There are plenty of great reasons to obtain a library card, but chief among them is the ability to access the rotating library of movies and shows on Kanopy.
If you miss the days when Netflix was stuffed to the brim with popular licensed movies and you didn’t need half a dozen active subscriptions to watch your favorite movies, you need a Kanopy account. I’ve only recently dipped my toes into the on-demand platform for public libraries, but I am endlessly impressed by the selection it offers. And all you need to access it is a library card, as long as your local public library provides Kanopy.
In fact, the selection is so massive that I often find it somewhat overwhelming, which is why we want to help spotlight the best titles on the streamer every week. Of course, your Kanopy library might differ slightly, so there’s a chance you won’t see all of the same titles I see. With that said, here are our top 5 movies on Kanopy for the week of April 27, 2025:
Evil Does Not Exist (2023)
Synopsis: “In a secluded, snowy mountain village, widower and single father Takumi leads a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for a friend’s udon shop. Yet this peaceful existence is threatened when a pair of corporate reps arrive to launch a glamping site, sparking resistance from community members who fear the project’s potentially pernicious impact on the environment.”
Longlegs (2024)
Synopsis: “In this chilling horror-thriller directed by Osgood Perkins (The Blackcoat’s Daughter), Nicolas Cage stars as a mysterious serial killer known only as “Longlegs.” When a young FBI agent (Maika Monroe) is assigned to the case, she becomes obsessed with uncovering his twisted motivations. As she delves deeper, she discovers unsettling ties between the killer’s past and her own.”
Cuckoo (2024)
Synopsis: “Gretchen reluctantly leaves her American home to live with her father, who has just moved into a resort in the German Alps with his new family. Arriving at their future residence, something doesn’t seem right in this tranquil vacation paradise. Gretchen is plagued by strange noises and bloody visions until she discovers a shocking secret that concerns her own family.”
Perfect Days (2023)
Synopsis: “Hirayama is content with his simple life cleaning toilets in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Unexpected encounters reveal more of his story in a deeply moving and poetic reflection on finding beauty in the world around us.”
La Chimera (2024)
Synopsis: “Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For Arthur, the Chimera looks like the woman he lost, Beniamina. In an adventurous journey between the living and the dead, between forests and cities, between celebrations and solitudes, the intertwined destinies of these characters unfold, all in search of the Chimera.”
