The most anticipated titles from the 2023 fall festival season
These films have been making waves at their worldwide premieres. Take a closer look at our selection of movies coming out of the Venice, Toronto, and New York film festivals this year.
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- DirectorGarth DavisStarsSaoirse RonanPaul MescalAaron PierreHen and Junior farm a secluded piece of land that has been in Junior's family for generations, but their quiet life is thrown into turmoil when an uninvited stranger shows up at their door with a startling proposal.Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal star in this intimate chamber piece about a crumbling marriage and the fate of the world. Although the film is set 40 years in the future, the themes will feel eerily prescient to anyone reading the news today. From A.I. and climate change to digital companionship, this sci-fi film weaves our current anxieties into a thriller that director Garth Davis hopes reminds audiences that “Your life is precious, and if you take it for granted, you’re going to lose it.”
In theaters Oct. 6, 2023 - DirectorChloe DomontStarsPhoebe DynevorAlden EhrenreichEddie MarsanAn unexpected promotion at a cutthroat hedge fund pushes a young couple's relationship to the brink, threatening to unravel far more than their recent engagement.Forbidden love and corporate ambitions collide in this debut feature from writer/director Chloe Domont. Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich star, and although the film's combination of passionate love and explosive confrontation may call to mind domestic thrillers of the past, 'Fair Play' moves beyond the “mad love” motif and wades into the murkier waters of fragile egos, commercial expectations, and 21st century gender politics. With supporting performances from Eddie Marsan and Rich Sommer, this festival darling is sure to make a splash when it lands on Netflix this October.
Premieres on Netflix Oct. 13, 2023 - DirectorSofia CoppolaStarsCailee SpaenyJacob ElordiAri CohenWhen teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.Following relatively quickly on the blue suede heels of last year’s riotous 'Elvis,' Sofia Coppola moves to capture the perspective of significant other 'Priscilla.' Based on Mrs. Presley’s own memoir, Coppola brings her sensitive faculty to what looks to be an intimate, confronting slice-of-life film. The director creates some distance from Luhrmann’s version with her musical choices—limited access to the catalog pushed her to turn to her own partner, Thomas Mars of the French group Phoenix, and cover versions of the usual suspects. With 'Marie Antoinette' and 'Lost in Translation' in the rearview, we’re looking forward to another playlist from this auteur and her conspirators.
In theaters Oct. 27, 2023 - DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael FassbenderTilda SwintonCharles ParnellAfter a fateful near-miss, an assassin battles his employers and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn't personal.David Fincher's first feature since 2020's 'Mank' premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival, and is about as on-brand as you can get for the auteur's dark and moody style. Based on the graphic novel by Alexis Nolent, the script was adapted by Andrew Kevin Walker, Fincher's 'Se7en' screenwriter.
Premieres on Netflix Nov. 10, 2023 - DirectorTodd HaynesStarsNatalie PortmanChris TenzisCharles MeltonTwenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past.Want to feel real eely this December? Reviews from the festival circuit say the latest film from Todd Haynes finds a balance between drama and camp that can almost make you forget the story is cribbed from a real life tabloid event. Haynes reworks the infamous story about Mary Kay Letourneau into a layered psychodrama in which Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman circle one another like rulers of their own respective countries. Meanwhile, expect Haynes to manipulate allllllll of your emotions per yoozh.
Premieres on Netflix Dec. 1, 2023 - DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsEmma StoneMark RuffaloWillem DafoeAn account of the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter.Director Yorgos Lanthimos' newest satire on self discovery has made big waves in the festival world this year. The 'Frankenstein'-esque film is adapted from Alasdair Gray’s 1992 novel by Tony McNamara ('The Favourite') in his second collaboration with the acclaimed director. 'Poor Things' has been praised for everything from its theatrical Victorian designs to its unflinching exploration of sexual awakening, with more than a few nods to Mark Ruffalo’s performance as rakish lawyer Duncan Wedderburn. With its 8-minute ovation at the Venice Film Festival, this candy-colored fairy tale is one of the most anticipated film out of the 2023 festival season.
In theaters Dec. 8, 2023 - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsSoma SantokiMasaki SudaKô ShibasakiIn the wake of his mother's death and his father's remarriage, a headstrong boy named Mahito ventures into a dreamlike world shared by both the living and the dead.After 10 years, director Hayao Miyazaki returns to the screen with 'The Boy and the Heron.'. Miyazaki uses visuals like a swarm of frogs, a melting face, and a city ablaze to add meaning to the movie’s central theme of life, death, and creation. We can't wait to enter into Miyazaki's vivid imagination and watch a hand-drawn animation in a time flooded with computer generated animations. 'The Boy and the Heron' is an official selection at the Toronto Film Festival and New York Film Festival this year, with a wide theatrical release set for this December.
In theaters Dec. 8, 2023 - DirectorBradley CooperStarsCarey MulliganBradley CooperMatt BomerThis love story chronicles the lifelong relationship of conductor-composer Leonard Bernstein and actress Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein.If you’re looking for a traditional biopic from Bradley Cooper’s 'Maestro,' you may want to re-tune your expectations. The film about the great American conductor Leonard Bernstein appears to be more of a love story. “The world wants us to be one thing and I find that deplorable,” Bernstein declares in the film. Such was the case in the composer’s lifetime, but thanks to a stellar premiere at the Venice Film Festival and a major streaming release in December, it seems the public is finally ready to celebrate the artist for everything that he was.
Premiering on Netflix Dec. 20, 2023 - DirectorAndrew HaighStarsAndrew ScottPaul MescalCarter John GroutA screenwriter drawn back to his childhood home enters into a fledgling relationship with his downstairs neighbor while discovering a mysterious new way to heal from losing his parents 30 years ago.It's nearly 100s across the board from the judges (critics) who saw the new romantic drama from Andrew Haigh ('Weekend,' "Looking") on the festival circuit already. Andrew Scott from "Fleabag" looks to arrive as a leading man/Oscar contender as his co-stars Paul Mescal, Claire Foy, and Jamie Bell help create what might just be the most dramatic cast of the year (meant as a compliment). There's a potential romance in the writer's sights in the form of Mescal's character, but it might be helpful to know: this is a fantasy story. In fact, it's a queer-themed makeover of Nobuhiko Ôbayashi's 1988 movie, The Discarnates
In theaters Dec. 22, 2023 - DirectorMichael MannStarsAdam DriverShailene WoodleyGiuseppe FestineseSet in the summer of 1957, with Enzo Ferrari's auto empire in crisis, the ex-racer turned entrepreneur pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy.Swift luxury cars and tense family drama come together for director Michael Mann's 12th feature film. Adam Driver playing entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari is automatic Best Actor chatter, and after earning a 6-minute standing ovation at Venice, this movie is what we want for Christmas.
In theaters Dec. 25, 2023