These 21 Movies May Rule 2021's Awards Season
These 21 Movies May Rule 2021's Awards Season
On September 24, the 59th annual New York Film Festival begins, and brings with it some of the most anticipated movies of the awards season. Cinephiles can take in new projects from Jane Campion, Joel Coen, Pedro Almodóvar, and Wes Anderson among many others—but with all of the programming, which lasts through October 10, how will you know what to see? Use this T&C cheat sheet to enhance your viewing pleasure.
Benedetta
Charlotte Rampling and Virginie Efira star in the latest from Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct, Elle), which is based on the true story of a 17th-century Tuscan nun who not only has visions of Jesus Christ but also a steamy relationship with another woman in her order.
Bergman Island
Fiction and reality blur beautifully in this film from Mia Hansen-L?ve (Things to Come, Eden), which follows a pair of married filmmakers (Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth) to the remote Swedish island where Ingmar Bergman lived and worked. As the two attempt to find inspiration for their own projects, what's real and what could end up on screen become indecipherable in this lovely, thoughtful ode to moviemaking, creative inspiration, and finding one's own way.
C'Mon C'Mon
This latest from writer-director Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners) stars Joaquin Phoenix as a journalist working on a piece about children's views of the future when his nephew (newcomer Woody Norman) is unexpectedly left in his care. The two travel across the country and forge a deep bond that brings up questions about family, legacy, and the impact we can have on the people we love.
Dune
An all-star casting, including Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, and Charlotte Rampling star in director filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s anticipated adaptation of the beloved fantasy novel. The film tells an intergalactic story that sees the fate of a family—and what's left of humanity—hanging in the balance.
Flee
An animated documentary from filmmaker Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Flee—which won a Grand Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival—tells the story of a man named Amin who first left his native Afghanistan as a child and later fled Russia. Now an adult in Denmark–who's about to marry the man he loves—he looks back on his journey in an emotional, impactful consideration of the true cost of freedom.
The French Dispatch
A fictional Parisian magazine is what ties together the stories that make up this stylish, smart dramatic comedy from director Wes Anderson. As always, he's drafted a brilliant cast (including Tilda Swinton, Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, and Jeffrey Wright) for an erudite, offbeat romp that promises to be one of the festival's most talked-about films.
Futura
This moving documentary comes from a trio of accomplished Italian filmmakers—Pietro Marcello, Francesco Munzi, and Alice Rohrwacher—and asks a seemingly simple question to a wide group of subjects between the ages of 15 and 20. Is there a future? How they answer and why will surprise audiences in unexpected ways.
Jane by Charlotte
Actor Charlotte Gainsbourg makes her directorial debut with this documentary about her mother, Jane Birkin. The film consists of a series of wide-ranging conversations between the two, touching on their rarefied lives but also the quotidian topics any family could discuss. These stars might not be quite like us, but this charming feature proves they're as relatable and fascinating as anyone with an Hermes bag named for them can be.
The Lost Daughter
Maggie Gyllenhaal wrote and directed this feature, adapted from a novel by Elena Ferrante, about a woman whose vacation brings about unexpected encounters that reveal surprising truths about her—and forces audiences to interrogate themselves. The compelling subject matter is bolstered by stand-out performances from Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessica Buckley, and Paul Mescal.
Memoria
Tilda Swinton stars in director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's drama—which won the Jury Prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival—about a woman plagued by an unexplainable sound and led on an unexpected journey that will give audiences reason to think about their own roads to peace, and the strange detours they can take.
Parallel Mothers
In this new film from acclaimed director Pedro Almodóvar, Penelope Cruz and Milena Smit play two women who meet in a Madrid maternity ward and forge an unlikely bond. Cruz won a Best Actress award when the movie screened at the Venice Film Festival, and Mothers will screen in New York's prestigious closing-night slot.
Passing
Adapted from Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, the gorgeously filmed Passing is directed by Rebecca Hall and stars Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga as childhood friends reunited in New York City, and deals with questions of identity, conformity, and how much we allow the people who love us to know.
Petite Maman
After the death of her grandmother, 8-year-old Nelly travels to the house where her mother grew up but discovers more than just family keepsakes when she begins exploring the woods nearby. Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma's latest examines what it means to grieve, and how even when someone's gone, the past stays with us.
The Power of the Dog
Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee star in this tightly woven Western written and directed by Jane Campion (The Piano, Bright Star). Cumberbatch and Plemons play brothers whose already fraught relationship is put to the test when one marries a widow (Dunst) and the other becomes determined to make life as difficult as possible. It's a thoughtful, layered consideration of family, secrets, and how we protect ourselves, made altogether more eerie thanks to a score by Johnny Greenwood.
Prayers for the Stolen
This coming-of-age story, set in rural Mexico, follows a young woman named Ana whose childhood—whether or not she knows it yet—unfolds in the shadow of the dangerous cartels that rule the area and often have sinister plans for the teenage girls who live there. Director Tatiana Huezo's adaptation of a book by Jennifer Clement is about celebrating carefree youth while never losing sight of the terror that can lurk beyond it.
Red Rocket
For those of us who were born at just the right time, the former MTV personality is a familiar face. But whether or not you think you know Simon Rex already, you've never before seen him like this. Director Sean Baker (The Florida Project) cast Rex as waning adult-film star who makes a return to his Texas hometown—where not everyone is excited to see him. Baker specializes in comedies that reveal deep truths about contemporary life, and this latest (which is already racking up film-festival awards and Oscar buzz) promises to be among his best.
The Souvenir Part II
This sequel to director Joanna Hogg's 2019's The Souvenir follows Honor Swinton Byrne as protagonist Julie—who in the previous film dealt a relationship plagued by addiction—as she finds herself, attending film school in the swirl of 1980s London. Tilda Swinton and Joe Alwyn costar.
Titane
When director Julia Ducournau's Titane premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, it took home the coveted Palme d'Or award—and earned reviews that called it "the most shocking film of 2021." No wonder, as the smart, edgy horror movie follows a dancer with a metal plate in her head as she goes on a dizzying crime spree and finds love in some very unexpected places.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
For the festival's opening night, Shakespeare's Scottish Play gets a 21st-century reimagining from director Joel Coen. His cast features Denzel Washington as Macbeth, Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, and a supporting cast including Corey Hawkins, Harry Melling, and Moses Ingram.
The Velvet Underground
A documentary from director Todd Haynes (Carol, Far From Heaven), the film tells the story of the seminal 1960s rock band The Velvet Underground—with the participation of its surviving members—and the incredible world (including Andy Warhol and a who's who of midcentury machers) that surrounded them. It's nearly impossible to overstate the influence that the band has had on popular culture, but if anyone can capture its importance, it's most certainly Haynes.
The Worst Person in the World
Actress Renate Reinsve won Cannes's Best Actress award for her role as Julie, a young woman with seemingly no direction and a habit of finding herself in trouble, in this smart, engaging new film from director Joachim Trier. The movie can be seen as a meditation on the Millennial condition or even a dark romantic comedy for the age of anxiety—but either way, it should absolutely be seen.
Buzzy features from Wes Anderson, Pedro Almodóvar, Jane Campion, and more will be the talk of awards season.