So many fantastic new movies come out yearly that some are bound to receive more recognition and accolades than other deserving films. A user on a popular online forum asked others to recommend their favorite under-the-radar films that many people missed. Movie buffs took to the comments with their opinions.
1 – Dark City (1998)
When a man wakes up in a hotel room, he learns he’s wanted for murders that he can’t remember if he committed or not. In hiding, the man attempts to uncover his memories and discover the truth when he stumbles upon a massive secret underworld.
2 – A Scanner Darkly (2006)
As more and more Americans fall victim to drug addiction in this dystopian film, one narcotics officer finally loses the battle when he tries drugs while on an undercover mission. He must track down drug lords and drug users while also seeking the chemicals for his own use.
3 – The Ides of March (2011)
The Ides of March is a political thriller about the governor of Ohio and his reelection campaign. Everything is going smoothly until he meets with his opponent’s campaign manager, who is ready to reveal a secret about the governor that could ruin his career.
4 – State of Play (2009)
When a popular congressman’s secret mistress is murdered, the secrets that come out threaten to ruin his goal of running for president. But as the congressman’s friend investigates the murder, he must contend with big names in politics as they try to cover up the crime.
5 – Exiled (2006)
Exiled is a crime thriller about an ex-gang member who rebuilt his life and decided to move back to the gang’s home turf. Soon, the gang targets the man by sending four members to take him out. But each of the four gangsters used to know the man and must decide whether to side with their old friend and risk becoming targets of the gang as well.
6 – The Station Agent (2003)
When a train-loving man’s boss dies, he’s surprised to learn that his late boss left him a railroad depot in his will. The train-lover picks up his life and moves to the small town to operate the depot, where he meets a couple who change his life forever.
7 – Punishment Park (1971)
Punishment Park is a fictional documentary-style film about a horrific change in the U.S. prison system. Prisoners are given a choice to serve their entire sentence or spend three days in the new Punishment Park, evading cops as they try to kill the prisoners.
Those who choose to go to Punishment Park soon realize that their hopes of surviving the ordeal are slim to none.
8 – The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)
This Belgian drama follows the rise and fall of a musical couple’s romance as they meet, fall in love, and have a child. But when their daughter is six, she’s diagnosed with cancer and dies by the end of the year. The couple must face the loss of their child, but both find comfort in different ways.
9 – Sidewalls (2011)
Sidewalls follows two lonely city-dwellers as their disconnect from the world brings them together. One is terrified of leaving his apartment and finds solace in photography, while the other is forced to move back into her crummy old apartment after a tough breakup.
10 – Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (2022)
When a cleaning lady in 1950s London sees a couture dress and decides she must have her own, she works hard and saves her money to travel to Paris. But she never expected her journey would take her where she ends up.
11 – Pontypool (2008)
A small-town radio DJ is shocked when he learns of a nearby zombie outbreak. Terrified, he does his best to lock himself inside the radio booth to report on the zombies to his listeners. But everything changes once he realizes the zombie virus spreads through language.
12 – Little Fish (2020)
Little Fish is a tragic sci-fi film about a virus that causes memory loss that begins to spread around the globe. One couple fears contracting the virus because they don’t want to lose their memories of their love for one another.
13 – Me and You and Everyone You Know (2005)
This romantic comedy follows an emotionally unavailable recently divorced man when he meets a bright artist, and the two begin to date. At the same time, the man’s teenage and six-year-old sons both explore romance and attraction with their classmates.
14 – The Fisher King (1991)
After an inflammatory radio DJ provokes someone into murdering a group of bargoers in Manhattan, he falls into a pit of depression and alcohol abuse. On happenstance, the DJ meets a homeless man whose wife was killed in the shooting, and the DJ promises the man to help him on a foolish quest out of guilt.
15 – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
When a criminal on the run from the cops accidentally auditions for a role in a Hollywood mystery film, he lands the part and travels to LA. There, he must contend with the cops and a wild conspiracy involving the woman of his dreams.
16 – Prisoners (2013)
Prisoners is an action film about a man on a mission to find his kidnapped daughter and bring her home safely. But when the police track down the main suspect, they’re forced to release him due to lack of evidence. However, the father is convinced this man has something to do with his daughter’s abduction and decides to take action without the police.
17 – The Last Duel (2021)
This dramatic action adventure follows a feud between a knight and a highly admired squire after the squire assaults the knight’s precious wife. When the knight’s wife refuses to keep the attack a secret, the squire and the knight must face off in a duel that threatens the lives of everyone involved.
18 – Game Night (2018)
This dramatic comedy is about a game night gone wrong when one of the host’s brothers shows up with a strange murder mystery game. The guests attempt to solve the fictitious murder, but the stakes ramp up a notch when one of the hosts is kidnapped. But no one realizes that the game may be more real than they imagined.
19 – Stir of Echoes (1999)
After allowing his wife’s sister to hypnotize him, a man once skeptic of the supernatural begins to believe he has a telepathic connection to his son. On top of that, he starts seeing visions related to the death of a missing teenage girl who lives in his neighborhood.
Can the man’s visions solve the mystery without putting him in danger?
20 – Come True (2020)
Come True is a psychological sci-fi thriller about a homeless girl who agrees to partake in a classified sleep study to make money. During the study, once-fleeting nightmares of a maze and shadowy figures worsen, and the woman questions what the scientists studying her sleep are trying to do.
21 – Sunshine (2007)
This apocalyptic sci-fi film occurs in a near-future reality where the sun that warms planet Earth starts to die. To prevent the end of the world, a team of astronauts set off into space with a device that could rekindle the sun’s flames. But their mission is sidetracked when the team comes across a strange old space shuttle.
22 – Animal Kingdom (2010)
After his mother tragically passes away, a boy’s extended family who lives a life of crime adopt him. As he becomes more and more indoctrinated in the family’s lifestyle, one do-good cop tries with all of his might to help the boy escape the criminal enterprise to lead a good life.
23 – Brigsby Bear (2017)
A man confined in an underground bunker finds his only source of joy by watching a kids’ TV series called Brigsby Bear. But one day, the police raid the bunker and tell the man the people he believed were his parents abducted him as a child.
When he returns to live with his real family, he learns that his abductors created his favorite TV show and will never find out how the series ends. Heartbroken, the man embarks on a journey to finish the story himself.
24 – Equilibrium (2002)
This terrifying dystopian film is about a society where human emotions are outlawed and controlled by a suppressive medication. One day, a man assigned to enforce anti-motion laws forgets to take his medication, and he realizes how beautiful human emotion can be. It isn’t long before he hatches a plan to overthrow the oppressive regime.
25 – The Night Is Short, Walk on Girl (2017)
In this animated comedy, a college student goes out for a night on the town in Kyoto, Japan. As she goes through her night, she has a number of surreal encounters with the nightlife. As she goes through her night, he remains unaware that another student, Senpai, is trying to win over her affection.
Maya (she/they) is a queer entertainment and culture journalist. They cover interviews, reviews, roundups, news, and more. She loves horror, history, and creativity. They hope their writing both entertains readers and inspires them to think critically. Her favorite pastimes include needle felting, gaming, and drawing.
