We're spoiled for options these days when it comes to movies, and with this excess comes many films that make a quiet entrance onto streaming after playing for a week or two at a local cinema, if we're lucky. For one film on this list, for whatever reason, Canada didn't even get either option, and we could only hear about the film's splendour from our friends around the world until it became a digital rental option for us up north.
Cutting through all the big releases of the year, we've compiled 10 films that didn't make a splash at the box office or in the discourse, but provided us with off-brand humour, delicate slices of life and sombre supernatural experiences all the same.
Check out the best films of this year that you probably haven't seen, and read about Exclaim!'s other favourite films, TV and music of 2024 here.
Gasoline Rainbow
Directed by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
(MUBI)
The Ross brothers spent a decade perfecting and honing their cinéma vérité stylings within the documentary world before joyfully confusing audiences with their near-perfect Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets in 2020. Building on the aforementioned, Gasoline Rainbow modernizes Kerouac's American road trip amidst a declining empire as five small-town Oregonian teenagers drive a shitty van to see the ocean for the first time. Gasoline Rainbow gives a perfectly accurate cultural snapshot of the time, which is not a requirement of the road trip sub-genre, but certainly what separates the Ross brothers from their peers.
Tanner James
Hundreds of Beavers
Directed by Mike Cheslik
(Independent)
Destined to be a cult classic, Mike Cheslik's endlessly inventive and hilarious Hundreds of Beavers was criminally underseen by the masses. Playing like a live-action cartoon ripped out of the Chuck Jones Looney Tunes playbook set in the early 19th century, the film follows a drunken applejack salesman (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews) as he learns to how survive the harsh winter elements from the ground up. A pure delight for the whole family, this low-budget DIY romp, where the forest creatures are played by humans in animal costumes, only gets funnier on repeat viewing.
Courtney Small
I Used to Be Funny
Directed by Ally Pankiw
(levelFILM)
There's something familiar and charming about films that take place in Toronto and I Used to Be Funny is no exception. Featuring a towering performance from Rachel Sennott as Sam, a comedian struggling with PTSD that searches for a missing teen she used to nanny, the film masterfully balances lighthearted banter between friends with depictions of depression and sexual assault. Moving between the past and present, I Used to Be Funny offers a gut-wrenching reflection on what a person does to overcome grief and trauma, despite the challenges. Rest assured, Canadian indie film is alive and well.
Vanessa Sanginiti
Janet Planet
Directed by Annie Baker
(A24)
Playwright Annie Baker's debut feature, Janet Planet, is a quiet film, set in and around a rural Massachusetts house in the summer months of 1991. In lieu of a score, the sounds of birds and insects fill the silence that envelops single mother Janet (Julianne Nicholson) and her precocious 11-year-old daughter, Lacy (Zoe Ziegler). The interior of their house is all light-wood panelled walls — everything looking sun-bleached — and Baker repeatedly trains her lens on slowly rotating fans, conveying their ineffectiveness at dispelling a heavy heat. There are sprinklings of diegetic songs, like the cheery Muzak that plays when Janet and Lacy go to the mall, as if it were the most promising place they could be. The film stages various tensions between America's ever-expanding mass consumerism and the forms of counterculture that, at the turn of the '90s, seemed increasingly incapable of offering alternate ways of life. Janet is floundering between these two poles, as Lacy — desperate for a role model to lead her into adolescence — watches her mother intently, absorbing her ambient agonies and testing her coping mechanisms. By zooming into the miniature, Janet Planet reveals everything to be a microcosm.
Noah Ciubotaru
The King Tide
Directed by Christian Sparkes
(VVS Films)
The King Tide delivers a striking exploration of community, faith and the lengths people will go to in the name of faith. Set in a remote Newfoundland village, the film follows the fallout when a child with the power to physically heal people is otherwise occupied when a fatal accident occurs, dividing the community between those who realize they should no longer exploit her and those who wish to continue no matter the cost. Frances Fisher delivers a standout performance as the seemingly kind but quietly manipulative matriarch, anchoring a story filled with tension and unexpected twists. Director Christian Sparkes captures the raw beauty of the landscape and the intimacy of small-town life, while the strong cast and gripping narrative make this a Canadian gem worthy of greater appreciation.
Matthew Simpson
My First Film
Directed by Zia Anger
(MUBI)
Considering how few films get anything more than a limited release (if at all) it's not surprising many would have missed something as monumental as Zia Anger's My First Film. A meta-fictional narrative chronicling the making of a young director's debut, Anger creates a film that's genuinely weird, accessible and moving. My First Film undeniably keeps audiences on their toes while remaining totally clear-sighted. A showcase for Odessa Young's astounding performance and Anger's filmmaking prowess, My First Film is one movie to seek out.
Alexa Margorian
Problemista
Directed by Julio Torres
(VVS Films)
Julio Torres's imaginative debut feature seamlessly blends heartfelt magical realism with a relatable, grounded narrative. The story follows Alejandro, a young Salvadoran toy designer navigating the challenges of succeeding in New York City while maintaining his work visa. Elizabeth, a chaotic and temperamental art critic played by Tilda Swinton, becomes his last hope of staying in the country. The film's inventive use of fantasy and visual art deepens its storytelling, offering a fresh take on the immigrant experience and the elusive pursuit of the American Dream. Problemista stands out as an inspiring tale of compassion, adaptability and forging one's own destiny.
Josh Korngut
The Shadow Strays
Directed by Timo Tjahjanto
(Netflix)
Comparisons to the John Wick franchise are apt, but a little lazy — The Shadow Strays is entirely its own beast and contains its own rhythm. In her debut role, Aurora Ribero quietly simmers on screen as a trained assassin who is part of an international killing machine, showing an incredible physicality and emotional depth. One of my favourite films from TIFF this year, The Shadow Strays slices and dices its way towards one of the most violent and entertaining romps of the year. After receiving strong notices following the festival, the film was quietly released to Netflix with not nearly enough fanfare.
Rachel Ho
Uproar
Directed by Hamish Bennett and Paul Middleditch
(Blue Fox Entertainment)
Heartbreaking and hilarious, Uproar is a coming-of-age dramedy about a Māori teenager growing up in New Zealand in 1981 amidst protests against the South African rugby team's tour of the country. Conservative arguments to "keep politics out of sports" are as relevant today as they were back then, and Julian Dennison offers up a crushingly relatable lead performance as someone connecting with his cultural roots while also simply trying to make it through the day as an uncool kid in high school. If I haven't already convinced you to watch it, the warm and funny presence of Rhys Darby makes this a must-see for fans of Flight of the Conchords.
Alex Hudson
Widow Clicquot
Directed by Thomas Napper
(Renaissance Media)
Widow Clicquot tells the true tale of the woman who defied societal norms to revolutionize the wine industry in Napoleonic France. Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot (Haley Bennett), the stoic and determined widow, spends most of her days in mourning, but also manages to become one of France's most celebrated entrepreneurs by perfecting the champagne recipe of Veuve Clicquot, a brand that endures to this day. A crisp 89-minutes long, Widow Clicquot is a 1700s period piece with candles and costumes — tragic, yet romantic — and the pastoral visuals allow your eyes to drink in the French countryside.
Tobias Jeg