s Shadow** (Akinola Davies Jr.)

      Debuting in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival, Akinola Davies Jr.’s acclaimed first feature **My Father’s Shadow** received a Special Mention for the Caméra d’Or. It also garnered Breakthrough Director and Outstanding Lead Performance awards (for Sope Dirisu) at the Gothams, and the U.K.’s entry for the Oscars is now available on MUBI following its theatrical release. Alistair Ryder stated in his review, “The journey of children coming to understand their parents’ perspectives is a classic coming-of-age theme, yet Davies Jr. handles this element with subtlety and grace. When their father recounts the story of how he met their mother for the first time, a tale they’ve never heard, it’s a masterful moment showcasing two children realizing their parents have lives and histories of their own. These understated exchanges propel the film’s narrative.”

      **Where to Stream:** MUBI

      **The Phoenician Scheme** (Wes Anderson)

      Opening with music that feels unusually tense for a Wes Anderson film—throbbing cellos leading a full orchestra more reminiscent of **Mission: Impossible** than **Moonrise Kingdom**—the story begins with an assassination attempt. This thrilling start eventually fizzles out. Notorious crime mastermind Zsa Zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) is seated in a beautifully designed train car, resembling the off-white, wood, burgundy, and plaid train car that will transport him and his crew throughout Phoenicia