Each month, streaming sites like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Now release dozens of new films for TV and movie fiends to consume.
Read More: 7 Netflix Titles Global Citizens Can’t Miss This July
While this month’s new movie slate may not have the rising star power of British actor Dev Patel, or climate change activist Leonardo DiCaprio (see July, above), it does feature America’s go-to everyman: Tom Hanks.
August’s movies take you all the way from the deserts of the US southwest to a futuristic Korea in 2144.
This month, check out these five stellar movies for Global Citizens:
1. “Cloud Atlas,” Drama, Netflix, Aug. 1
Based off the eponymous novel by David Mitchell, “Cloud Atlas” takes viewers on a nearly three-hour adventure through multiple locations, time periods, and even dimensions. Starring Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant, the film is based on the premise that one small ripple in time can turn into a revolution in another place, or era.
2. “Maz Jobrani: Immigrant,” Comedy, Netflix, Aug. 1
When it comes to hilarious comedy specials that poignantly address the immigrant experience in the United States, Netflix is on top the game. This year alone, the streaming site has brought us Hasan Minhaj’s “Homecoming King,” Aditi Mittal’s “Things They Wouldn't Let Me Say,” and now Maz Jobrani’s appropriately-titled, “Immigrant.”
“There’s a lot of anti-immigrant sentiment right now,” Jobrani says in the trailer. “People need to know that we love America, we come here for a reason, and we contribute in many ways.”
3. “Holes,” Drama, Netflix, Aug. 5
Remember Stanley Yelnats? Well, everyone’s favorite digger of holes is coming to Netflix, along with his supporting cast of characters, including Zero, Armpit, Magnet, and Twitch. “Holes,” for those who are unfamiliar with the film, follows Yelnats (played by Shia LaBeouf), a boy wrongfully accused of a crime who is sent to a juvenile detention center in the desert of the US southwest, where detainees must inexplicably dig holes all day to do their time.
What makes this a film for Global Citizens, you might ask? For one, the film addresses the phenomenon of mass incarceration in the United States, and around the world — a major driver in the cycle of poverty.
Yelnats aside, the majority of the boys sent to Camp Green Lake are of color. According to the NAACP, 34% of America’s correctional population is African American, and 56% of the prison population is African American or Hispanic, despite those demographics representing just one third of Americans.
4. “A New Economy,” Documentary, Netflix, Aug. 15
A documentary about the cooperative economy, “A New Economy,” considers the ecological and economic benefits of businesses that are run by and for the workers that sustain them. From community gardening initiatives to a worker-owned London brewery, the documentary addresses alternative economic models that prioritize equity over profit, and end up with both.
5. “Jackie,” Drama, HBO Now, Aug. 26
After the assassination of her husband, US President John F. Kennedy, the eyes of the nation turned to First Lady Jackie Kennedy. At once an homage to a powerful woman in a political world stacked against her, and a gripping emotional drama, “Jackie” is a must-watch for Global Citizens.