NYT recommends five free films to stream, from 'Paris, Texas' to 'Kumiko'

The New York Times on Jan. 16, 2026, published a roundup of five films available to stream for free, highlighting titles that revolve around fresh starts and new beginnings, from Wim Wenders’s Paris, Texas to David Zellner’s Kumiko: The Treasure Hunter. The piece calls Wenders’s 1984 Paris, Texas a masterpiece that combines “magnificent surrealism” with humanism.

It follows Travis (Harry Dean Stanton), a near‑mute drifter found by his brother (Dean Stockwell) and reunited with his young son (Hunter Carson), and was written by Sam Shepard; the review says the film believes in grace even as it confronts pain and violence. Also featured is a Stanley Tucci film he co‑wrote with Joseph Tropiano and co‑directed with Campbell Scott, set on the Jersey Shore in the 1950s.

Tucci and Tony Shalhoub play two immigrant brothers trying to revive their restaurant by hosting a famous singer; the review highlights the film’s small, patient moments — the kitchen sounds, anticipation before a meal and the languid aftermath. The list includes Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, about an orphaned novice nun (Agata Trzebuchowska) who, days before taking vows, is told to visit an aunt (Agata Kulesza) and learns she is Jewish.

Set in postwar Poland and shot in austere black and white, the film is described as a coming‑of‑age story that probes connection, love and the burden of history.

Key Topics

Culture, Paris, Texas, Kumiko, Ida, Wim Wenders, David Zellner