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…
The Starling Girl
Dir. Laurel Parmet
The agonizing tug of war between dogma and desire is sharply illustrated in writer-director Laurel Parmet’s feature debut, set inside…
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.…
Theater Camp
Dir. Molly Gordon & Nick Lieberman
You don’t have to be a theater kid to enjoy this feel-good mockumentary set in a summer camp for junior…
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…
Monster
Dir. Tomás Ó Súilleabháin
Irish period drama Monster is downright depressing. Of course, for some viewers, that’s just part and parcel of any period…
Smoke Signals
Dir. Chris Eyre
To Hollywood’s shame, it wasn’t until 1998 that a major feature made by Native American filmmakers was released. It was…
Columbus
Dir. Kogonada
What goes well with a love story? Creative architecture. Columbus the movie is such a great and genuine exploration of…
The Straight Story
A family-friendly, Disney-backed movie is not something you’d expect from cinema’s surrealist master, but The Straight Story marks a surprisingly…
Frozen River
Dir. Courtney Hunt
Frozen River won’t be the most uplifting film to watch this Christmas, but it’s a stark reminder of how different…
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…
What Happened Was...
Dir. Tom Noonan
Is there anything more cringeworthy than an awful date? What Happened Was is entirely centered on one between two co-workers,…
The One I Love
Dir. Charlie McDowell
Elisabeth Moss is in it. Calling The One I Love a romantic-comedy, looking it up, or trusting anyone else about it — especially…
Junebug
Dir. Phil Morrison
Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) runs a high-brow art gallery in Chicago and has to take a trip to North Carolina to…
The Whole Wide World
Dir. Dan Ireland
There are people in life that have a one of a kind voice that you can’t help but listen to,…
Hedwig and the Angry Inch
Dir. John Cameron Mitchell
With the powerful duo of queer aesthetics and rock n roll, Hedwig and the Angry Inch questions the duality between…
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…
Robot and Frank
Dir. Jake Schreier
The secret weapon to this charming story of a cranky, aging father and his new robot companion is the near-total…
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…
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead
Dir. Sidney Lumet
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead is Sidney Lumet’s last film, and in many ways, it distills what the director…
Raising Victor Vargas
Dir. Peter Sollett
This small-scale but incredibly fun 88-minute drama from 2003 is about a group of Latino teenagers who grow up in…
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…
Monster
Dir. Patty Jenkins
Monster is a biographical depiction of Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron), a prostitute and serial killer who murdered seven men in…
