This film is part of Rentals
The Yellow Balloon
A young boy is coerced into helping a fugitive in J. Lee Thompson’s taut crime thriller, set amid the bombed-out ruins of post-war London.
Director: J. Lee Thompson
Overview
Frankie is devastated when his friend Ronnie falls to his death while playing in a blitzed building, but is even more distraught when the only witness – a hidden fugitive - blackmails him on the basis that he’s implicated in the tragedy.
J. Lee Thompson’s taut crime thriller was controversially given an X certificate by the British Board of Film Censors, only for the decision to be overturned following an outcry when its young lead (Andrew Ray) was unable to watch the film. With its copious images of post-war devastation it remains a highly evocative London film that deserves to be better known.
Contains mild threat and violenceRelated
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
Official Secrets Official Secrets
Thriller 2018 112 mins Director: Gavin Hood
Gripping political thriller with Keira Knightley as the intelligence officer who discovers a plot to rig a UN vote on the eve of the Iraq war.
Dark Waters Dark Waters
Biopic 2019 126 mins Director: Todd Haynes
Mark Ruffalo plays an attorney trying to uncover the corporate scandal of a chemical company poisoning a local community, in this searching ecological drama from Todd Haynes (Safe, Carol).
Seven Psychopaths Seven Psychopaths
Comedy 2012 110 mins Director: Martin McDonagh
Three Billboards' director Martin McDonagh spins an epic and twisted tale of pets and gangsters, with an all-star cast.
Eye in the Sky Eye in the Sky
Thriller 2016 102 mins Director: Gavin Hood
Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman (in his last role) play the military commanders caught in the ethical crosshairs of drone warfare, in Gavin Hood’s gripping military thriller.
A Most Wanted Man A Most Wanted Man
Thriller 2014 122 mins Director: Anton Corbijn
In one of his final roles, Philip Seymour Hoffman excels as a German spy attempting to recruit Islamic informants, in Anton Corbijn’s sophisticated John le Carré adaptation.
Crows Crows
Drama 1994 66 mins Director: Dorota Kedzierzawska
Dorota Kiedzerawska’s remarkable film turns a troubling storyline - about a neglected girl who kidnaps another girl and acts as her surrogate mother - into a tender and exhilarating drama.
A Story of Children and Film A Story of Children and Film
Documentary 2013 101 mins Director: Mark Cousins
Mark Cousins' personal and poetic exploration of the cinema of childhood, as told through 53 great films from 25 countries.
Willow and Wind Willow and Wind
Drama 2000 81 mins Director: Mohammad-Ali Talebi
An edge-of-seat classic about a boy who has to transport a large pane of glass across the countryside in a howling gale, from Iranian masters Abbas Kiarostami and Mohammed-Ali Talebi.
Bag of Rice Bag of Rice
Drama 1996 80 mins Director: Mohammad-Ali Talebi
A feisty child and her near-blind neighbour trek across Tehran in this unforgettable odd-couple adventure.
The Boot The Boot
Drama 1992 59 mins Director: Mohammad-Ali Talebi
Sameneh pesters her mother for a pair of red boots, only to lose one and then undertake a desperate search for it.
2001: A Space Odyssey 2001: A Space Odyssey
Science Fiction 1968 149 mins Director: Stanley Kubrick
Stanley Kubrick took science fiction cinema in a grandly intelligent new direction with this epic story of man’s quest for knowledge.
What Every Woman Wants What Every Woman Wants
Drama 1954 88 mins Director: Maurice Elvey
The trials and tribulations of 1950s working class family life are engagingly evoked in this warm-hearted drama of urban England.
Some People Some People
Drama 1962 90 mins Director: Clive Donner
Cult 1960s musical drama about a leather boy who forms a Shadows-style guitar band.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent
Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae
John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.
Utopia Utopia
Documentary 2013 111 mins Director: John Pilger and Alan Lowery
John Pilger's portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture is also an investigation into a suppressed colonial past, and rapacious present.
The Coming War on China The Coming War on China
Documentary 2016 113 mins Director: John Pilger
John Pilger’s prescient 60th film for ITV is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.