THE SMALL SCREEN
New movies to stream this week:
“Martin Eden”: Transposed from early 20th-century Oakland to a vaguely mid-century Naples, filmmaker Pietro Marcello’s Italian-language adaptation of Jack London’s 1909 novel features an intense performance by Luca Marinelli in the title role of an unschooled aspiring writer consumed by love, ambition and politics. It’s a performance that won him the best-actor prize at last year’s Venice Film Festival, and deservedly so. Marinelli’s acting, which unfortunately includes some rotten teeth and strange hair color changes as the character finds publishing success (but inner misery) late in the story, is fiery and polemical. Martin rails against a world that has let him down — in love, presumably — even as he achieves fame and success. Ultimately, it’s a story of unrequited love: Martin is spurned by his cultured girlfriend (Jessica Cressy) until he has made it, by which point it is too late. His passion is palpable and moving, but that part of the story is weighed down by dull political theory. Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com and virtualavalon.org. In Italian, Neapolitan and French, with English subtitles. 2 hours, 9 minutes.
“Belly of the Beast”: An exposé about the illegal practice of sterilizations performed on women in California’s prison system without informed consent. The film follows crusading attorney Cynthia Chandler — co-founder and former executive director of Justice Now, which advocates for the abolition of prisons — and Kelli Dillon, who was unknowingly sterilized while incarcerated. It’s shocking to hear the rationale for forced sterilization, articulated by former prison OB/GYN James Heinrich (as reported by journalist Corey Johnson of the Center for Investigative Reporting): It’s cheaper than welfare. Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. 1 hour, 22 minutes.
“Alone”: Having barricaded themselves in their respective apartments during a pandemic that is turning people into bloodthirsty zombies, neighbors Aidan and Eva (Tyler Posey and Summer Spiro) develop a socially distanced attraction in this thriller. As Aidan tries to figure out a way to rescue his across-the courtyard crush from the descending hordes, he enlists the assistance of an enigmatic stranger (Donald Sutherland). R. Available on various streaming platforms. Contains violence, bloody images, some crude language and partial nudity. 1 hour, 32 minutes.
“The Opening Act”: Jimmy O. Yang (“Silicon Valley”) plays an office worker pursuing his dream of performing stand-up in this comedy, whose supporting cast features Cedric the Entertainer, Ken Jeong, Bill Burr, Alex Moffat and Whitney Cummings. Unrated. Available on various streaming platforms. 1 hour, 30 minutes.
“Push”: This documentary looks at the global housing crisis through the eyes of lawyer Leilani Farha, as the former U.N. special rapporteur “unearths familiar tales of poor residents being forcibly evicted to make way for luxury investment units to be sold to wealthy overseas buyers,” according to the Guardian. Unrated. Available at afisilver.afi.com. In English, Spanish, Italian, German and Korean, with English subtitles. 1 hour, 32 minutes.
“She Is the Ocean”: A documentary portrait of nine women around the globe, each of whom shares a passion for the sea. Unrated. Available at virtualavalon.org, themiracletheatre.com and Angelika virtual cinema. 1 hour, 39 minutes.