List
Under the Radar 4.0
If you're looking for hidden gems and overlooked releases, check out the items on this list.
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Fast Color
2019Get this itemGugu Mbatha-Raw stars in this sci-fi drama about mothers and daughters and women's empowerment. Set in the near future, it has not rained in eight years and the Earth is dying. Ruth ran away from her family years ago, afraid that she could not control her superpowers. Desperate, she returns home, hoping to reconnect with her mother and young daughter. The cinematography is beautiful and the special effects, though limited, are very effective. The three leads are top-notch, and the screenplay is refreshing.
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Good Bye Lenin!
2004Get this itemTaking place in 1989-90 in East Berlin during fall of the Berlin Wall and German unification, a young man concocts an elaborate scheme to fool his Socialist mother, who wakes up from an eight-month coma with a weak heart, into thinking that the Socialist government is still strong. A thought-provoking and humorous movie, I liked how the filmmaker explored this period in history and his affection for the characters.
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The Last Black Man in San Francisco
2019Get this itemThe director co-wrote the story with his childhood friend, who stars in the movie as a version of himself. The movie centers on a young man who struggles to reclaim his family home, a Victorian house located in the increasingly upscale Fillmore District. The look of the movie is beautiful; the opening scenes made me think of moving paintings. The story is gritty and often sweet, a fairytale that is unpredictable, poetic, and sometimes tragic. I especially appreciated the presence of a gang that hangs out on a street corner, the equivalent to a Greek chorus, offering astute commentary.
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Maiden
2019Get this itemThis documentary is about the first all-female crew to compete in the 1989-90 Whitbread Round the World Race, skippered by Tracy Edwards. Even if you know nothing about sailing (like me), this is a thrilling story about groundbreaking women.
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The Peanut Butter Falcon (DVD)
2019Get this itemIn this is modern retelling of Huckleberry Finn, 22-year-old Zak, who has Downs Syndrome, lives in a retirement home in North Carolina. He does not want to be there and plots his escape so he can train as a wrestler. Once free, he chances upon Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a crabber on the run. The star of the movie really has Downs Syndrome and he asked the filmmakers to write a movie with him as the main character. They shot a proof-of-concept video, and LaBeouf was one of the first to commit to the project. The performances are great, and I loved where it went.
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A Silent Voice: The Movie
2019Get this itemOne of my favorite anime movies, this focuses on a deaf girl who becomes the object of bullies when she transfers to a new elementary school. The boy singled out as the ringleader, in turn, becomes the object of bullying from his fellow students. Years later, isolated and unable to connect with his peers, he seeks out his former classmate to make amends. While the DVD includes the original Japanese language soundtrack, the studio reached out to the deaf acting community and cast actor Lexi Marman to voice the lead for the U.S. release.
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3 Faces
2019Get this itemThis follows popular Iranian actress Behnaz Jafari and film director Jafar Panahi, playing versions of themselves, as they drive to a small town in northern Iran to track down a girl who sent a distressing video message via her smartphone. In real life, the Iranian government arrested Panahi in 2010 because he is critical of the regime and they banned him from making movies for 20 years. Amazingly, this is the third film Panahi managed to make under the ban. As with his other movies, this has a strong feminist statement and a humanist outlook.
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Wild Rose
2019Get this itemRose-Lynn Harlan is a single mother of two young children, recently released from prison after serving 12 months for attempted drug smuggling. Her dream is to make it as a country singer, and she is trying to raise enough money to travel from her home in Glasgow to Nashville. While the story does not tread new ground, this is a crowd pleaser. Jessie Buckley stars, and she sings her heart out.
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Woman at War
2019Get this itemSet in the Icelandic highlands, this is about a woman who is a secret eco-warrior by night and a choir leader by day. She determinedly takes on big industry and the government to protect the environment. When we meet this awesome person, her two identities are in danger of colliding. She also does some cool archery, which made me enjoy her character even more.
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Yomeddine
2019Get this itemA road-trip movie from Egypt, Beshay is a man cured of leprosy but disfigured from the disease. He decides to leave the leper colony via his beloved donkey and rickety wagon to find his family, after decades of no contact. A stowaway boy, with nothing to lose, becomes his traveling companion and friend. Directed and written by A.B. Shawky, this is his feature film directorial debut. He stated that he and his producing partner wanted to make a movie about human beings doing human things, simple people defying the odds. The actor who plays Beshay had leprosy, making this all the more authentic. Consider this a sensitive, inspiring movie that touches upon how we see people.
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