January slope arrives at home viewing with a mix of documentaries and new releases
The year begins with a slate that blends documentary work, social insights, and entertainment from a wide range of creators. Fans of Beatle lore can anticipate Abbey Road: If the Walls Talk, a documentary that deepens appreciation for a legendary chapter. Jennifer Lopez fans will find a new wedding-centered comedy, while indie film lovers are treated to rarities like Earwig. The program also includes early social whistleblower tapes about the war in Ukraine such as Noise and political explorations like Klondike, alongside fresh tapes from Eddie Murphy and Jon Hamm.
Thursday is day five on Movistar+, with Film as the banner. Greg Mottola, known for cult favorites such as Adventureland and Superbad, returns to the universe originated by Gregory McDonald around journalist Fletcher and his research. This time Jon Hamm steps into the role alongside John Slattery, a familiar face from Mad Men. The result is a detective comedy that balances eccentric characters against the backdrop of the series Fist from the Back, creating a witty contrast for audiences.
Friday marks day six in the lineup. Lucile Hadzihalilovic presents a latest film that earned the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastian in 2021 and appeared in Atlántida Film Fest before joining the platform’s catalog. The work is cryptic and visually powerful, using imagery to weave a dreamlike universe rather than conventional narration. It invites viewers into hypnotic atmospheres that probe cognition and mental landscapes in unsettling ways.
Friday continues with a Disney+ showcase. Mary McCartney, photographer and documentarian, guides audiences through iconic moments in Abbey Road Studios with a personal touch. The doors to the studio open to reveal the extent of Paul McCartney’s influence on modern music. The program includes interviews, archival footage, unreleased session tapes, and contributions from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Elton John, Liam and Noel Gallagher, John Williams, George Lucas, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, Kate Bush, and Roger Waters.
Wednesday brings a Netflix feature that moved from theaters to streaming, remaining modest in scope yet significant in impact. Natalia Beristain’s important work centers on the silent genocide of women in her country. It complements another major Netflix piece, Night of Fire by Tatiana Huezo, a thriller that follows a mother’s quest to locate her missing daughter.
Friday the thirteenth presents a Cannes Films Festival favorite that also claimed a Cesar for best first feature. Vincent Maël Cardona crafts a vibrant portrait of eighties youth through the lens of a new local radio scene. The film traces how music shapes friendships and identities during a period of change, delivering a nostalgic coming-of-age story filled with iconic rhythms and songs about rebellion against the system in fresh, personal ways.
Friday the thirteenth continues with a Movistar+ presentation that spotlights documentary filmmaker Alice Diop. Her focus on immigration and daily life in France evolves into a feature that examines ordinary people facing hardship and inequality. The film follows diverse individuals—a nurse, a writer, a cleaner, a scrap dealer, a hunter, and a filmmaker—through a narrative that blends observational cinema with social critique, using train journeys through the Paris suburbs as a moving stage for their stories.
On the twentieth, a cinema outing follows a young actor and playwright who turns to directing. The piece meditates on cinema in the post-metoo era, exploring themes of borders and consent. A central scene involving a nude sequence becomes the fulcrum of a long conversation about integrity and the responsibilities of art, with the director and actor debating their approaches to storytelling and respect on set.
Friday the twenty-seventh introduces a Netflix feature from Kenya Barris, a creator and performer known for social comedies. Jonah Hill writes and stars in a film that examines culture clashes, generational differences, and racial dynamics with a star-studded cast including Eddie Murphy, Lauren London, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny, Nia Long, and Rhea Perlman. The film continues Barris’s exploration of family life and African-American experience while delivering comedic energy and sharp social commentary.
The same day, Amazon Prime Video offers a Jennifer Lopez entry centered on weddings and high-stakes action. The veteran star teams with Josh Duhamel for a high-energy comedy in which a glamorous couple faces a hostage situation on a dream island. The cast also includes Jennifer Coolidge and Lenny Kravitz, adding distinctive flavor to this high-spirited genre blend.
Later that week, an Oscar-nominated Ukrainian film by Maryna Gorbach returns to the spotlight. The work chronicles a border story from the Donbass era, captured through the lens of a Ukrainian family and their experiences as war breaks out. It is a heartbreakingly poetic examination of disruption and resilience, offering one of the most intimate artistic portrayals of the conflict in contemporary cinema.
All entries invite audiences to explore a mosaic of stories—from music history and visual artistry to social issues and intimate, human-scale dramas. The selections emphasize how film and documentary can illuminate culture, memory, and the many ways people respond to upheaval with courage, humor, and imagination. These titles exemplify a broad spectrum of contemporary storytelling across streaming platforms, cinema screenings, and festival legacies, inviting viewers to engage, reflect, and discover in equal measure. Attribution: festival catalogs and platform notes.