Our picks of the new releases coming to UK streaming in May.
Under normal circumstances the challenge of putting together our monthly guide comes from deciding which movies don't make our final list of 10. With cinemas currently out of business and many distributors understandably unwilling to send their titles straight to VOD/DVD, this month we had a much more limited pool of new releases to choose from. Nevertheless, we've managed to put together a list of 10 movies we think may be worth checking out while you're on lockdown. All dates and formats are correct at time of posting, but could well be subject to change.
The Assistant
A lot of women (and no doubt a few men) are likely relieved to be working from home right now, where they don't have to fend off lecherous bosses. Documentarian Kitty Green addresses such scenarios in her narrative feature debut, writing and directing The Assistant. Under-rated actress Julia Garner gets a rare lead role as a young college graduate who lands a dream job at a film production company, where she begins to suspect her boss of abusing his position.
On Digital May 1st.
Get In
This French thriller from director Olivier Abbou mines similar territory as Oscar winner Parasite, but from the other side of the fence. The film sees a family arrive home a holiday to find their house taken over by their babysitter, whose family have taken up residence as squatters. Things escalate violently as the homeowners take the law into their own hands to retrieve their property.
On Netflix May 1st.
Ema
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín (The Club; Neruda; Jackie) was churning out movies at an astonishing rate a few years ago, but he's made us wait four years for his latest, the music drama Ema. Ema stars Mariana Di Girolamo as the eponymous Ema, a reggaeton dancer who embarks on a quest to win back the child she previously gave up to the state. Larraín regular Gael García Bernal also stars, along with Paola Giannini and Santiago Cabrera.
On MUBI May 2nd, following a free preview on May 1st.
Reborn
Since returning to horror in 2011's You're Next, actress Barbara Crampton has quickly reestablished herself as a star of the genre. In director Julian Richards' Reborn, Crampton plays the mother of a stillborn baby who was brought back to life by an electrical storm and stolen by a morgue attendant. Now 16 years old, her daughter, gifted with the power to control electricity, is looking for her Mommy.
On Digital May 4th and DVD May 11th.
Z
A couple of years ago we were impressed by director Brandon Christensen's low budget horror debut Still/Born, which we caught at IFI Horrorthon back in 2017. Christensen is back with Z, in which a mother (Keegan Connor Tracy) is menaced by her young son's imaginary friend.
On Shudder May 7th.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
One of the most talked about movies of the now disrupted festival circuit was the third feature from writer/director Eliza Hittman (It Felt Like Love; Beach Rats). Lead actress Sidney Flanigan has won many plaudits for her debut role as a Pennsylvanian teenager who takes a risky trip to New York with her cousin (Talia Ryder) seeking an abortion.
On Digital May 13th, VOD May 27th.
Hagazussa
Folk-horror has seen a revival recently with the likes of The Witch, Gwen and Midsommar, and the sub-genre's comeback continues with debut filmmaker Lukas Feigelfeld's Hagazussa. Set in 15th century Germany, Hagazussa stars Aleksandra Cwen as a young woman who reacts to being shunned by her local community by embracing the powers of witchcraft.
On blu-ray May 11th.
The Orphanage
Preceded by 2015's Wolf and Sheep, The Orphanage is the second instalment of a series of movies from writer/director Shahrbanoo Sadat following the character of Qodrat (Qodratollah Qadiri), a child of rural Afghan. The Orphanage catches up with Qodrat in 1989, now 15 years old and living on the streets of Kabul before being sent to a Soviet run orphanage.
On MUBI May 14th.
Proximity
As a visual effects artist, Eric Demeusy's credits include Tron: Legacy, Game of Thrones and Stranger Things. Now he makes his debut as a feature writer/director with sci-fi thriller Proximity. The film stars Ryan Masson as a young NASA scientist who embarks on a quest to prove his claims of being abducted by aliens.
On Digital May 18th.
I See You
One of our faves from last year's IFI Horrorthon, director Adam Randall's I See You is a smart thriller that fools its audience into thinking they're watching a generic horror movie, only to spring a twist at the midway point that sends the film into completely different territory. In our review we called the twist a water-cooler moment, but given the current circumstances you'll have to discuss it with your colleagues on Zoom now.
On blu-ray May 25th.
#Shudder Announces Four New Exclusive Movies for May [Trailers]https://t.co/cMQanAVV4K pic.twitter.com/zREMfZq2Nh— 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕄𝕠𝕧𝕚𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕗𝕗𝕝𝕖𝕣 (@themoviewaffler) April 24, 2020