“Confessions of a Good Samaritan”
If you think you’re not a documentary person, Penny Lane can turn you into one. The “Nuts!” and “Hail Satan?” director knows how to make funny, engaging films about everything from goat gonads to Kenny G. Now, she’s turning the camera on herself. “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” ponders the nature of altruism and chronicles Lane’s own journey as she decides to donate a kidney to a stranger. The film is in post-production, so it’s looking good for a release this year – maybe in time for a premiere at Tribeca or TIFF, although Lane is a Sundance vet.
Release date: TBD
“Don’t Worry Darling”
Maybe I jumped the gun a little by putting this one on last year’s list, but it’s hard not to be excited about Olivia Wilde’s next movie, especially since she’s once again teaming up with “Booksmart” co-writer Katie Silberman and will actually be acting in this feature. “Don’t Worry Darling” centers on Alice (Florence Pugh), a 1950s housewife who begins to suspect her husband, Jack (Harry Styles) is hiding disturbing secrets from her. Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, and Nick Kroll also star, just in case “Harry Styles playing Florence Pugh’s husband” wasn’t enough incentive for you.
Release date: September 23 via Warner Bros.
“Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”
Rory Kennedy is taking on Boeing, one of the largest global aerospace manufacturers, in her latest documentary. In “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing,” she talks to journalists, surviving family members, and congressmen to get to the bottom of the failures and deceit that led to the company’s two plane crashes in 2018. This marks the illustrious director’s ninth documentary feature, so “Downfall” is sure to be an eye-opening investigation. Luckily, Netflix has already snatched it up for release.
Release date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then TBD via Netflix.
“Emily”
Actor Frances O’Connor (“The Conjuring 2,” “A.I. Artificial Intelligence”) will make her directorial debut with “Emily,” a biography of the novelist Emily Brontë. Emma Mackey (who fans of “Sex Education” will recognize as Maeve Wiley), plays the titular heroine alongside Oliver Jackson-Cohen (“The Invisible Man,” “The Haunting of Bly Manor”), Gemma Jones (“God’s Own Country,” “Ammonite”), and Fionn Whitehead (“Dunkirk”). Given the rich material and such a talented cast of Brits, it’s no wonder Warner Bros. is already on board.
Release date: TBD via Warner Bros.
“The Eternal Daughter”
Joanna Hogg has had a busy pandemic! Turns out she hasn’t just been finishing up “The Souvenir: Part II” for the last two years – she’s also been working on “The Eternal Daughter.” Shot in secret in Wales, the film is apparently a “ghost story” involving a middle-aged woman (Tilda Swinton, naturally), her elderly mother, and the once-grand manor that used to be their family home. We are going to be excited about anything Hogg has to offer – particularly after the brilliance of “The Souvenir: Part II” – so bring it on.
Release date: TBD via A24.
“The Fallout”
“The Fallout” won actor and first-time feature director Megan Park the Audience Award and Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature at SXSW last year. Now HBO Max is slated to release it in a matter of weeks. The film centers on high school student Vada (Jenny Ortega) as she struggles to cope after surviving a school shooting. The film reunites Park with her “The Secret Life of the American Teenager” co-star Shailene Woodley, who plays a small role, but mostly focuses on an ensemble of young actors: Ortega (“Scream,” “You”), Maddie Ziegler (“West Side Story,” “Music”), Niles Fitch (“This Is Us”), Will Ropp (“The Way Back”) and Lumi Pollack. Also, Billie Eilish’s brother/producer, Finneas, did the score – and it’s his first feature film score – which is pretty cool. Our own Robert Daniels called the film “a resilient character study of grief in all its forms,” so it’ll be great to see it get a much larger platform.
Release date: January 27 via HBO Max.
“Both Sides Of The Blade” and “The Stars at Noon”
Okay, for real this time, Claire Denis is almost definitely going to drop something this year. Her Juliette Binoche/Vincent Lindon romance “Both Sides of The Blade” was announced as a world premiere at Berline in February, and “The Stars at Noon,” her Margaret Qualley/Joe Alwyn Nicaragua-set period piece based on the novel by Denis Johnson, is in post-production. It’s basically a race to see which debuts first at this point, but it’d be shocking to not get at least one of them on this year’s festival circuit.
Release date: TBD on both, though ‘Blade’ will be in Berlin in February.
“Fresh”
Music video director Mimi Cave is set to have her feature debut at Sundance with “Fresh.” The film, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (“Normal People”) as a woman who is shocked to discover that her new flame, a cosmetic surgeon played by Sebastian Stan, has lured her away for the weekend with nefarious intent. Sundance gives it a “violence and gore” warning and with a woman in the director’s chair, we’re extremely here for it.
Release date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then March 4 via Hulu.
“Girl Picture”
Finnish filmmaker Alli Haapasalo will screen her third feature, “Girl Picture,” in competition at Sundance before its European debut at Berlin. It sounds like pure coming-of-age goodness: Teenage best friends Mimmi (Aamu Milonoff) and Rönkkö (Eleonoora Kauhanen) bond at their food court job as Mimmi gets swept up in a romance with professional skater Emma (Linnea Leino) and Rönkkö goes on her own quest for pleasure. This sounds reminiscent of other festival darlings like “Slut in a Good Way” and “Skate Kitchen.” Bring it on.
Release date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then TBD.
“God’s Creatures”
Anna Rose Holmer might have won the Someone to Watch Award at the Spirit Awards way back in 2017, but there still are not nearly enough people who know about her revelatory first feature “The Fits,” which eerily predicted the Flint water crisis. Now Holmer is finally back with another feature – this time co-directing with her “The Fits” editor and co-writer Saela Davis. “God’s Creatures” is an Irish psychological drama about “ a mother who lies to protect her son and the devastating impact that choice has on her community, her family, and herself.” Emily Watson (“On Chesil Beach”), Paul Mescal (“Normal People”), and Aisling Franciosi (“The Nightingale”) lead the cast, with Chayse Irvin (“BlackKklansman”) as cinematographer and Inbal Weinberg (“The Lost Daughter,” “Suspiria”) as production designer. A24 has already picked this one up.
Release date: TBD via A24.
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