This past May, right as the months of lockdown were beginning to melt together, MUBI opened the doors to its online library. This news was met with welcome surprise from its users, myself amongst them. I have been an avid MUBI fan since I claimed my free student membership with the service, but in the age of streaming one can be forgiven for not knowing the ins and outs of every different streaming platform available. However, fret not, as this article will give you everything you need to know to get started with MUBI.
History and Vision
Founded in 2007 by Efe Çakarel, MUBI was built with the vision to make arthouse cinema more easily accessible to audiences all over the world, or as is put on their website: “We simply couldn’t resist the idea of everyone having their own film library… Your own little cinema, anytime, anywhere.” MUBI stands out from other streaming platforms in two main areas: its highly curated content, with each film getting a small write up and only 30 films getting front page billing, and its dedication to spotlighting films ignored by the mainstream. This means that MUBI offers a wide selection of films made outside of the Hollywood system, with the majority of its films coming from European arthouse or non-western traditions.
Similarly, while other streaming platforms skew disproportionately towards newer films—Netflix is one of the worst offenders here given that, as John Jurgenson revealed, 85% of its offerings are from the 2010s and the 2020s—MUBI takes the time to shine a spotlight on film’s long history by showing a wide array of films from different decades.
How To Use MUBI
So how can one experience all these wonderful films that MUBI has to offer? There are several different aspects to its subscription, the main attraction being the 30 curated films in the ‘Now Showing’ section. Here, a new film is released every day, with each staying for 30 days, so there’s always a new film to watch. This is alongside a daily film publication, ‘The Notebook’, that publishes articles on film news, companion pieces to films currently streaming or collections of interesting articles recently published online. Also, while being on pause temporarily due to Covid-19 restrictions, MUBI Go gives paying subscribers one free cinema ticket a week to a specially selected film at a partner cinema (the IFI in Dublin).
Finally, we reach the most recent addition to MUBI: its ‘Library’. Here, unlike how the service had operated previously, films can stay much longer than the strict 30 day limit and the Library has seen the welcome return of several films previously screened. Also unlike Netflix, MUBI will explicitly show if a film is leaving within the next 7 days both in the Now Showing and Library sections with a ‘leaving soon’ banner on its title card. You’ll never be caught short again!
Recommendations
For the film historians amongst us, Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 film Battleship Potemkin is a must-watch, as both an example of the Soviet montage technique in motion but also of historical propaganda films. The story follows the events surrounding the 1905 mutiny aboard the Potemkin and uses it as a metaphor for the birth of the Soviet Union as a whole. The film’s print is of high quality and the added score helps you to engage with this picture. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Odessa Steps sequence and how it uses editing to convey emotion.
For those more interested in experimental film, Maya Deren’s Meshes of the Afternoon from 1943 is a good place to start. In many ways this short (14 minute) film eludes description and dissection, but from the interplay of light and shadow, to movement and music, the film is an intriguing mystery that will demand your attention. Deren pushed the film form in new directions by looking beyond the Hollywood narrative structure of the ‘40s and letting the striking and often confusing edits and imagery guide the film. There is something very exciting in witnessing such innovations in the medium that are still fresh over 70 years later.
If you are looking to expand your film horizons further than the male-dominated Hollywood tradition, I would recommend turning your gaze to Saudi Arabia and the work of Haifaa Al-Mansour. With her first feature film in 2012, Wadjda, Al-Mansour became Saudi Arabia’s first female filmmaker and has since dedicated her filmography to exploring the role of women in society. The film is a heart-warming story of a young girl competing in a Quran recitation contest at her school to win a bicycle—this coming from a time when it was illegal for girls to ride bicycles in the country. The trials our heroine goes through are also applicable to the director, as due to laws in Riyadh at the time when Wadjda was filmed, Al-Mansour could not interact with the men in her crew publicly, so she directed a good portion of the film remotely from inside a van next to the location.
Lastly but very much not least, for those wanting to see to brave new moves in both French cinema and queer cinema, Céline Sciamma’s latest film Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) is a must watch. The less you know about the plot of Portrait going in is for the better, as you can be completely taken away by the film’s story and beauty. Sciamma shows masterful direction and writing in this film, with returning collaborator Adèle Haenel bringing a quiet intensity to her performance as Héloïse. The film is a powerful response to the concept of the male gaze and demonstrates the possibility and strength in feminine filmmaking.
All in all, MUBI is still an undiscovered treasure trove, just waiting to be explored. Get yourself to https://mubi.com/filmstudent and start your search for your next favourite film (free for students).
