This is the second part of my "Most Anticipated Films" feature, focusing on the smaller indie, foreign, and art house films. More mainstream studio pictures were covered in the previous post.
We are going to do things a little differently this year, since what I'm anticipating in these categories boils down to what various notable directors have been up to lately, and titles are frequently subject to change. So I'm listing these picks by director, alphabetically.
Víctor Erice - The beloved Spanish film director of "The Spirit of the Beehive" and "The Quince Tree Sun" hasn't made a film since 1992. Erice has released a few shorts over the years, but 2023 may finally see the release of "To Close One’s Eyes," his fourth feature. The plot concerns a new investigation into the disappearance of an actor during a film shoot in the 1990s.
Marielle Heller - I wonder if "Nightbitch" will get to keep its current title. Based on the novel by Rachel Yoder, the film will star Amy Adams as a stay-at-home mom who starts to think she's turning into a dog. Themes of alienation and parental resentment will be explored, along with a lot of raw meat. The studio formerly known as Fox Searchlight is handling production, and Hulu's handling the distribution.
Yorgos Lanthimos - Lanthimos has two upcoming projects with Emma Stone in the works. The one we're more likely to see this year is "Poor Things," which is some kind of "Frankenstein" resurrection story, with Willem Dafoe as the mad scientist and Stone as the monster - whose brain has been swapped out with that of her unborn child. The cast list is wild and the movie is probably going to be wilder.
Pablo Larrain - "El Conde" imagines that the Chilean dictator August Pinochet was a vampire, in a Spanish language dark comedy that should be released on Netflix sometime this year. Larrain's recent work includes the Princess Diana film, "Spencer," and the Stephen King miniseries "Lisey's Story." "El Conde," however, will be his most out and out genre project by far.
Richard Linklater - Glenn Powell is definitely having a moment, and his most interesting upcoming project is co-writing and starring in Richard Linklater's "Hitman." This is the movie about an investigator who goes undercover as a hitman in order to catch his prospective clients. It only started production in October, so I don't know if we'll see it by the end of 2023.
Steve McQueen - After creating some excellent television over the past few years, the most ambitious film project McQueen has tackled yet will be a WWII drama about Londoners during the Blitz. The ensemble cast will include Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Erin Kellyman, and Stephen Graham. Apple TV has the distribution rights, so don't expect a home media release in a hurry.
William Oldroyd - "Eileen" is one of the most buzzed about films out of Sundance. It's some kind of twisted relationship drama starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway. I don't want to know more because this is the kind of film where knowing too much is detrimental. However, this combination of actors and this director have definitely piqued my interest.
Christian Petzold - It's been announced that German director Christian Petzold's next film, "Afire" will be a gay romance. However, his usual leading lady Paula Beer will still be in the cast. This is supposed to be the second in a trilogy of films with fairy tale themes, after 2020's lovely "Undine." Where that film's major motif was water, "Afire" will involve forests on fire.
Cristi Puiu - We've seen a lot of pandemic movies over the last few years, but I'm curious about this one, from Romanian New Wave director Cristi Puiu. MMXX (or 2020 for those of you who don't do Roman numerals) is a dramedy about the early pandemic era. Puiu, who is known for making lengthy films, seems well suited to a story about the uncertainties and absurdities of the lockdown.
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