“Perpetrator”
Jennifer Reeder (“Knives and Skin,” “V/H/S/94”) has made some devilishly wonderful horror films, so we’ve got eyes on her third feature, which, in true Reeder fashion, is a revenge tale headed by a feral teenage girl. The wild teen in question is Jonny (our second horror girl named Jonny on this list, actually — but this one is played by Kiah McKirnan, of “Mare of Easttown”), who is sent to live with her estranged aunt, Hildie (Alicia Silverstone). Judging by her very memorable turn in “The Lodge,” Silverstone is absolutely unafraid to go dark, and she can do so with aplomb. With all that together, this should be at the top of every arthouse horror fan’s list. Keep an eye out for its festival run and eventual streaming release via Shudder.
Release Date: Hits Berlin in February, then TBD via Shudder.
“The Persian Version”
Another film about Iranian womanhood, Sundance competitor “The Persian Version” looks like a “Happiest Season”-esque coming out story with an Iranian-American protagonist. Per the film synopsis, our protagonist Leila (newcomer Layla Mohammadi) is keeping a secret from her family, a secret that separates her family life from her “real” life. (Since the film’s listed under “LGBTQ+ stories” and written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, who made her Sundance debut with the lesbian coming-of-age film “Circumstance,” we’re pretty sure we can guess what that secret is.) When her secret is revealed, Leila learns that there’s more to her family — particularly her mother (Niousha Noor) — than she’d previously thought. Filled with bright colors and musical numbers, this looks like it could be a refreshing take on oft-tread indie territory.
Release Date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then TBD.
“The Pod Generation”
“The Pod Generation” follows a couple’s quest for parenthood in the not-so-distant future. Rachel, a tech company executive with an AI therapist, is eager to use a detachable artificial womb, but her husband, a botanist, would rather they have a natural pregnancy. Sounds like a fantastic setup for a salient exploration of gender and technology — after all, Rachel’s husband may find her preferences cold, but he’s not the one with the backup womb. Emilia Clarke, who is also an executive producer, plays Rachel alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor. This third feature from Sophie Barthes marks a return to her speculative roots. Her feature debut, “Cold Souls,” — which, like “The Pod Generation,” was a Sundance premiere — followed a fictionalized Paul Giamatti as he sold his own soul. This seems like an obvious buy, so keep an eye out for it post-festival.
Release Date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then TBD.
“Polite Society”
One of the upcoming Sundance releases that’s already landed a distributor, “Polite Society,” marks the feature directorial debut of Nida Manzoor (“Doctor Who,” “We Are Lady Parts”). In the film, aspiring stuntwoman Ria (Priya Kansara, “Bridgerton”) schemes to kidnap her sister, Lena (Ritu Arya, “Feel Good”), from her own wedding. Sundance describes the film, which will premiere in its Midnights section, as “an Austenesque tale of two sisters (one in wedding shackles) by way of a loving, anarchic mashup of genres (action comedy, heist, martial arts, Bollywood, social horror).” Cheers to Focus for already taking a chance on this one.
Release Date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then on April 28 via Focus Features.
“Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields”
Documentarian Lana Wilson hit it big time with “Miss Americana,” her documentary about Taylor Swift for Netflix. Her next project follows another complicated pop culture icon, model, and actor Brooke Shields. But this is no spotless portrait — “Pretty Baby” focuses especially on the early days of Shields’ career and the exploitation of female minors. Shields was 12 when she landed her first leading film role, playing a child prostitute in Louis Malle’s “Pretty Baby.” By age 16, she had become one of the most recognizable faces in America, thanks to her role in the popularization of Calvin Klein and her turns in sexed-up films like “The Blue Lagoon” and “Endless Love.” Wilson’s 136-minute chronicle, which features archival footage as well as candid interviews with Shields herself, has been broken up into two parts. Luckily we shouldn’t have to wait long for this Sundance premiere to get a wider release, as it’s already set to stream on Hulu.
Release Date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then TBD, but it will stream on Hulu via ABC News.
“Priscilla”
Elvis Presley met his wife, Priscilla, when she was 14, and he was ten years her senior. That’s the tip of the iceberg on their very complex marriage, so Sofia Coppola has taken on quite a project with her upcoming feature, “Priscilla.” The film is based on Priscilla Presley’s memoir “Elvis & Me,” and Presley is also credited as an executive producer. Cailee Spaeny (“How It Ends,” “Mare of Easttown) plays Priscilla, with Jacob Elordi (AKA Nate from “Euphoria”) as Elvis. We’re excited to see what Coppola does with this whirlwind tale of marriage, which she recently compared to her work on “Marie Antoinette.” Shooting wrapped in December, so a later-on festival premiere seems likely, followed by an A24 release just in time for awards voting.
Release Date: TBD via A24.
“Prom Pact”
Here’s one for the kiddos. TV director Anya Adams (“Black-ish,” “GLOW”) has wrapped shooting on “Prom Pact,” a Disney+ teen comedy written by Anthony Lombardo (“American Housewife”). This film is about Mandy (Peyton Elizabeth Lee, “Andi Mack”), a feminist falling for her classmate (Milo Manheim, “Zombies”) despite her professed disbelief in heteronormative love. If you’re thinking, “Woah, Disney teen content has really changed,” then same! This could be a really fascinating one to watch with the young people in your life. At the very least, Manheim and Mack — mainstays in the current Disney TV canon — are both quite charming.
Release Date: Expected this spring on Disney+.
“The Royal Hotel”
One of the most grossly overlooked films in 2020 was Kitty Green’s “The Assistant,” a subtle-yet-chilling chronicle of a young woman working for a Harvey Weinstein-esque film producer. Though that was Green’s first foray into narrative filmmaking (you may also recognize her name from the documentary “Casting JonBenet”), she more than proved her chops and is thankfully set to release her second narrative feature sometime this year. “The Royal Hotel,” which Green co-wrote with Oscar Redding, follows two young women who take a working holiday at a hotel that frequently cycles through young female employees. As a result, they become embroiled in a culture of mind games and manipulation. This film reunites Green with her “The Assistant” lead Julia Garner and also stars Jessica Henwick (“Glass Onion”) and Hugo Weaving. No wonder Neon has already called dibs.
Release Date: TBD via Neon.
“Run Rabbit Run”
DGA Award-nominated TV director Daina Reid (“Shining Girls,” “The Handmaid’s Tale”) is behind the camera for this intricate Sarah Snook (AKA Shiv from “Succession”) thriller penned by newcomer Hannah Kent. Snook plays Sarah, a fertility doctor preparing for the seventh birthday of her daughter, Mia (Lily LaTorre), when strange things start happening. Mia starts behaving erratically, a rabbit appears on their doorstep, and Sarah becomes increasingly forced to reconcile with her complicated past. This Aussie production brings snook back to her homeland and features cinematography by Bonnie Elliott (“Shining Girls”) and a score by “Top of the Lake” musicians Mark Bradshaw and Marcus Whale.
Release Date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then TBD.
“Rye Lane”
Another Sundance premiere that’s already got a distributor, “Rye Lane” is a rom-com following two 20-somethings who connect after their respective breakups for a chaotic day in London. This debut feature from Raine Allen-Miller was written by Nathan Byron and Tom Melia (“Bloods”) and stars Vivian Oparah (“Class”) and David Jonsson (“Industry”) as the leads, Yas and Dom. What starts as a fake dating scheme to help Dom through a lunch with his ex turns into a possible love connection. Hey, if a trope ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Look out for this “right person, wrong time” tale this spring.
Release Date: Premieres in January at Sundance, then on March 31 via Searchlight.