Styx – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

Book now

Styx

19 May-31 August 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

HOME
Book now

Styx sketches out the impressive competency of its protagonist over the course of its opening few minutes. Cross cutting between sunny Gibraltar and the scene of a nasty car accident in Germany, director Wolfgang Fischer introduces us to Rike (Susanne Wolff), an emergency services doctor by profession, and intrepid sailor in her leisure time. In Germany, Rike takes immediate control of the scene, ordering firefighters to break into a smashed car so she can access a patient. In Gibraltar, she does a meticulous inventory, preparing her sailing yacht for a solo trip along the west coast of Africa to Ascension Island.

Fischer emphasises process, with lingering shots of the expensive gear and thorough preparation necessary for the voyage. Rike gets off to a good start too, and she’s allowed time to swim naked and enjoy the serene isolation provided by the ocean. But daydreams of Charles Darwin’s artificial jungles are interrupted by a radio from a nearby ship: bad weather is on the way, be careful. She survives the storm without issue, but wakes to the sight of a sinking migrant ship just 150 metres away. Infinitely prepared and fully equipped for the trials of nature, Rike is suddenly left without answers.

From there Styx brings the full moral weight of the migrant crisis to bear on its lead character. The coast guard seems concerned primarily with nationality, both Rike’s and the people stranded on the boat. They advise that she stays away and that help will come. A passing tanker advises that intervention is against company policy. “I really can’t risk my job,” comes the voice over the radio. Meanwhile a boy—wearing a counterfeit Cristiano Ronaldo shirt—swims over to Rike’s sailing yacht. She can treat his cuts and exhaustion, but what of his sister and the others still sinking?

There is a pictorial clarity to the film, as the deep blue of the ocean contrasts with the clean white of the yacht, and the reds and oranges of Rike’s safety equipment. But Styx is a film about murkiness, about the limits of polite liberalism and the cost of inaction. We’re asked to identify with a middle-class lead, who despite her credentials as a well-meaning medical professional is caught up in situation she cannot prepare for. It’s a work of rare sophistication and moral seriousness; a philosophical dilemma made urgent and human through the framework of an intense, well-researched procedural.

Styx is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video from £1.99.

Where to go near Styx – Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

Hern Food
Leeds
Restaurant
Hern

This produce-driven bistro in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, prides itself on cooking with the only finest ingredients and his headed up by Cordon Bleu-trained chef Rab Adams.

Indie Makers
Leeds
Shop
Indie Makers

Indie Makers, located in Leads’ corn exchange, trades in art and gifts from independent makers across the UK.

Plant Point
Leeds
Shop
Plant Point

Plant Point is designed to help you bring the jungle into your urban or suburban space. The home of beautiful plants in Leeds.

Leeds
Restaurant
Eat Your Greens

Eat Your Greens is a vibrant, organic restaurant bringing a hint of European flair to the city’s plant-based dining scene.

Sela opened in 2004 with an idea to provide quality imported beers from around the world, fun cocktails to compliment the beer selections and a stage for the region’s finest and most talented musicians to play on.Over ten years later, we’re still all about the beer, cocktails, live music and pizza!We carry over a selection of over thirty different beers spanning the globe from Pickering with The Great Yorkshire Brewery’s Yorkshire Blackout, to New York with a selection from Brooklyn Brewery, and Belgium with longtime Sela favourite, Vedett.Our cocktails change regularly too. Our best-sellers are joined by fun, new offerings and our pizza menu is regarded as one of the best the city of Leeds has to offer.As for the live music, Sela has had not only the great and the good from the region. Local funksters, The New Mastersounds are regular visitors and we stage the amazing Mojah Reggae Band for their weekly Wednesday residency.  Our other long running programming incl
Leeds
Restaurant
Sela Bar & Pizzeria

Sela Bar is a cosy Leeds basement spot with live music, great drinks, and a cool, laid-back, atmospheric vibe.

Leeds Beckett SU
Leeds
Restaurant
Leeds Beckett Student Union

Leeds Beckett Student Union hosts big-name artists and supports students through events, live music, and a vibrant campus venue.

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There's ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and entertainment facilities, making for a great evening out!

Watch the latest film releases and enjoy the industry-leading Sony 4K Digital screens, boasting spectacular picture quality, along with enhanced audio quality courtesy of Dolby 'Profound Sound'. Stepped SuperVue seating means you will never miss a second of the action while VIP seating guarantees you an extra touch of luxury whenever you want to upgrade.

Three of the nine screens showcase the newest 3D releases while Vue Classical brings the latest stage sensations to the big screen, and parents can save as they go with Family Tickets and Kids AM screenings offering great value for money.
Leeds
Cinema
Vue Cinema – Leeds Kirkstall Road

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There’s ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and

Restaurant 2
Leeds
Café or Coffee Shop
Empire Café

Empire Café is located in Leeds’ ‘home of day dining’- Fish street!

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Phranakhon

Phranakhon Thai Tapas is a revolutionised Thai dining restaurant with a combination of European indulgence and authentic Thai tastes.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Wen’s

Wen’s is a family owned Chinese restaurant specialising in authentic, home cooked cuisine.

What's on: Cinema

Two young women dance in a nightclub, smiling next to each other.
CinemaManchester
The Last Days of Disco + Q&A at HOME

Director Whit Stillman presents a 35mm screenings of one of the best films of the nineties, as a group of twenty-somethings navigate The Last Days of Disco.

From £7.95
Until
CinemaManchester
YANK at Cultplex

Thirteen movies to get to know the United States of America. Cultplex presents a season of film exploring America through its own lens.

From £7.50

Culture Guides

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.