15 Must-See Films At Fantastic Fest 2019
Few things put me in a tizzy like the arrival of Fantastic Fest. Year after year it’s a grand experience, and I’m sure that 2019 will be another one for the books. Dip below for 15 films I’m excited to see at the fest! Enjoy.
By the way, I didn’t include anything on or near the level of Jojo Rabbit, Knives Out and the like on this list. Figured it would be best to go for some of the smaller-mediumish stuff that looks fun/exciting/interesting. I also left out the films that don’t currently have a teaser, trailer or clip to peruse.
PS – I used this compilation of FF trailers a lot here. You should dig through it, too.
PPS – You can check out Noah’s recommendations here, here and here.
This film about a fella who finds himself imprisoned in the car he’s trying to steal looks claustrophobic and intense.
Elijah Wood has starred in quite a few Fantastic Fest favorites over the years, and that alone is reason enough to see this film. There’s also the fact that I can’t skip anything that features a dude who claims to have once “kicked a guy’s ear off.”
I’ve always found Quentin Dupieux to be very hit or miss, but that’s not going to stop me from catching his latest movie, which I believe is about a deerskin jacket that may or may not be evil. I fully expect this to be as absurd as can be.
A guy gets trapped in an empty pool with a crocodile? How stupid. Sign me up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGCacGXjMX0
Supposedly, this film is a “gory black comedy” that’s centered around a group of siblings trying to sort out their inheritance. Sounds fun.
I wasn’t able to understand a lot of the dialogue in the trailer for this movie, but I love the classic noir look of it. Also, it’s said to have landed big at Cannes earlier this year, which bodes well.
Fantastic Fest’s full description for this movie doesn’t reveal much of anything and is instead more of an impassioned plea to make sure everyone sees it. Alright, I’m in.
The Platform
A vertically-tiered prison features a platform of food that slowly works its way from top to bottom. So, the people on the upper levels get the good stuff, and then the bottom dwellers have to fight for scraps. This could be great.
I love a good slice of sci fi, and this movie about a radio DJ who discovers strange signals could be exactly that. The music in the teaser is fantastic.
This one follows a guy who likes putting things in his butt. I hope it’s as funny as I want it to be.
Vivarium
Boy oh boy is this film’s trailer really awkward (and not just because Jesse Eisenberg is in it). I’m excited to see the trippy stuff that’s so clearly going to unfold in the movie.
A severed hand sets out to find the body that it belongs to. This is an obviously bonkers premise, but it looks surprisingly deep.
I’ve always been a sucker for creepy kid movies, and this one, which follows a single mother who adopts a little girl with a really rough past, seems like it’ll scratch that itch and also weird me out for a few days.
Based on the true story of a family that was murdered during a home robbery, this film looks like it’s going to be total slow burn that’s completely unsettling. Guess I’ll knock back some whiskeys during it.
https://youtu.be/mSFvRcecMJs
A support group made up of people with “facial differences” gets infiltrated by a normal-looking guy. This one is said to be an emotional but funny ride, and I’m really looking forward to it.
BONUS RECOMMENDATION:
I tend to skip screenings of older films at Fantastic Fest, but I have to see this absolutely ridiculous-looking affair that stars Paul Walker and Denise Richards.
https://youtu.be/ji3dev6ex8g
