Independent films that premiered at festivals to hit theaters soon
Independent movies often slip under the radar of moviegoers. Here are 10 films coming out in theaters in limited release in the next two months.
“Happy People: A Year in the Taiga” — opened in New York City on Jan. 25, expanding in the following weeks
German filmmaker Werner Herzog co-directed this documentary about the indigenous people living in Bakhtia, the heart of Siberian Taiga. It premiered way back in 2010 at the Telluride Film Festival but just opened in New York City on Friday. Herzog’s 2010 documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” was one of the best films of that year. I expect his newest will be an engrossing snapshot of this vast, snow-covered region.
“The Gatekeepers” — Feb. 1
This documentary premiered at the Jerusalem Film Festival in Israel last year and was nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Documentary. It features interviews with all six surviving heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal security service. Often, documentaries that seem the most dry and unentertaining turn out to be riveting. Take your movie medicine and go see this when it comes out. It will be good for you.
“Like Someone in Love” — Feb. 15
Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami’s newest film, which centers on the relationship between a young woman and an old man in Tokyo, premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. His previous feature, “Certified Copy,” also followed a man and woman in a foreign city, one of the best films of 2010. Hopefully, his new drama will intrigue and allure as well.
“Spring Breakers” — March 22
Harmony Korine is a man who directed a feature film on worn VHS home video titled “Trash Humpers.” His newest oddity, starring James Franco, Selena Gomez (“Wizards of Waverly Place”), Vanessa Hudgens (“High School Musical”), Ashley Benson (“Pretty Little Liars”) and Rachel Korine (the director’s wife) premiered at last year’s Venice Film Festival. It follows, as you might guess, a group of young people on spring break. That’s where the obvious stops. With Korine at the helm, heaven knows what will happen to these people. The MPAA rating is R for “strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence throughout.”
“Stoker” — March 1
Three talented South Korean directors make their English-language film debuts this year. This drama/horror/thriller, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this month, is directed by Chan wook-Park, the director of “The Vengeance Trilogy,” including “Oldboy” (which, incidentally, has been remade by Spike Lee and is coming out later this year). It stars Nicole Kidman, Mia Wasikowska and Matthew Goode.
“War Witch” — March 1
This Canadian war drama, which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival last year, is another one of the five films nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. It follows a teenage girl starting with her abduction by a rebel army at 12 years old. She is the frame of the film, 14 years old and pregnant, telling her life story to her unborn child.
“The We and the I” — March 8
Michel Gondry is one of the most inventive, original and eclectic directors working today. His previous films include “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Block Party,” “Be Kind Rewind” and “The Green Hornet.” His newest film, which premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, follows the lives of teenagers who ride the same bus to and from school in the Bronx, N.Y. You never know what you are going to get with Gondry.
“Room 237” — March 29
Stanley Kubrick’s horror classic “The Shining,” based on the novel by Stephen King, is dissected and analyzed in ludicrous fashion in this documentary. People with all different readings of and conspiracy theories about the ’80s masterpiece are presented for consideration. One theory: Kubrick filmed the 1969 moon landing, and clues are hidden throughout “The Shining” suggesting his involvement with the faked landing. This documentary, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, is for movie buffs who love to delve deep into cinema.
“The Place Beyond the Pines” — March 29
Derek Cianfrance directed the remarkable “Blue Valentine,” starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, and he reunites with Gosling for his new drama that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year. Gosling plays a motorcycle stunt rider who starts robbing banks to provide for his lover and their newborn, a story that sounds somewhat similar to another Gosling movie, “Drive.” He has proved film after film that he is one of the leading actors of his generation. He co-stars with Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes and Ray Liotta.
“No” — Feb. 15
Gael García Bernal (“Amores Perros,” “The Motorcycle Diaries”) stars in this political Chilean comedy/drama as an advertising executive who applies his skills to a political campaign to defeat Augusto Pinochet in 1988 Chile. This critically acclaimed film premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film.