Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
Additionally, some images and text may include affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission or receive products if you make a purchase.
It Ends With Us
While much of the discourse around “It Ends With Us” has been tainted thanks to the legal cases between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, this doesn’t discount how truly wonderful it was to watch. From the game spit by the leads to Lily’s (Blake Lively) fashion to how we took its depiction of domestic abuse and more, I would implore you not to let the behind-the-scenes issues keep you from watching.
Rent/Buy Via Prime Video or on Netflix
Strange Darling
As noted when highlighting Willa Fitzgerald’s performance, “Strange Darling” is a twisty, sometimes shocking film that knows how to use violence without it ever becoming a crutch. In fact, it is probably one of our top thrillers of the year, which makes it unfortunate that it has lived under the radar.
The Wild Robot
Surprisingly, one of two animated films on this list, “The Wild Robot,” reminds you of the limitless potential of animated movies. With its lead voiced by Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong’o, we watch as a robot, dropped off on a desolate island, adapts to the animals there with dark humor, tear-inducing relationships, and, best of all, the reminder that any one of us can be a villain in someone else’s story, either because of programming or our willful ignorance.
We Live In Time
If you want to cry or see a notable love story, you have to watch “We Live In Time.” Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh as a couple works, and with them not being some young teen or twentysomethings trying to figure out their lives but adults, it adds a layer, I feel, we don’t get to see too often as things are so youth-obsessed as if the world revolves around finding yourself before you can even afford to be yourself.
But with these two, both beyond the struggle to pay bills or learning what they like or don’t like, they find each other, and while things are rough as they venture towards sharing a life, it ultimately becomes the kind of beautiful that allows you to understand why “beautiful” is a go-to adjective to describe things.
And Then There Was Her
In 2024, we slacked off with highlighting shorts, but to course correct, the first short we have to mention is “And Then There Was Her.” Focused on a Thanksgiving, or rather Friendsgiving, at a woman named Kai’s house, throughout it, you find contentious conversations, particularly over LGBT+ issues, and it’s a woman-only conversation. This felt notably rare since you don’t see too many productions that are focused on Black and Brown lesbians and trans women talking about life. Add in this not being purely pleasant conversation? It makes for an intriguing premise that will quickly have you wondering if maybe this continued as a web series (it didn’t).
But, unlike many shorts, it is available online to view above and is linked here, in case your plugins or software blocks it.
Young Hearts
As the world comes to accept members of the LGBT+ community more, so does the need for their media to catch up. Growing up, I looked to “Little Manhattan” as a visual of what it is like to have a crush and struggle with it. For kids who are queer, “Young Hearts” is their equivalent, as it shows for a kid who assumed he was straight, he may not be.
Now, for the lead, he doesn’t discover what label fits him, but he does know what his heart feels, and as LGBT+ films stray away from the torture of the past where coming out was a dangerous act, “Young Hearts” pursues something different. In the turmoil and internal issues, we see what perhaps a new generation deals with, especially when it is safe to come out, but you lack examples of what it is like or how to do so at your age.
But now, with “Young Hearts” existing, people have their answer.
Young Hearts will be released theatrically on March 5th – likely in limited release so check your local theaters.
Smile 2
It could be submitted that “Smile 2” is not as much a psychological horror as the first “Smile,” and there is a shift. However, what I don’t think is driven home enough is that in the absence of the horror of a lead with childhood trauma, we have someone with guilt, which manifests a different type of fear. Plus, it could be said “Smile 2” diversified its appeal by being more gruesome, delivering music that is worth noting, and while it doesn’t build upon the legend of the smiling demon, it pushes the idea this easily could be a long-running franchise.
Watch Via Paramount+
Lesbophilia
It’s an LGBT+ comedy with the premise being a bi girl, now in a lesbian relationship, curious about sleeping with her dead ex one more time – but he is dead, but still potentially able to do what she wants or needs.
Believe me when I say the antics of both the bi character and their girlfriend will lead you to laugh and dearly wish it was easier to find shorts – especially since not all of them find their way to YouTube.
Nails
Let me say the majority of the shorts that are being mentioned, including “Nails,” came from Newfest, which not only is a premier LGBT+ festival in New York, but is still very much committed to an affordable hybrid option. This allows shorts like “Nails” to exist, which focuses on a young lady whose quinceanera is coming up, and she has this thing where, as a sign of stress and other things, her nails grow.
As you can imagine, this could be a problem. But what furthers the issue in this animated short is the lead, Catalina, is trying to navigate her feminity in the process. So, the growing of the nails, how she looks, and so much is in flux, complicating her life in such a way that it brings a different take on not only coming out but coming of age at the same time. All from a Latina perspective.
All The Words But One
The final short of this list is “All The Words But The One,” and this one is perhaps the most notable for not only does it star Nava Mau, Emmy Nominee for “Baby Reindeer,” but it is a bit darker than the other shorts. It deals with intimate partner violence that Mau’s character experienced in the past and a dinner that is oh so dramatic, without anything being flung. Instead, it’s filled with tension, with people having to mask shared histories, and it is genuinely the type of thing you’d want to see expanded on, as long as it had the right team behind it.
Your Monster
I wanna share something my therapist said about ✨anger✨ that blew my mind:
— Lynds Gallant (@apocalynds) June 7, 2020
"Your anger is the part of you that knows your mistreatment and abuse are unacceptable. Your anger knows you deserve to be treated well, and with kindness. Your anger is a part of you that LOVES you."
The quote above has stuck with me since seeing it, and when it comes to “Your Monster,” it appears inspired by it. Melissa Barrera, as the lead, has gone through hell from sickness to a breakup, and following that, she finds herself in a depression and through her, you can get a much-needed wakeup call as her anger manifests into something that looks like the Beast, from “Beauty and the Beast,” and pushes her out of a depressive state.
What the monster does, alongside Barerrera showing off her singing chops, makes for one of the best, underrated movies of the year – especially once you add in the film’s epic ending.
Watch Via Prime Video and coming soon to MAX
Hard Truths
Viola Davis is one of the top actresses around, and while not in this movie, something she has said multiple times holds, as linked above: It is about authenticity over likability. In “Hard Truths,” we see that as we witness a miserable woman who lashes out at everyone. Sometimes, an argument could be made due to people slighting her, but while she may not be likable, you get it.
The struggle to accept a life you aren’t enjoying but have no means or active pursuit of dying makes life a slog. And yes, there are happy people around you who want you to join them, but for some reason, you can’t. You may laugh and feel the distraction from life that implies joy, yet you end up right where you started.
Now, that may make for an odd description of a movie, but what I love about “Hard Truths” is that it focuses on Black people who are unlikable, aimless, don’t have much but do have joy, and has one of the most diverse depictions of Black people I have perhaps seen – especially with a film primarily focused on Black women and not men.
“Hard Truths” Is Currently In Theaters
Gazer
“Gazer” is perhaps the sole mystery of this list, mainly because crafting a compelling mystery is hard when writers go for complexity by dumping too much information or characters rather than creating a good unraveling tale.
“Gazer” is different. Between the time lapses the lead suffers due to a disease to an investigation which can trigger memories of “Twin Peaks” at times, “Gazer” is a reminder of why indie films matter, for not only the financial risk but also how they can cleanse the palate of moviegoers.
Gazer is due out in theaters on February 21st.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
It’s easy to imagine any film that is not only a Christmas movie but also includes themes of faith to be a hard sale for those who don’t seek or are open to such things. However, don’t let “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” focusing on the nativity story scare you off. The kids of the film, especially the ones from the wrong side of the tracks, as they question the nativity story and their eldest sister plays Mary, it leads to a tear-inducing performance that will make you want to keep your eye on Beatrice Schneider.
Wicked: Part 1
Musicals have long been a dying breed, and “Wicked” has been the latest to spark the idea that they may make a grand comeback. What makes this especially feel true is, unlike many musicals, like “Wonka,” this one didn’t shy away from what it was nor that it would be a long movie to watch.
Yet, with Ariana Grande returning to acting in a big way and Cynthia Erivo gunning for her EGOT once more, you get something that, even if you are not a fan of the stage musical, can engage you. We may have skipped writing a review for it, but even with not doing so, I can tell you we are excited about part 2 and hope the less advertised parts of part 1 get developed more, like what’s going on with the animals in Oz.
An Almost Christmas Story
The start of the Christmas season was delivered in an animated short about an owl far from home and a girl trying to assert her independence. In “An Almost Christmas Story,” you are reminded that, while Disney has become sequel happy, they can still produce original productions outside of Pixar and other subsidiaries and make something people not only connect with but could make into perennial parts of their lives.
The Fire Inside
In this biopic of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, you get what is rarely seen in modern times: A coming-of-age story focused on a Black girl getting a theatrical release. Often, it is Black boys who, solo or with other boys, get coming-of-age stories; at best, girls are sisters or love interests. However, with this biopic, Claressa is not only front and center but doesn’t have a middle-class or upper-class background.
She is a girl from an area that experiences poverty, and she is being raised in a household with needs not being met. It creates the type of story that often feels released by Lifetime or on a streaming network for a quick pop, and then it disappears, but “The Fire Inside” acts as a reminder of why so many filmmakers want that theatrical rollout. The marketing, the name on the marquee, posters, and interviews remind you which stories truly matter and which are just content to feed the machine.
“The Fire Inside” is currently in theaters
Bloody Axe Wound
A late entry into the list, in many ways, you can imagine “Bloody Axe Wound” being a film barely worth noting. It is a horror that leans towards being a spoof of sorts, but it doesn’t aim to be a comedy like how Chucky became, especially after “Bride of Chucky.” Instead, it taps into over-the-top characters, evolved versions of serial killers with feelings, and the idea of a second generation who aren’t ready or able to handle the task of killing indiscriminately.
Add in a surprising lesbian love story that can make you swoon a bit, and “Bloody Axe Wound” is just a hodgepodge of shocks, in a positive way, you may not have been prepared for.
Images used for editorial and commentary purposes. All rights remain with their respective copyright holders.
