Indie Film Release Guide: May 21st [An ONTD Original]
Next weekend, summer at the box office kicks off with A Quiet Place 2 and Cruella, but this weekend is the calm before the storm. There are no new major studio releases, but plenty of indie offerings to keep you busy.
The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Columbia/Sony and Disney. Note that some of the movies listed are in their first week or two of limited release in the USA, so it may take them a few more weeks (or months) to show up in your local arthouse theater or on VOD. Check out the posts from the past few weeks for more movies that may have just opened near you: May 14th, May 7th, and April 30th.
Dream Horse
Click to viewStars: Toni Collette, Damian Lewis, Owen Teale, Siân Phillips
Writer: Neil McKay
Director: Euros Lyn
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Plot: Dream Alliance is an unlikely race horse bred by small-town Welsh bartender Jan Vokes. With no experience, Jan convinces her neighbors to chip in their meager earnings to help raise Dream in the hopes he can compete with the racing elites.
What you should know: Director Euros Lyn has directed on many British television series, including Doctor Who, Sherlock, and Broadchurch.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Dry
Stars: Eric Bana, Genevieve O'Reilly, Keir O'Donnell, John Polson
Writer: Harry Cripps, Robert Connolly, Samantha Strauss
Director: Robert Connolly
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Plot: Aaron Falk returns to his drought-stricken hometown to attend a tragic funeral. But his return opens a decades-old wound - the unsolved death of a teenage girl.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Jane Harper.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
New Order
Stars: Naian González Norvind, Fernando Cuautle, Diego Boneta, Dario Yazbek Bernal
Writer/Director: Michel Franco
Genre: Drama
Plot: A lavish high-society wedding unexpectedly turns into a class struggle that leads to a violent coup.
What you should know: Won the Silver Lion at the 2020 Venice Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters
Final Account
Director: Luke Holland
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: An urgent portrait of the last living generation of Hitler's Third Reich in never-before-seen interviews raising vital questions about authority, conformity, national identity, and their own roles in the greatest human crimes in history.
What you should know: Director Luke Holland died in June 2020.
Where to watch: In theaters
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit
Stars: Riva Krymalowski, Marinus Hohmann, Carla Juri, Oliver Masucci
Writer: Ann Brüggemann, Caroline Link
Director: Caroline Link
Genre: Drama, Family, History
Plot: Anna is too busy with schoolwork and friends to notice Hitler’s face glaring from posters plastered all over 1933 Berlin. But when her father suddenly vanishes, the family is secretly hurried out of Germany. Anna begins to understand life will never be the same as she and her family navigate unfamiliar lands and cope with the challenges of being refugees.
What you should know: Adapted from the novel by Judith Kerr, the family’s patriarch is based on the prominent theater critic Alfred Kerr.
Where to watch: In select theaters and virtual cinemas
Spring Blossom
Stars: Suzanne Lindon, Arnaud Valois, Frédéric Pierrot, Rebecca Marder
Writer/Director: Suzanne Lindon
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: A 16-year-old girl who is bored with her peers becomes involved with an older man at a theater she passes.
What you should know: It’s in French.
Where to watch: In theaters
Blast Beat
Stars: Moises Arias, Matteo Arias, Daniel Dae Kim, Diane Guerrero
Writer: Esteban Arango, Erick Castrillon
Director: Esteban Arango
Genre: Drama
Plot: When a family leaves their native Colombia for the United States in the summer of '99, a metalhead science prodigy and his aimless younger brother struggle to align the American Dream with their new reality.
What you should know: Nominated for the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance 2020.
Where to watch: In select theaters and virtual cinemas
Seance
Stars: Suki Waterhouse, Madisen Beaty, Inanna Sarkis, Ella-Rae Smith
Writer/Director: Simon Barrett
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Plot: Camille Meadows is the new girl at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls. Soon after her arrival, six girls invite her to join them in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts their halls. But before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.
What you should know: Writer/director Simon Barrett also wrote The Guest and You’re Next.
Where to watch: In select theaters, and available VOD
Drunk Bus
Stars: Charlie Tahan, Kara Hayward, Zach Cherry, Dave Hill
Writer: Chris Molinaro
Director: John Carlucci, Brandon LaGanke
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Michael is a recent graduate whose post-college plan is derailed when his girlfriend leaves him for a job in New York City. When the bus service hires a security guard to watch over the night shift, Michael comes face to tattooed face with Pineapple, a 300-pound punk rock Samoan.
What you should know: Nominated for the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award at SXSW 2020.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
The Retreat
Stars: Tommie-Amber Pirie, Sarah Allen, Aaron Ashmore, Rossif Sutherland
Writer: Alyson Richards
Director: Pat Mills
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Plot: A lesbian couple with a rocky relationship goes to a pre-wedding retreat and ends up fighting for their lives when a group of militant serial killers tries to murder them.
What you should know: This is writer Alyson Richards’ first feature film.
Where to watch: In select theaters, and available VOD
Also Opening
American Fighter (Trailer)
Into the Darkness (Trailer)
Milkwater (Trailer)
Two Lottery Tickets (Trailer)
Tomorrow’s Hope (Trailer)
Drunk Bus (Trailer)
3 Tickets to Paradise (Trailer)
Dementia Part II (Trailer)
New to Streaming
Army of the Dead (Trailer) on Netflix
Sam Smith: Love Goes (Live at Abbey Road Studio) (Trailer) on Netflix May 22
P!nk: All I Know So Far (Trailer) on Amazon
Two Gods (Trailer) on PBS
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD?