“Parallel Mothers”
The inimitable Pedro Almodóvar has taken a fairly long break with movies about mothers, his former obsession. But he returns. to the subject for “Parallel Mothers,” which features regular muse, Penelope Cruz. Co-starring Milena Smit, Israel Elejalde, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, and more, the movie chronicles two mothers, both cut from different cloths and burdened with an entirely different set of respective personal responsibilities, who give birth at the same hospital, and on the same day. A Venice International Film Festival world premiere is set for September and will get the awards buzz ball rolling.
Release Date: December 24, via Sony Pictures Classic.
“Cyrano”
Based on the 1897 Edmond Rostand play, Cyrano de Bergerac, but also specifically based on Erica Schmidt‘s 2018 stage musical of the same name, British director Joe Wright returns to the lavish, historical-era period films he’s so well known for, like “Anna Karenina.” The film stars Peter Dinklage as Cyrano, Haley Bennett as Roxanne, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bashir Salahuddin, and Ben Mendelsohn.
Release Date: December 31 (limited), via United Artists Releasing.
“A Hero”
Acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi has already received two Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film for his films “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016), one of the few directors ever to do so. This fall, he could potentially go for a third with “A Hero,” which debuted earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Grand Prix. The film centers on the idea of a “Good Samaritan,” but how in the age of distrust, doing a good deed can actually turn your life upside down. Amir Jadidi and Mohsen Tanabandeh star (our Cannes review).
Release Date: December TBD.
Not Yet Dated, But Likely Coming Later This Fall
“C’mon C’mon”
After 2016’s terrific “20th Century Woman,” Mike Mills proved he was one of the greatest filmmakers for humanist, tragicomic autobiography. Joaquin Phoenix stars playing a radio journalist traveling across the country working on a project with his sister’s eight-year-old son (Woody Norman) in tow. The film’s NYFF announcement describes Mills’ latest as “a gentle yet impeccably crafted drama about coming to terms with personal trauma and historical legacies.”
Distributor: A24.
“The Humans”
“The Humans” comes from acclaimed playwright Stephen Karam, responsible for 2018’s Annette Benning-starring “The Seagull,” and a Pulitzer finalist for his plays “Son Of The Prophet” and “The Humans.” A Tony-winning one-act about a family Thanksgiving in Manhattan, Karam makes his proper filmmaking debut here. The film’s cast is terrific; Beanie Feldstein stars, with Richard Jenkins, Steven Yeun, Amy Schumer, Jayne Houdyshell, and June Squibb rounding out the ensemble.
Distributor: A24.
“Memoria”
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, the existential searcher behind “Cemetery of Splendor” and “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives,” is a master at capturing drowsy, euphoric, cinematic experiences. “Memoria,” his long-awaited return and stars Tilda Swinton as a haunted expatriate who finds herself drawn towards unexplained, rattling booming sounds. Our Cannes review praised “Memoria” with an A- rating, rave.
Distributor: Neon.
“The Tragedy Of Macbeth”
The Coen Brothers have apparently broken up, and Ethan Cohen has reportedly retired, But Joel Coen is still at it and returns with one of the fall’s most anticipated films. Selected as the Opening Night pick for this year’s NYFF, festival organizers raved that Coen’s latest, which stars Denzel Washington as Macbeth and Frances McDormand as Lady Macbeth, is a “boldly inventive visualization” and “an anguished film that stares, mouth agape, at a sorrowful world undone by blind greed and thoughtless ambition.”
Distributor: Apple TV+, Produced by A24.
“Red Rocket”
“Red Rocket” tells the sordidly funny story of an adult film B-lister played with washed-up shithead charm by former tabloid bad boy Simon Rex and the character’s attempts to weasel his way back into relevancy by exploiting the goodwill of a local Lolita (newcomer Suzanna Son). Director Sean Baker (“The Florida Project“) is one of the foremost chroniclers of forgotten Americans living on the margins, so expect a bruising dirtball tragicomedy with heart, laced with Baker’s signature empathy.
Distributor: A24.
“The Souvenir Part II”
Joanna Hogg is one of our most pitiless observers of emotional rot amongst Britain’s upper crust, and 2019’s semi-autobiographical “The Souvenir” was lacerating. “Part II” sees Honor Swinton Byrne returning alongside original cast members Tilda Swinton (her mum) and filmmaker Richard Ayoade, plus new faces like Charlie Heaton (“Stranger Things”), Harris Dickinson (“Beach Rats”), and Joe Alwyn (“The Favourite”). Our review from Cannes called it a “masterwork” out of this year’s Cannes, raving that Hogg’s latest is “a meta epic of delicate proportions.”
“The Worst Person In The World”
Danish director of tender humanist meditations like “Louder Than Bombs” and “Thelma,” Joachim Trier is in a lighter mood for his latest, the third and final film in the director’s Oslo trilogy, after “Oslo, 31 August” and “Reprise.” Critics have found much to praise with ‘Worst Person,’ and our Cannes review compared it to “Frances Ha,” describing it as “pure delight,” and also “laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreaking in equal measure.”
Distributor: Neon.