Swallow is the narrative feature debut from writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis. Starring Haley Bennett (The Girl on the Train) in a powerhouse performance and composed with the refined quality of a seasoned filmmaker, Mirabella-Davis crafts a provocative and squirm-inducing psychological thriller about one woman's reclamation of her independence in the face of an oppressive system. Ripe with drama and dripping with juicy social commentary, this compelling feminist thriller will take you for a ride you won’t soon forget.

Enthusiastic Sinners is the third narrative feature from indie writer, director, and producer Mark Lewis. This two-hander chamber piece gives viewers a glimpse into a raw, naturalistic romance that’s thoroughly and unapologetically adult. Amidst the softcore sleaze that fogs the film, Lewis and cinematographer Ryan Andrew Balas capture the sincere warmth and real-life beauty of two strangers intimately getting to know one another.

The Long Dig is a sci-fi short directed by Tom R. Pike and written by Pike and Kate Hackett (who also plays the lead). The film is part of the larger Aeronauts universe, a tabletop game from Electric Purple Studios that will be released at a later date and was recently previewed at PAX, and it was recently accepted to the Chicago Independent Film and TV Festival.

Eight long years after Beasts of the Southern Wild took the world by storm, Benh Zeitlin has finally returned (from a wilderness of his own design) to take us on another epic adventure full of rambunctious children trying to navigate the world. With Wendy, Zeitlin reframes the story of Peter Pan through the eyes of the titular Wendy, creating a southern-fried, train-hopping, revisionist retelling full of poetic beauty and magical realism. It may not be quite the “beast” of Zeitlin’s debut, but for fans of his craft, it reaffirms his ability to capture the magic.

Over a year since it first premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival where it was heralded as “the next great horror film", The Lodge is finally here to deliver icy, atmospheric chills to the general populace. Flying under the Hammer Films banner and helmed by the acclaimed Austrian writer/directors of 2015’s Goodnight Mommy, Severin Fiala & Veronika Franz (who co-wrote the script alongside Sergio Casci) have once again cooked up a demented slow-burn thriller with a mysterious center that confirms that the pair definitely have a mother complex.

Actors turned writer/directors Nat Faxon & Jim Rash (The Way Way Back) bring Ruben Östlund’s 2014 Swedish masterpiece, Force Majeure, to American audiences this Valentine’s Day with Downhill. Fronted by Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Faxon and Rash turn Östlund’s thought-provoking drama with darkly comedic elements into an out-and-out comedy that bumbles its way across the finish line.

Coming off his mainstream success with the James Bond franchise, director Sam Mendes steps into the writer’s seat (along with co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns) for the very first time to craft a “one-shot” World War I epic. 1917 takes the viewer on a treacherous journey through the trenches, beyond no-man’s land, and across the French countryside in a race against time. It’s technical artistry can’t be denied, but is the film anything more than a one-trick pony?

Run Out is a short film created by UK photographer and director Tamas Levardi. The film is lush with strong visuals, which it relies on to communicate its pariah’s tale, and inspired by Richard Bach’s 1970 novella Jonathan Livingston Seagull, whose opening quote about transcending obstacles to obtain a sense of freedom serves as the film’s thesis. 

Writer/director Paul Harrill follows up his 2014 feature film debut, Something, Anything, with an equally understated and intimate offering. Backed by Executive Producer David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Old Man & a Gun) and Producer (and actress extraordinaire) Elisabeth Moss, Light from Light spins a compelling and profound character-driven drama about a paranormal investigation that may (or may not) involve a ghost. Full of elusive mystery, this muted stunner will haunt you in ways you won’t likely suspect. 

Written by actor Shia LeBeouf (who also plays his own father) and filtered through director Alma Har’el’s poetic and dream-like direction, Honey Boy is the mostly autobiographical telling of LeBeouf’s relationship with his overbearing and deeply flawed father. Initially designed as a form of therapy, this devastating gem is easily one of the most fascinating experimentations to grace screens this year, and it’s proof that someone can work out their past and exorcise their personal demons through the creative process (and in this case, the industry) and come out with a pretty darn good piece of art that resonates with audiences of all walks of life.

With Uncut Gems, writer/directors Josh and Benny Safdie (along with their collaborating partner Ronald Bronstein, who co-wrote and co-edited the film) once again capture the exhilarating highs and devastating lows of a character living on the razor’s edge with visceral gusto. Though it will certainly be an arduous and challenging watch to some, there’s really nothing rough about it in a technical sense; it’s a fully-formed, neatly refined, and perfectly gleaming diamond that’s so hard, it cuts glass. Pulsing with energy and uplifted by a Herculean performance from Adam Sandler, the Safdie’s latest is the real deal; a satisfying, unexpected, and breathless journey full of adrenaline and emotion that should not be missed.

Writer/director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha, It Comes At Night) is back with a big heart and a lot of feels with his operatic family drama, Waves. Despite its tumultuous ripples, Waves brings a bit of levity to Shults’ filmography (with its uplifting message that “Love covers all offenses”), but it ultimately lacks the commanding grip of his previous features.

Terrence Malick is back, baby! The 75-year-old auteur will make a triumphant return to cinemas in mid-December with his latest project, A Hidden Life, a quietly stunning, slow-burning anti-war epic. Following up a string of abysmal strikeouts (the last of which being 2017’s Song to Song), A Hidden Life is without a doubt Malick’s best film post-Tree of Life, and it’s stained with all his poetic and lyrical hallmarks. It won’t likely convert any non-believers, but if you’re already a devotee of Malick’s, the film will restore your faith in the visionary filmmaker.

The game is afoot! Following the hotly divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi, writer/director Rian Johnson sets his subversive sights on the murder mystery. Paying tribute to the likes of Agatha Christie, Johnson crafts a star-studded whodunit that stays true to the genre’s mainstays whilst also going its own way. Satisfying and crowd-pleasing, Knives Out is an enjoyable ride full of twists and turns that’s fun for the whole family.

Director Todd Haynes (Wonderstruck, Carol) returns to cinemas this weekend with Dark Waters, a sleek and tightly drawn thriller. The film is an eye-opening true-life tale about the perils of living in the corporate age and one of the “little guys” who choose to fight their corruption and lies against all odds.