Oscar-nominated Sound Of Metal alongside Here Are The Young Men, Little Fish, Rare Beasts and more join Rakuten TV in May

Romance, comedy and thrillers are all on offer this month as a fantastic selection of brand-new titles are joining Rakuten TV this May. Films for every mood will be newly available, with a mixture of romantic-comedies, dramas, and action-packed thrillers including Oscar nominated Sound Of Metal, Here Are The Young Men, Little Fish, Rare Beasts, High Flying Romance (4K HDR), I Still Believe (4K HDR), Paradise Cove, Great White, and Endangered Species (4K HDR). Joining Rakuten TV’s Starzplay section is the much-awaited comedy drama Run The World. Plus, Rakuten TV’s FREE section adds Haywire, In Time, Don’t Say A Word, LA Confidential and Brooklyn’s Finest.

Riz Ahmed gives a spectacular performance in Sound Of Metal, and it’s no surprise that its been nominated for six Oscars, and received two BAFTA awards. Ruben (Ahmed) is a recovering heroin addict and punk-metal drummer whose life revolves around music; and who is also going deaf. Having ignored medical advice to avoid loud noises, Ruben is forced to give up his true passion and seek help in the form of a retreat for the deaf. Director Marder presents audiences with a powerful but sensitive exploration of a so-called disability that challenges perceptions and assumptions about loss of hearing in thoughtful but provocative ways.

Based on the critically acclaimed novel by Rob Doyle, director Eoin Macken brings audiences the mischievous euphoric teen adventure Here Are The Young Men, starring Golden-Globe winner Anya Taylor-Joy and Finn Cole. Dublin teenagers Matthew, Kearney and Rez look forward to the summer of their lives after finishing their final year at school, only to find that their incessant partying and drug-taking causes each of them to spiral shockingly out of control. A tale of toxic masculinity and adolescent love, it’s not one to miss this May on Rakuten TV.

Writer and director Chad Hartigan brings audiences Little Fish, the heart-wrenching sci-fi romance surrounding a couple desperately clinging on to their relationship amidst a global, memory-loss pandemic. Photographer Jude (Jack O’Connell) and Emma (Olivia Cooke) live a blissful life until their world is abruptly turned upside down when Jack begins to experience symptoms of the vastly spreading, incurable disease ‘NIA’ which robs it’s victims of their memories. With society collapsing around the pair, the film glides through scattered memories of their history as they desperately attempt to keep Jude’s memory alive.

Billie Piper makes her fantastic directorial debut with the anti-rom-com Rare Beasts, in which she also stars as the main character Mandy – a single mother who is deeply cynical about love. Keen to find a healthy life partner, Mandy, embarks on a chaotic romance with her misogynistic and emotionally volatile co-worker Pete (Leo Bill). Brilliantly funny, this comedy drama cleverly evokes an unhinged portrait of modern life that strips away the cliches and leaves audiences with the raw ‘truth’ about love.

A title packed with an emotional punch is I Still Believe starring KJ Apa, Britt Robertson and Shania Twain. Based on the true story of popular Christian singer Jeremy Camp, I Still Believe follows the heart-breaking story of Jeremy and his beloved Melissa, who, at the age of 20, is tragically diagnosed with ovarian cancer and sadly passes away shortly after their wedding. Jeremy and Melissa’s unwavering love is the shining message throughout the film, and directors Jo Erwin and Jon Gunn skilfully portray their sad but mighty love story from start to finish.

Starring Chad Michael Murray and set in a small country town with a big community spirit, Colours of Love has all the ingredients for the perfect romantic comedy. When librarian Taylor (Jessica Lowndes) suddenly loses her job, she heads home to the town she grew up in only to find that it’s in danger of losing its country charm to a property tycoon. In a similar vein, High Flying Romance, also starring Jessica Lowndes, is an uplifting romantic comedy that will leave audiences smiling for days. When recently widowed Gavin and his nine-year-old daughter, Parker, return to his hometown, his passion for kite flying reignites. Sparks fly between Gavin and reigning champion Hannah (Lowndes), and hearts soar in the lead up to the annual kite flying festival.

Switching up the pace is Endangered Species, a title set to be the action-thriller of the year. Set in the wild and unforgiving African savannah, this gripping adventure tale sees Jack (Jerry O’Connell) and his wife (Rebecca Romijn) take their family on a dream vacation in Kenya, only for it to take a brutal turn when they recklessly venture off alone in a wilderness park. They split up in search of rescue, and vicious encounters ensue as they fight for survival.

Paradise Cove sees a young couple move to their dream location in Malibu only to find that a deranged homeless woman lives underneath the deck of their beachfront fixer upper and she does not take kindly to unwanted visitors. Things soon turn ugly, and it becomes clear that the couple, and those around them are being mortally imperilled by Bree, the terrifying ex-actress whose own family died in mysterious circumstances. Audiences can continue the fear factor with the thrilling Great White which depicts the terrifying story of a seaplane full of tourists taking flight to the sinisterly named island ‘Hell’s Reef’, only to get stranded miles from shore with two hungry Great White sharks nearby on the hunt for prey.

Furthermore, a host of titles are added to Rakuten TV’s ad-supported FREE channel from 1st May including Haywire (Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor), In Time (Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy), Don’t Say A Word (Michael Douglas, Sean Bean, Brittany Murphy) and Brooklyn’s Finest (Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke).

Joining the platform’s StarzPlay section on 16th May is series 1 of the black female empowerment comedy Run The World, starring Jay Walker, David J. Cork and De’Adre Aziza. Set in Harlem, the series follows four vibrant, smart and fiercely loyal best friends who help each other through the highs and lows of every-day life when it comes to work, relationships and everything else in between. At its core, it’s an authentic and unapologetic show about enviable friendship and not only surviving – but thriving together. With hilarious one liners at every turn, it’s undoubtedly set to be the next hit drama of the year!

Not forgetting the fantastic promotions that Rakuten TV has to offer audiences this May. From from the 26th April – 9th May, Rakuten TV is offering the promotion ‘Watch List’, providing audiences a discounted prices on those classic titles that they’ve always wanted to, but never quite managed to get round to watching. Hunker down and embark on a movie marathon with classic titles such as Spider-Man: Far From Home, Jumanji: The Next Level, The Equalizer 2 and Bad Boys For Life.

As well as this, it’s that time of year again, and Rakuten TV have a treat in store for all Star Wars fans with their ‘Star Wars: May The 4th Be With You’ promotion from the 3rd – 16th May. Celebrate Star Wars Day with a discount on all 11 titles from the franchise.

Finally, if escapism is what audiences are after this May then they need look no further as the promotion ‘Instant Escapes’ is bound to whisk viewers away to another world with titles such as Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar, Dolittle, The Secret Garden and Jumanji: Next Level on offer.