New Arrivals on Streaming: The Prisoner, Silent Friend, Obsession, Fiume o morte! & More

      Every week, we spotlight significant titles that have recently appeared on streaming platforms in the United States. Take a look at this week’s picks below and previous collections here.

      Fiume o morte! (Igor Bezinović)

      Upon learning about Gabriele D’Annunzio’s 16-month occupation of Fiume, portrayed vividly in Igor Bezinović’s Tiger Award-winning documentary Fiume o Morte!, I couldn’t help but think of Yukio Mishima. Although D’Annunzio's life didn’t conclude as dramatically, both men—renowned writers and hyper-nationalists with grand military aspirations and similarly controversial legacies—shared an affinity for the adventurous and tumultuous. Was D’Annunzio a fascist colonizer, as some in Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia) assert, or was he an admirable dreamer akin to his romantic poetry? A century later, the debate continues. – Rory O. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      Glastonbury Fayre (Nicolas Roeg and Peter Neal)

      As the legendary Glastonbury Festival takes a break this year to allow the Somerset farmland to rejuvenate, we are featuring a rarely seen glimpse into its quirky origins, filmed by Nicolas Roeg (who left the project to helm his classics Walkabout and Don’t Look Now) and finalized by Peter Neal (who passed away earlier this year and directed Jimi Hendrix: The Experience). Captured during a wild week in distant farmlands, Glastonbury Fayre encapsulates the music and ethos that have come to symbolize this English festival. It serves as a delightful time capsule of the hippie movement, filled with lively dancing, mud bathing, and sun meditations, and rightfully belongs alongside documentary favorites like Monterey Pop and Woodstock.

      Where to Stream: Le Cinéma Club

      Obsession (Curry Barker)

      While Obsession becomes increasingly intense and uncomfortable, the main focus isn’t necessarily where the film is headed, but rather how it will arrive there and the route it will choose. However, to Barker's credit, it never feels like he’s dragging his feet; much of the film revolves around Bear and his co-workers, particularly Sarah (Megan Lawless), the owner’s daughter, who may harbor a crush on Bear. Both she and Ian find Nikki’s abrupt shift peculiar, worrying that Bear might be exploiting a mental breakdown. This development indicates that Barker has deeper themes in mind, perhaps aware that a different take on this film could be deeply troubling in its portrayal of women. – Devan S. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      The Prisoner (Patrick McGoohan)

      I’m not certain if The Prisoner is truly the greatest television series ever produced, but it certainly feels that way whenever I view it. Despite creator-writer-director-star Patrick McGoohan’s sci-fi espionage series presaging (or being directly co-opted by) much of what later was called innovative for the medium, few shows have matched the challenge it posed nearly sixty years ago—making it an ideal addition to the Criterion Channel’s current exploration of TV programming. It's hard to discuss The Prisoner without exaggeration—best set design, best Beatles reference, best ending, best show—so I’ll leave it (and any chosen episode sequence) to you before the long-rumored film adaptation, possibly directed by the equally rumored Christopher Nolan (whose admiration for the series is most evident in "A. B. and C.," a stunning piece of creativity that surpasses anything in Inception or Tenet). – Nick N.

      Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

      Project Hail Mary (Phil Lord and Chris Miller)

      Based on the best-selling book by Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary starts off with an exasperating opening act that seems to stem from two comedy filmmakers annoyed that the previous Weir adaptation—2015’s The Martian—was labeled a comedy by the Golden Globes, wanting to demonstrate what an authentic comedic adaptation of his work could resemble. That the film manages to pivot effectively after this extended opening is rather remarkable, evolving into an unexpected character-driven buddy film that doesn’t resort to lowering its lead for cheap laughs. It meets the high expectations you might have for a witty yet sincere Lord-Miller interpretation of the source material, even if it doesn’t fully make up for the clumsy beginning. – Alistair R. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Prime Video

      Silent Friend (Ildikó Enyedi)

      Hungarian director Ildikó Enyedi is renowned for her 2017 Golden Bear winner On Body and Soul, which depicted an unlikely pair who met and fell in love in a dream as deer. This wonderfully tender Berlinale winner is, in many respects, a precursor to Enyedi’s latest work, despite the fact that following it was The Story of My Wife