If you are reading this site, you are probably a movie fan and will have seen a lot of these films, but many people won’t have heard of them. This a shame, as they are all great!
Loveless: A couple going through a divorce are oblivious to the effect it is having on their young son. The film is totally devastating and heartbreaking. If you see it you will probably love it, but never want to see it again. Nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, and BAFTA for Best Film Not in the English Language. Director Andrey Zvyagintsev made his name with The Return (2003) and is best known for Leviathan (2014), also nominated for Foreign Language Oscar.
Dark River: Following the death of her father, Alice (Ruth Wilson) returns home for the first time in 15 years to take over the tenancy of the family farm. Here she has to confront ghosts of her past, and her brother who now runs the farm. Always reliable Ruth Wilson is on sensational form. Director Clio Barnard is best known for the innovative documentary The Arbor (2010) and The Selfish Giant (2013). 
You Were Never Really Here: A traumatized (Joaquin Phoenix) veteran, with a penchant for extreme violence finds himself in the middle of a conspiracy while tracking down a missing young girl. What it lacks in plot and action, it more than makes up for in mood and atmosphere. Phoenix has never been better. Director Lynne Ramsay’s first film since the excellent We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011).
Thoroughbreds: Two teenagers (Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy) reconnect and rekindle their unusual friendship after drifting apart a few years before. A film that doesn’t always go where you expect. Darkly funny and satirical, not to everyone’s taste, but it really got under my skin. Sadly one of Anton Yelchin’s last films. Director Cory Finley’s feature début.
Beast: Set in a claustrophobic isolated community on the Channel Island of Jersey; a troubled young woman falls for a seductive but secretive stranger who may or may not be a serial killer, whilst also having to deal with an overpowering mother. Fantastic performances and a plot filled with just enough ambiguity. Director, Michael Pearce’s feature debut. 
Revenge: A young woman fights for survival, and to inflict terrible, bloody, and violent revenge on the three men who have wronged her. She does so with a minimum of clothing. All this sounds crass, cheesy and unoriginal; however, Revenge offers something new and interesting, possibly because it is written and directed by a woman! Director Coralie Fargeat’s feature début.
Leave No Trace: A troubled veteran and his teenage daughter are living outdoors and off grid, until they are discovered and forced to reintegrate into society. A film that says so much about society today both in its text and subtext. Masterful filmmaking from director Debra Granik who amazingly hasn’t made a movie since Winter’s Bone (2010). 
Hearts Beat Loud: A father and daughter form an unlikely songwriting partnership at a time of transition in both their lives. Possibly the most lightweight and disposable film on the list, but certainly the warmest and most charming. Director Brett Haley’s fourth feature, the first of his that I have seen. 
The Rider: Brady Jandreau, a rodeo rider and horse trainer unable to ride following a near fatal head injury, plays Brady Blackburn a rodeo rider and horse trainer unable to ride following a near fatal head injury. A stunning exploration of identity and masculinity, that could possibly only been told by a woman. Director Chloé Zhao’s second feature. 
Cold War: A passionate love story starting in 1950s Cold War Poland. The skill, artistry and restraint to tell such an epic story in just 88 minutes is pure art. The film looks incredible, sounds amazing and will rip your heart out. Director Pawel Pawlikowski has won three BAFTA’s: Best Film Not in the English Language for Ida (2013), Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for My Summer of Love (2004) and Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer for Last Resort (2000). Cold War is on the short (of nine) that will be whittled down to five for next year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year nominations. 
Bonus pick – Tully: This is a movie that shouldn’t be on the list, it screams mainstream, or at very least popular indie hit; directed by Jason Reitman, writer by Diablo Cody, starring Charlize Theron. On top of this, it is also fantastic. The reviews were good, those who saw it liked it, but for some reason (poor marketing?), it failed to find an audience. Hopefully it will find an audience on the small screen. So much more than its synopsis, and it has Charlize Theron! She may disappear into a Lady Gaga shaped shadow when it comes to the Oscars, but you will be hard pressed to find a better performance this year. 
Redux version, I forgot one – A Prayer Before Dawn: A brutal and haunting movie about Billy Moore, a British boxer who finds himself in a brutal prison in Thailand, a true story of based on Moore’s book. A lot of the dialogue is in Thai without subtitles, an effective but disconcerting choice. Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s second movie, a decade after his first Johnny Mad Dog.
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