Indie Film Release Guide: December 20th [An ONTD Original]
This weekend is the start of several weeks in a row with little to offer in the way of new indie film releases, so if the post seems unusually short to you, it’s only because the offerings this time of year are pretty slim thanks to the domination of big studio competition like Cats and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. If it wasn’t in your area last week, Bombshell may now be in a theater near you, along with other films that may have expanded their releases.
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: December 13th, December 6th, and November 27th.
Invisible Life
Click to viewStars: Julia Stockler, Carol Duarte, Flávia Gusmão, António Fonseca
Writer: Murilo Hauser, Inés Bortagaray, Karim Aïnouz
Director: Karim Aïnouz
Genre: Drama
Plot: Rio de Janeiro, 1950. Eurídice, 18, and Guida, 20, are two inseparable sisters living at home with their conservative parents. Although immersed in a traditional life, each one nourishes a dream: Eurídice of becoming a renowned pianist, Guida of finding true love. In a dramatic turn, they are separated by their father and forced to live apart. They take control of their separate destinies, while never giving up hope of finding each other.
What you should know: Based on the novel A Vida Invisível de Eurídice Gusmão by Martha Batalha.
Opens in: Select cities
Only Cloud Knows
Stars: Xuan Huang, Caiyu Yang, Lydia Peckham, Fan Xu
Writer: Ling Zhang
Director: Xiaogang Feng
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: The film revolves around a Chinese man who returns to New Zealand following the death of his wife and begins to discover that she harbored a number of secrets.
What you should know: It’s in Mandarin.
Opens in: Select cities
She’s Missing
Stars: Lucy Fry, Eiza González, Josh Hartnett, Christian Camargo
Writer/Director: Alexandra McGuinness
Genre: Drama
Plot: When her best friend goes missing at a rodeo, Heidi goes on a search across the desert, digging up secrets and encountering the violence of life on the road.
What you should know: It was filmed in Ireland, and won the Discovery Award at the Dublin International Film Festival.
Opens in: Select cities
The Europeans
Stars: Lee Remick, Robin Ellis, Wesley Addy, Tim Choate
Writer: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on the novel by Henry James
Director: James Ivory
Genre: Drama, Romance
Plot: A faithful adaptation of Henry James' story of an encounter between a family or pre-Civil War New Englanders and their European cousins, whose sophisticated ways dazzle and attract some family members and scandalize others.
What you should know: This is a re-release of a 1979 Merchant Ivory film.
Opens in: Select cities
Because this week is light on new releases, I’ll use the rest of this post to highlight a couple of indie releases that are new to streaming this week. If you like it, perhaps I'll add this feature to my posts/do a separate post highlighting the new streaming releases in the future.
The Aeronauts
Stars: Felicity Jones, Eddie Redmayne, Himesh Patel, Tom Courtenay
Writer: Tom Harper, Jack Thorne
Director: Tom Harper
Genre: Action, Adventure, Biography
Plot: Pilot Amelia Rennes and scientist James Glaisher find themselves in an epic fight for survival while attempting to make discoveries in a gas balloon.
What you should know: The flight takes place in real time in the movie.
Available on: Amazon Prime
The Two Popes
Stars: Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Juan Minujín, Sidney Cole
Writer: Anthony McCarten
Director: Fernando Meirelles
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Plot: Behind Vatican walls, the conservative Pope Benedict and the liberal future Pope Francis must find common ground to forge a new path for the Catholic Church.
What you should know: Pope Benedict XVI is the first pope in almost 600 years who became "pope emeritus" (pope retired) after resigning.
Available on: Netflix
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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? Seeing anything this weekend?