“Loveless”
Cast: Maryana Spivak, Aleksey Rozin, Matyev Novikov
Synopsis: Zhenya and Boris are going through a vicious divorce marked by resentment, frustration and recriminations. Already embarking on new lives, each with a new partner, they are impatient to start again, to turn the page — even if it means threatening to abandon their 12-year-old son Alyosha. Until, after witnessing one of their fights, Alyosha disappears.
What You Need to Know: A few years ago, director Andrei Zvyagintsev made some critical waves with his film “Leviathan,” a devastating look at poverty and senseless human behaviour. While not his first feature film it was the one that granted him a more dedicated following and he’s followed up on his excellent film with “Loveless,” a film as similarly, emotionally desolate as his last. Once again a traumatized family lays at the center with a forlorn child’s gaze representing the picture. It’s miserable stuff, with our critic calling it a “downer as the art form,” saying “nothing could have truly prepared us for the apocalyptic despair of ‘Loveless,’ perhaps his most brilliant, but also most profoundly pessimistic film to date that, couched in such viscerally intelligent, skillful filmmaking, may also be his most persuasive.”
Release Date: February 16th
“Western”
Cast: Meinhard Neumann, Veneta Fragnova, Syuleyman Alilov Letifov, Reinhardt Wetrek
Synopsis: A group of German construction workers start a tough job at a remote building site in the Bulgarian countryside. The foreign land awakens the men’s sense of adventure, but they are also confronted with their own prejudice and mistrust due to the language barrier and cultural differences. The stage is quickly set for a showdown when two men begin to compete for recognition and favor from the local villagers.
What You Need to Know: A twist on the genere we all believe we’ve come to know so well, “Western” turns an observant and weary eye at its namesake. A meditation on the difficulties both personal and practical that come with being a stranger in someone else’s world and that need to justify our worth, “Western” is one of the smaller films being released in February but it might just be one of the most intriguing with our critic comparing it to a classic, saying “Western” takes up the thematic resonance of John Wayne’s Ethan Edwards, immortalized in the doorframe that separates society and the frontier. ” Seek it out.
Release Date: February 16th
“Annihilation”
Cast: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez
Synopsis: A biologist signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition where the laws of nature don’t apply.
What You Need to Know: We understand that studios refuse to trust intelligent science fiction films, we get it. That hardly means we have to expect it when the studio makes a ridiculous decision to create a cross distribution deal with Netflix, drastically altering the manner in which a film such as “Annihilation” deserves to be viewed. Based on a highly cerebral and seemingly unadaptable novel by James VanderMeer, “Annihilation” is steadfast in bucking the norm in what we’ve come to expect from high concept science fiction. With a heavy dosage of atmospheric horror in the book (and, from the looks of the trailer, the film as well) and a dedication to exploring the psychological elements of the story along with the supernatural, the film is a welcome breath of fresh air in the beginning stages of the year when genre films tend to be the ones most fit to be forgotten. Alex Garland has yet to let us down, be it with his writing for “28 Days Later” and “Never Let Me Go” or his directorial debut of the superb “Ex Machina” and here he has, with a stellar cast on board, another chance to prove that he’s one of the most exciting and singular talents working today.
Release Date: February 23rd
“Mute”
Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Justin Theroux, Paul Rudd
Synopsis: Leo (Alexander Skarsgård) – unable to speak from a childhood accident – searches for his missing girlfriend, the love of his life. As he seeks answers, Leo finds himself mixed up with Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux), a pair of irreverent US army surgeons on a mission all their own. This soulful sci-fi journey from filmmaker Duncan Jones imagines a world of strange currencies in which echoes of love and humanity are still worth listening to.
What You Need to Know: If Duncan Jones’ latest film seems to have snuck by without your notice, you’re not alone as it was somewhat unceremoniously dumped onto Netflix without much promotion or fanfare, beyond a trailer (so far). With some high concept visuals, a cast featuring a handlebar-mustachioed Paul Rudd and an original science-fiction backdrop, “Mute” is a must see no matter the distribution platform. Jones may have let some fans down with his “Warcraft” adaptation (which at least failed in a loud and self assured manner), it must not be forgot that this is still the director who graced us with “Moon,” one of the very best science fiction films of the 21st century. Original science fiction is hard to come by these days (especially original science fiction that is good and or actually sought out) and even if they high rising setting of “Mute” looks familiar, with Jones at the helm we should expect anything but.
Release Date: February 23rd
