Charulata to Lolita, releases to watch out for on MUBI in May 2021

There’s no limit to how much OTT content one can consume when stuck indoors in a pandemic. In fact, exciting new releases were one of the reasons that most of us were able to power through the pandemic.

In a situation like this, there is no streaming service that has disappointed the audience by releasing fresh content on a daily basis. Curated streaming service MUBI is back with its eclectic array of genres to delight Indian audiences with some remarkable movies. Here are six movies that you can stream on MUBI in May 2021.

Charulata (1964) - May 2

Released on legendary Bengali filmmaker and author Satyajit Ray’s 100th birthday, Charulata is one of Ray’s most iconic films. Based on a novella by Rabindranath Tagore, Charulata is a film light years ahead of its time. The plot focuses on the eponymous character played by Madhabi Mukherjee who breaks the shackles of societal expectation in a beautifully depicted pre-independence India.

Mr Jones (2019) - May 7

Directed by Agnieszka Holland, this biographical thriller is loosely based on the life of Gareth Jones, a journalist from Wales who revealed the truth behind Ukraine’s most devastating famine. He travels deep into the Soviet Union and faces many dangers but perseveres to find the truth.

A Stranger In My Native Land (1998) - May 6

A personal account of filmmaker Tenzing Sonam’s first visit to Tiber, his homeland, A Stranger In My Native Land captures his interactions with long-lost relatives. The film also touches upon Tibet under occupation.

Death Will Come and Shall Have Your Eyes (2019) - May 19

This Chilean drama film follows the tale of two women who have spent their entire lives together. They now must deal with an illness which has befallen one of them. As the dying woman waits for death to come in a cabin in the woods, the two friends’ relationship blossoms.

State Funeral (2019) - May 21

Featuring raw footage from 1950s Moscow, the film follows the day immediately after Joseph Stalin’s death and the subsequent mourning of the nation. State Funeral brings the archived footage to audiences by restoring it in the film. It also highlights the nature of totalitarian countries.

Lolita (1997) - May 30

Adrian Lyne’s adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov’s novel Lolita follows the story of a middle-aged professor’s inappropriate obsession over a young girl. Cited to be one of the most controversial novels of all time, Lolita is a tale that has now become a classic.