Indie Film Release Guide: October 21st [An ONTD Original]
This weekend, The Rock looks to conquer the box office with his take on a superhero film, playing DC’s Black Adam, while Julia Roberts and George Clooney look to prove that the theatrical appetite for romantic comedies is not entirely dead with Ticket to Paradise. Halloween Ends and Smile seek to bring in more holiday-adjacent dollars less than two weeks before Halloween, and there are plenty of award hopefuls making their debuts and expanding.
The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Five” - Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Columbia Pictures.. 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: October 14th, October 7th, and September 30th.
Aftersun
Click to viewStars: Paul Mescal, Frankie Corio, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Kayleigh Coleman
Writer/Director: Charlotte Wells
Genre: Drama
Plot: Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't.
What you should know: This is the debut feature film from Scottish director, writer and producer Charlotte Wells.
Where to watch: In select theaters
Banshees of Inisherin
Stars: Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Barry Keoghan, Kerry Condon
Writer/Director: Martin McDonagh
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Plot: Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
What you should know: Won the Best Screenplay and Best Actor awards at the 2022 Venice Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters
My Policeman
Stars: Harry Styles, Emma Corrin, David Dawson, Gina McKee
Writer: Ron Nyswaner
Director: Michael Grandage
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: The arrival of Patrick into Marion and Tom's home triggers the exploration of seismic events from 40 years previously.
What you should know: Based on the book by Bethan Roberts.
Where to watch: In select theaters; available on Amazon Prime November 4th
Wendell & Wild
Stars: Lyric Ross, Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Angela Bassett
Writer: Henry Selick, Jordan Peele
Director: Henry Selick
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Plot: Two scheming demon brothers, Wendell and Wild, enlist the aid of 13-year-old Kat Elliot to summon them to the Land of the Living.
What you should know: Based on the book by Clay McLeod Chapman
Where to watch: In select theaters; available on Netflix October 28th
Descendant
Director: Margaret Brown
Genre: Documentary, History
Storyline: Follows descendants of the survivors from the Clotilda, the last ship that carried enslaved Africans to the United States, as they reclaim their story.
What you should know: Won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award - Creative Vision at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Where to watch: Netflix
Argentina, 1985
Stars: Ricardo Darín, Gina Mastronicola, Francisco Bertín, Santiago Armas Estevarena
Writer: Mariano Llinás, Santiago Mitre
Director: Santiago Mitre
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Plot: A team of lawyers takes on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s in a battle against odds and a race against time.
What you should know: Official submission of Argentina for the Best International Feature Film category of the 95th Academy Awards in 2023.
Where to watch: Amazon
All That Breathes
Director: Shaunak Sen
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: The darkening backdrop of Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protect one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the Black Kite.
What you should know: Won awards at Cannes, London Film Festival, and Sundance Film Festival 2022.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Return of Tanya Tucker
Writer/Director: Kathlyn Horan
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Decades after Tanya Tucker slipped from the spotlight, music star Brandi Carlile takes it upon herself to write an entire album for her hero based on Tanya's extraordinary life, spurring the greatest comeback in country music history.
What you should know: Won the Audience Award at SXSW 2022.
Where to watch: In theaters
The Good Nurse
Stars: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Kim Dickens, Noah Emmerich
Writer: Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Director: Tobias Lindholm
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Plot: An infamous caregiver is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients.
What you should know: Based on the book by Charles Graeber.
Where to watch: In theaters
Slash/Back
Stars: Kristian Bruun, Shaun Benson, Tasiana Shirley, Nalajoss Edwards
Writer: Ryan Cavan, Nyla Innuksuk
Director: Nyla Innuksuk
Genre: Adventure, Sci-Fi
Plot: When Maika and her ragtag friends discover an alien invasion in their tiny arctic hamlet, it's up to them to save the day. Utilizing their makeshift weapons and horror movie knowledge, the aliens realize you don't mess with girls from Pang.
What you should know: This is the feature directorial debut of writer and director Nyla Innuksuk.
Where to watch: In theaters, and available VOD
More New Releases
Ticket to Paradise (Trailer) from Universal
Black Adam (Trailer) from Warner Bros
Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power (Trailer)
The Pez Outlaw (Trailer)
Where Are You (Trailer)
Brother’s Keeper (Trailer)
Hounded (Trailer)
Slayers (Trailer)
Expanding in Theaters
Till (Trailer)
Tár (Trailer)
Decision to Leave (Trailer)
New to Streaming
The School for Good and Evil (Trailer) on Netflix
The Stranger (Trailer) on Netflix
Matriarch (Trailer) on Hulu
Abandoned (Trailer) on Hulu
Wyrm (Trailer) on Hulu
Raymond and Ray (Trailer) on Apple TV+
Year One: A Political Odyssey (Trailer) on HBO
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Little early this week due to OP's schedule. What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?