MUBI: our pick of the best films coming in September from Gloria to Love

There’s no doubt that MUBI has carved out a niche spot for itself in the ever-competitive streaming marketplace. There really are few better places online to hunt down exquisite arthouse and independent films – and its collection ranges from old favourites such as Argento’s 1977 horror Suspiria, to newer releases such as Alice Diop’s Saint Omer.

In September, another selection of exciting films will be released on the site. From tender romances to thought-provoking mystery, here’s our pick of the best films coming to MUBI this month – and, even better, Evening Standard readers can get 30 days of MUBI free.

A Most Violent Year (2014) – September 6

This slick crime thriller from J. C. Chandor is still a doozy. Set in New York in the Eighties, the story follows husband and wife Abel and Anna, played by the gorgeous Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain. Abel, the boss of a truck company, takes matters into his own hands after police fail to squash gang violence that’s targeting his business.

My First Film (2024) – September 6

Zia Anger’s directorial debut, which stars The Daughter’s Odessa Young and Devon Ross, is a meta adventure about a group of kids that set about making their first film. Does it risk getting too self indulgent, with its roving plot and its arty arrangement? Absolutely. But somehow Anger steers the film to a clever conclusion: her reflections on modern families and abortion are unsubtle, yet effective.

Gloria (2013) – September 13

Before Chilean director Sebastián Lelio made Oscar-winning A Fantastic Woman (2017) and the haunting and brilliant The Wonder (2022), he made Gloria. Set in Santiago, the film follows 58-year-old Gloria who, a decade after her divorce, decides to get back in the game. She goes to a singles disco, meets a man and the two start a relationship, which is immediately complicated by his close relationship with his two grown-up daughters, who call him at the most inconvenient times.

Love (2015) – September 13

Gaspar Noé’s Enter The Void (2009), a sensory overload of colours and light, explored the relationship between two traumatised, drug-taking siblings in Tokyo and marked the Argentinian-Italian director out as one of the decade’s most provocative filmmakers. His following film, Love, was just as incendiary: the story of the love triangle between three young people in Paris, it is savagely sexual – notably, the sex scenes are unsimulated.

Noé wanted to honestly explore a component of love rarely depicted on screen: “When you’re madly in love with someone, you only think about having sex and kissing and hugging and taking a shower with the person,” he said to Time. “I wanted to be as close as possible to what love addictions are.”

Winter’s Bone (2010) – September 20

The film that introduced Jennifer Lawrence to the world, Debra Granik’s Winter's Bone was a massive hit after its release, picking up numerous awards (including four Oscar nominations) and near-universal acclaim from critics. The engrossing story, based on Daniel Woodrell’s 2006 novel, follows a 17-year-old girl in rural Missouri who has to look after family while her single mother is consumed with mental illness.

The Fall (2006) – September 27

And a bit of fun: this adventure fantasy from Indian director Tarsem Singh is a wild ride that’s about as marmite as a film comes. Set in Los Angeles in 1915, the story follows the imaginative adventures of a stuntman Roy Walker (Lee Pace) who is paralysed and depressed, following an accident on set. Filmed in 24 countries over four years, the film’s meandering plot has divided viewers and critics alike: one reviewer described it as “wanton extravagance”; MUBI says “each frame is a work of art in this revived cult classic”.