WHAT TO WATCH

The Best Movies to Stream on Criterion

Enjoy thousands of films that have earned Criterion’s hallowed banner (including masterworks by David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Mira Nair, Wong Kar Wai, and Jane Campion) in this streamer for cinephiles. Here are some of our favorites.


In Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, Sheryl Lee plays Laura Palmer, a troubled teenager whose disappearance sparks the mystery at the heart of the acclaimed TV series Twin Peaks.

The jewels of Criterion’s archive, Criterion editions are classic movies that have been meticulously restored—and are often accompanied by special features culled from the cutting-room floor. Start with John Cassavetes’ groundbreaking A Woman Under the Influence (starring his wife, mother, and mother-in-law) or Mira Nair’s Mississippi Masala (with a then-unknown Denzel Washington), then move onto the work of auteurs like Jean-Luc Godard, Agnès Varda, and Michelangelo Antonioni.


Basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks film, jazz, and hoops in Adventures in Moviegoing.

In Criterion’s series Adventures in Moviegoing, writers, directors, and actors discuss their favorite films, offering a rare look into the movies that shaped them. Who knew comedian Bill Hader had a deep admiration for Indian artist Satyajit Ray? Or that Barbie director Greta Gerwig has a soft spot for old-school MGM musicals?


Joyland follows a married man torn between his conservative family’s expectations and a forbidden romance with a transgender dancer.

The app isn’t just about the classics. Contemporary films from around the world—many of which debut on Criterion alongside their theatrical releases—prove that the platform’s future is just as bright as its past. Director Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat looks into the mind of Southern Gothic author Flannery O’Connor, while Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus celebrates the Japanese composer’s life, culminating in his final performance.


Social critic James Baldwin comes alive in three short films that explore his sharp commentary and self-imposed exile from America.

Collections are where Criterion’s expert curation really shines. Here the app’s cinephiles unearth hidden gems that might have otherwise been lost to time, like Czechoslovakian New Wave films, Scandinavian director Ingmar Bergman’s art-house experiments, and Mark Lewis’ Unnatural Histories series, which comprises nature films unlike any you’ve seen before.