Problemista
Dir. Julio Torres
Some films struggle to balance style with substance, but Problemista isn’t one of them. It’s brandished with Torres’ unique brand…
Janet Planet
Dir. Annie Baker
Many films have been made about that uniquely taut mother-daughter bond, but maybe none is as delicate as Janet Planet.…
Earth Mama
Dir. Savanah Leaf
Based on the documentary short she helmed with actor Taylor Russell, Savannah Leaf’s Earth Mama is an intimate, unabashedly political,…
Upon Entry
Dir. Alejandro Rojas & Juan Sebastián Vásquez
He may be out of office, but films about Donald Trump’s racist and xenophobic immigration policies will continue to feel…
Murina
Dir. Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović
A young woman’s coming-of-age threatens to topple the uneasy hierarchy of her family in this striking debut from Croatian director…
We the Animals
Dir. Jeremiah Zagar
Three half-Puerto-Rican, half-white boys grow up in suburban New York in this personal movie shot on stunning 16mm film. This…
Dear White People
Dir. Justin Simien
Far more self-aware than one might think, Dear White People isn’t just a progressive comedy that puts its politics front…
Columbus
Dir. Kogonada
What goes well with a love story? Creative architecture. Columbus the movie is such a great and genuine exploration of…
The Inspection
Dir. Elegance Bratton
Based on the real-life experience of director Elegance Bratton, who was himself a Black gay marine soldier during the “don’t…
The Believer
Dir. Henry Bean
Ryan Gosling plays a Jewish Neo-Nazi in this extremely riveting window into the definition of inner conflict. It is a…
In the Company of Men
Dir. Neil LaBute
It’s both sad and amazing that a film about toxic masculinity and corporate culture released in the ‘90s remains relevant…
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Dir. Sean Durkin
A very intelligent and nuanced movie that relentlessly asks unpleasant questions. It’s a story about a woman seeking freedom by…
Hard Eight
Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Already featuring some of the desperation and melancholy that would go on to characterize most of his work, Paul Thomas…
Powwow Highway
Dir. Jonathan Wacks
When the wider culture doesn’t treat you the same way they treat the majority, it’s sometimes necessary to get mad,…
Man Push Cart
Dir. Ramin Bahrani
We rarely think about the lives of the people around us, but more so the lives of the people who’ve…
True Stories
Dir. David Byrne
When artists or musical bands make films, it’s usually a tour documentary or a biopic of some sort, where fans…
Trees Lounge
Dir. Steve Buscemi
There’s no shortage of media depicting alcoholism, but many of them come across as preachy, sanctimonious, and coming from someone…
Obvious Child
Dir. Gillian Robespierre
This is a revelation of a movie for its simplicity in handling a pretty serious and dark subject. It’s the…
Big Night
Dir. Campbell Scott & Stanley Tucci
There are comfort food movies, and then there are films like Big Night: comfort food movies about comfort food. Stanley…
Safety Not Guaranteed
Dir. Colin Trevorrow
A quirky little movie about a reporter trying to get a story about a man who posted an ad looking…
Buffalo '66
Dir. Vincent Gallo
When you’re an ex-convict that wants to hide his stint in jail from his parents, among other things, fake dating…
Clerks
Dir. Kevin Smith
What is a good low-budget film? A film stripped to the intelligence of its makers and the talents of its…
Ghost World
Dir. Terry Zwigoff
Based on the comic book by Daniel Clowes, Ghost World is a dark comedy that follows the exploits of teenage…
Swiss Army Man
Dir. Dan Kwan & Daniel Kwan
Probably the weirdest film you’ll ever see. Paul Dano plays a borderline suicidal man who befriends a farting corpse that…
Songs My Brothers Taught Me
Dir. Chloé Zhao
This slow-burning drama is set in an Indigenous reservation in South Dakota, where Johnny is a teenager who dreams of…
Menace II Society
Dir. Albert Hughes & Allen Hughes
It’s hard to shake off the life you’ve grown into, but more so on the streets with a high crime…
Wristcutters - A Love Story
Dir. Goran Dukić
A dark and existential comedy, Wristcutters: A Love Story follows Zia (Patrick Fugit), a young man who commits suicide, only to…
Hoosiers
Dir. David Anspaugh
Bearing pretty much every trademark you’ve come to expect from a sports drama, Hoosiers might not bring as many surprises…
All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt
Dir. Raven Jackson
Painfully intimate and told with very, very little dialogue, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt resembles the experience of flipping…
