If you have a library card, there’s a good chance that (perhaps unknowingly) you have access to thousands of movies and views on a small streaming service known as Kanopy. To become a member, your library will need to be the spouse of the transmitter (you can ask your library for a spouse relationship if you haven’t already). Kanopy, the best-kept secret of moviegoers in the age of media saturation, has a library of respected classics (from film noir to giallo, Italian neorealism and the French New Wave, from silent films to the new Hollywood) and trending independent films from around the world. the world. If you need to become a moviegoer (or satisfy your current moviegoer appetite), Kanopy is the streaming service for you. And if you want to get a smart idea of what they have to offer, take no further look than the most-watched Kanopy movies in 2024.
Kanopy released this list just a few weeks ago, and its sports many great films that offer a decidedly different path for movie night. The streaming service released this list for three different categories: narrative films, television series and documentaries. And for any budding cinephile, or for anyone simply looking for an outside-the-box film, each list is chock-full of cinematic goodies.
Let’s take a list at those three lists now, along with each movie or show’s distributor:
On the list of narrative films, the possible options are outstanding, starting first with Kanopy’s most-watched film of 2024, the Best Picture nominee Past Lives. A stunning debut feature from Celine Song, this quiet little romantic drama about the divergent paths life takes us and the inevitable regret (if only for a moment, until we realize how beautiful the path we choose is) by choosing one over the other. The film uses a love triangle to reflect this adventure of its protagonist, a South Korean woman who moved away from her formative years’ girlfriend at the age of 12 before rekindling dating years later after meeting another man.
There other big standouts in the independent arena, including Best Picture nominee Anatomy of a Fall, Jules, You Hurt My Feelings and Golda. We also can’t forget Talk to Me (one of several A24 films available on Kanopy), a high-art horror film that offers a decidedly different mood and feel from the streamer’s regular selection. Then there are several great classics available on that top ten, including Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder and Andrzej Żuławski’s Possession (which ranks among my favorite horror films ever).
As you can see from the series list, Father Brown dominates, taking five of the top ten spots. A British crime series that runs for 11 seasons (the series recently picked up its 12th and 13th seasons), Father Brown follows a compassionate and cunning Catholic priest in 1950s England who uses his willing understanding of human nature to solve crimes. and discover secrets in its picturesque parish. BBC Worldwide has sold the hit TV show to 232 other territories, and Kanopy shows the series’ success is expanding to a large streaming audience in the United States.
Finally, the list of documentaries has a few possible options that are outside the average selection. Three of the films caught my eye right away: Lynch/Oz, Four Daughters, and Close to Vermeer. If you’re a fan of David Lynch (personally, he’s my favorite director), or if you’re just intrigued by the meaning of his films, then you can’t miss Lynch/Oz, a fairly long film essay that links to The Wizard of Oz’s director’s paintings. Then there’s Four Daughters, an incredible Tunisian meta-documentary that explores the painful emptiness that exists in a space where a mother’s two daughters have disappeared. Finally, there’s Close to Vermeer, which is one of the most productive art documentaries I’ve ever seen. The film focuses on an exhibition by Johannes Vermeer that becomes a retrospective of the elusive painter’s career and his cultural impact on the art world.
Beyond the movies on these lists, there are countless others to choose from on Kanopy. If you’re looking for a refreshing library of movies and shows to choose from in the new year, then let these selections be your inspiration to finally join the streaming service.
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