Indie Film Release Guide: October 20th [An ONTD Original]

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While it looks as though Taylor Swift will dominate the box office for a second weekend in a row, she has a legendary challenger this weekend in Martin Scorsese. Killers of the Flower Moon is by far the biggest new release of the weekend, but the 3 hour and 26 minute long critically acclaimed film will likely be too lengthy for some theatergoers. Netflix has several new releases this weekend as well, both on streaming and in theaters.

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 13th, October 6th, and September 29th.

Killers of the Flower Moon

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Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert De Niro, Jesse Plemons
Writer: Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese
Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Crime, Drama, History
Plot: Members of the Osage tribe in the United States are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s, sparking a major F.B.I. investigation involving J. Edgar Hoover.
What you should know: Based on David Grann’s best-selling book.
Where to watch: In theaters



The Persian Version

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Stars: Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bijan Daneshmand
Writer/Director: Maryam Keshavarz
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: When a large Iranian-American family gathers, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother and daughter into an exploration of the past, and to discover they are more alike than they know.
What you should know: Won both the Audience Award and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Where to watch: In theaters

Nyad

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Stars: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans
Writer: Julia Cox, Diana Nyad
Director: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Genre: Biography, Drama, Sport
Plot: Tells the remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach, commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.
What you should know: The “true” part of this “true story” has been debated, with an entire website devoted to fact-checking Nyad (https://nyadfactcheck.com/)
Where to watch: In select theaters; on Netflix November 3rd

Pain Hustlers

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Stars: Emily Blunt, Chris Evans, Catherine O’Hara, Andy Garcia
Writer: Wells Tower, Evan Hughes
Director: David Yates
Genre: Crime, Drama
Plot: Dreaming of a better life for her and her young daughter, Liza lands a job from Pete at a failing pharma start-up, where Liza’s charm, drive, and guts catapult her into the high life and the company into the center of a criminal conspiracy with dire consequences.
What you should know: This is only the third film from director David Yates outside of the Harry Potter franchise.
Where to watch: Netflix

The Pigeon Tunnel

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Writer: Errol Morris, John le Carré
Director: Errol Morris
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Spans six decades as John le Carré gives his final and most personal interview, interrupted with rare archival footage and dramatic anecdotes.
What you should know: John le Carré died in December 2020.
Where to watch: In theaters, and streaming on Apple TV+

Old Dads

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Stars: Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine, Katie Aselton
Writer: Bill Burr, Ben Tishler
Director: Bill Burr
Genre: Comedy
Plot: Three best friends become fathers later in life and find themselves battling preschool principals, millennial CEOs and anything created after 1987.
What you should know: This is star, writer and director Bill Burr’s feature film directorial debut.
Where to watch: Netflix

Sick Girl

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Stars: Nina Dobrev, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Dan Bakkedahl, Brandon Mychal Smith
Writer/Director: Jennifer Cram
Genre: Comedy
Plot: When Wren Pepper feels her closest friends slipping away, she lets loose a little white lie that snowballs into a colossal, life-altering event.
What you should know: This is Jennifer Cram’s feature film directorial debut after a long career in casting.
Where to watch: Available VOD

The Other Zoey

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Stars: Josephine Langford, Drew Starkey, Archie Renaux, Mallori Johnson
Writer: Matthew Tabak
Director: Sara Zandieh
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Plot: Miller, a super smart computer nerd who is uninterested in romantic love, has her life turned upside down when Zack, the school's soccer star, gets amnesia and mistakes Zoey for his girlfriend.
What you should know: Director Sara Zandieh also helmed a couple episodes of Good Girls.
Where to watch: In theaters

To Kill a Tiger

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Writer/Director: Nisha Pahuja
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Ranjit, a farmer in India, takes on the fight of his life when he demands justice for his 13-year-old daughter, the victim of a brutal gang rape. His decision to support his daughter is virtually unheard of, and his journey unprecedented.
What you should know: Dev Patel and Mindy Kaling are both producers on this award-winning documentary.
Where to watch: In theaters

Deep Sky

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Writer/Director: Nathaniel Kahn
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: This inspiring documentary explores the $10 billion JWST's engineering and construction process, historic Dec. 25, 2021 launch, and the release of its first full-color, galaxy-sprinkled images on July 12, 2022 witnessed by the entire planet.
What you should know: Michelle Williams narrates the film.
Where to watch: Select IMAX theaters in the US and Canada (https://www.imax.com/news/deep-sky)

More New Releases

Butcher’s Crossing (Trailer) from Sony
Malibu Horror Story (Trailer)
The Canterville Ghost (Trailer)
KillHer (Trailer)
Last Summer of Nathan Lee (Trailer)
Finding Her Beat (Trailer)

New to Streaming

Werewolf By Night in Color (Trailer) on Disney+
Peter & the Wolf (Trailer) on Max
Cobweb (Trailer) on Hulu

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?