The new year is upon us and you know what that means—checking out all the dramatic, gritty offerings on the big screen. With the Academy Awards around the corner, and Golden Globe and SAG Award nominees already announced, we’re rounding up trailers for those films featuring gripping subject matter and excellent acting that belong on your radar. Ready to sit on the edge of your seat, or cry your eyes out? Here’s your guide to scratching that itch for prestige filmmaking this holiday season. (For lighter fare, check out these suggestions!)
“Elle” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Playing the latest in a long career of meaty roles is Isabelle Huppert, considered acting royalty in her native France and beyond. As Michèle, a woman raped by a masked assailant in her own home, Huppert dives into the complexities of femininity and assault, giving Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle” an unflinching portrayal of resilience and revenge. Watch the trailer here:
“Fences” (Paramount Pictures)
In bringing August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning classic play to the big screen, Denzel Washington called “Fences” the best material he’d ever tackled. As Troy Maxson, the struggling patriarch of a working-class black family in 1950s Pittsburgh, the actor-director gives one of the most impressive performances of his career. The same could be said for his co-star Viola Davis, who plays Troy’s wife Rose with staggering nuance and power. Don’t see “Fences” because it’s an awards season contender (although it certainly is, earning three key SAG nominations). See the film because it features some of the best acting of the year:
“Hacksaw Ridge” (Lionsgate)
The inspirational story of Desmond T. Doss, World War II army medic and the first conscientious objector presented with the Medal of Honor, gets its Hollywood treatment in director Mel Gibson’s capable hands. As Doss, Andrew Garfield proves himself a brave and tireless actor, and has earned both a Golden Globe and SAG nomination for his hard work. Check out the “Hacksaw Ridge” trailer here:
“Hell or High Water” (Lionsgate/CBS Films)
If you’re looking for a more genre-specific project this holiday season, you could do worse than “Hell or High Water.” Although not currently in theaters, the film has generated awards buzz since its release, particularly for its trio of stars, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, and Jeff Bridges. All three are deserving, as well as director David Mackenzie and writer Taylor Sheridan, who meld Western, crime, noir, and heist films into one of the season’s most darkly inventive flicks.
“Jackie” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Maybe you think you know first lady Jackie Kennedy. Or you think your memory of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963 is locked in your mind. Director Pablo Larraín and his muse, Natalie Portman, have stormed into awards season to invite us all to reassess an iconic figure in history—and her pink pillbox hat. “Jackie” is a gut-wrenching depiction of a woman’s grief, a surreal meditation on legacy and collective consciousness, and a simply gorgeous piece of filmmaking. Don’t miss it:
READ: “ ‘Jackie’ Director Pablo Larraín on Cultivating Danger in a Performance”
“The Lobster” (A24)
Or perhaps you’re looking for something just a shade shy of bonkers. Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Lobster” has got you covered, featuring darkly surreal imagery, a satire of romance in which single people are turned into animals of their choosing, and terrifically deadpan performances from Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, John C. Reilly, Olivia Colman, Ben Whishaw, and more. Did we mention this film is weird? It bears repeating.
“Manchester by the Sea” (Roadside Attractions and Amazon Studios)
Emerging as a major awards season contender at the Gotham, Independent Spirit, Golden Globe, and SAG Awards, Kenneth Lonergan’s contemplation of familial loss in the titular Boston seaside town is as touching—and as emotionally brutal—as everyone is saying. See it for the staggering displays of feeling from awards frontrunners Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, and Lucas Hedges, and for its simultaneously stark and warm depiction of grief.
READ: “Kenneth Lonergan Goes Outside in for ‘Manchester by the Sea’ ”
“Moonlight” (A24)
Have you seen “Moonlight” yet? If yes, go again. If no, find the nearest local theater playing it. Barry Jenkins’ stunning story of Chiron, a black boy growing up in Miami and discovering his sexuality, has taken top honors at all the season’s early awards ceremonies for good reason. Every shot in this visually sumptuous film (the cinematography is by James Laxton) captures a moment of beauty, whether it’s the glimmer of stars on waves or, especially, the towering performances from Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, and the three actors sharing the protagonist role, Alex Hibbert, Ashton Sanders, and Trevante Rhodes. For so many reasons, “Moonlight” is the most important movie of the year.
“Nocturnal Animals” (Focus Features)
Who isn’t in the mood for a stylish psychological thriller come the holidays? Tom Ford’s follow-up to “A Single Man” features Amy Adams as an art gallery owner who receives a book in the mail from her ex-husband (Jake Gyllenhaal). As she reads his disturbing tale of a late-night trip gone horribly awry in the desert, audiences find themselves uncomfortably invested in how the book—and this fabulous film—ends.
“Silence” (Paramount Pictures)
Given one of AFI’s movie of the year awards, Martin Scorsese’s long-awaited religious drama is worth checking out this January. Starring Andrew Garfield (who’s had quite the year of arduous leading roles!), Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson as Jesuit priests in 17th century Japan, “Silence” is based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō. Brace yourself, and then check out the trailer:
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