From now through the end of 2022, cinemas and streaming platforms alike will be overflowing with films hoping to break through with audiences and awards voters. This pack of upcoming releases includes some titles you may have heard about during their festival runs, as well other less obvious choices to add to your fall and winter viewing schedule. The selections below include singular English-language dramas from fresh directors, ambitious new outings from renowned filmmakers, international features angling to represent their respective countries at the Oscars, and an animated wonder from a veteran artist.
“Decision to Leave” (MUBI)
Revered South Korean auteur Park Chan-wook won best director at Cannes for this evocative, romantic mystery. Detective Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) becomes obsessed with finding out whether the death of a mountain climber was an accident or if the man’s wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei), was involved. But in the course of the investigation, Hae-jun begins to develop feelings for his prime suspect. Full of visually inventive touches, the film is a riveting slow burn that unravels as new truths—and even more lies—come to light. (Premieres Oct. 14)
Courtesy of MUBI
“Aftersun” (A24)
While on holiday in Turkey, young father Calum (Paul Mescal) and his 11-year-old daughter, Sophie (Frankie Corio), try to maximize their time together. And though nothing major happens over the course of their vacation, Sophie begins to see her dad as a vulnerable individual who’s having his own coming-of-age experience. Produced by Barry Jenkins, this stellar debut from Scottish director Charlotte Wells is a lyrical examination of what it’s like to look back on moments in life that only feel indelible in hindsight. By peppering in shots of adult Sophie (Celia Rowlson-Hall) as she grapples with her image of Calum, Wells gorgeously depicts the emotional truths hidden within our unreliable memories. (Premieres Oct. 21)
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight Pictures)
Anchored by affecting performances from its cast, the latest film from celebrated storyteller Martin McDonagh takes place on an island off the west coast of Ireland in the 1920s. The dramedy reunites “In Bruges” co-stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, this time as two men whose longtime friendship seems to have run its course. As the cheerful Pádraic, Farrell stuns with his transformation as his friend’s despair slowly poisons him. Count on McDonagh’s sharp writing to deliver equal parts hilarity and poignancy. (Premieres Oct. 21)
Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures
“Wendell & Wild” (Netflix)
Stop-motion animation legend Henry Selick delivers a ghostly comedy featuring a predominantly Black cast in his first film since 2009’s “Coraline.” He joins forces with genre mastermind Jordan Peele, who, in addition to co-writing, voices Wendell; his frequent collaborator Keegan-Michael Key plays Wild. This pair of mischievous demon brothers attempt to cross over into the human world with help from determined teenager Kat (Lyric Ross). The film combines the superb craftsmanship that has always characterized Selick’s oeuvre (which includes 1993’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) with the originality and dark humor that have made the Oscar-winning Peele one of the most successful filmmakers of our time. (Premieres Oct. 21)
Courtesy of Netflix
“Utama” (Kino Lorber)
In the arid highlands of Bolivia, an elderly Quechua couple fights to stay on their land despite increasingly harsh weather brought on by climate change. A condor, a sacred bird in the region, circles over steadfast patriarch Virginio (José Calcina) as he moves through his daily activities. In his debut, filmmaker Alejandro Loayza Grisi draws nuanced performances from his first-time actors; his striking imagery showcases the profound spiritual bond between the area’s Indigenous inhabitants and the natural world. (Premieres Nov. 4)
Courtesy of the Sundance Institute
“Bardo” (Netflix)
Oscar-winning Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu makes a cinematic pilgrimage back to his homeland in this sweeping tragicomedy, which follows L.A.-based journalist Silverio (Daniel Giménez Cacho) on a visit to his native Mexico City. As he grapples with his muddled identity, the film plays out in a series of mesmerizing, dreamlike visions that examine Mexico’s colonial past and its complex relationship with the U.S. Iñárritu’s divisive epic evokes both the irreverence of Federico Fellini and the magical realism of Jorge Luis Borges. The result is more self-interrogating than self-aggrandizing. (Premieres Nov. 18)
Credit: SeoJu Park/Netflix
“Nanny” (Prime Video)
For Senegalese immigrant Aisha (Anna Diop), taking a job as a nanny for a well-off Manhattan family is a major step toward her goal of bringing her son to the U.S. But even as her volatile boss Amy (Michelle Monaghan) makes her life difficult, Aisha starts to receive a series of supernatural warnings. In writer-director Nikyatu Jusu’s fascinating exploration of the elusive American dream, both real and the otherworldly events have dire consequences. It’s no wonder Jusu’s entrancing horror narrative earned the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. (Premieres Nov. 23)
Courtesy of Amazon Studios
“Corsage” (IFC Films)
Disinterested in aristocratic pageantry, Empress Elisabeth of Austria defied expectations for 19th-century women in her position. Writer-director Marie Kreutzer chronicles the reluctant royal’s ordeal in this bold, exquisitely realized period drama, which stars “Phantom Thread” breakout Vicky Krieps. The actor plays Elisabeth with enthralling insolence as she stands up to her powerful husband (Florian Teichtmeister), engages in extramarital affairs, and plots her escape. Rarely has a biopic been as invigorating as this one. (Premieres Dec. 23)
Courtesy IFC Films
This story originally appeared in the Oct. 13 issue of Backstage Magazine.