50 Films We Hope To See At The 2017 Fall Festivals

Last-Flag-Flying-Bryan-Cranston-Steve-Carell-Laurence-Fishburne“Last Flag Flying”
Color us surprised that, of all the films to be announced as the NYFF opener, it’s this “The Last Detail” semi-sequel from Richard Linklater, which we’d been pretty sure wouldn’t show till next year. Based on the novel by Daryl Ponicsan, the comedy-drama stars Bryan Cranston, Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne, and, on one level, seems a pretty big departure given Linklater’s recent run (“Everybody Wants Some!!” “Boyhood,” “Before Midnight“). But, then again, seeing as it catches up with the characters in post 9/11 America, it has a certain similarity in the preoccupation with the passage of time. Anyway, we’ll know on Sept 28th.


“Lean on Pete”
Andrew Haigh made the best film of 2015 with “45 Years,” building on the terrific “Weekend” and TV’s “Looking,” and has made an intriguing left-turn with his next. The story of a boy looking for a home with only a stolen racehorse for company, based on the book by alt-country musician Willy Vlautin and starring Charlie Plummer, Travis Fimmel, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi and Steve Zahn, it’s as American as his previous two features were British, but then his incisive, desperately moving humanism is entirely international. “45 Years” scored big in Berlin, but “Weekend” went to Toronto, making either that or Venice likely here.


“Light Of My Life”
Beardwatching has become a pastime round these parts, not least because it’s given us a rough indication of the stage that Casey Affleck’s follow-up to mocumentary doodle “I’m Not Here“, in which he also stars, is at. In February/March (beard at height of bushiness) he was about to shoot the film (also good news: Adam Arkapaw is DP) — a father/daughter story taking place after a devastating pandemic. But the facial hair has been gone a while, indicating post has been underway for some time. It’s still a tight turnaround, but if the 2016 Best Actor can get it finished in time, Venice, where “I’m Still Here” played, could be in the cards.

“Mindhunter”
We’re still in the relative infancy of the major festivals including TV in their lineups, so it’s anyone’s guess what will be shown and where from the upcoming prestige TV slate. That said, we can’t see any fall fest turning down a show like “Mindhunter” with a roster of directors including David Fincher, Tobias Lindholm and Asif Kapadia. Starring Jonathan Groff from “Looking” and Anna Torv from “Fringe,” it’s a procedural about an FBI profiler tracking serial killers that looks moreishly moody and compelling. And Netflix may well be out to cement relations with other major fests after the breakdown of their Cannes detente — just saying.

“Mary Magdalene”
The Weinstein Company always have a couple of awards bets at this time of year and, aside from “The Current War,” the chips are hovering over this Biblical tale — a biopic of the closest woman to Jesus — from director Garth Davis, who gave the company a much-needed hit with “Lion” last year. Rooney Mara gets the title role with Joaquin Phoenix as the big J.C, plus Chiwetel Ejiofor, Tahar Rahim and Ariane Labed — put this down as another Telluride/TIFF likelihood.

“Mary Shelley”
In an awards season that also sees British literary biopics of Charles Dickens and A.A. Milne, the most intriguing is “Mary Shelley,” toplining Elle Fanning as the creator of “Frankenstein,” with Douglas Booth as poet husband Percy, and Bel Powley, Tom Sturridge, Maisie Williams and Stephen Dillane also in the cast. It’s good material, but most intriguing because it’s the second film by “Wadjda” director Haifaa al-Mansour — a premiere at Venice, where her first movie bowed, would be a good bet, but TIFF is likely if not.

“Molly’s Game”
Though she’s undoubtedly one of the best actors we have, it’s been a while since Jessica Chastain has figured into the awards race herself, and with “The Zookeeper’s Wife” received quite mutedly, and “Woman Walks Ahead” and “The Death Of Life Of John F. Donovan” likely to be 2018 premieres, her best chance comes as the illegal-poker-game organizing heroine of Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut. Also starring Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Chris O’Dowd and Michael Cera, this feels like a good AFI Fest bet to us, but could theoretically be ready to roll out earlier.

“mother!”
We still have almost no idea what to make of Darren Aronofsky’s new film — that insane poster, that exclamation mark and lower case in the title. But with Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem and Michelle Pfeiffer in the cast, and the director’s first movie since the underrated “Noah,” we’re certainly there for it, whatever it turns out to be. Aronofsky has a good history with Venice, where both “The Wrestler” and “Black Swan” premiered, so this feels almost certain to bow on the Lido, with TIFF/Telluride/NYFF all possibilities after that.

“Mute”
All things “Blade Runner” are new again, with Duncan Jones‘ passion project “Mute,” starring Alexander Skarsgard, Paul Rudd and Justin Theroux, scored by Clint Mansell and set in a futurist Berlin, heavily influenced by Ridley Scott‘s film, which itself has a sequel coming. That might be concerning except that Jones’ debut “Moon” is a modern sci-fi classic and his follow-up “Source Code” is a fun, tricksy ride and THOSE ARE ALL THE MOVIES HE EVER MADE. It’s not like there’s a garishly ugly video game adaptation lowering his batting average or anything. Most likely for TIFF, we’d say, if “Blade Runner 2049” goes to Venice?

“On Chesil Beach”
Oscar-nominated Irish actress Saoirse Ronan has several meaty-looking starring roles in potential festival titles coming up (see Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” above) and this Ian McEwan adaptation is among the most promising. “On Chesil Beach” is the deeply moving story of a 1950s honeymoon that goes awry due to a misunderstanding between the virginal newlyweds. It co-stars rising talent Billy Howle, whom Ronan also plays opposite in an as-yet-unreleased version of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” with Elisabeth Moss and Venice Jury President Annette Bening. ‘Chesil’ director Dominic Cooke is untested, but the pedigree here, including McEwan writing the screenplay, means TIFF feels very possible.