If you have a library card, there’s a good chance you (perhaps unknowingly) have access to thousands of movies and views on a small streaming service known as Kanopy. To become a member, your library will need to be the spouse of the streamer (you can ask your library for a spouse relationship if you haven’t already). A cinephile’s best-kept secret in the age of media saturation, Kanopy has a library of respected classics—from film noir to giallo, Italian neorealism to the French New Wave, silent films to new Hollywood) and trending independent films from around the world. the world. If you need to become a movie buff (or satisfy your current movie-loving appetite), Kanopy is the streaming service for you. And if you want to get a smart idea of what they have to offer, look no further than Kanopy’s Most Viewed Movies of 2024.
Kanopy published this list just a few weeks ago, and it’s full of wonderful movies that offer a decidedly different take on movie night. The streaming service published this list for 3 other categories: narrative films, television series and documentaries. And for any budding movie buff, or anyone who simply wants a movie out of the ordinary, each list is packed with cinematic firsts.
Let’s take a list at those three lists now, along with each movie or show’s distributor:
In the list of narrative films, the possible options are exceptional, starting with Kanopy’s most-watched film of 2024, nominated for Best Past Life Film. A surprising film debut by Celine Song, this quiet and romantic little drama about the divergent paths that life travels. It leads us and the inevitable remorse – even if it’s only a momentary regret, until we realize how beautiful the path we’ve chosen is – over each other. The film uses a love triangle to reflect the affair of its protagonist, a South Korean woman who distanced herself from her girlfriend from her formative years at the age of 12 before rekindling dating years later after meeting another man.
There are other big names in the independent space, such as the Best Picture nominee Anatomy of a Fall, Jules, You Hurt My Feelings and Golda. We Can’t Talk to Me Either (one of several A24 films available on Kanopy), a more down-to-earth horror film that offers a decidedly different vibe and feel than the streamer’s usual selection. Then there are several wonderful classics in this sensational ten, adding Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder and Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession (which ranks among my favorite horror films of all time).
As you can see from the series list, Father Brown dominates, occupying five of the ten most sensible spots. A British crime series that runs for 11 seasons (the series recently picked up its 12th and 13th seasons), Father Brown follows a compassionate and cunning Catholic priest in 1950s England who uses his willing understanding of human nature to solve crimes and uncover secrets in his quaint parish. BBC Worldwide has sold the hit TV show to 232 other territories, and Kanopy shows that the series’ success is expanding to a large streaming audience in the United States.
Finally, the documentary list sports some great picks that lie outside your average selection. Three of the movies immediately stand out to me: Lynch/Oz, Four Daughters and Close to Vermeer. If you’re a fan of David Lynch (personally, he is my favorite director), or if you’re simply mystified by the meaning of his movies, then you can’t miss Lynch/Oz, a rather long film essay that ties the director’s work to The Wizard of Oz. Then there’s Four Daughters, an incredible Tunisian meta-documentary that explores the painful void that exists in a home where a mother’s two daughters disappeared. Finally, there’s Close to Vermeer, which is one of the best art documentaries I’ve ever seen. The movie centers on a Johannes Vermeer exhibition that becomes a retrospective on the elusive painter’s career and cultural impact on the art world.
Beyond the movies on these lists, there are countless others to choose from on Kanopy. If you’re looking for a refreshing library of movies and shows to choose from in the new year, then let these selections be your inspiration to finally join the streaming service.
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