Best Overlooked Film Revisited: 2009
By Tom Houseman
March 26, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
So I decided to start looking at what the seriously overlooked films were of the last few years. Films that I love and none of my friends have even heard of. I lowered the cutoff from $25 million to $5 million, and automatically disqualified any film that had won a major Oscar. As I've now made it up to this year's award, this will be the last chance I have to write about the most criminally overlooked films of the year... So I'm Raising The Stakes! Again! What, cutting the box-office cutoff by four-fifths not good enough for you? I'll cut it by four-fifths again! That's right, for this article I'm only focusing on films that made less than $1 million at the box-office. Some of these films got such a tiny release that box-office data isn't available for them, but I'm just guessing that they weren't smash hits on Video On Demand.
The Dardenne brothers kick off the list at number ten with their latest brutally realistic film, Lorna's Silence, which only made $338,000. This Belgian filmmaking duo follows up their acclaimed hit L'Enfant by continuing to challenge viewers with their depictions of the marginalized members of European society. Lorna's Silence won an award for its screenplay at last year's Canne Film Festival, telling the story of an Albanian woman who gets involved in a sham marriage to become a Belgian citizen. As is typical of a Dardenne film, everything goes horribly wrong, and the results are heartbreaking. Newcomer Arta Dobroshi is superb as Lorna, giving a performance so complex and powerful that you can't help but be moved.
A much less sympathetic character stars in my number nine film, the documentary Tyson. This biodoc tells the story of the infamous boxer's childhood, rise to fame and fall from grace. Although it was made by James Womack, who is a friend of Tyson's, this documentary pulls no punches (pardon the pun) and is starkly honest in its depiction of its subject's dark side. 2009 was a great year for documentaries, and it's a shame that so many of them got so little attention, as this film made just under $890,000.
My number eight film is one of the most fascinating directorial debuts I have ever seen, and the lowest grossing film on this list. To put its tiny release in perspective, I was living just outside of New York City when Loren Cass was released, and despite actively trying to go see it I didn't get a chance to before it left theaters, after having made just over $8,000. Thank God it was released on Netflix Watch Instantly, or I might have missed Chris Fuller's startling experimental drama about adolescents in St. Petersburg, Florida in the aftermath of that city's race riots in 1996. Without ever being obvious or trying to shock you, Fuller shows the complex reality of growing up and trying to find your identity. Fuller might be the best new voice in independent film since Harmony Korine, and I sincerely hope his future films get more attention.
Spike Lee's concert documentary, Passing Strange: The Movie, comes in at the number seven spot. You probably haven't seen this film or the musical Passing Strange, written by musician/composer Stew about his years growing up in California and traveling through Amsterdam and Berlin, and it's a shame if you haven't, because the musical is fantastic and Spike Lee does it justice in his recording. Unfortunately, the film got almost no theatrical release, as it was available almost exclusively on Video on Demand. Stew's musical is a fascinating exploration of self-discovery, family, love, and searching for reality. The music is diverse in style, some of the dialogue is hilarious, and the end deeply touching. Lee's straightforward filming gives Stew, who also stars, complete freedom to do his thing, and every actor and musician in the film is excellent.
Another documentary makes it to the list at number six, the third of four on this list. The winner of the Best Documentary Oscar, The Cove is a gripping drama with a powerful message that most Americans haven't given much thought to. The film follows a group of activists hoping to pull back the curtain on the capture and slaughter of dolphins by Japanese corporations. Led by former dolphin trainer Ric O'Barry, this vigilante group will stop at nothing for their cause, and they're generally pretty awesome. The directorial debut of Louis Psihoyos plays like a heist film with a message, and is both a wakeup call and a lot of fun, and could have made more of an impact on the global community had more people seen it; disappointingly, the film only made $857,000 in the U.S.
The top documentary on this is list is my number five film, Anvil! The Story of Anvil. The film follows the journey of the aging front men of the band Anvil, a Canadian death metal band that has been trying to make it since the ‘70s. I don't like death metal, and I don't think that Anvil is particularly good even within this genre, but that didn't stop me from getting more emotionally involved in Anvil! than any film in a long time. It tells a very classic story, of best friends following their dreams, but it is told so honestly and its stars are so optimistic, that you can't help but cheer for them. Sacha Gervasi's directorial debut is a unique and remarkable film that deserved so much more than the $667,000 it made at the box office.
One of the masters of modern cinema helms the fourth film on my list. Francis Ford Coppola made a remarkable return to the big screen after a long absence with Youth Without Youth, and outdid himself last year with Tetro, a beautiful, personal story that disappointingly barely cracked $500,000, although it did much better overseas. The film is about Bennie, a young naval soldier who travels to Argentina to find his long-missing brother, who has forged a new identity as an artist named Tetro. The film is an exploration of what it means to be related, as well as the ties between art and identity. Coppola does his best directing work since Apocalypse Now, and the film is beautifully shot and wonderful to look at. Vincent Gallo, as the brooding, angry title character, gives one of the most intense performances of the year, leading a fantastic cast.
Who needs Pixar when you have Mary & Max? The number three film on my list, a claymation feature from the Oscar winning director of the short Harvey Krumpet, is one of the best animated films of the decade. A funny, sweet, touching film, it tells the story of two depressed loners: Mary, a young Australian girl with few friends, and Max, an obese New Yorker with Asperger's Disorder. The two connect through a strange coincidence that leads to them becoming penpals, and the film follows their connection as they grow up and face various hardships. This surprisingly dark film is not necessarily made for adults, but instead for the children within adults, as writer/director Adam Elliot approaches serious subjects with a sense of whimsy. Philip Seymour Hoffman provides the voice of Max, giving one of the best voice performances I have ever seen... or heard, I guess. Unfortunately, this was another film that was available almost exclusively on Video On Demand, but now that it's available on DVD you have no excuse not to see this delightful film.
I mentioned in my previous articles that I would mention a film that was more disturbing than Hard Candy, 4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days, and Funny Games. That film is number two on my list, and its not surprising that it comes from writer/director Lars von Trier. Von Trier has outdone himself with Antichrist, a horrifying but beautiful film about a married couple dealing with grief. Absolutely stunning to watch, but difficult to look at, Antichrist features an array of disgusting and shocking images that put Saw to shame. Not surprisingly, the film was unrated, which severely limited its exposure, and the film only made $404,000. Von Trier is a true film artist, and he creates an astonishing work of art that is as captivating as it is repulsive. The film's two stars give the film additional weight and complexity; Charlotte Gainsbourg and Willem Dafoe give two of the best performances of the year; as the only two actors in the film, they keep the outrageous scenes grounded in reality with their incredibly honest performances.
For the third year in a row the Best Overlooked Film of the year was also the best overall film of the year. I had no idea what to expect when I decided to watch Nicolas Windig Refn's unique, experimental narrative Bronson, a biopic of the infamous London prisoner who named himself after movie star Charles Bronson. I was stunned from the very first frame by this angry, aggressive, violent film, which explores Bronson's life, relationships, and portrayal by the media. Using a diverse array of storytelling techniques, director Refn effectively brings us into the world of Bronson; you might not find him a sympathetic character, but you get a better understanding of who he is and where he comes from than most traditional biopics ever get out of their protagonists. Of course, the film places itself squarely on the broad, muscular shoulders of its lead actor, and Tom Hardy delivers the best lead performance of the year. He utterly dominates this film, controlling every film and never letting you take your eyes off of him. This is a truly remarkable breakthrough performance from a mostly unknown character actor. Unfortunately, the film made just over $100,000, but hopefully better things will be on the way for the incredibly talented director and star of this extraordinary film.
1) Bronson
2) Antichrist
3) Mary and Max
4) Tetro
5) Anvil! The Story of Anvil
6) The Cove
7) Passing Strange: The Movie
8) Loren Cass
9) Tyson
10) Lorna's Silence