May 23, 2025

WIFF’S WEEKEND WATCH LIST — 5/23

Check out our recommendations of what to watch this weekend.

iF you love quentin tarantino

django unchained

Vincent Georgie: Original, bold, subversive, and wickedly smart, this is one of Quentin’s best. Winner of 2 Oscars for its screenplay and Christoph Waltz’s sublime supporting performance, I would also note the equally excellent work by both Samuel L. Jackson and Leonardo DiCaprio. A film only Tarantino could have pulled off.

Synopsis: Two years before the Civil War, Django (Jamie Foxx), a slave, finds himself accompanying an unorthodox German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) on a mission to capture the vicious Brittle brothers. Their mission successful, Schultz frees Django, and together they hunt the South’s most-wanted criminals. Their travels take them to the infamous plantation of shady Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), where Django’s long-lost wife (Kerry Washington) is still a slave.

Available on Apple TV, YouTube, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.

if you want A powerful human drama

memory

Vincent Georgie: Filmmaker Michel Franco has a background in social work, and this comes across clearly in his films, as they deal with social issues via family dynamics in an unvarnished and nuanced way. This film is no exception. Peter Sarsgaard is outstanding in the role that brought him the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, and Jessica Chastain more than holds her own as the star of the film. If you want a quality drama that will give you much to think about, this is an effective choice.

Synopsis: Social worker Sylvia’s structured life is blown apart when Saul follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter profoundly impacts both of them as they open the door to the past.

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

if you want a psychological thriller

sleep

Vincent Georgie: A standout from WIFF 2023, this well-paced film will give you the chills and create some fun post-screening discussion.

Synopsis: How well does someone really know the person sleeping next to them? For one young couple, this question becomes a twisted psychological nightmare when a husband’s increasingly bizarre nighttime behavior takes a menacing turn.

Available on Apple TV and YouTube.

DOUBLE FEATURE

romantic triangles

Vincent Georgie: As the Summer days warm up, so do the romances and love affairs. Take a look at 2 of the most enjoyable, generally light-hearted but kind of complicated love triangles. The first film marks actor Edward Norton’s directorial debut in a religiously complicated rom-com. The second film is a sultry affair in Spain, as written and directed by Woody Allen.

keeping the faith

Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) and Father Brian Finn (Edward Norton) are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York’s Upper West Side. When Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman), their childhood friend and now a grown, beautiful corporate executive, suddenly returns to the city, she reenters Jake and Brian’s lives and hearts with a vengeance. Sparks fly, and an unusual and complicated love triangle ensues.

Available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.

vicky cristina barcelona

Americans Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) arrive in Spain for a summer vacation at a friend’s (Patricia Clarkson) Barcelona home. Visiting an art gallery, they meet seductive painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who invites them for a weekend of food, art, and sex. Sparks really ignite when his fiery former lover (Penélope Cruz) arrives on the scene, making for a very crowded house.