Indie Film Release Guide: July 17th [An ONTD Original]

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When I tell you that movie release dates are a mess right now... For example: from all appearances, the Sony Pictures Classics film The Climb is scheduled to be released tomorrow, after being delayed from its original March release date. But after a bunch of googling and dead ends, I discovered that no, the release date has been pushed indefinitely, because they really want to open in theaters instead of going direct to video. So if I miss a new film, please know that it is not intentional, and let me know! I will include it in the next roundup.

Some good news: thanks to benevolent mod hjalmartazar, we now have a tag for this weekly post! If you click on the “indie film release guide” tag, you can see all of the previous posts in this long-running weekly series.

All films listed will be available at their respective sources on the Friday following this post, unless otherwise noted. The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: July 10th, July 3rd, and June 26th.

Dirt Music

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Stars: Kelly Macdonald, Garrett Hedlund, David Wenham, Aaron Pedersen
Writer: Jack Thorne
Director: Gregor Jordan
Genre: Crime, Drama, Romance
Plot: The fervent attraction between Georgie, a woman stuck in a loveless relationship, and Lu, a musician with a tragic past, gets the better of them when secrets are uncovered that will change their lives.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Tim Winton.
Where to stream: Available VOD



Fatal Affair

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Stars: Nia Long, Omar Epps, Stephen Bishop, Audrey Cleland
Writer: Rasheeda Garner, Peter Sullivan, Jeffrey Schenck
Director: Peter Sullivan
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: Ellie tries to mend her marriage with her husband Marcus after a brief encounter with an old friend, David, only to find that David is more dangerous and unstable than she'd realized.
What you should know: Nia Long and Omar Epps previously starred together in 1999’s In Too Deep.
Where to stream: Netflix, available now

The Painted Bird

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Stars: Stellan Skarsgård, Harvey Keitel, Barry Pepper, Petr Kotlár
Writer/Director: Václav Marhoul
Genre: Drama, War
Plot: In an unidentified area of war-torn Eastern Europe, a young boy is sent by his parents to live in safety with his aunt. But she dies unexpectedly, so he sets off on a journey to return home. He roams alone in a wild and hostile world in which only local rules, prejudices and superstitions apply.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Jerzy Kosinski, the film is in several languages.
Where to stream: Available VOD

The Sunlit Night

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Stars: Jenny Slate, Alex Sharp, Zach Galifinakis, Gillian Anderson
Writer: Rebecca Dinerstein
Director: David Wnendt
Genre: Romance
Plot: Unlikely pair American painter Frances and émigré Yasha find each other in the Arctic circle. Frances has arrived to jumpstart her career while Yasha has come to bury his father in the land of the Vikings. Together under a sun that never quite sets, they bury the past and discover the future, and family, they didn't know they had.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Rebecca Dinerstein.
Where to stream: Available VOD

We Are Freestyle Love Supreme

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Director: Andrew Fried
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Before the world knew of the Broadway musicals In The Heights and Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda started an improv hip-hop group called Freestyle Love Supreme. This film chronicles the group's 15-year journey, culminating with performances in 2019.
What you should know: Some of the performers featured include Chris Jackson, James Monroe Iglehart, Chris Sullivan and Utkarsh Ambudkar.
Where to stream: Hulu

Carmilla

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Stars: Hannah Rae, Devrim Lingnau, Tobias Menzies, Jessica Raine
Writer/Director: Emily Harris
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Plot: Isolated from the outside world, fifteen-year-old Lara lives in seclusion on a vast country estate with her father and strict governess Miss Fontaine. Late one evening, a mysterious carriage crash brings a young girl into their home to recuperate. Lara immediately becomes enchanted by this strange visitor who arouses her curiosity and awakens her burgeoning desires.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu.
Where to stream: Virtual Cinemas

Flannery

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Director: Mark Bosco, Elizabeth Coffman
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The lyrical, intimate exploration of the life and work of author Flannery O’Connor, whose distinctive Southern Gothic style influenced a generation of artists and activists. With her family home at Andalusia (the Georgia farm where she grew up and later wrote her best known work) as a backdrop, a picture of the woman behind her sharply aware, starkly redemptive style comes into focus.
What you should know: Winner of the first-ever Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

Game of Death

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Stars: Sam Earle, Victoria Diamond, Emelia Hellman, Catherine Saindon
Writer: Edouard H. Bond, Sebastien Landry, Laurence Morais-Lagace
Director: Sebastien Landry, Laurence Morais-Lagace
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: Kill or be killed is the golden rule of the Game of Death. Sucks for seven millennials who ignored that rule. Now each one's head will explode unless they kill someone. Will they turn on each other to survive, or will this sunny day be the last for the innocent people of their middle-of-nowhere town?
What you should know: It shares its name with Bruce Lee’s incomplete final film.
Where to stream: Available now via VOD

Father Soldier Son

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Director: Leslye Davis, Catrin Einhorn
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: This intimate documentary follows one military family over the course of ten years, becoming an intergenerational exploration of the meaning of sacrifice, purpose and American manhood in the aftermath of war.
What you should know: Nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival.
Where to stream: Netflix

The Weekend (2018)

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Stars: Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, DeWanda Wise, Kym Whitley
Writer/Director: Stella Meghie
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: A comedian goes away for the weekend with an ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.
What you should know: The film came out a couple years ago, but is new to Hulu this weekend.
Where to stream: Hulu

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?