We’ve never had more options for what to watch at home—opening Netflix or Amazon Prime is like walking into a Blockbuster Video the size of Sea-Tac Airport. Even though they offer endless titles and an impressive movie-per-dollar ratio, not everyone is fully satisfied by the Super Walmarts of online streaming. For years, web-inclined film buffs have been turning to services like Fandor, Sundance Now, and (since November 2016) FilmStruck, a subscription service offering access to hard-to-find classics, cult favorites, foreign films, and documentaries.
Created as a collaboration between Turner Classic Movies and Criterion, FilmStruck is a streaming platform that offers hundreds of movies instead of thousands. There are two tiers of memberships available—and if you’re interested in the service at all, you should spring for the more expensive option that includes the Criterion features. Their rotating lineup, though it’s relatively modest in size, currently boasts 27 works by Akira Kurosawa, 42 by Ingmar Bergman, and 18 by Jean Renoir. Their goal is expert curation, not unbeatable quantity. And soon, representatives from FilmStruck will be on their way to Seattle to film a new installment of their original series Art-House America.