New to Streaming: Abel Ferrara, I Want Your Sex, Our Land, Romería, and More

      Each week we showcase significant titles that have recently become available on streaming platforms in the United States. This week’s picks are listed below, and you can find earlier compilations here.

      Abel Ferrara

      One of the boldest filmmakers in America is receiving a well-deserved focus. The Criterion Channel is now offering the works of Abel Ferrara, which include The Driller Killer, Ms .45, Fear City, China Girl, King of New York, Bad Lieutenant, Body Snatchers, Dangerous Game, The Addiction, The Blackout, New Rose Hotel, ’R Xmas, Napoli, Napoli, Napoli, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Welcome to New York, The Projectionist, Tommaso, Padre Pio, and Turn in the Wound.

      Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

      The Currents (Milagros Mumenthaler)

      Writer-director Milagros Mumenthaler crafts an intimate depiction of a woman grappling with her fragmented identity, striving to avoid the descent into madness. Mumenthaler depicts that motherhood involves a performance aspect that makes a mother realize her life no longer belongs solely to her. While her love for her daughter remains, she recoils from it, preoccupied with assessing the current state of her life. In therapy, Lina voices her fear of the power of water and the current that could sweep her away. It’s as if she understands the fragility of her life, knowing that the confidence she once had was washed away the moment she jumped off the bridge. Despite the uniqueness of her fears, the emotions underlying them resonate painfully with any woman feeling overwhelmed by the inertia of her life. – Jourdain S. (full review)

      Where to Stream: Kino Film Collection

      Erupcja (Pete Ohs)

      Bethany (Charli xcx) and Rob (Will Madden) find themselves in Warsaw for a reason. It’s an obvious choice—she suggested the Polish city as an alternative when he mentioned Paris—but it also serves as a familiar escape just as their relationship intensifies. Bethany senses a proposal is imminent. She has lived with Rob for a year in London, and he has begun to allude to a surprise for his “love.” It’s time to take action. – Jared M. (full review)

      Where to Stream: MUBI

      I Want Your Sex (Gregg Araki)

      I Want Your Sex features Araki, at 66, delivering a message to the younger generation: life can be messy and painful—and while the instinct to stay home and avoid risks may scream at them, the pain of looking back as an old person on missed chances is even greater. To express it in Araki's style: you only live once, so stop watching so much porn and start connecting (i.e., having sex). Tracy offers Elliot numerous mini-speeches to this effect, ranging from entertaining to overly educational. Elliot occasionally challenges Tracy’s dismissive stance, citing various reasons his generation isn’t having sex. However, like Tracy's speeches, his responses feel forced, as if taken from an article in the Atlantic or New York Times. – Caleb H. (full review)

      Where to Stream: VOD

      Our Land (Nuestra Tierra) (Lucrecia Martel)

      There is a clear connection between Lucrecia Martel’s previous historical film Zama and her contemporary legal documentary Nuestra Tierra. The ongoing disregard for the lives of indigenous communities in Argentina and the existing class and racial divides are starkly portrayed. Martel captures both the courtroom scenes and footage of the disputed land as two historical battlegrounds. The murder of indigenous leader Javie Chocobar by corrupt businessmen and bureaucrats highlights the ongoing struggles over territory in Argentina. While Martel’s work is often rich in metaphor, blending fantasy and realism through impressionistic cinematography, this film strips everything down to fundamental cinematic elements, making the stakes abundantly clear. – Soham G.

      Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel

      Ricky (Rashad Frett)

      Ricky (Stephen James) has been out of prison for only a few weeks, but the outside world already feels overwhelming. His parole officer Joanne (Sheryl Lee Ralph) constantly shows up to reprimand him. His mother Winsome (Simbi Kali) treats him like a lost cause. He recently lost a job that was supposed to be guaranteed by his childhood friend Terrence (Sean Nelson), who fifteen years ago convinced Ricky to join in on a robbery. When they got caught, Terrence fled, leaving Ricky to deal with the fallout. After spending much of his life incarcerated, he struggles with social interactions. Despite his strong physique and imposing presence, he feels like the frightened teenager who was arrested all those years before. Unsure of how he will move forward, Ricky has one advantage—he knows how to cut hair. With the aspiration of opening a barbershop someday, he tries to create a