Indie Film Release Guide: June 18th [An ONTD Original]

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This weekend represents a lull for major studio releases, with Disney+ releasing Luca direct to streaming, and every other major studio taking a week off. But Lionsgate is sending The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard to wide release, and Sony Pictures Classics is releasing 12 Mighty Orphans fairly wide, too, so there will be some fresh blood at theaters nationwide. The rest of this week’s releases are more limited, and you can check them out below.

The films listed are from studios other than the “Big Six” - Paramount, Warner Brothers, 20th Century, 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: June 11th, June 4th, and May 28th.

The Sparks Brothers

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Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Documentary, Music
Storyline: Growing up in the '60s, Los Angeles brothers Ron and Russell got by on a heavy diet of popcorn matinees and pop music until the spotlight of school talent shows illuminated their way on a musical journey as the Sparks and spawned 25 studio albums. Edgar Wright's vision brings five decades of invention to life through animations and interviews, digging deeply into the band's rich, career-spanning archival.
What you should know: Though Edgar Wright has directed several feature films, including Scott Pilgrim vs The World and the upcoming Last Night in Soho, this is his first documentary.
Where to watch: In select theaters



Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It

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Director: Mariem Pérez Riera
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A look at the life and 70+ year career of Rita Moreno from her humble beginnings in Puerto Rico to her success on Broadway and in Hollywood where she broke down barriers, fought for representation and forged a path for new generations of artists.
What you should know: Rita Moreno is one of the very few performers to win an Oscar, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy, thus becoming an EGOT.
Where to watch: In select theaters

Summer of 85

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Stars: Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Philippine Velge
Writer: Aidan Chambers, François Ozon
Director: François Ozon
Genre: Drama
Plot: When Alexis capsizes off the coast of Normandy, David comes to the rescue and soon opens the younger boy’s eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art, and sexual bliss. After Alexis begins working at the seaside shop owned by David’s mother, the two lovers steal every possible moment for a fugitive kiss, a motorcycle ride, or a trip to the cinema. Their relationship is soon rocked by a host of challenges, including an unexpected sexual rival and a romantic oath that transcends life itself.
What you should know: The film is an adaptation of Aidan Chambers’ 1982 novel Dance on My Grave
Where to watch: In select theaters

Gaia

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Stars: Monique Rockman, Carel Nel, Alex van Dyk, Anthony Oseyemi
Writer: Tertius Kapp
Director: Jaco Bouwer
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Plot: An injured forest ranger on a routine mission is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists. What is initially a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as the son and his renegade father reveal a cultish devotion to the forest.
What you should know: Filmed in the Tsitsikamma Forest in South Africa.
Where to watch: In select theaters

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

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Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland
Genre: Documentary
Plot: The work, lives and personal journeys of two iconic American artists coalesce with creative combustion in this innovative dual-portrait documentary.
What you should know: Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto provide voiceover for Capote and Williams, respectively.
Where to watch: In select theaters

Sweat

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Stars: Magdalena Koleśnik, Julian Swiezewski, Aleksandra Konieczna, Zbigniew Zamachowski
Writer/Director: Magnus von Horn
Genre: Drama
Plot: Beloved fitness influencer Sylwia seemingly has it made: hundreds of thousands of social media followers, endorsement deals, photo spreads in magazines. But as she starts to share more and more online, the rising pressure from concerned sponsors and increasingly obsessive fans forces her to confront her deepest insecurities and the exhaustive demands of her lifestyle.
What you should know: It’s in Polish and English.
Where to watch: In select US theaters; available on MUBI in the US, India, Turkey and Latin America from July 23

Love Spreads

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Stars: Alia Shawkat, Eiza Gonzales, Chanel Cresswell, Nick Helm
Writer/Director: Jamie Adams
Genre: Comedy
Plot: It is time to record the all important second album and Glass Heart is breaking in a million pieces. Away from touring and performing the band is not in harmony, and no amount of history in Rockfield Studios is going to solve that. Three very different songwriters, one desperate producer, a label exec and a keyboard collide.
What you should know: Director Jamie Adams last directed the 2019 drama Bittersweet Symphony starring Suki Waterhouse.
Where to watch: Available VOD

A Crime on the Bayou

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Writer/Director: Nancy Buirski
Genre: Documentary
Storyline: A Black teenager bravely challenges the most powerful white supremacist in 1960s Louisiana with the help of a young Jewish attorney. Systemic racism meets its match in decisive courtroom battles, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and a lifelong friendship is born.
What you should know: Director Nancy Buirski was a producer on the 2016 film Loving.
Where to watch: In select theaters

12 Mighty Orphans

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Stars: Luke Wilson, Robert Duvall, Vinessa Shaw, Martin Sheen
Writer: Lane Garrison, Kevin Meyer
Director: Ty Roberts
Genre: History, Sport
Plot: Haunted by his mysterious past, a devoted high school football coach leads a scrawny team of orphans to the state championship during the Great Depression and inspires a broken nation along the way.
What you should know: Based on the novel by Jim Dent.
Where to watch: In theaters

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard

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Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Frank Grillo, Salma Hayek, Samuel L. Jackson
Writer: Tom O’Connor, Brandon Murphy, Phillip Murphy
Director: Patrick Hughes
Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime
Plot: Bodyguard Michael Bryce and hitman Darius Kincaid are back on another life-threatening mission. Still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid. As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman.
What you should know: As was the case with their release of Rambo; Last Blood, Lionsgate cut this film down from it's original running time to have more screenings in the US. Some countries like Australia, and some Asian territories have a longer 116 minute version which they are screening theatrically.
Where to watch: In theaters

Also Opening

School’s Out Forever (Trailer)
The Birthday Cake (Trailer)
Siberia (Trailer)
Take Back (Trailer)
The Serpent (Trailer)
Les Nôtres (Trailer)
Sweet Thing (Trailer)

New on Streaming

Luca (Trailer) on Disney+
Fatherhood (Trailer) on Netflix
The Outside Story (Trailer) on Hulu
The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (Trailer) on Hulu
Revolution Rent (Trailer) on HBO Max

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What have you been watching lately, ONTD? What are you watching this weekend?