our list Featured streaming premieres for February an animated film written by a cult screenwriter, the third installment in a romantic trilogy that broke audience records, two Chinese films that served as resounding critiques of their countries of origin; one is a depiction of different forms of bullying; the other is about the pursuit of a serial killer, an ‘action’ starring a baker, a ‘flashy’ version of the typical superhero adventure, a Serbian film that could well form a duo with ‘Oppenheimer’, and a documentary about African Americans. ‘trans’ sex workers. almost everythingAlright.
‘Freaks’ (February 2, Movie)
Gabriele Mainetti’s second film is a historical fantasy set in Hitler-occupied Italy and starring four members of a circus troupe who manage to escape the Nazis thanks to the same skills that turned them into fairground attractions: one can control insects, the other can control insects. they have magnetic powers, another has extraordinary strength, and the girl in the quartet is an electrical superconductor. Given that it doesn’t take the horrors of World War II seriously, it could have pitted its superhero heroes against aliens instead of human monsters. If he achieves his goal, Mainetti may follow the same path for ‘Freaks Out 2’.
‘Orion and the Darkness’ (February 2, Netflix)
Based on a children’s book by Emma Yarlett, the film tells the story of a boy struggling with endless fears that he devotes himself to recording in a sketchbook: fear of talking to the girl he likes, fear of bullies at school, fear of killer clowns, fear of death and, most of all, fear of the dark; and just that, Darkness, is the name of the giant, smiling creature that one day visits the boy and becomes his new friend. ‘Orion and the Darkness’ showcases the wit and humor of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, for whom this film marks a return to animated cinema, as he explores the pain we have all experienced at some point and posits the love of family as a means to overcome them. Nine years after ‘Anomalisa’ (2015).
‘Guardians of the Formula’ (February 2, Film)
Set in 1958 between France and Yugoslavia, the film’s plot revolves around the innovative experimental treatment administered by a Parisian professor to four researchers exposed to radioactivity during the Belgrade government’s efforts to develop its own nuclear weapons. While depicting a set of people who manage to respect and love each other despite their ideological conflicts, it manages to produce considerable doses of violence while celebrating people who are willing to risk their own integrity to save the life of a stranger. Suspense and suspense based on scientific procedures that most viewers will not understand.
‘Better Days’ (February 9, Film)
Persecuted by the censorship system of Chinese authorities, who initially boycotted the film’s inclusion in the 2019 Berlinale program and months later suspended its release in national cinemas, and later became a box office success in its home country, Derek Tsang’s second film is a reflection of both class ‘tyranny’ (the image the Beijing government is trying to project). a phenomenon he considers harmful) and his devastating portrait of the ‘gaokao’, the very difficult university entrance exam administered in China. Similarly, the film combines realism and visual stylization to illustrate some of the harmful effects of social networks and lament that the ubiquity of security cameras in the country does not serve to guarantee the safety of residents.
‘Maggies Moore(s)’ (February 14, Movistar Plus)
When two women with the same name are murdered within days of each other, a small-town police chief’s investigation to solve the case brings him face to face with an unlikely gallery of unfaithful husbands, lonely hearts, nosy neighbors and murderers. While considering one and the other, actor John Slattery’s new directorial film is less interested in following the conventions of crime cinema than in exploring the lives of its characters and the relationships they maintain with each other. The leading roles are Tina Fey and especially Jon Hamm, with whom Slattery shot dozens of episodes of ‘Mad Men’.
‘Kokomo City’ (February 16, Film)
In her first film as a documentary filmmaker, singer, and music producer, D. Smith examines the lives of black transgender sex workers in the United States. Shot in crisp, crisp black-and-white, the women speak candidly about their lives and livelihoods, as well as making more general philosophical observations about today’s society’s differing attitudes to gender identity and who earns it. Rather than cataloging the hardships endured by his protagonists, Smith is interested in celebrating their strength, and to do so he resorts to direct language based on compelling testimonials and images of full nudity and simulated sexual acts.
‘As You Look’ (February 23, Netflix)
This film completes the trilogy based on the novels of Venezuelan Ariana Godoy, starting with ‘Through my window’ and continuing with ‘Across the Window’, which became the fourth most watched non-English language movie in Netflix history with more than 61 million views. Sea’ (2023). The last thing we know about the film’s protagonists, Raquel (Clara Galle) and Ares (Julio Peña), is that after spending an unforgettable summer in Costa Brava and meeting other people, they decided not to continue their relationship. But thanks to the new film, they both meet again in winter in Barcelona and discover that they continue to feel an irresistible mutual attraction.
‘The Silence of the Water’ (February 23, Film)
Join an obsessive detective as he embarks on a long, labyrinthine hunt for a serial killer in rural China three decades ago, and discover the effects of the investigation on a town full of secrets. Directed by Wei Shujun, this film, rather than being a typical crime intrigue, attempts to serve as an ode to ‘film noir’ styles, particularly disparate references such as Jean-Pierre Melville’s cinema ‘Chinatown’ (1974) and ‘Memoirs’ . A Murderer (2003) And at the same time, it offers a portrait of Chinese society just before the economic modernization process that took place in the wake of the Tiananmen protests, bearing the weight of repression and desperation.
‘Mea culpa’ (February 23, Netflix)
Prolific director and producer Tyler Perry’s fifth feature film for Netflix is a story of intrigue about a criminal lawyer who agrees to handle the criminal case of an artist accused of murdering his girlfriend, trying to find out whether he has a girlfriend or not. The mysterious customer is as innocent as he claims, thrust into a world that is both seductive and very dangerous. “I’ve always loved erotic thrillers from the ’80s and ’90s, and I found it interesting to revisit the genre to explore both the best and worst parts of people,” Perry says of the film, which stars singer Kelly Rowland. ” Trevante Rhodes.
‘The Baker’ (February 27, Movistar Plus)
Undoubtedly inspired by books such as John Cassavetes’ ‘Gloria’ (1980) and Luc Besson’s ‘The Professional (Léon) (1994), this film tells the story of an old baker who is forced to do everything possible. specifically something about a giant loaf of bread filled with drugs to protect his grandson from gangsters. Leading the cast is Ron Perlman, star of two ‘Hellboy’ movies and the ‘Sons of Anarchy’ series, among other productions. A series of action sequences in which his character pushes a number of thugs out of his way with his hands, feet, or various objects he finds in his environment.