BFI Player / Available On Streaming Rental or Purchase

Home to an eclectic mix of local indies and international gems, BFI Player is one of the best movie streaming services out there. Its highly-curated film lists, which range from current to classic, are comparable to those of Criterion and Mubi. They’re bound to tickle any cinephile’s fancy, so spending time scrolling through titles won’t feel as much of a drag as it would on other platforms.  

A number of films can be accessed for free on the service—you wouldn’t even need to register—but most of them are reserved for paid subscribers only. The subscription plans come at a surprisingly fair £4.99/month or £49/year, but if you’re on the fence about another making another subscription, you can try the service for free for 2 weeks. Some of the newer and more highly acclaimed movies—especially those still screening in physical theaters—will only be available to rent, which usually starts at £2.50. 

As a new and homegrown service, BFI Player is impressively competitive and worth checking out if you’re tired of the usual titles on bigger platforms.