This collection of films now streaming at SBS On Demand features people coming together (or coming apart) at memorable parties, dinners, soirees, weddings and other social gatherings. Stay put, stay safe and vicariously enjoy – or in some cases, be glad you’re not a part of – these cinematic gatherings from the comfort of your own home, via SBS On Demand.
Ali’s Wedding
M
Australia, 2017
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Language: English, Persian, Arabic
Director: Jeffrey Walker
Starring: Osamah Sami, Don Hany, Helana Sawires, Robert Rabiah
What’s it about?
After a “white lie” which spirals out of control, neurotic, naive and musically gifted Muslim cleric’s eldest son Ali (Sami) must follow through with an arranged marriage, except he is madly in love with an Australian-born Lebanese girl.
[link title="How Osamah Sami turned his life into Australian Muslim rom-com, 'Ali's Wedding'" url="node/147885"]
The crowdpleasing hit romantic comedy Ali's Wedding airs Fri 14 June, 8:35PM on SBS Source: SBS Movies
Big Night
M
USA, 1996
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Director: Stanley Tucci, Campbell Scott
Starring: Stanley Tucci, Marc Anthony, Tony Shalhoub, Isabella Rossellini
What’s it about?
Two Italian immigrant brothers open a restaurant in New Jersey seeking to live out the American dream. Business is tough but when a prominent Italian-American musician comes to perform nearby, the brothers are galvanised into performing a sumptuous banquet.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
PG
USA, 1961
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Language: English
Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney
What’s it about?
A young New York writer (Peppard) sponsored by a wealthy woman (Neal) falls in love with the charming, impulsive and eccentric socialite party-girl (Hepburn) that lives next door. Based on a story by Truman Capote, and featuring a famous, wild party scene that took six days to film.
A young New York writer (Peppard) sponsored by a wealthy woman (Neal) falls in love with the charming, impulsive and eccentric socialite party-girl (Hepburn) that lives next door. Based on a story by Truman Capote, and featuring a famous, wild party scene that took six days to film.
Source: SBS Movies
Dogs in Space
MA15+
Australia, 1986
Genre: Music, Drama
Language: English
Director: Richard Lowenstein
Starring: Michael Hutchence, Saskia Post, Nique Needles, Deanna Bond, Tony Helou
What’s it about?
The place is Melbourne, Australia 1978. The punk phenomenon is sweeping the country and Dogs In Space, a punk group, are part of it. In a squat, in a dodgy suburb, live a ragtag collection of outcasts and don’t-wanna-bes who survive on a diet of old TV space films, drugs and good music. And the satellite SKYLAB could crash through their roof at any moment.
[link title="Rooms for the Memory: 'Dogs in Space' and the getting of wisdom" url="node/199829"]
Michael Hutchence in 'Dogs in Space' Source: SBS Movies
Madeline’s Madeline
M
USA, 2018
Genre: Drama
Language: English
Director: Josephine Decker
Starring: Helena Howard, Molly Parker, Miranda July, Okwui Okpokwasili
What’s it about?
Madeline (Howard) has become an integral part of a prestigious physical theatre troupe. When the workshop’s ambitious director pushes the teenager to weave her rich interior world and troubled history with her mother into their collective art, the lines between performance and reality begin to blur. The resulting battle between imagination and appropriation rips out of the rehearsal space and through all three women’s lives. “One of the freshest and most exciting films of the 21st century” - David Ehrlich, IndieWire.
Mother!
MA15+
USA, 2017
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Language: English
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer
What’s it about?
A couple’s (Lawrence, Bardem) relationship is tested when uninvited guests arrive at their home, disrupting their tranquil existence. The controversial latest feature from Aronofsky, director of The Wrestler, Black Swan and Requiem For a Dream.
Offside
PG
Iran, 2006
Genre: Comedy
Language: Persian
Director: Jafar Panahi
Starring: Sima Mobarak-Shahi, Shayesteh Irani, Ayda Sadeqi
What’s it about?
Five young women go to extraordinary lengths to watch Iran’s 2006 World Cup qualifier in a crowded stadium where women have been banned. Filmed during the actual football game between Iran and Bahrain in 2005. Winner of the Jury Grand Prix at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, and the last feature film made by Panahi before his arrest in 2010 and subsequent filmmaking ban.
Five young women go to extraordinary lengths to watch Iran’s 2006 World Cup qualifier in a crowded stadium where women have been banned. Filmed during the actual football game between Iran and Bahrain in 2005. Winner of the Jury Grand Prix at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, and the last feature film made by Panahi before his arrest in 2010 and subsequent filmmaking ban.
‘Offside’. Source: Madman Entertainment
PlayTime
PG
France, 1967
Genre: Comedy
Language: French, German, English
Director: Jacques Tati
Starring: Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden, France Rumilly
What’s it about?
Monsieur Hulot finds himself perplexed by the intimidating complexity of a gadget-filled Paris. He attempts to meet with a business contact but soon becomes lost. His roundabout journey parallels that of an American tourist, and as they weave through the inventive urban environment, they intermittently meet, developing an interest in one another. They eventually get together at a chaotic restaurant, along with several other quirky characters.
Quinceañera
M
USA, 2006
Genre: Drama
Language: Spanish
Director: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Emily Rios, Jesse Garcia, Chalo González
What’s it about?
When Magdelena’s (Rios) 15th birthday comes near, her spirit is devoured by ideas of her swain, her Quinceañera dress, and the Hummer limousine she desires will turn up on her special day. Life appears so uncomplicated in her Echo Park vicinity of Los Angeles, till fate presents an unwanted surprise – she is pregnant. Winner of both the Audience Award and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival.
The Square
MA15+
Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, 2017
Genre: Drama
Language: Swedish, Danish, English
Director: Ruben Ostlund
Starring: Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, Terry Notary, Christopher Læssø
What’s it about?
Christian (Bang) is the respected curator of a contemporary art museum, a divorced but devoted father of two who drives an electric car and supports good causes. His next show is “The Square”, an installation which invites passersby to altruism, reminding them of their role as responsible fellow human beings. From Swedish writer-director Ruben Östlund (Force Majeure), and winner of the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, The Square is a merciless satire of modern art, hypocrisy and fragile male ego - and features an unforgettable scene at a black tie gala dinner.
Under the Silver Lake
MA15+
USA, 2018
Genre: Mystery, Crime, Drama
Language: English
Director: David Robert Mitchell
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Riley Keough, Topher Grace, Grace van Patten, Zosia Mamet
What’s it about?
Young and disenchanted Sam (Garfield) meets a mysterious and beautiful woman (Keough) who’s swimming in his building’s pool one night. When she suddenly vanishes the next morning, Sam embarks on a surreal quest across Los Angeles to decode the secret behind her disappearance, leading him from the city’s liveliest parties and into the murkiest depths of mystery, scandal and conspiracy. From David Robert Mitchell, writer-director of It Follows.
Wings of Desire
PG
Germany, 1987
Genre: Drama, Romance, Fantasy
Language: German
Director: Wim Wenders
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Peter Falk, Solveig Dommartin
What’s it about?
Daniel (Ganz), a lonely, trenchcoated angel, watches over Berlin, silently comforting its citizens in their hour of need. But when he is captivated by a beautiful French trapeze artist (Dommartin), Daniel decides to trade his gentle, angelic life for the torturous emotions of the secular world. With his divine position in jeopardy, he must choose to either give up love, or lose his eternal wings forever. A classic film from renowned German director Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas, The Buena Vista Social Club), featuring a memorable performance from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds in a packed Berlin club.
[link title="Wings of Desire review: A joy from start to finish" url="node/164753"]
