THE SMALL SCREEN
New movies to stream this week:
“Stray”: The ostensible subject of this documentary is a street dog named Zeytin in Istanbul, a city famous for its many stray dogs and cats — and a law that prevents them from being euthanized or held captive. As filmmaker Elizabeth Lo’s camera, seemingly held at knee-height, follows this good girl over the course of many months (aided by a GPS tracker that Lo’s crew placed on Zeytin after every day spent documenting her scrounging, roaming and lounging), we also encounter a couple of other equally charismatic pups: Nazar and Kartal. Those secondary subjects are in addition to several homeless youths we meet from Syria. “Stray” has been touted as a film for dog-lovers, and while it is that, it is also a documentary that asks us a hard question: If we’re so concerned about the welfare of these unhoused canines, why is it so easy for us to turn a blind eye to the two-legged homeless among us? Not rated. Available on various streaming platforms. In Turkish and other assorted languages, with subtitles. 1 hour, 12 minutes.
“Fukushima 50”: A Japanese disaster flick about the workers who helped prevent the 2011 meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant from getting worse. It stars Ken Watanabe (“Inception”) and Koichi Sato (“Sukiyaki Western Django”). Not rated. Available at afisilver. afi.com. In Japanese, with subtitles. 2 hours, 2 minutes.
“Gustav Stickley: American
Craftsman”: This documentary examines the life and career of the designer and furniture maker considered the father of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Film Threat calls it a “riveting watch” for anyone interested in early 20th-century design. Not rated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. 1 hour, 7 minutes. “My Salinger Year”: Based on Joanna Rakoff’s 2014 memoir about working as an editorial assistant to author J.D. Salinger’s literary agent in the 1990s, “My Salinger Year” stars Margaret Qualley in what IndieWire calls “a halfhearted twist on ‘The Devil Wears Prada.’ ” R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains strong language and some sexual references. 1 hour, 41 minutes.
R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains violence, crude language, drugs and some sexual references. 1 hour, 33 minutes.
“Sophie Jones”: A coming-of-age story about a 16-year-old (played by director Jessie Barr’s cousin, Jessica Barr). It’s a “quiet, brilliant film, elegant in its smallness,” according to the Playlist. “In the overstuffed indie coming-of-age subgenre, ‘Sophie Jones’ makes an unassuming, honest contribution.” Not rated. Available on various streaming platforms. 1 hour, 25 minutes.
“The War and Peace of Tim O’Brien”: As we wait for the upcoming film adaptation of writer Tim O’Brien’s acclaimed 1990 book about the Vietnam War, “The Things They Carried,” this documentary paints a portrait of the writer and Vietnam veteran as he struggles to put words on paper again after years of not writing. Not rated. Available on various streaming platforms. 1 hour, 24 minutes.
Rating: R
When: Available today
Where: On demand
Running time: 1 hour, 58 minutes
★ 1⁄2
When: Available now Where: Apple TV+