Telluride 2019
8 Must-See Films From TFF 46
The Telluride Film Festival is now in its 46th year, and what an impressive line-up this year is, including a large percentage of films directed by women. If you’re not one of the lucky people who got to go see these films at the festival, here are 8 movies from Telluride that you must see once they hit the big screen.
THE ASSISTANT
Of course someone was going to make a movie inspired by Harvey Weinstein and his crimes. The Assistant, written and directed by Kitty Green, is not a biopic but a drama about a young woman who works as an assistant, as the title would suggest, to a powerful corporate executive, the film’s stand-in for Weinstein. The film follows a day in the life of this assistant, played by Julia Garner. Apparently, this film actually began as a look into sexual misconduct on college campuses but turned into a fictionalized version of the Weinstein scandal. In addition to Garner, the film stars Matthew Macfadyen, Kristine Froseth, and Makenzie Leigh. The film does not yet have a scheduled release date.
JUDY
Every rainbow fades away. This biopic about the legendary Judy Garland, a big winner at Telluride this year, chooses not to follow Garland’s rise to fame, or early years, but instead it focuses on a series of concerts she performed in London in from the end of 1968-1969, the last year of her life. The film stars Renée Zellweger as Judy Garland, and she will apparently be doing all her own singing instead of lip-synching to a track of the real Garland. The film was directed by Rupert Goold from a script written by Tom Edge, adapted from Peter Quilter’s award-winning play End of the Rainbow. Alongside Zellweger, the film also stars Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock, Rufus Sewell and Michael Gambon. The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on September 27, 2019.
MARRIAGE STORY
1979 gave us Kramer vs. Kramer, 2019 gives us a new entry into a brutal divorce: Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. One of the big winners at Telluride. The film stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver as a married couple, him a stage director in New York City and her an actress in Los Angeles, going through a grueling divorce while on opposite coasts. Although most of us didn’t grow up with film and theater star parents, many of us can relate to watching our parents or our friends’ parents go through a heated and contentious divorce. Starring alongside Johansson and Driver are Laura Dern, Alan Alda, and Ray Liotta. The film was produced by Netflix and will be receiving a limited theatrical release on November 6, 2019, followed by a digital release on Netflix on December 6, 2019.
PAIN AND GLORY
A new film from acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar, Pain and Glory follows an aging film director at a stalemate in his career, Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), as he reflects on the choices he has made that led him to where he is now and reconnects with an actor from his past with whom he had a falling out. The film seems to be a fictionalized account of Almodóvar’s own life and career, including his falling out and reconnecting with Banderas. Alongside Banderas, the film also stars Asier Etxeandia, Penélope Cruz, Julieta Serrano and Leonardo Sbaraglia. Pain and Glory is scheduled to be theatrically released in the US on October 4, 2019.
PARASITE
Another big winner at Telluride this year, this Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho (known for Okja and Snowpiercer), from a script he wrote with Han Jin-won, follows an unemployed family who take an interest in the lives of the wealthy and glamorous Parks, leading to them becoming embroiled in an incident. The film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, and Park So-dam. The film is supposedly full of twists and turns and everyone is raving about it. Parasite is scheduled for a limited theatrical release in the US on October 11,2019. It has been selected as the South Korean entry for the 92nd Academy Awards.
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
Yes, I did include this in the list of upcoming movies directed by women to see, and I’m including it here again. Clearly, I am really excited to see this movie and think you should be too. The film, written and directed by Céline Sciamma, is set in the late eighteenth century and follows Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a painter who is commissioned to paint a portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel) to be used to elicit marriage proposals. The only problem is Héloïse refuses to sit for her portrait and does not want to get married, so Marianne, under the guise of being her lady’s maid gets close to Héloïse in order to paint her. as the women get to know each other, they end up falling in love. This French film won the Queer Palm at Cannes this year. It is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on December 6, 2019.
UNCUT GEMS
A new Adam Sandler movie that’s actually supposed to be really good? So good in fact, it currently holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. What’s more, it’s a crime dramedy, not a broad comedy like he usually does. Uncut Gems is set in the diamond district in NYC, and follows Howard Ratner (Sandler,) a jewelry store owner and dealer who must figure out how to pay off his debts when things go awry. I know, doesn’t sound like typical Adam Sandler fare, and I for one, am here for that. The film was directed by Josh and Benny Safdie from a script they wrote with Ronald Bronstein. In addition to Sandler, it stars Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, and Judd Hirsch. This A24 film is scheduled to be theatrically released December 13, 2019.
WAVES
Trey Edward Shults’ Waves has been garnering a lot of positive press. The film follows two young couples trying to navigate growing up and growing together. Not much else has been given about the plot to his film, but it focuses on the plight of black people, specifically the film’s central family, in America. According to people who have seen the film, it is best to go in almost as cold as possible for the best experience. The film stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lucas Hedges, Taylor Russell, Alexa Demie, Renée Elise Goldsberry, and Sterling K. Brown. Waves is scheduled to be theatrically released by A24 on November 1, 2019.
