After October 2021 proved to be the biggest box office month since the start of the pandemic, theaters and studios are hoping that November will continue the moviegoing upswing as more and more film festival favorites and major awards contenders open. Some of the best-reviewed and most anticipated indie films of the year — from heartwarming dramas about childhood to movies so extreme that even their titles warrant an NSFW warning — are making their debuts this month. This Thanksgiving season, there’s plenty for moviegoers to be thankful for.
Spencer
Kristen Stewart has been choosing interesting projects since escaping the clutches of the Twilight franchise. Her latest film, Spencer, is said to feature her career-best performance so far, with many pundits predicting her to be the early frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar. Whether or not this untraditional biopic of Princess Diana is too avant-garde for the Academy — beyond Stewart’s acting — remains to be seen, but critics are loving it. At the very least, it’s certain to be better than Diana: The Musical, right?
Directed by Pablo Larrain, Spencer stars Kristen Stewart, Timothy Spall, Jack Farthing, Sean Harris and Sally Hawkins and premieres in theaters on Nov. 5.
Beans
Already a massive critical hit in Canada and the second runner-up for the People’s Choice Award at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, Beans finally has a US release. This coming-of-age story dramatizes the conflicts between the Canadian government and the Mohawk people in the 1990s. CBR’s review of the film says, “[Beans] combines universal experiences of growing up with a look at specific events more people should know about, making the film effectively disturbing and inspiring at once.”
Directed and co-written by Tracey Deer, Beans stars Kiawentiio, Rainbow Dickinson, Joel Montgrand, Viola Beauvais, Paulina Alexis, D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai, Jay Cardinal Villeneuve, Brittany LeBorgne and Kelly Beaudoin and premieres in theaters and on VOD on Nov. 5.
Passing
Technically, Passing is already in a very limited theatrical release, but most people won’t have the chance to see it until it hits Netflix this November. This adaptation of Nella Larsen’s classic 1929 novel about two white-passing Black women earned raves at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and CBR’s review made big predictions for awards success: “It will almost certainly be in the conversation for craft awards (Cinematography, Set Design, Costume Design).”
Written and directed by Rebecca Hall, Passing stars Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård and Bill Camp. It is currently in limited theatrical release and premieres on Netflix on Nov. 10.
Belfast
At the moment, Kenneth Branagh’s semiautobiographical drama Belfast is looking like a frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar. That doesn’t mean it’s the best film you’ll see this year, but it does seem to be one of the most universally crowd-pleasing, winning the People’s Choice Award at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. This personal and wonderfully acted slice-of-life piece set during The Troubles balances intense historical and familial conflicts with the levity of a child’s point of view.
Written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, Belfast stars Jude Hill, Caitríona Balfe, Judi Dench, Jamie Dornan, Ciarán Hinds and Colin Morgan and premieres in theaters on Nov. 12.
C’mon C’mon
After winning the Best Actor Oscar for Joker, Joaquin Phoenix’s next leading role is something completely different: a sensitive radio journalist taking care of his nephew on a cross-country journey. As he did with his previous films, Beginners and 20th Century Women, writer/director Mike Mills mines different aspects of his own family history for drama, and the reviews since the Telluride Film Festival have been very positive. Alongside Passing and Belfast, C’mon C’mon also seems to mark a mini-renaissance of black-and-white filmmaking.
Written and directed by Mike Mills, C’mon C’mon stars Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Scoot McNairy, Molly Webster, Jaboukie Young-White and Woody Norman and premieres in theaters on Nov. 19.
Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Yes, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn is the real title of a real non-pornographic movie that won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. This experimental comedy-drama about a teacher dealing with the fallout of people finding her sex tape is noteworthy, among other reasons, for being one of the few narrative films to directly address the COVID-19 pandemic. Romania has chosen this as its official submission for the Best International Film Oscar.
Written and directed by Radu Jude, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn stars Katia Pascariu, Claudia Ieremia and Olimpia Mălai and premieres in theaters on Nov. 19.
The Humans
Stephen Karam has adapted his own Tony-winning play The Humans to the screen. In a somewhat unusual move, the film will be premiering on the small screen on Showtime the same day A24 releases it on the big screen. Whichever way you choose to watch it, this drama about three generations gathered for Thanksgiving dinner promises to be an intense experience filled with great performances; critics have compared the style of the film to a horror movie while also noting its sense of dark humor amidst the anxiety.
Written and directed by Stephen Karam, The Humans stars Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun and June Squibb and premieres in theaters and on Showtime on Nov. 24.
Licorice Pizza
A new Paul Thomas Anderson movie is always an event for cinephiles. His latest, Licorice Pizza, has one of his strangest-sounding titles but looks like it also might be his most mainstream-appealing film in ages. Cooper Hoffman, the son of Anderson’s late long-time collaborator Philip Seymour Hoffman, makes his screen debut as a 1970s teen star with a crush on an older woman, played by musician Alana Haim. The ensemble cast includes Bradley Cooper as the infamous Superman movie producer Jon Peters.
Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza stars Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper and Benny Safdie and premieres in theaters on Nov. 24.
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