Subscribe to watch - 14-day free trial, then £6.99 a month
Postcards from London
A stylish, sensuous film about a young man’s journey into an unusual form of escort work.
Director: Steve McLean
Overview
Set in a vibrant, neon-lit, imaginary vision of Soho, this morality tale manages to be both a beautifully shot homage in the spirit of Derek Jarman and a celebration of the homo-erotic in Baroque art. When teenage beauty and Essex boy Jim (Harris Dickinson, the compelling lead in Beach Rats) arrives from provincial boredom to seek his fortune, the promised cultural excitements of Soho prove hard to find. On his first night, he is robbed by a stranger, ends up homeless and is forced to sleep in a cardboard box. But with a word from a kindly security guard, he discovers a group of art-loving rent-boys who take him under their wing.
The group exist to provide very special services for art connoisseurs – intelligent, post-coital conversation based on an intense knowledge and appreciation of the great masters. With his love of art history, Jim is a willing pupil, but his passion is impeded when he discovers he suffers from Stendhal’s Syndrome, a rare disease that finds him fainting in the presence of great art. Frequently dazzling and often audacious, this is a film for anyone who has ever fallen in love with one of the beautiful subjects in an old master painting. With a script that keeps you in thrall to Jim’s journey, Postcards from London illuminates the potency of high art in queer history. Writer-director Steve McLean has created a powerful film whose unlikely blend of voyeuristic pleasures and sharp-talking, Adonis-like art-fanciers has a hypnotic quality that is as transporting as it is brilliant.
strong language, sex referencesRelated
Run Lola Run Run Lola Run
Drama 1998 80 mins Director: Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer’s breathtaking time-loop thriller, with a terrific Franka Potente as the titular runner attempting to save her boyfriend.
Tangerine Tangerine
Comedy 2015 88 mins Director: Sean Baker
A big-hearted film shot on a small phone, this LA tale of two transgender working girls out for vengeance fizzes with wild energy.
Witchhammer Witchhammer
Historical drama 1969 102 mins Director: Otakar Vávra
A notorious 17th-century witch trial turns into a powerful allegory of life under totalitarian rule, in this chilling Czech political fable.
Cop Secret Cop Secret
Comedy 2021 100 mins Director: Hannes Þór Halldórsson
Two Icelandic cops forced to work together become more than just buddies in this enjoyably explosive send-up of action movies.
Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story
Drama 2023 81 mins Director: Luck Razanajaona
Luck Razanajaona’s feature debut is an illuminating drama about revolution, corruption, and a young man’s political awakening in Madagascar.
Mambar Pierrette Mambar Pierrette
Drama 2023 94 mins Director: Rosine Mbakam
Rosine Mbakam’s feature debut focuses on a week in the life of a working-class Cameroonian who strives against all odds to make ends meet.
The Arbor The Arbor
Biopic 2010 90 mins Director: Clio Barnard
Clio Barnard's film about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar mixes reconstruction, interviews (performed by actors) and scenes from the plays.
A Separation A Separation
Drama 2011 123 mins Director: Asghar Farhadi
A powerful tale of a middle-class marriage in crisis, and winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Oldboy Oldboy
Thriller 2003 120 mins Director: Park Chan-wook
Park’s wilfully grotesque fable about an abductee trying to fathom the mysteries of his past.
LOLA LOLA
Science Fiction 2022 79 mins Director: Andrew Legge
Two sisters in WWII Britain invent a machine that can decode TV broadcasts from the future, in this irresistible found-footage sci-fi that buzzes with timeless ingenuity.
Scrapper Scrapper
Comedy 2023 90 mins Director: Charlotte Regan
A gorgeous and colourful heart-warming gem from Charlotte Regan, one of the best new voices in British film.
Beach Rats Beach Rats
Drama 2017 98 mins Director: Eliza Hittman
Gripping account of repressed sexual desire in a hyper-masculine environment, with British newcomer Harris Dickinson as a virulently macho Brooklyn teen.
Audition Audition
Documentary 1963 79 mins Director: Milos Forman
Considered the first of the Czech New Wave, launching the career of Miloš Forman and showcasing his trademark use of non-actors, focusing on ordinary people in everyday life.
Run Lola Run Run Lola Run
Drama 1998 80 mins Director: Tom Tykwer
Tom Tykwer’s breathtaking time-loop thriller, with a terrific Franka Potente as the titular runner attempting to save her boyfriend.
Tangerine Tangerine
Comedy 2015 88 mins Director: Sean Baker
A big-hearted film shot on a small phone, this LA tale of two transgender working girls out for vengeance fizzes with wild energy.
Witchhammer Witchhammer
Historical drama 1969 102 mins Director: Otakar Vávra
A notorious 17th-century witch trial turns into a powerful allegory of life under totalitarian rule, in this chilling Czech political fable.
Cop Secret Cop Secret
Comedy 2021 100 mins Director: Hannes Þór Halldórsson
Two Icelandic cops forced to work together become more than just buddies in this enjoyably explosive send-up of action movies.
Lemonade Joe Lemonade Joe
Western 1964 99 mins Director: Oldrich Lipsky
A hilarious, energetic musical parody of old-style westerns, full of twists and hidden identities, which boasts a considerable cult following in the Czech Republic.