Indie Film Release Guide: January 8th [An ONTD Original]

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It’s another light week for new releases, but with award season shifted back a few months, the release slate should start picking up again very soon. And speaking of awards, I’d like to thank the users that nominated and voted for the Indie Release Guide post series in the Best of ONTD Poll. We may not have come first (or second, or third, or fourth), but I genuinely appreciate the recognition!

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. All films listed will be available at their respective sources on Friday unless otherwise noted. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have already come to VOD: January 1st, December 23rd, and December 18th.

Pieces of a Woman

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Stars: Vanessa Kirby, Shia LaBeouf, Ellen Burstyn, Iliza Shlesinger
Writer: Kata Wéber
Director: Kornél Mundruczó
Genre: Drama
Plot: When a young mother's home birth ends in unfathomable tragedy, she begins a year-long odyssey of mourning that fractures relationships with loved ones in this deeply personal story of a woman learning to live alongside her loss.
What you should know: This is the last film (other than a short) listed on Shia’s IMDB profile, so hopefully we won’t be seeing more projects with him anytime soon. Or ever.
Where to stream: Netflix



Herself

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Stars: Clare Dunne, Harriet Walter, Conleth Hill, Ian Lloyd Anderson
Writer: Malcolm Campbell, Clare Dunne, Sourav Kumar
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Genre: Drama
Plot: This is the story of young mother Sandra who escapes her abusive husband and fights back against a broken housing system. She sets out to build her own home and in the process rebuilds her life and re-discovers herself.
What you should know: The film has picked up a few film festival nominations and wins.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime

If Not Now, When?

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Stars: Meagan Holder, Mekia Cox, Tamara Bass, Meagan Good
Writer: Tamara Bass
Director: Meagan Good, Tamara Bass
Genre: Drama
Plot: Four friends, who met in high school and are bonded by an event, are suddenly forced back together when one of them suffers a crisis.
What you should know: This is Meagan Good’s feature film directorial debut.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD

The Reason I Jump

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Director: Jerry Rothwell
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: An immersive cinematic exploration of neurodiversity through the experiences of non-speaking autistic people from around the world. The film blends Naoki Higashida's revelatory insights into autism, written when he was just 13, with intimate portraits of five remarkable young people. It opens a window for audiences into an intense and overwhelming, but often joyful, sensory universe.
What you should know: Based on the book by Naoki Higashida, the film won the Documentary Audience Award at Sundance 2020.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

Charming

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Stars: Demi Lovato, Wilmer Valderrama, Sia, Nia Vardalos
Writer/Director: Ross Venokur
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Charming
Plot: Three fairy tale princesses find themselves engaged to the same guy, Prince Charming.
What you should know: It seems like this was released in some places in 2018, so idk if it’s technically “new” or not, but my cup doth not overflow with new releases this week so here it is.
Where to stream: Netflix

Beautiful Something Left Behind

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Director: Katrine Philip
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: At Good Grief groups, children meet to understand the passing of a parent or a sibling through play, giving in to rage in 'the volcano room' and saying goodbye to a dying teddy bear patient in 'the hospital room'. Over the course of a year, we follow the weekly meetings and get close to Kimmy, Nicky, Peter, Nora, Nolan and Mikayla and their close companion: grief. It is sometimes heartbreaking, but also humorous, to experience the questions about life and death through their open and curious minds. Grief is high and heavy as a mountain, but it helps you understand what has happened, and that death is irreversible.
What you should know: Just listening to the trailer while doing this write-up made me tear up, so I’d grab a box of tissues if I were you.
Where to stream: Virtual cinemas

Grizzly II: Revenge

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Stars: Steve Inwood, Deborah Raffin, John Rhys-Davies, Louise Fletcher
Writer: Joan McCall, David Sheldon
Director: André Szöts
Genre: Horror, Music, Thriller
Plot: All hell breaks loose when a giant Grizzly, reacting to the slaughter of Grizzlies by poachers, attacks at a massive big-band rock concert in the National Park.
What you should know: The film was made in 1983, but was never released until now. There are brief appearances from then-unknowns Laura Dern and George Clooney.
Where to stream: Available VOD

Yellow Rose

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Stars: Lea Salonga, Eva Noblezada, Gustavo Gomez, Liam Booth
Writer: Diana Paragas, Andy Bienen, Annie J. Howell, Celena Cipriaso
Director: Diana Paragas
Genre: Drama, Music
Plot: A Filipina teen from a small Texas town fights to pursue her dreams as a country music performer while having to decide between staying with her family or leaving the only home she has known.
What you should know: This was released by Sony theatrically late in 2020, but it didn’t get a lot of buzz, so I thought I’d highlight the VOD release.
Where to stream: Available VOD

New to Streaming

Gretel & Hansel (Trailer) on Hulu
The King of Staten Island (Trailer) on HBO, January 9th

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?