Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £4.99 a month
This film is certified

- Contains strong language and moderate threat and violence

Frozen River
Nominated for two Oscars (Best Actress – Melissa Leo - and Best Original Screenplay) Frozen River is a riveting thriller that raises questions about the borders we construct, between countries, communities and each other.
Crime 2008 93 mins
Director: Courtney Hunt
Overview
Nominated for two Academy Awards, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and described by Quentin Tarantino as ""the most exciting thriller I've seen this year"", Frozen River was acclaimed as one of the best American debuts of its decade. Ray Eddy (Melissa Leo) finds herself at wits end after her gambler husband disappears with the down payment on their new home. When an offer to transport cargo across the Canadian border presents the opportunity to make some easy money, Ray has little idea that her actions will place her life in danger and threaten her family's future.
Featuring a stunning central performance by Melissa Leo, writer/director Courtney Hunt's film is a riveting thriller that raises questions about the borders we construct, between countries, communities and each other.

Accessibility
Related
Crime

The Ghoul The Ghoul
Thriller 2016 82 mins Director: Gareth Tunley
A British indie crime film of great style and ingenuity, executive produced by Ben Wheatley and starring Tom Meeten and Alice Lowe.

A Touch of Sin A Touch of Sin
Drama 2013 125 mins Director: Jia Zhangke
Jia Zhangke’s state-of-the-nation report on contemporary China is comprised of four stories about shocking acts of violence.

The Handmaiden The Handmaiden
Period drama 2016 146 mins Director: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.

Finally, Sunday! Finally, Sunday!
Comedy 1983 111 mins Director: François Truffaut
A man suspected of a crime enlists a woman to prove his innocence in Truffaut’s Hitchcockian inspired serio-comic romantic thriller.

Shoot the Pianist Shoot the Pianist
Crime 1960 81 mins Director: François Truffaut
A nightclub pianist conceals a secret past in Truffaut’s second feature - a breezy New Wave concoction of genre pastiche, playful stylistic tricks and romantic reverie.

Rashomon Rashomon
Crime 1950 88 mins Director: Akira Kurosawa
Credited with bringing Japanese cinema to worldwide audiences, Akira Kurosawa’s breakthrough tells the story of a murder in the woods from four differing perspectives.
BFI London Film Festival

The Handmaiden The Handmaiden
Period drama 2016 146 mins Director: Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook (Old Boy, Stoker) channels Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith, to create a sumptuous twisty psychological thriller full of erotic intrigue.

Ladyworld Ladyworld
Thriller 2018 94 mins Director: Amanda Kramer
Welcome to Ladyworld, a shadowy dwelling where tensions run high and nothing is ever quite what it seems.

The Painted Bird The Painted Bird
Drama 2019 169 mins Director: Vaclav Marhoul
Based on Jerzy Kosiński’s 1965 novel and a long time in the making, Václav Marhoul’s extraordinary The Painted Bird finds a lone Jewish boy on a dark odyssey towards home during wartime.

After Love After Love
Drama 2020 90 mins Director: Aleem Khan
In this knockout feature debut from Aleem Khan, Bafta-winner Joanna Scanlan is the woman who discovers her late husband’s secrets.

The Prey The Prey
Action and Adventure 2018 93 mins Director: Jimmy Henderson
An innocent man sentenced to rot in a Cambodian jail is released for the sadistic pleasure of twisted trophy hunters and forced to fight – or die.

Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Comedy 2021 106 mins Director: Radu Jude
Berlin Golden Bear winner, Radu Jude’s scathing satire finds schoolteacher Emi threatened with dismissal when a private sex tape goes viral.
New

Tony Takitani Tony Takitani
Drama 2004 76 mins Director: Jun Ichikawa
Award-winning film adapted from Haruki Murakami’s New Yorker tale of solitude and obsession.

Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story
Documentary 2018 101 mins Director: Steve Sullivan
Frank Sidebottom was a pillar of alternative comedy of the late 80s/early 90s, and this charming documentary remembers the man behind the papier-mâché head.

Ava Ava
Drama 2017 103 mins Director: Sadaf Foroughi
Sadaf Foroughi's gripping debut about a young girl's coming-of-age in a strict, traditional society.

Hive Hive
Drama 2020 84 mins Director: Blerta Basholli
Director Blerta Basholli’s feature debut is a moving story of resilience and hope.

Charlatan Charlatan
Drama 2020 118 mins Director: Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland’s fascinating biopic of Jan Mikolášek, a 20th century Czech herbalist whose great success masked the grimmest of secrets.

Polisse Polisse
Police drama 2011 128 mins Director: Maïwenn Le Besco
Brutal, shocking and incredibly powerful, this close-up examination of the workings of a child protection police unit in Paris is hard-hitting and heart-stopping cinema.