“Rumours”
Canadian absurdist/surrealist/experimentalist Guy Maddin returns with a dark comedy that sounds like his most commercial effort to date (which probably means it’s still bizarre, which is good). Co-directed with his recent cohorts and brothers Evan and Galen Johnson (who co-helmed his oddities, “The Forbidden Room” and “The Green Fog”), the satire centers on the seven leaders of the world’s wealthiest liberal democracies who, during their annual G7 summit, get lost in the woods at night while attempting to draft their provisional statement. Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander star alongside Charles Dance (“Game of Thrones”), Roy Dupuis (“Le Femme Nikita” series), Denis Ménochet (“Inglourious Basterds”), Nikki Amuka-Bird, Rolando Ravello, Takehiro Hira and Zlatko Burić. “Rumours” (using the Canadian/English spelling is too intriguing to ignore. – RP (read our review)
“The Friend”
Perhaps the most under-the-radar fall festival acquisition title this year, “The Friend” is the latest effort by the directing duo Scott McGehee and David Siegel. Best known for their 2001 breakout thriller “The Deep End,” the pair have now adapted Sigrid Nunez’s 2018 novel about a woman who is slightly coerced into adopting her recently deceased friend’s Great Dane. Naomi Watts portrays the woman trying to sneak around her landlord’s anti-dog policy, while Bill Murray, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Carla Gugino, Sarah Pidgeon, and Owen Teague round out the cast. Based on the percolating buzz and the New York Film Festival selection, this title may be one to watch. – GE (read our review)
“The Brutalist”
Brady Corbet’s follow-up to 2018’s “Vox Lux,” this historical drama chronicles 30 years in the life of László Tóth (Adrian Brody), a fictional character who survives the holocaust before immigrating to the United States following the war. Not much else is known about the picture beyond the fact that Tóth arrives stateside with his wife Erzsébet (Felicity Jones) and eventually begins working for a “mysterious” wealthy client, Harrison Lee Van Buren (Guy Pearce). Co-written by Corbet and his wife, Mona Fastvold (the underrated “The World to Come “), the film also stars Joe Alwyn, Alessandro Nivola, and Jonathan Hyde, among others. The drama is also 3 hours and 30 minutes long with credits, making it one of the longest narrative acquisition titles in years. With that running time, it may need massive critical acclaim to land a significant U.S. distributor. – GE (read our review)
“Hard Truths”
Mike Leigh’s first film in six years due to delays caused by the COVID pandemic, “Hard Truths” centers on Pansey (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), a blue-collar Brit whose overriding anger over her circumstances has alienated almost everyone around her. The only person who brings her any comfort or joy? Her sister Chantelle (Michele Austin). The film is Leigh and Jean-Baptiste’s first collaboration since 1996’s “Secrets & Lies,” which earned the latter a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. A Bleeker Street release in the U.S. – GE (read our review)
“I’m Still Here”
Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s bestselling 2015 novel, “I’m Still Here” follows the lives of Eunice Paiva (Fernanda Torres, Fernanda Montenegro) and her five children following the disappearance of her husband, Rubens Paiva (Selton Mello), under the oppression of the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1971. Paiva, who also spent 12 days in jail, is forced to become an activist as she attempts to find out the truth about what happened to her husband, a congressman who fought the military regime, and the author’s father. Remarkably, this is Salles’ first narrative film since “On The Road,” 12 years ago. Considering his pedigree, however, it is also expected to be an International Film Oscar contender if selected by Brazil. Sony Pictures Classics will release it in the U.S., so you likely won’t find it in theaters until February or March 2025. – GE (read our review)