Indie Film Release Guide: November 15th [An ONTD Original]

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This weekend’s box office looks to be dominated by 20th Century Fox’s Ford v Ferrari, but there are a couple other wide releases coming out, too: Sony’s Charlie’s Angels, and The Good Liar from Warner Brothers. But there are several potential awards contenders coming out this week from the smaller studios, so be sure to read on for more info on those.

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: November 8th, November 1st, and October 25th.

Waves

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Stars: Taylor Russell, Kelvin Harrison, Jr, Alexa Demie, Sterling K. Brown
Writer/Director: Trey Edward Shults
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sport
Plot: Traces the journey of a suburban family - led by a well-intentioned but domineering father - as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss.
What you should know: This is writer/director Shults’ third consecutive collaboration with A24, following Krisha and It Comes at Night.
Opens in: Select cities



The Report

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Stars: Adam Driver, Annette Bening, Jon Hamm, Corey Stoll
Writer/Director: Scott Z. Burns
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot: Idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones, tasked by his boss to lead an investigation into the CIA's post 9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program, uncovers shocking secrets.
What you should know: If you look at the stylization of the title, you can see that it would be called “The Torture Report”, but the word "Torture" is redacted.
Opens in: Select cities

Bluebird

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Director: Brian A. Loschiavo
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Discover the origin stories of megastars like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift while following emerging singer-songwriters as they chase their dreams inside The Bluebird Cafe, Nashville's accidental landmark that has altered the course of music history.
What you should know: There are appearances from Garth Brooks, Taylor Swift, Maren Morris, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood and more country stars.
Opens in: Select cities

Atlantics

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Stars: Mame Bineta Sane, Abdou Balde, Aminata Kane, Ibrahima Mbaye
Writer: Mati Diop, Oliver Demangel
Director: Mati Diop
Genre: Drama
Plot: In a popular suburb of Dakar, workers on the construction site of a futuristic tower, without pay for months, decide to leave the country by the ocean for a better future. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada, promised to another.
What you should know: It’s in Wolof, French and English
Opens in: Select cities, and available on Netflix November 29th

Everybody’s Everything

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Directors: Sebastian Jones, Ramez Silyan
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Creating a unique mix of punk, emo and trap, Lil Peep was set to bring a new musical genre to the mainstream when he died of a drug overdose at just 21 years old. From the streets of Los Angeles to studios in London and sold out tours in Russia, the artist born Gustav Ahr touched countless lives through his words, his sound and his very being.
What you should know: Terrence Malick is an executive producer on the film.
Opens in: Select cities

I Lost My Body

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Stars: Hakim Faris, Victoire Du Bois, Patrick d’Assumçao, Alfonso Arfi
Writer: Jérémy Clapin
Director: Jérémy Clapin
Genre: Animation, Drama
Plot: In a Parisian laboratory, a severed hand escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body. During a hair-raising escapade across the city, the extremity fends off pigeons and rats alike to reunite with pizza boy Naoufel. Its memories of Naoufel and his love for librarian Gabrielle may provide answers about what caused the hand's separation, and a poetic backdrop for a possible reunion between the three.
What you should know: It’s in French, and based on Guillaume Laurant's novel Happy Hand.
Opens in: Select cities, and available on Netflix November 29th.

Mickey and the Bear

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Stars: Camila Morrone, James Badge Dale, Calvin Demba, Ben Rosenfield
Writer/Director: Annabelle Attanasio
Genre: Drama
Plot: Faced with the responsibility to take care of her addict, veteran father, headstrong teen Mickey Peck keeps her household afloat.
What you should know: This is the 26 year old writer/director’s debut feature film.
Opens in: NYC

The Hottest August

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Director: Brett Story
Genre: Documentary
Plot: Ordinary people in New York are asked to talk about their lives and their hopes for the future in a time marked by political division and climate change.
What you should know: The director is responsible for several other documentaries.
Opens in: Select cities

Autonomy

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Director: Alex Horwitz
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: Brief history of the development of self-driving cars along with an even-handed look at the pros and cons of giving up human control of something that has been a significant part of people's lives for more than 100 years. The film suggests we are at a significant cultural and economic turning point.
What you should know: Malcolm Gladwell is one of the contributors to the film.
Opens in: Select cities

The Shed

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Stars: Jay Jay Warren, Cody Kostro, Sofia Happonen, Timothy Bottoms
Writer/Director: Frank Sabatella
Genre: Drama, Horror
Plot: Stan and his best friend Dommer have put up with bullies their entire lives. All of that changes when Stan discovers he has a murderous vampire living in his shed. Seeing the bloodshed and destruction the monster is capable of, Stan knows he has to find a way to destroy it. But Dommer has a much more sinister plan in mind.
What you should know: This is the director’s first feature since 2009’s Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet.
Opens in: Select cities and available VOD

Also opening: The Warrior Queen of Jhansi (Trailer), White Snake (Trailer), Line of Duty (Trailer), Feast of the Seven Fishes (Trailer), Night Sweats (Trailer), Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project (Trailer)

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