New to Streaming: Miroirs No. 3, Backrooms, The Currents, Obsession, and More

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

      **Backrooms (Kane Parsons)**

      The first five minutes act as an excellent introduction for those unfamiliar with Parsons’ Backrooms web series, providing some convincing evidence that this 20-year-old YouTuber has talent. It features a found-footage clip of a researcher lost in an infinite liminal space while being pursued by an unseen malevolent force. Even in the low resolution typical of early 1990s camcorders, the uncanny production design (from Perkins’ frequent collaborator, Danny Vermette) is immediately unsettling. Signs appear as mirror images, furniture objects seem to have merged with the floor, and seagulls are the only living beings present. It's an eerie environment just before the ominous echoes of footsteps behind our cameraman intensify, culminating in offscreen catastrophe. We then jump ahead about ten days to meet Clark (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an unsuccessful architect and proprietor of the whimsically named furniture store Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire. – Alistair R. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **The Currents (Milagros Mumenthaler)**

      Writer-director Milagros Mumenthaler illustrates an intimate portrait of a woman striving to confront her fragmented identity, eager to avoid succumbing to madness. Mumenthaler recognizes that motherhood involves a performance element that reminds a mother that her life is now shared. Although her love for her daughter remains, she shrinks from it, absorbed in the examination of her current life situation. In therapy, Lina reveals her fear of water's power and the strength of a current that could sweep her away. It seems she has become aware of the precariousness of her existence, realizing that the confidence that once guided her vanished when she leapt from the bridge. Despite the strange nature of her fears, the underlying emotions resonate painfully with any woman who feels overwhelmed by the inertia of her life. – Jourdain S. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Exit 8 (Genki Kawamura)**

      The simple gameplay and utilization of the trendy liminal horror genre propelled The Exit 8 to viral success—over 1.5 million copies have been sold, boosted by streamers whose videos have garnered millions of views. However, how do you adapt a game that can be completed in mere minutes into a full-length film? For director and co-writer Genki Kawamura, the answer lies in horror's classic technique of embracing allegory. Exit 8’s concept becomes an illustration of how routines can ensnare us in cycles of negative behaviors. The main character, The Lost Man (Kazunari Ninomiya), is observed during his daily commute on the Tokyo subway. While navigating the maze of pedestrian tunnels, he receives a call from his recent ex-girlfriend revealing her pregnancy, prompting him to decide whether she should keep the baby. – C.J. P. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** Shudder

      **Jinsei (Ryuya Suzuki)**

      Presenting the end of the world calmly may be more difficult than it seems, especially within a 93-minute timeframe. This is one of the noteworthy accomplishments of the new, relatively low-budget anime film Jinsei. Over a century—viewed through the lens of pop music and Japanese identity—reveals how much the millennial and zoomer pessimistic mindset pervades even in the land of the rising sun. – Ethan V. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** VOD

      **Marc by Sofia (Sofia Coppola)**

      Sofia Coppola, Marc Jacobs, and three decades of friendship between them made this trio appealing enough for A24 to take on the project, leading to its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival (out of competition). Where else, if not Italy, would a renowned director debut their fashion documentary? Luca Guadagnino did (Salvatore, Shoemaker of Dreams), fully aware that it would go directly to streaming afterward. Yet, fashion documentary portraits possess an authenticity, wearing their predictable structure, expert commentary, and rapid supercut editing to create a lively rhythm. Themes of fame, beauty, and a harsh industry where one can either excel or underperform are common tropes, but when Sofia Coppola directs a documentary about designer Marc Jacobs and his A/W 2024/25 collection, it appears to be more than just a well-calculated project. – Savina P. (full review)

      **Where to Stream:** HBO Max

      **Mile End Kicks (Chandler Levack)**

      There’s a reason why Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill resonates with Grace Pine (Barbie Ferreira). This same reason endears a publisher to provide her with an