Anora (2024)
Directed by: Sean Baker
Anora, a stripper from Brooklyn, meets Vanya, the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch, and spends a whirlwind weekend with him culminating in an impulsive wedding in Las Vegas. When the news of their marriage reaches Vanya’s parents, they become enraged and seek to annul the marriage by any means necessary. Anora is one of the most acclaimed films of 2024, having won five Academy awards and the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
Civil War (2024)
Directed by: Alex Garland
Civil War imagines a not-so-distant future in which the United States government, led by an authoritarian third-term president, is at war with secessionist factions. As the “Western Forces” faction approaches closer to D.C., several journalists plan to interview the president before it’s too late. The film explores the irrationality of human nature, causing even the best of us to resort to violence once society’s basic structures collapse.
The Substance (2024)
Directed by: Coralie Fargeat
What would you sacrifice for another shot at youth? After she is fired from her own TV show on the basis of her age, 50-year-old Elisabeth Sparkle buys a black market drug called “The Substance”, which promises a younger and more beautiful version of the consumer. Elisabeth’s vain pursuit leads to irreversible consequences far beyond her expectations.
Sinners (2025)
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Set in 1932, Twin brothers and World War I veterans Elijah and Elias return to their hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi to open a juke joint (a bar with a jukebox and an area for dancing). Their plans take a backseat when a performer unknowingly summons supernatural spirits on the bar’s opening night. If horror isn’t your thing, don’t let that stop you from giving the movie a try; Sinners offers a deeper commentary on how systems of oppression have affected identity in Black American history.
The Wild Robot (2024)
Directed by: Chris Sanders
A curious robot called Roz becomes stranded on an uninhabited island after a disastrous shipwreck. Initially, she struggles to become accepted by the surrounding wildlife on the island, with some even attempting to attack her. In the midst of this attack, she crushes all but one egg in a goose nest, which she becomes determined to protect and raise as her own.
I’m Still Here (2024)
Directed by: Walter Salles
In a politically unstable 1970s Brazil, Rubens Paiva is suddenly arrested and disappeared by the government in a military raid of his home. The movie focuses on the perspective of his wife, Eunice Paiva who is forced to solely provide for her five children while grappling with her husband’s mysterious disappearance for the rest of her life.
The Apprentice (2024)
The Apprentice follows a young Donald Trump trying to make a name for himself in the real estate business. Infamous lawyer Roy Cohn, seeing potential in the young businessman, takes him as his protege, and transforms him into the notorious figure he is today.
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
Directed by: Jane Schoenbrun
In this psychological horror drama, teenagers Owen and Maddy bond over a mysterious late-night TV show. But soon, they begin to question their suburban reality and their identities.