With only a few months left to go in the year, if you’re around our home base, you can experience some of the best films of 2016 (and 2017) at New York Film Festival. However, if you happen not to be anywhere close, there’s still a handful of must-see films spooling out over the next four weeks, and we’ve collected our top 15 picks. Aside from some of our favorites this year, we should note that a restoration of the landmark drama The Battle of Algiers will begin a nationwide roll-out starting on October 7, so seek that out if it’s playing near you.
Check out our recommendations below and let us know what you are most looking forward to seeing.
15. Fire at Sea (Gianfranco Rosi; Oct. 21)
Synopsis: Capturing life on the Italian island of Lampedusa, a frontline in the European migrant crisis.
Why You Should See It: After winning Venice’s Golden Lion a few years back with his documentary Sacro GRA, director Gianfranco Rosi also took the top prize at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, the Golden Bear, for his new feature Fire at Sea. While our review was in the rare minority on the mixed-to-negative side, it’s been positive elsewhere, so we’re intrigued to see what’s in store for Italy’s official Oscar entry.
14. Christine (Antonio Campos; Oct. 14)
Synopsis: In 1974, a female TV news reporter aims for high standards in life and love in Sarasota, Fla, and missing her mark is not an option.
Why You Should See It: It may not measure to another Chubbuck-related feature from earlier this year, but seeing these two movies virtually back-to-back at Sundance Film Festival was quite an experience. I said in my review, “Hall, in one of her best performances, embodies Christine with searing intensity, staring blankly while her co-workers offer simple questions and in one remarkable scene, puzzling a woman offering many different solutions to help her situation. Her initially nervous energy eventually evolves into verbal explosions at her mother (J. Smith-Cameron) and Michael, placing the blame on them for her current social and professional roadblocks, respectively.”
13. Newtown (Kim A. Snyder; Oct. 7)
Synopsis: A look at how the community of Newtown, Connecticut came together in the aftermath of the largest mass shooting of schoolchildren in American history.
Why You Should See It: When the worst horror imaginable happens to your community, how do you emotionally rebuild? How do you embrace your neighbor, knowing the pain that’s seared into their soul? How does one come to a place of resolution, if ever? With Newtown, director Kim A. Snyder takes a humanistic approach in exploring this recovery in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting of schoolchildren in United States history, which left 26 people, including 20 children, dead. Read my full review.
12. Under the Shadow (Babak Anvari; Oct. 7)
Synopsis: As a mother and daughter struggle to cope with the terrors of the post-revolution, war-torn Tehran of the 1980s, a mysterious evil begins to haunt their home.
Why You Should See It: Earning comparisons to The Babadook, Under the Shadow will finally arrive just in time in Halloween and looks to be the perfect fit if Hollywood horror isn’t up to snuff this month. We said in our review, “Cinema is often a space for abstract, subconscious expressions that require airing. Under The Shadow is an inspired psychological thriller from Iranian filmmaker Babak Anvari that effectively delivers the thrills expected, and more. Here, the horror is both personal and natural. It’s a theme found amongst a few world cinema selections at Sundance this year, notably the cancer drama A Good Wife, which also uses the landscape of the war torn Bosnia as an emotional theme.”
11. Tower (Keith Maitland; Oct. 12)
Synopsis: Nearly fifty years ago, a gunman rode the elevator to the twenty-seventh floor of the University of Texas Tower and opened fire. Tower, an animated and action-packed documentary, shares the untold story of that day – when the worst in one man brought out the best in so many others.
Why You Should See It: Finding an intriguing way to revisit a tragedy, we said in our review, “Utilizing an engaging mix of newly filmed footage rotoscoped à la Waking Life, archival materials, and interviews, Tower employs a verbatim style to capture the harrowing events of August 1, 1966, in which a sniper opened fire at the University of Texas, killing 16 and wounding 32 others. Almost never referring to the shooter by name, director Keith Maitland captures the terror of the day told through newsreel footage and animated sections, following several key figures of the drama, including a young pregnant undergrad Claire Wilson, her unborn baby, and her boyfriend, Tom Eckman, who were the first to lose their lives that day.
10. The Eagle Huntress (Otto Bell; Oct. 28)
Synopsis: Aisholpan, a 13-year-old girl, trains to become the first female in twelve generations of her Kazakh family to become an eagle hunter.
Why You Should See It: For seven generations, the men of Nurgaiv’s family have mastered the art of eagle hunting, a tradition in western Mongolia that goes back some 2,000 years. For the Kazakh people of the Altai region, it is a practice that is not only crucial to their survival in the remote area, but also a badge of honor and expertise in the long-held tradition. Inspired by her father, Nurgaiv’s daughter Aisholpan has taken an avid interest in the craft with hopes of tearing down the boundaries of cultural sexism and becoming the titular, first-ever The Eagle Huntress. In capturing her passion, her family’s encouragement, and the societal roadblocks ahead of her to overcome, director Otto Bell has created an empowering, gorgeously shot documentary. Read my full review.
9. Mascots (Christopher Guest; Oct. 13)
Synopsis: A look into the world of competitive mascots.
Why You Should See It: Best in Show and Waiting for Guffman director Christopher Guest is finally back to feature filmmaking for the first time in a decade with his new, Netflix-distributed comedy Mascots. Set in the world of competitive mascots, it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to a good response, and features Parker Posey, Bob Balaban, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Begley Jr., and Fred Willard. Guest already directed one of the century’s best comedies, and this has the makings of being another.
8. Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (Edward Zwick; Oct. 21)
Synopsis: Jack Reacher must uncover the truth behind a major government conspiracy in order to clear his name. On the run as a fugitive from the law, Reacher uncovers a potential secret from his past that could change his life forever.
Why You Should See It: While it didn’t reach his outings as Ethan Hunt, Jack Reacher‘s $200 million-plus gross was enough for Paramount to greenlight a sequel. As Christopher McQuarrie has now been put on Mission: Impossible duty (and doing a mighty fine job to boot), director Edward Zwick has stepped in to make the sequel. This time around, the adventure, based on Lee Child‘s 18th book, finds our lead and Cobie Smulders‘ new character on the run. As a major fan of the no-frills ’70s / ’80s vibe in the first film, we hope Zwick continues that here.
7. Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids (Jonathan Demme; Oct. 12)
Synopsis: The final performance of Justin Timberlake and the Tennessee Kids’ 20/20 Experience World Tour, filmed in 2015 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Why You Should See It: After he returned to the world of music for a narrative drama with last year’s (overlooked) Ricki and the Flash, director Jonathan Demme is back on the stage in Stop Making Sense mode with Justin Timberlake + The Tennessee Kids. Capturing the pop star’s The 20/20 Experience tour during their Las Vegas stop, Netflix picked up the film for a release this month. We said in our review, “Timberlake still does what he does, and the show seems easily amongst the upper echelon of touring pop-stars, so it’s not like the experience doesn’t go down easy, even if it feels like somewhat of a missed opportunity to genuinely enter the mind of this sort of stardom.”
6. Aquarius (Kleber Mendonça Filho; Oct. 21)
Synopsis: Clara, a 65-year-old widow and retired music critic, vows to live in her apartment until she dies after a developer buys all of the units around her.
Why You Should See It: One of the most visually resplendent films of the fall — not to mention featuring one of the best performances, from Sônia Braga — Aquarius is well worth your time. We said in our review from Cannes, The staggeringly accomplished debut feature by Brazilian critic-turned-director Kleber Mendonça Filho, Neighboring Sounds, announced the arrival of a remarkable new talent in international cinema. Clearly recognizable as the work of the same director, Mendonça’s equally assertive follow-up, Aquarius, establishes his authorial voice as well as his place as one of the most eloquent filmic commentators on the contemporary state of Brazilian society.”
5. 13th (Ava DuVernay; Oct. 7)
Synopsis: An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation’s history of racial inequality.
Why You Should See It: For the first time ever, a non-fiction film opened the New York Film Festival (to great acclaim, too), and the rest of us will thankfully be able to see it soon as it lands on Netflix this week. Ava DuVernay‘s timely follow-up to Selma chronicles the history of racial inequality in the United States as it pertains to the prison system. We can’t imagine a more vital watch this fall, particularly during this election year.
4. The Handmaiden (Park Chan-wook; Oct. 21)
Synopsis: A woman is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese heiress, but secretly she is involved in a plot to defraud her.
Why You Should See It: After spending time over here with his English-language debut Stoker, Park Chan-wook is back with The Handmaiden. One of the most dazzling directorial efforts of the year, it’s a lavish, sumptuous delight from the first to last frame. We said in our review, “Those familiar with Park’s earlier work will know that he’s hardly the most subtle of filmmakers, and his approach to gender politics here is risible, even self-contradictory. His customary prowess as a stylist and knack for constructing and navigating intricate plots, on the other hand, is once again put to good use.”
3. Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience (Terrence Malick; Oct. 7)
Synopsis: An exploration into our planetary past and a search for humanity’s place in the future.
Why You Should See It: Although I haven’t seen the 90-minute Life’s Journey version yet (our Venice review), which will arrive next year, there’s a lot to admire in this 45-minute cut. Aside from being stunned by every shot, I found Malick’s framing device to be affecting. The introductory text is omniscient and Brad Pitt‘s narration is inquisitive, then Malick’s recurring cuts to a child place the entire journey as if we’re seeing it through their eyes. It’s a humbling perspective to behold as we elegantly glide through, well, everything, strengthened by the staggering clarity in each frame. Malick’s entire career has been showing the beauty all around us, but Voyage of Time is his most direct plea that we don’t take it for granted. Ultimately, it strikes the difficult balance of making one feel infinitesimal and integral at the same time.
2. Moonlight (Barry Jenkins; Oct. 21)
Synopsis: Chronicles the life of a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he struggles to find his place in the world while growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami.
Why You Should See It: The rare film in which a glance says more than the entire script of most other movies, Moonlight is textured, intimate, and powerful. One of our favorites of TIFF, we said in our review, “Each actor brilliantly highlights his/her moment of recognition, each left defenseless to refute his/her truth. Hypocrisy ultimately grounds us because without it we’d prove as vile as our mistakes.”
1. Certain Women (Kelly Reichardt; Oct. 14)
Synopsis: The lives of three women intersect in small-town America, where each is imperfectly blazing a trail.
Why You Should See It: The cinema of Kelly Reichardt lives in quiet, tender observations with deeply rooted characters and location. Even when adding a thriller element as with her last feature, the overlooked Night Moves, her style is never compromised. Her latest feature, Certain Women, is a loosely connected three-part drama adapted from the short stories of Maile Meloy. It’s perhaps the purest distillation of her sensibilities yet as she patiently explores the longing for human connection in a world where men too often get prioritized. Read my full review.
Matinees to See: The Greasy Strangler (10/7), The Girl on the Train (10/7), Being 17 (10/7), The Birth of a Nation (10/7), Blue Jay (10/7), The Alchemist Cookbook (10/7), Shin Godzilla (10/7), The Accountant (10/14), Desierto (10/14), Miss Hokusai (10/14), Little Sister (10/14), Sky Ladder (10/14), American Pastoral (10/21), In a Valley of Violence (10/21), Before the Flood (10/21), Portrait of a Garden (10/25), Gimme Danger (10/28)
What are you watching this month?