Looking for the best free films to watch without a subscription? Channel 4 has a catalogue of award winning films, critically acclaimed, cult favourites and notable mentions.
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WYALAN star rating explained:
- 5 stars – Highly enjoyed and would highly recommend as a must watch
- 4 stars – Enjoyed and would watch again in the future
- 3 stars – Glad I watched it once, but I’ll probably never watch it again
- 2 stars – Watched to the end, but I wouldn’t watch it again
- 1 star – DNF (did not finish)
Award Winning Films
Broker (2022) – Drama/Family
For fans of Shoplifters, Nobody Knows, and After Life
Winner of Best Actor at Cannes, this tender drama follows a group of strangers who form an unlikely family around a baby left in a church drop box. Song Kang-ho leads the cast under Hirokazu Kore-eda’s direction.
Capernaum (2018) – Drama/Social Realism
For fans of The Kite Runner, Slumdog Millionaire, and The Florida Project
A Lebanese boy sues his parents for giving him life in this searing portrait of childhood and survival. It won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Corpus Christi (2019) – Drama/Religious
For fans of Ida, The Club, and Calvary
A young man impersonates a priest and transforms a grieving community in this Polish drama. It was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.
For Sama (2019) – Documentary/War
For fans of Flee, Persepolis, and The Cave
This intimate documentary captures a mother’s life during the Syrian civil war, balancing love, resistance, and survival. It won Best Documentary at the BAFTAs and was nominated for an Oscar.
The Mission (1986) – Historical Drama/Religious
For fans of The Last Emperor, The New World, and Silence
Winner of the Palme d’Or, this sweeping historical epic follows a Jesuit priest and a mercenary defending a remote South American tribe. Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons star.
127 Hours (2010) – Drama/Survival
For fans of Wild, The Revenant, and Cast Away
James Franco plays climber Aron Ralston, who becomes trapped in a canyon and must make an unthinkable choice. It was nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, and won a BAFTA.
Gangs of New York (2002) – Historical Drama/Crime
For fans of There Will Be Blood, The Godfather Part II, and Peaky Blinders
Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis clash in Martin Scorsese’s brutal tale of vengeance and identity in Civil War-era New York. It earned ten Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Director, and won a Golden Globe. WYALAN Rating – 3.5/5
Critically Acclaimed Films
Gagarine (2020) – Drama/Social Realism
For fans of La Haine, Girlhood, and The Florida Project
A teenager fights to save his crumbling housing estate by transforming it into a space station in his imagination. It premiered at Cannes to widespread acclaim.
Last Night in Soho (2021) – Thriller/Psychological Horror
For fans of Black Swan, The Neon Demon, and Don’t Look Now
Thomasin McKenzie and Anya Taylor-Joy star in Edgar Wright’s time-hopping thriller set in London’s fashion underworld. It debuted at Venice to strong reviews. WYALAN Rating – 2.5/5
Passing (2021) – Drama/Period
For fans of Carol, If Beale Street Could Talk, and The Hours
Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut explores race, identity, and repression in 1920s Harlem. It received BAFTA nominations and widespread critical acclaim.
Petite Maman (2021) – Fantasy/Drama
For fans of My Neighbour Totoro, Wendy and Lucy, and The Tree of Life
Céline Sciamma’s gentle time-slip tale follows a grieving girl who meets her mother as a child. It won multiple festival awards and was praised for its emotional depth.
Pig (2021) – Drama/Thriller
For fans of First Reformed, The Wrestler, and Leave No Trace
Nicolas Cage plays a reclusive truffle hunter searching for his stolen pig in this meditative character study. It won an Independent Spirit Award and was hailed as one of his finest performances. WYALAN Rating – 3/5
Rio Grande (1950) – Western/Drama
For fans of She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, High Noon, and Shane
John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara reunite in John Ford’s final entry in his Cavalry Trilogy. It’s considered a high point of classic Western cinema.
Robin and Marian (1976) – Romance/Adventure
For fans of The Lion in Winter, The Remains of the Day, and The Man Who Would Be King
Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn play ageing legends confronting mortality and lost love. It received BAFTA nominations and remains a revered late-career classic.
Rodeo (2022) – Drama/Crime
For fans of Girlhood, Titane, and American Honey
Julie Ledru stars as a rebellious biker drawn into an underground motocross gang. It won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes and was praised for its raw energy.
Shabu (2021) – Documentary/Coming-of-Age
For fans of Minding the Gap, Rocks, and The Kid With a Bike
A 14-year-old boy in Rotterdam tries to make amends after crashing his grandmother’s car. It earned festival awards and acclaim for its warmth and authenticity.
Shiva Baby (2020) – Comedy/Drama
For fans of Frances Ha, Obvious Child, and The Squid and the Whale
Rachel Sennott plays a college student trapped at a funeral with her sugar daddy and ex-girlfriend. It was lauded for its anxiety-driven humour and sharp writing.
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (2023) – Documentary/Cultural
For fans of Our Body, Honeyland, and Stories We Tell
Women gather in an Estonian smoke sauna to share stories of trauma, healing, and sisterhood. It was nominated at Cannes and won a European Film Award.
Stand by Me (1986) – Drama/Coming-of-Age
For fans of The Outsiders, Dead Poets Society, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Rob Reiner’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella follows four boys on a summer journey to find a missing body. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars and praised for its heartfelt portrayal of friendship and youth. WYALAN Rating – 4/5
The House of Mirth (2000) – Drama/Period
For fans of The Age of Innocence, A Room with a View, and The Portrait of a Lady
Gillian Anderson stars as Lily Bart in Terence Davies’s adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel. It received widespread acclaim and multiple award nominations.
The Menu (2022) – Thriller/Black Comedy
For fans of Ready or Not, Triangle of Sadness, and The Platform
Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes face off in a twisted culinary showdown on a remote island where the menu hides deadly secrets. It premiered at TIFF to critical acclaim and was celebrated for its biting satire and genre subversion. WYALAN Rating – 2.5/5
The Snowman (1982) – Animation/Fantasy
For fans of Watership Down, The Gruffalo, and The Bear
A boy’s snowman comes to life and takes him on a magical journey to the North Pole. It was nominated for a BAFTA and remains a beloved British classic.
The Winter Guest (1997) – Drama/Family
For fans of The Straight Story, 45 Years, and The Secret Garden
Emma Thompson and Phyllida Law star as mother and daughter navigating grief in a Scottish village. It premiered at Venice and was praised for its quiet emotional power.
Trainspotting (1996) – Drama/Crime
For fans of Requiem for a Dream, Pulp Fiction, and Good Time
Ewan McGregor leads Danny Boyle’s kinetic portrait of heroin addiction and disaffected youth in Edinburgh. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the Oscars and became a cultural landmark. WYALAN Rating – 4/5
Cult Classics & Genre Standouts
Attack the Block (2011) – Sci-Fi/Action
For fans of Shaun of the Dead, The Warriors, and Cloverfield
John Boyega leads a gang of South London teens defending their estate from alien invaders in Joe Cornish’s cult debut. WYALAN Rating – 2.5/5
Barbarian (2022) – Horror/Thriller
For fans of Smile, The Babadook, and Hereditary
A double-booked Airbnb spirals into subterranean terror in this genre-bending breakout from director Zach Cregger. WYALAN Rating – 4/5
Bone Tomahawk (2015) – Western/Horror
For fans of The Proposition, Ravenous, and The Hills Have Eyes
Kurt Russell leads a posse into cannibal territory in this grisly frontier horror from S. Craig Zahler.
Kill List (2011) – Horror/Crime
For fans of The Wicker Man, Dead Man’s Shoes, and Hereditary
Ben Wheatley’s cult chiller follows two hitmen whose latest job descends into ritualistic horror.
Pearl (2022) – Horror/Drama
For fans of Carrie, Black Swan, and The Love Witch
Mia Goth delivers a twisted origin story of ambition and madness in Ti West’s Technicolor slasher prequel.
Pet Sematary (1989) – Horror/Supernatural
For fans of The Shining, Poltergeist, and The Omen
A grieving father discovers the dark power of resurrection in this adaptation of Stephen King’s novel.
Saint Maud (2019) – Horror/Psychological
For fans of The Witch, The Others, and Repulsion
Morfydd Clark plays a devout nurse whose obsession with saving souls spirals into religious mania.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – Sci-Fi/Classic
For fans of Forbidden Planet, Metropolis, and War of the Worlds
An alien emissary arrives to warn humanity in this Cold War-era parable of peace and paranoia.
The Innocents (1961) – Horror/Gothic
For fans of The Others, The Haunting, and Rebecca
Deborah Kerr stars as a governess haunted by ghostly children in this eerie adaptation of Henry James’s novella.
The Running Man (1987) – Sci-Fi/Action
For fans of Escape from New York, Total Recall, and RoboCop
Arnold Schwarzenegger fights for survival on a deadly game show in this dystopian satire of media and violence. WYALAN Rating – 4/5
Notable Mentions
Bros (2022) – Comedy/Romance
For fans of Fire Island, Love Simon, and The Big Sick
Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane navigate modern dating and queer identity in this sharp, self-aware romcom. WYALAN Rating – 4/5
The Creator (2023) – Sci-Fi/Action
For fans of District 9, Rogue One, and Ex Machina
John David Washington plays a soldier torn between duty and empathy in Gareth Edwards’s AI war epic.
The Inbetweeners Movie (2011) – Comedy/Teen
For fans of Superbad, American Pie, and Sex Education
Four mates escape suburbia for a chaotic holiday in Malia in this big-screen spin-off of the hit UK series.
Jerry & Marge Go Large (2022) – Comedy/Drama
For fans of The Founder, The Big Short, and Little Miss Sunshine
Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening play a retired couple who crack the lottery using maths and kindness.
Late Night with the Devil (2023) – Horror/Found Footage
For fans of Host, The Taking of Deborah Logan, and The Blair Witch Project
A 1970s talk show spirals into demonic chaos during a live broadcast in this retro horror experiment.
Life (2017) – Sci-Fi/Horror
For fans of Alien, Sunshine, and Event Horizon
Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson face a deadly organism aboard the ISS in this claustrophobic thriller.
Lola (2022) – Sci-Fi/War
For fans of Coherence, Archive, and Don’t Worry Darling
Two sisters invent a machine that intercepts future broadcasts and reshape WWII in this lo-fi time travel drama.
Open Range (2003) – Western/Drama
For fans of Unforgiven, Tombstone, and The Assassination of Jesse James
Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall play cattlemen forced into a violent showdown with a corrupt rancher.
Prey (2022) – Action/Sci-Fi
For fans of Predator, Apocalypto, and The Northman
Amber Midthunder stars as a Comanche warrior facing an alien hunter in this stripped-back franchise prequel.
Public Enemies (2009) – Crime/Drama
For fans of Heat, Road to Perdition, and The Untouchables
Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger opposite Christian Bale’s FBI agent in Michael Mann’s stylish gangster saga.
Sicario 2: Soldado (2018) – Thriller/Crime
For fans of Traffic, No Country for Old Men, and Narcos
Benicio del Toro and Josh Brolin return for a brutal cross-border mission in this morally murky sequel.
Smile (2022) – Horror/Psychological
For fans of It Follows, The Ring, and Sinister
A therapist witnesses a patient’s suicide and becomes haunted by a grinning curse in this viral horror hit.
Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) – Drama/Mystery
For fans of The Girl on the Train, The Light Between Oceans, and Big Little Lies
Daisy Edgar-Jones plays a reclusive young woman accused of murder in this Southern Gothic adaptation. WYALAN Rating – 2.5/5
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