What follows are some of the most criminally underseen films of 2009, most of which are still without American distribution while others may get under-the-radar releases in 2010. It’s quite sad that many of these movies will never have the opportunity to find an audience, as there is word-of-mouth potential for all of them with the right marketing campaign. Here are 13 little-seen films that you should be looking out for:
I Am Love – Oscar winner Tilda Swinton may have given the performance of her life in Julia earlier this year, yet the film played in no more than four theaters throughout its theatrical run and got virtually no awards consideration. When I Am Love premiered at the Venice Film Festival last fall, Swinton may have topped herself again. (For the role, the actress mastered the Italian language with a Russian accent.) The film revolves around the very wealthy Recchi family in Milan. When Emma Recchi (Swinton) has a passionate affair with a young cook, the family’s old traditional structure begins to unravel. Let’s hope history doesn't repeat itself, and I Am Love gets the release it deserves.
This article appears in Dec 30, 2009 – Jan 5, 2010.