Beat The Heat, Stay Inside With SBS On Demand’s Incredible Summer of Movies Hub
Stream movies free this summer, all in one place on SBS On Demand.
It might sound counter-intuitive, but summer is the best time to be watching movies.
The heat’s exhausting and you have to cake on the sunscreen and the beach is overcrowded and you lost your sunglasses on that roller coaster. You swore you’d never go outside again and you were right to do so. But staying in doesn’t have to mean doom scrolling with the TV on in the background. Put on a movie that you actually want to watch, something that’ll earn your attention.
What movie? Well, there are a lot of movies out there. Thankfully, SBS On Demand has created a hub. A Summer of Movies hub, where you’ll find an incredible range of films. Blockbusters, indie darlings, unimpeachable classics… the carefully curated streaming catalogue at SBS On Demand has a film to match your every mood. Oh, and it’s completely free.
The Summer of Movies hub has literally anything you could possibly wish for, but if you want a bit more guidance, we’ve put together a list of highlights to watch out for…
C’Mon C’Mon
Before he started playing French emperors, Joaquin Phoenix starred in this drama about a journalist who becomes close to his eccentric eight-year-old nephew as they travel the US together. Written and directed by Mike Mills (who was nominated for an Oscar for 2016’s 20th Century Women — which you can also stream on SBS On Demand right now), it’s a beautiful A24 film, so you can expect a certain kind of satisfying drama vibe. And if awards are important to you, this film won a lot of them, especially from film critics, and was nominated for even more (including by the Independent Spirit Awards).
Parallel Mothers
Pretty much all of Pedro Almodóvar’s films are essential viewing. The iconic Spanish filmmaker keeps pumping out one engaging female-led melodrama after the other. Parallel Mothers, starring Penélope Cruz as a woman struggling with single motherhood and Spain’s fascist history, follows in this tradition. The story moves fast and takes lots of turns. It was also nominated for a whole bunch of prizes, including Oscars for best actress and original score.
Hereditary (Available Until 25 January)
If you enjoy horror movies, this Ari Aster horror film stars our Toni Collette as a matriarch literally dealing with family demons. Aster makes truly unique, spooky films (his next film was Midsommar, for God’s sake) and knows how to please a crowd, while scaring the bejesus out of it. Even the score is terrifying. Good luck trying to un-hear it.
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On the Basis of Sex
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an iconic US Supreme Court Justice. On the Basis of Sex brings us back to the 50s, when RBG (played by an excellent Felicity Jones) was one of the few women at Harvard Law School, and the 70s, when she became a trailblazing lawyer fighting for women’s rights – and against the sexism and antisemitism of the day. It’s directed by Mimi Leder, whose experience helming blockbusters like The Peacemaker and Deep Impact appears to have come in handy, given this film’s quick pace and crowd-pleasing energy.
Annette
Leos Carax won best director at Cannes for Annette, a musical drama about the romance between a stand-up comedian (Adam Driver) and an opera singer (Marion Cotillard). Their relationship is challenged with the arrival of their first child, Annette, who is played by a Pinocchio-type puppet. You read that right. Between the star power and the surrealism, this is a wild ride with two magnetic performers.
Parasite (Available Now)
A dark comedy following two families — one rich, one poor — Parasite was lauded on its release in 2019 for its clever and cutting examination of class. (Fun fact! It was Junkee‘s pick for the best film of 2019.) If you’re one of the few people still sleeping on Parasite, we suggest you rectify this over the summer. For further convincing; here’s what director Bong Joon-ho told Junkee about the plot: “Something very unexpected happens and that leads towards the end of the story. The latter part of the film is more close to the theme of the whole film. So I think it’s a big surprise but it’s also a realisation…. All these unexpected misfortunes, it’s something that happens in reality.”
Mothering Sunday Featuring Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Olivia Colman (Available From 14 January)
Based on a novel by Graham Swift, this English drama follows the love affair of a maidservant (Odessa Young) and a wealthy man (The Crown’s Josh O’Connor) after World War I. If you like passionate, tragic romances tinged with class disparities set in the English countryside, you will not want to miss this.
The Drover’s Wife (Available From 27 January)
Leah Purcell adapted her own novel, which was adapted from her own award-winning play, which was in turn adapted from 1892 Henry Lawson short story, to create this propulsive tale of justice and motherhood in 19th century rural New South Wales from an Indigenous perspective. It’s a traditional Aussie frontier drama told in a fresh, action-filled way.
The Worst Person In The World (Available From 28 January)
This Norwegian movie, directed by Joachim Trier, has it all. Romance, drama, comedy and a mesmerising, award-winning performance by Renate Reinsve. Nominated for best international film and best original script Oscars, The Worst Person in the World is about people doing their best, just trying to get through life (which, you know, same). In 2021, the people at Cannes loved it and you will too.
There. Now you’ve got lots of options and zero excuses. Start 2024 right by watching a whole bunch of fantastic movies for free on SBS On Demand’s Summer of Movies hub.