The extended Oscars season is finally over, and the first real “summer movie season” in two years begins in earnest this May. Spiral, Cruella and A Quiet Place Part II are the month’s big headline-grabbing studio franchise releases, but for more adventurous moviegoers, here are eight independent films that have our attention next month.
The Water Man
David Oyelowo’s directorial debut, The Water Man, is a throwback to the darker kids films of the ’80s, an adventure story about a boy seeking the secrets of immortality to help his sick mother. CBR’s review of the film back at the Toronto International Film Festival praised the movie’s emotional impact: “It’s hard not to get teary-eyed in the final moments of the film, which are simultaneously uplifting and bittersweet.”
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Directed by and starring David Oyelowo, The Water Man also stars Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis, Amiah Miller, Alfred Molina and Maria Bello. It will premiere in theaters on May 7.
The Paper Tigers
The martial arts comedy The Paper Tigers has been winning rave reviews across the Asian/Asian-American film festival circuit over the past year; it currently has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The title characters are a trio of former kung fu prodigies who’ve become washed-up and out-of-practice in middle age. When their teacher is murdered, however, these old friends are dragged into an action-packed path of vengeance. This looks like a fun time for fans of classic martial arts films.
Written and directed by Quoc Bao Tran, The Paper Tigers stars Alain Uy, Ron Yuan and Mykel Shannon Jenkins. It will premiere in theaters and on VOD on May 7.
Riders of Justice
Hot off the Best International Feature Oscar win for Another Round, Mads Mikkelsen’s other big star vehicle of 2020 is finally getting its American release. The logline, about a single father getting revenge on a biker gang for killing his wife, sounds like the set-up for a relatively standard Taken-esque action film, but the trailers and reviews promise a much weirder, more transgressive dark comedy thrill ride. The emphasis on middle-aged male bonding might make this a good double feature with The Paper Tigers.
Written and directed by Anders Thomas Jensen, Riders of Justice stars Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg, Lars Brygmann and Nicolas Bro. It will premiere in American theaters on May 14 and on VOD on May 21.
The Perfect Candidate
Haifaa al-Mansour made history as the first female director in Saudi Arabia. Her debut feature Wadjda was an international critical sensation in 2012. Subsequent American productions of hers proved less successful, but The Perfect Candidate, al-Mansour’s return to her home country, is once again earning rave reviews. This drama follows the first-ever female candidate in a local election, a feminist story parallel to al-Mansour’s own.
Directed and co-written by Haifaa al-Mansour, The Perfect Candidate stars Mila Al Zahrani, Nora Al Awadh and Dae Al Hilali. It will premiere in American theaters on May 14.
The Killing of Two Lovers
A selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and a nominee for the John Cassavetes Award at this year’s Independent Spirit Awards, The Killing of Two Lovers is a slow-burn psychodrama about a divorcee who turns to violence. Shot in an old-school Academy ratio a la First Cow, The Killing of Two Lovers looks like it could be a great work of low-budget but high-intensity indie filmmaking.
Written and directed by Robert Machoian, The Killing of Two Lovers stars Clayne Crawford, Sepideh Moafi, Chris Coy, Avery Pizzuto, Arri Graham and Ezra Graham. It will premiere in theaters on May 14.
The Djinn
May looks like a big month for horror films, and The Djinn looks like it could be one of the spookiest. Like its big-budget competition A Quiet Place Part II, The Djinn is a movie mostly without spoken dialogue. The story centers on a mute boy, struggling with trauma from his mother’s death, who summons a malevolent djinn and has to fight for his life by himself. Early reviews are strong; though only a few reviews have been counted as of this writing, The Djinn currently has a 100 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Written and directed by David Charbonier and Justin Powell, The Djinn stars Ezra Dewey, Rob Brownstein and Tevy Poe. It will premiere in theaters and on VOD on May 14.
The Dry
Another film with 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing, The Dry has already become one of the most financially successful Australian movies of all time before its American premiere. Based on the book of the same name by Jane Harper, The Dry stars former Hulk Eric Bana as a federal agent who returns to his drought-stricken hometown to investigate a recent murder-suicide but becomes a suspect himself in another murder case.
Directed and co-written by Robert Connolly, The Dry stars Eric Bana, Genevieve O’Reilly, Keir O’Donnell and John Polson. It will premiere in American theaters and on VOD on May 21.
New Order
Already one of the most controversial films of the year, those who’ve seen New Order at film festivals or during its initial Mexican release either absolutely love or absolutely hate it. This brutal near-future class struggle drama, in which an upper-class wedding goes awry amidst a violent revolution, is inspiring passionate debate about both its politics and its unrelenting filmmaking style. This certainly won’t be a movie for everyone, but everyone will come away with something to talk about.
Written and directed by Michel Franco, New Order stars Naian Gonzalez Norvind, Diego Boneta, Mónica Del Carmen, Fernando Cuautle as Cristian, Darío Yazbek and Eligio Meléndez. It will premiere in American theaters on May 21.
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