“I Was at Home, But…” (Director: Angela Schanelec)
The latest from German filmmaker Angela Schanelec played at last year’s New York Film Festival to overwhelming acclaim after winning her the Silver Bear for Best Director at the Berlinale. It is a pondering tale of familial numbness in the face of loss, a deeply personal story in the hands of Schanelec, who recently lost her husband. Per our own Joe Blessing, the film is “strangely beautiful long takes with mesmeric sound design that frustrates conventional modes of conveying meaning, s opening up others.” If you like Madonna imagery, frustrated screaming, and lush outdoors scenes, this is the sort of puzzle you will love piecing together. Look out for it on February 14. –LW
“The Assistant” (Director: Kitty Green)
Two words: Julia. Garner. The twenty-something star has been tearing up the indie scene with her jaw-dropping performances. Her first two features were, oddly enough, cult-focused: She had her debut in “Martha Marcy May Marlene” before playing the lead in the desperately underrated “Electrick Children.” Now Garner takes on a new kind of toxicity in “The Assistant,” a script written and directed by Kitty Green (“Casting Jon Benet”)about a young graduate entering into the film industry through a shady production company. This is documentarian Green’s first feature, a quiet indictment of sexism and harassment clearly modeled after the accusations against Harvey Weinstein. The film follows 24 hours in the life of an assistant to a toxic, big-time producer, as she covers up for his misdeeds and withstands his verbal abuse. In his positive Telluride review of the film, our own Rodrigo Perez points out: Anyone can identify with the material, but “The Assistant” also possesses a darker, lacerating level that only women can understand as a kind of horror movie. Prepare yourself for its debut, courtesy of Bleecker Street, on January 31. –LW
“First Cow” (Director: Kelly Reichardt)
If you follow the A24 Twitter account as religiously as I do, you have likely been delighted by their attempts to meme-ify the unrelentingly serious work of Kelly Reichardt, whose filmmaking, while deliberate and ingenious, can probably best be encapsulated by the words “dour,” “slow,” and “brown.” Nonetheless, GIFs of cows now abound every one’s favorite cool-kid distributor preps for the release of her newest feature, “First Cow,” a festival darling that follows a loner gone west (John Magaro) as he tries to get a business off the ground with the help of a prized cow. In his review, Rodrigo Perez called it “faint, deliberately paced filmmaking where you can often hear a pin drop,” noting that “in its tiny way, the modest and gentle little film is moving and poetic.” Such is the nature of a good Kelly Reichardt picture. Fans eager to see her return to the Pacific Northwest should look out for this one on March 6. –LW
“Dick Johnson Is Dead” (Director: Kirsten Johnson)
Kirsten Johnson made one of the best films about filmmaking this decade with 2016’s “Cameraperson,” an examination of her relationship to her subjects throughout her work as a documentary cinematographer. Now, she returns to Sundance at the helm of another personal documentary, “Dick Johnson Is Dead.” Here, Johnson grapples with the impending reality of her father’s death, as he deteriorates under the shadow of dementia. Sundance describes this as both observational documentary and fictional fantasy, a harried attempt for Johnson to immortalize her father before it’s too late. Prepare your tissues for this one. It’s already been picked up by Netflix ahead of Sundance, where it will premiere shortly. –LW
“Nomadland” (Director: Chloé Zhao)
“The Rider” director Chloé Zhao rose to prominence in 2018 when her quiet, pseudo-documentarian film about an injured rodeo performer won widespread critical acclaim. This year, the director is busier than ever as she prepares to debut both a Marvel film and a more contemplative, Zhaoesque project. The latter, called “Nomadland,” is based on Jessica Bruder’s book of the same name, about unemployed workers traveling the country in search of work. Frances McDormand and Peter Spiers (“Call Me by Your Name”) are producing, with McDormand and David Strathairn attached to star. In her first role after “Three Billboards,” McDormand plays a sixty-something woman driving across the country in search of a new job after being hit by the Great Recession. Fox Searchlight has already picked up the film for distribution, and it’s been in post-production since March of last year, so keep an eye out for a premiere date soon. –LW
“Eternals” (Director: Chloé Zhao)
If you were to line up hot, up-and-coming indie filmmakers primed to direct the next Marvel movie, Chloé Zhao would probably be bringing up the rear. Her deliberate style, in which she often employs real people to play fictionalized versions of themselves, does not exactly scream “sci-fi.” And yet here she is, ready to tackle a superpowered adventure, “Eternals.” Based on a race of the same name, “Eternals” follows an immortal alien race as they reunite for the first time in 7000 years to protect humanity. With a cast including Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, and Salma Hayek, this is shaping up to be another all-star blowout. We can’t wait to see how Zhao’s leadership will alter the typical Marvel motif. Expect this one for November 6. –LW
“Emma” (Director: Autumn de Wilde)
It’s easy to feel Jane Austen adaptation fatigue these days, but Autumn de Wilde’s take on “Emma” gives us hope. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the titular character, who meddles in her friends’ love lives, this spritely, technicolor comedy marries cutting British wit with eye-popping visuals, courtesy of cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt (“The Bling Ring,” “Certain Women”), costume designer Alexandra Byrne (“Mary Queen of Scots,” “Doctor Strange”) and production designer Kave Quinn (“Trainspotting”). The supporting cast includes Bill Nighy and Mia Goth, with a screenplay by novelist Eleanor Catton. As the “Little Women” fervor dies down, it will be interesting to see if another stylish, female-led adaptation of a classic novel can charm just as many. We’ll find out when the film premieres, courtesy of Focus Features, on February 21. –LW
“Lost Girls” (Director: Liz Garbus)
Liz Garbus is one of the most prolific documentarians working today. She is the force behind everything from Showtime’s “The Fourth Estate” to 2015 Sundance premiere “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Now, she’s returning to the festival with a narrative feature. “Lost Girls,” based on the book of the same name by Robert Kolker, follows a woman (Amy Ryan) as she searches for her daughter while the Long Island serial killer is active. “Lost Girls” has already been picked up by Netflix ahead of its upcoming festival debut, and its cast is teeming with exciting young talent: Thomasin McKenzie and Lola Kirke star alongside Ryan and Gabriel Byrne. If Garbus’s documentary work is any indication, this promises to be a moody, mesmerizing drama that grips you from start to finish. Look out for it on the streaming service come March 13. –LW
