#14: Are You Still Watching? The best films you've never seen, chosen by our contributors 👀
Need something to watch tonight? Our writers and editors have picked out their favourite obscure or overlooked films.
If you watch a lot of films, you have probably come across a title no one talks about but you feel passionately that everyone should. It can be an alienating experience, falling in love with an overlooked masterpiece (maybe a direct-to-video erotic thriller or oddball indie) in a room of people talking about… oh I don’t know, Wednesday. (No judgment here, I watch Netflix too.)
So we asked our contributors to tell us one of their favourite underseen films (less than 1,000 views on Letterboxd—though we have some rule-breakers 😉) and I have also added mine. Maybe now, we feel a little less lonely.
—Gabrielle Marceau
Editor-in-Chief, In The Mood Magazine
Suitcase of Love and Shame (2013, dir. Jane Gillooly)
If you were in my Master’s cohort then you’ve seen this. But only 204 people on Letterboxd have, and that’s… a shame. Gillooly’s found-audio doc is riveting and heartbreaking and perfect for people who love gossip more than they respect boundaries (me).
Danny King
UFOria (1985, dir. John Binder)
“A small California town is gripped by UFO fever in this well-acted, surprisingly rich comedy. At the center of the mania is Arlene, a grocery store clerk and born-again Christian fascinated with flying saucers.” —MUBI
Fan Wu
Surviving You, Always (2021, dir. Morgan Quaintance)
“A voice-over by psychologist Timothy Leary professes that psychedelic drugs expand the consciousness. Meanwhile, subtitles tell us of a teenager in ‘90s London who spends acid-infused weekends with a friend. Just like hallucinations, teenage friendships feel like they’ll last forever—but rarely do.” —MUBI
Christine Shan Shan Hou
The Colours (1976, dir. Abbas Kiarostami)
“A vibrant film essay exploring the range of hues that colour our world, creatively introducing colour values to young children as the narrator depicts where each appears in nature or in manufactured objects-featuring footage of consumer culture in Iran prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution.” —Mae Moreno
Katia Lo Innes
New Waterford Girl (1999, dir. Allan Moyle)
Cape Breton’s Lady Bird.
Rosie Long Decter
The Street (1976, dir. Caroline Leaf)
“This award-winning animation is a poignant interpretation of a short story by Montreal author Mordecai Richler. In washes of watercolour and ink, filmmaker Caroline Leaf illustrates reactions to a dying grandmother, capturing family feelings and distilling them into harsh reality.” —NFB
Will Sloan
Jail Bait (1954, dir. Ed Wood)
“Vic Brady draws young Don Gregor into a life of crime. He then blackmails Gregor’s plastic surgeon father into fixing up his face so he can evade the cops. This is Steve Reeves’ first speaking part.” —TCM
Emma Dollery
Madagascar (1995, dir. Fernando Pérez)
“Laura, university professor, has lost the capacity of dreaming. Her imbalance grows worse when she discovers that her only daughter has stopped her studies and dreams of visiting… Madagascar. A hallucinating story where the orinico is confused with reality.” —MUBI
Sennah Yee
L for Leisure (2014 dir. Lev Kalman & Whitney Horn)
It’s been over eight years since I caught MDFF and The Seventh Art’s Toronto premiere of this, and I still find myself quoting “here, have some of my Snapple” during the most unexpected times.
Lee Suksi
Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005, dir. Fatih Akın)
“If life were fair and film exhibition better, you could watch Fatih Akın’s musical mystery tour Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul while standing up, or, more ideally, while swaying, spinning and shimmying.” —The New York Times
Jenna Jaco
Carmen (2022, dir. Benjamin Millepied)
It has more than 1,000 views on Letterboxd (THAT’S VERY HARD), but nobody talked about Carmen, which is a shame because I had a great time!
Miles Forrester
Shock Treatment (1981, dir. Jim Sharman)
“THE ROCKY HORROR SEQUEL WE GOT (AND THE ONE WE DIDN'T)” —SYFY
Leah Mueller
Lucky (2017, dir. John Carroll Lynch)
Harry Dean Stanton’s last film.
Dia VanGunten
Border (2018, dir. Ali Abbasi)
The Swedish film Border is bizarro magical realism about a female border agent who, unbeknownst to herself, is a troll. It’s one of the weirdest films I’ve ever seen but I feel like it says a lot of important things. I won’t write a whole essay on it but I could. 🤓
Submissions OPEN for Issue 9: Hometown
We’re accepting submissions for Issue 9: HOMETOWN until December 31st. Check out our new submission guidelines here:
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