Watch This Week: Cinema of the Social Distance

To help get you through isolation, we’ll be recommending excellent films that are available to watch from the comfort of your home. Read on for our take on the films, related titles, and hidden gems you might not have heard of, as well as details on where they’re streaming.

For this installment, we asked you to submit your favorite films that examine themes of social distance. We’ve highlighted a few of our favorite submissions, and you can find the complete list below. Be sure to check back for new, curated watchlists and more each week.

Gary Oldman in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Streaming on Netflix

We felt it only too fitting that the top spot on our list should go to this masterful Cold War-era spy thriller. In the wake of a botched mission, head of British Intelligence, George Smiley, comes to suspect that there may be a Soviet mole hiding among his inner circle of advisors. Eschewing the car chases, shoot-outs, and glitzy casino setpieces that typify the genre, Tinker Tailor brilliantly distills John Le Carré’s story into a layered puzzle of paranoia and espionage that will keep you guessing until the very end—and likely for a while afterwards. Gary Oldman delivers a marvelously understated performance as Smiley alongside Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hardy, and John Hurt.

For other cures to the common spy movie:

We highly recommend The Lives of Others (2006) and The American (2010), both of which are available to rent on Amazon Prime.

Sixto Rodriguez in “Searching for Sugar Man”

Searching for Sugar Man

Streaming on Netflix

Following a string of commercially unsuccessful releases in the early ‘70s, Detroit singer-songwriter Rodriguez disappeared from the limelight. Meanwhile, his particular brand of wistful, political folk-rock had become a sensation amongst South African listeners living under apartheid. Decades later, a pair of filmmakers (and obsessive fans) try to connect the dots and seek out the consummate social distancer in this Academy Award-winning documentary.

For an encore:

Revisit Purple Rain (1984), starring the famously enigmatic Prince, and, wait for it—20 Feet From Stardom (2013), both streaming on Netflix. If Sugar Man sounds good but you’re more of a Black Sabbath fan, you’ll love Last Days Here (2012), available to rent on Amazon Prime. All three should be played loud.

Aleksandr Kaydanovskiy in “Stalker”

Stalker

Streaming on The Criterion Channel

Like the aforementioned Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979) presents a refined, singular interpretation of its genre that rewards a close watch. At the heart of a mysterious region, known only as “The Zone”, there is rumored to be a room with the power to fulfill one’s deepest desires. Entry is forbidden, and seldom do those who make the attempt return. Motivated by their curiosity, ambition, and awe, three men begin a pilgrimage into the unknown. Surreal, poetic, and masterfully composed, Stalker is an absolute must-watch for arthouse and science fiction fans alike. If Ingmar Bergman had directed 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), this is what it would be.

For a mind-bending experience:

Tarkovsky’s earlier films Solaris (1972) and Ivan’s Childhood (1962) are favorites of ours—though, pretty much anything from his filmography will do the trick here. You can stream all of the director’s feature films on The Criterion Channel. For a more modern take on arthouse science fiction, look no further than Under the Skin (2013), available on Netflix.

Jennifer Grey and Charlie Sheen in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Streaming on Netflix

Look, we get it, contemplative spy thrillers and 3-hour-long Russian science fiction epics are a hard sell for family movie night. Next time you find yourself stuck in deliberation, go with the sure thing and cue up a mid-80s John Hughes title—trust us on this one. True, Ferris only selectively practices social distancing when dodging his principal, but we like to think that Cameron’s self-imposed isolation is commendable.

For more crowd-pleasers:

Revisit the infinitely rewatchable Groundhog Day (1993) and Hook (1991), both available on Netflix. If you’re dead-set on getting your kids into arthouse cinema, The 400 Blows (1959) makes for a great pairing here, and is a surprisingly easy watch for folks who don’t typically go in for classic or foreign film—now streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Tom Hiddleston in “High Rise”

High Rise

Streaming on Hulu

In an alternate vision of 1970’s England, residents of a chic high rise enjoy all of the amenities of modern life—so much so that they find little reason to venture into the outside world. With paranoia and tensions mounting between the wealthy tenants of the upper floors and poorer residents below, a class struggle erupts, leaving the penthouse-dwelling socialites trapped. Director Ben Wheatley beautifully captures the ethos of ’70s opulence in this surreal, Terry Gilliam-meets-Mad Men-esque satire. Part thriller, and part black comedy, High Rise stars Tom Hiddleston, Elisabeth Moss, and Jeremy Irons. Definitely not for everyone, but required watching if you’re a fan of dystopian classics like Logan’s Run (1976) and Soylent Green (1973).

For more genre-bending thrillers:

Check out an earlier work from Parasite (2019) director Bong Joon Ho with Snowpiercer (2013), and revisit the classic Rosemary’s Baby (1968), both available on Netflix.

The Complete List:

• Gaslight (1944)
• Only Lovers Left Alive (2014)
• Into the Great Silence (2005)
• The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
• Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003)
• Gravity (2013)
• Carrie (1976)
• The Count of Monte Cristo (1934)
• Castaway (2000)
• Days of Wine and Roses (1962)
• On the Beach (1959)
• The Birds (1963)
• Safe (1995)
• Rear Window (1954)
• The Conversation (1974)
• The Station Agent (2003)
• Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
• Moonstruck (1987)
• Moon (2009)
• The Red Turtle (2016)
• Night of the Living Dead (1968)
• Soylent Green (1973)
• The Master (2012)
• The Thing (1982)
• Children of Men (2006)
• Pickpocket (1959)
• The Assassin (2015)
• Her (2013)
• The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988)
• The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover (1989)
• The Road (2009)
• Playtime (1967)
• The Graduate (1967)
• Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959)
• The Shining (1980)
• The Martian (2015)