What to watch October 6, 2023: Movie awards contenders

Matthew Jacobs
·3 min read

Relationships are curving and crumbling in two of this week’s streaming premieres, both highly worth watching. In fact, all four movies on this list concern the breakdown of something — romance, democracy, trust. Each of them is gripping, thoughtful, and surprisingly humorous. 

The contender to watch this week: “Fair Play“

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One of the best-reviewed movies from this year’s Sundance Film Festival, “Fair Play” sparked a bidding war that resulted in a reported $20 million sale to Netflix. Alden Ehrenreich and “Bridgerton” breakout Phoebe Dynevor play Wall Street hedge-fund analysts whose competitive ambitions throw a wrench in their clandestine romance. The sexy, sharp-edged thriller has a propulsive script that hints at more good things to come from writer/director Chloe Domont, who has previously shepherded episodes of “Ballers,” “Billions,” and other TV series. “Fair Play” got a limited theatrical release last week and is now on Netflix. 

Other contenders:

  • “Passages”: Ira Sachs‘ blistering relationship dramedy got slapped with an NC-17 rating for its graphic sex, one of a few factors that will deter most awards-season prospects. Put the movie high on your must-watch list, though. It’s an electrifying character study about a narcissistic German filmmaker (Franz Rogowski) who devastates his husband (Ben Whishaw) — and eventually gets what’s coming to him — when he falls in love with a young teacher (Adèle Exarchopoulos). Catch “Passages” on Mubi or rent it on VOD. 

  • “Bobi Wine: The People’s President”: In 2021, the musician and activist known as Bobi Wine ran an opposition campaign against Ugandan dictator Yoweri Museveni, who has governed the African nation since 1986. This documentary, newly streaming on Hulu and Disney+, chronicles Wine’s life-risking efforts to give Uganda’s citizens the voice they’ve long been denied.

  • “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial“: Right in time for the scathing reviews “The Exorcist: Believer” is racking up, the late William Friedkin‘s final film is hitting Paramount+. Kiefer Sutherland, Jake Lacy, Jason Clarke, and Lance Reddick star in the legal drama about a U.S. Naval officer who took control of a ship when his superior seemed unstable, prompting accusations of mutiny. It’s based on a Herman Wouk play first directed by Charles Laughton.

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