The hype around Craig William Macneill’s lesbian retelling of the Lizzie Borden legend pays off. Kristen Stewart and Chloe Sevigny star in this modern period piece (it’s a thing) that audiences will be talking about.
Eighth Grade
This year’s festival leaned more towards deliberate drama than standing-ovation crowd-pleaser, but if there was any film to fit the universal bill, it’s this coming-of-age winner from comedian/actor-turned-director Bo Burnham. It’s about an eighth grader who just “cannot” in her final year before high school.
Sorry to Bother You
Rapper Boots Riley steps away from the mic and behind the camera to drop a wacky sci-fi comedy on audiences. Tessa Thompson, Lakeith Stanfield and Armie Hammer get weird in a narrative about a telemarketer who enters a macabre world.
The Tale
Producer and film-maker Jennifer Fox turns a narrative lens on her own stunning and very personal story of sexual abuse. It’s a film that lends another powerful voice to the #MeToo movement—and one that leaves audiences with no words.
Wildlife
Paul Dano’s expertly-crafted directorial debut—which he co-wrote with Zoe Kazan—unfolds through the eyes of a 14-year-old watching his family fall apart. Dano’s deft filmmaking skills draw out an impressive, critical emotional balance of each character, portrayed in perfect pitch by Carey Mulligan and Jake Gyllenhaal. It’s methodical and beautiful, and better than Boyhood. Way better.
