Questions of this nature hurl me into a tailspin. How does one begin to define ‘lesser known’? Which movies to choose, which to discard? Does awards recognition but box office failure make a film ‘lesser known’?
Why couldn’t Rose make space for Jack? Why didn’t they just call it Precious instead of Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire? Is the answer to all those questions 42?
After an unhealthy amount of deliberation, below are a few movies that fit into my self-defined ‘lesser-known’ framework.
Honourable Mentions: Thank You for Smoking, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Macbeth, Shame, Mud, Take Shelter, Z for Zachariah, Bronson, Sorry to Bother You, MacGruber
You Were Never Really Here (2018)
Joaquin Phoenix alone could contribute a fair share of movies to this list – The Master, Inherent Vice, Her and The Sisters Brothers aren’t as widely hailed as they ought to be.
Lynne Ramsey’s haunting and chillingly brutal hitman story You Were Never Really Here is another such movie.
Unbearably intense and hyper-focused, the film is yet another Taxi Driver-esque entry in Phoenix’s filmography.
Short Term 12 (2013)
In hindsight, Short Term 12 had a rather extraordinary cast – it helped launch the careers of Brie Larson, Lakeith Stanfield and it also featured Rami Malek and Kaitlyn Dever.
The compelling drama about a group home for troubled teenagers sees Larson shine at her brightest.
Both she and the film are a marvel.
Four Lions (2010)
In the simplest possible terms, Four Lions is one of the funniest movies of the past decade. With a paltry 69,000 votes on IMDB, the British satirical dark comedy remains criminally underseen.
The film follows a group of wannabe Jihadists who are completely out of their element.
Sharp, subversive and often sincere, Four Lions belongs in the upper echelons of 21st-century comedies.
Rubber dinghy rapids bro!
Mississippi Grind (2015)
Before Ryan Reynolds was Deadpool and before Ben Mendelsohn was Director Krennic, they both starred in this gambling drama directed by the duo that eventually made Captain Marvel.
A searing and sobering account of addiction, Mississippi Grind sees Mendelsohn, one of the great working actors, at his absolute best.
If for nothing else, it’s worth watching for his understated brilliance.
He is a genius.
Love, Simon (2016)
We don’t demand a lot from rom-coms, so when a genuinely exceptional one comes around, it’s always a pleasant surprise.
A wonderfully sweet story of a closeted gay teenager, Love Simon is sincere, charming, relatable and utterly captivating.
Perhaps most importantly, it scores excellently in the one aspect that makes films of this variety special – the ‘feel- good’ factor.
A delight from beginning to end.
In The Mood for Love (2000) and Incendies (2009)
Including these two films feels somewhat akin to cheating. In The Mood For Love, in particular, is justly recognised as one of the finest films of the 21st Century.
Having said that, I was compelled to include them because I believe they haven’t achieved ‘mainstream’ popularity. And they’re both absolute, top-tier gems.
The beauty and depth of Wong Kar Wai’s In The Mood for Love have to be seen to be believed; it is poetry in motion, a dazzling orchestra of sound, visuals and emotions; an experience worth cherishing.
And Incendies, Denis Villeneuve's modern-day Greek tragedy, is as scorching and haunting a drama as any last decade.
One is ice, the other is fire, but both are thoroughly exceptional.
Image source Google
Thanks for Reading
0 Comments