Seven Must-See Movies of October
Image courtesy of The Orchard
Christine (October 14th)
In 1974, a Floridian newscaster commits suicide during a broadcast. Christine tells the story of anchor Christine Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall) and her struggles with her job, career, and sanity.
The Christine Chubbuck story has received its fair share of the Hollywood treatment this year. Outside of director Antonio Campos’ narrative film there was the docu-dramaJout earlier this year which looked more at the actress playing Chubbuck’s character. Campos’ film lays out the issues in Chubbuck’s life – struggles with her job being different than she’d hoped, an unrequited romance with her fellow anchor (here played by Michael C. Hall) and problems with mental illness. Early response from its festival run praise Hall’s luminous performance, a fact in evidence from the powerful trailer, despite the film playing like a very average true-crime drama. As a long-time fan of Hall, she hasn’t settled on a film that will propel her into the mainstream in spite of several films that have paired her up with successful co-stars or had mainstream appeal. The Orchard is putting this out, and regardless of how wide the distribution arm is, the prominence of the story should put Hall into the spotlight. Think of this as the anti-Spotlight.
Next: Moonlight
Image courtesy of A24
Moonlight (October 21st)
Moonlight follows a young black man from childhood to adulthood as he navigates life, love and sexuality in Miami.
Moonlight is another festival contender that, like Ava DuVernay’s 13th, exploded onto the Best Picture scene. Barry Jenkins isn’t a household name yet, but his intensely personal drama focuses on aspects of sexuality and romance that many films set for an urban audience don’t. It’s remarkable what an amazing year this looks to be with black directors, with Jenkins and DuVernay’s names hoping to crush the outdated #OscarsSoWhite views at the Academy Awards. Huge praise is going to lead actor Mahershala Ali, who you might have seen if you watched Luke Cage this weekend, as Juan. In talking to various film critics, outside of Ali’s performance many have cited the gorgeous cinematography and script. Coming in right at the end of the month in limited release, Moonlight’s future expansions poise it perfectly for serious Oscar consideration if A24, a studio that’s risen to prominence in a brief time, properly campaigns it. At this point, it’s up to the Academy to set precedence for a less-white Oscar telecast in 2017.
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What films are you looking forward to seeing to in October?