David Farnor | On 19, Nov 2016

Heard of BFI Player? Well, there’s also BFI Player+, a subscription service that offers an all-you-can-eat selection of hand-picked classics.

Every Friday, Mark Kermode highlights one of the collection’s titles with a video introduction. This week, it’s My Brother the Devil.

One of Britain’s best dramas of recent years, Sally El Hosaini’s film follows two brothers both looking for a change in life direction in Hackney. It won Best British Newcomer for El Hosaini at the London Film Festival in 2012 and Most Promising Newcomer for star James Floyd at the BIFAs.

“My Brother the Devil is technically a crime thriller about brothers caught up in gang violence and drug dealing in Hackney,” says Mark. “But as El Hosaini herself explained, it is in fact more ‘a film about the power of unconditional love [that] touches upon themes of prejudice and identity. It’s a real low-key gem: surprising, thoughtful, and beautifully nuanced.”

What else is available to stream? Every week, we bring you a round-up of the latest titles on BFI Player+:

A Zed & Two Noughts

Peter Greenaway’s 1985 drama sees two twin zoologists end up in a fatal car crash involving a swan outside a zoo – causing them to become fascinated by the biological process of decay.

A Personal Journey… Part 1

Martin Scorsese is king of crime cinema, but he’s made an equally impressive name for himself with his non-fiction work. Here, he turns his documentary gaze to a “personal journey” through American Cinema, from the studio system past and present and the question of narrative to genres such as gangster flicks, B-movies, noir and Westerns.

North of Vortex

A gay poet, a bisexual sailor and a waitress go on a trip across the desert. It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s actually the basis of Constantine Giannaris’ 1992 road movie, which is steeped in jazz, jealous and violence.

Ascendancy

Edward Bennett directs this 1982 study of English guilty over the history of Northern Ireland. Produced by the BFI and Channel 4, it follows an English aristocrat, who is driven to despair over the effects of violence on her family.

You’re Human Like the Rest of Them

William Hoyland stars in this award-winning short film from 1967, directed by B.S. Johnson.

A Canterbury Tale

Nothing says British cinema like Powell and Pressburger. The duo’s most unusual movie, A Canterbury Tale sees them lean on Chaucer’s work to inspire a story of pilgrims during World War II.

 

A BFI Player+ subscription costs £4.99 a month with a 30-day free trial. For more information, visit http://player.bfi.org.uk.
 

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