Bold concepts, emerging voices, and familiar faces taking on unexpected roles have always found a home in independent cinema. This year, a new crop of daring movies imagined outside major studio tentpoles are sure to spark conversations—and to demonstrate that indie film is as relevant as ever. Here are nine standouts to watch in 2024.
“I Saw the TV Glow” (A24)
May 3
Were you obsessed with a particular TV show as a teenager? Probably not as much as Owen (Justice Smith), a lonely boy who finds solace in “The Pink Opaque”—a “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”–esque series about two teenage girls fighting monsters—and in his friendship with fellow superfan Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine). Reality and fiction blur in trans and nonbinary filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun’s extraordinary, unsettling second feature, as Owen and Maddy seek to discover who they truly are via the stories they watch on TV. Few movies this year come from a voice this original; this is an audacious, genre-tinged marvel.
“Thelma” (Magnolia Pictures)
June 21
This comedy from Josh Margolin, starring 94-year-old Oscar nominee June Squibb in her first leading role, proves that you’re never too old to become a crime-fighting hero. Fed up with her family trying to infringe on her agency, Thelma Post embarks on an adventure across Los Angeles to get her money back from phone scammers. The film is amusing and insightful as it explores the joys and perils of aging on one’s own terms. Margolin wrote the script as an ode to his grandmother, who’s also named Thelma. Talk about a unique way to make your grandma proud.
Credit: David Bolen/Sundance Institute
“Dìdi” (Focus Features)
July 26
In January, prodigious filmmaker Sean Wang earned an Oscar nomination for his documentary short “Nai Nai & Wài Pó.” The same week, he made his Sundance debut with “Dìdi,” a semi-autobiographical coming-of-age dramedy centered on Chris Wang (Izaac Wang), a 13-year-old Taiwanese American boy growing up in the 2000s. The hilarious narrative sees Chris ditching his lifelong friends to fit in with the cool kids, stumbling through his first romance, and challenging his immigrant mother’s authority. On the surface, “Dìdi” covers the familiar territory of adolescent woes; but Wang injects freshness into the genre thanks to his unique lens.
“Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Aug. 2
In the 2010s, Northern Irish rap group Kneecap broke into the mainstream with lyrics that fearlessly advocated for Irish independence. Rich Peppiatt’s kinetic fictionalized biopic, in which the band members play themselves, charts the story of two unruly young men (Móglaí Bap and Mo Chara) as they form Kneecap with their former teacher, who performs under the stage name DJ Próvai. Along the way, they record tracks whose lyrics focus on their own sexual experiences, denounce British imperialism, and exalt the Irish language. The film, which features Michael Fassbender in a small but meaningful supporting role, is a riotous good time.
“Between the Temples” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Aug. 23
Widower Ben Gottlieb (Jason Schwartzman) feels adrift in his personal life and disconnected from his role as the cantor of his Upstate New York synagogue. Enter the lively Carla Kessler (veteran actor Carol Kane), his former teacher, who wants to have the bat mitzvah she never got to experience as a teen. Their unlikely friendship blossoms into a tender romance, much to the perplexity of their loved ones. In Schwartzman and Kane, co-writer–director Nathan Silver has found an ideal duo; their subdued performances complement each other in scenes laced with both piercing humor and deep sorrow. Ben and Carla may not seem like an obvious pair, but they profoundly understand each other’s wounds.
“A Real Pain” (Searchlight)
Oct. 18
In Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore directorial outing, two estranged Jewish cousins go on a “Holocaust tour” of Poland following the death of their Polish grandmother. Along the way, the apprehensive David (Eisenberg) and the happy-go-lucky Benji (an outstanding Kieran Culkin) repair the fissures in their once-close relationship. Sharply written and terrifically performed, this two-hander is part uncomfortable comedy, part sincere portrait of two men who love each other but can’t understand the other’s drastically different worldview. As Benji considers who he is beneath his own inviting facade, David comes to appreciate the benefits of letting go.
“A Different Man” (A24)
TBD
Sebastian Stan gives a career-best performance in this psychological drama from Aaron Schimberg. He stars as Edward, a man living with neurofibromatosis—a condition that’s left his face covered in tumors. When he falls for his neighbor, Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), he signs up for an experimental medical procedure in the hopes that his love will be reciprocated. Though Edward undergoes a radical transformation on the surface, his new appearance only exacerbates his inner turmoil.
Actor and disability advocate Adam Pearson, who has neurofibromatosis himself, is deliciously flamboyant as Oswald, functioning as both Edward’s mirror and nemesis. Offbeat and incisive, this fascinatingly meta film interrogates the way we look at others and ourselves from behind the masks we wear. Schimberg doesn’t give us any clear answers, but he demands we consider the questions.
Credit: Matt Infante/A24
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” (Hunting Lane Films, Homegrown Pictures, and Shade Pictures)
TBD
Titus Kaphar’s feature debut is a heart-rending story of broken family ties, featuring a stellar cast led by André Holland. He plays Tarrell, a Black painter whose works, inspired by his own experiences, get the attention of the white-dominated art world. At the same time, Tarrell returns to his hometown with his wife (Andra Day) and young son to help his ailing mother (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) move out of her house. There, he’s confronted by his abusive father (John Earl Jelks), who claims he’s a changed man. Kaphar’s affecting story promises a path forward from a past filled with painful memories.
“The Outrun” (StudioCanal)
TBD
Saoirse Ronan’s acting career has been impeccable; and in this drama, she gives one of her most emotionally charged performances to date. Based on Amy Liptrot’s 2015 memoir, Nora Fingscheidt’s film follows Rona (Ronan), a tempestuous Scottish woman struggling with alcoholism. After spiraling out in London, she returns to her childhood home in the Orkney Islands, where her parents still live. There, she takes a job recording the calls of an endangered native bird.
The sparse landscape gives Rona space for difficult reflection, offset with vignettes that explore local folklore and the hard facts of life in the remote archipelago. Ronan’s performance in this arresting character study could deservedly bring the actor back into the awards conversation.
This story originally appeared in the May 2 issue of Backstage Magazine.
