Limited and Virtual Releases: Sink Your Teeth into These Limited Releases

June 18, 2020

Babyteeth

It is not a particularly strong week for limited releases with only one film, Babyteeth, earning any pre-release buzz. However, it is the wrong genre to thrive during the pandemic and I fear it will have to wait until the home market to find an audience, and possibly not even then.

Highlights

Babyteeth - Trailer
Eliza Scanlen stars as Milla, a teenager with a serious illness who falls in love with a small-time drug dealer. This is the only film on this week’s list that is earning any level of pre-release buzz. Fortunately, its reviews live up to the buzz and then some. IFC Films has had some success during the lockdown, but this film isn’t the type to thrive in drive-ins, so it will need regular theaters to reopen to become a hit.

Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy (Virtual Release)
A documentary about Moni Yakim, who has trained many of the best actors in the world. The reviews are excellent and films about making films tend to do well in the art house circuit. If we weren’t living in the end times, I would have some level of optimism for this film’s box office chances. I don’t think it would have been a mainstream hit, but it could have done well for a documentary.

A Girl Missing
A crime drama from Japan about a live-in nurse, Ichiko, who has become practically a member of the family she takes care of. However, when the youngest sister of the family goes missing, she learns her nephew is responsible. The reviews are good, but not great, so I don’t expect it to find an audience in theaters.

Quarantine Cat Film Fest
Cat videos you can rent and watch at home while supporting a local cinema, many of which are struggling to survive the lockdown. Check out the official site for more details.

Queen of Lapa
A documentary about a transgender sex worker in Brazil who has decades of experience and uses it to create a safe space for newer transgender sex workers in a country that is hostile to LGBT rights. The reviews are excellent and it is having a virtual release starting this Friday. More details can be found on the official site.

Woman on the Beach
Sang-soo Hong has directed a number of films, almost all of which have earned a lot of critical praise. Unfortunately, none of his films have really broken out at the box office here. Furthermore, this is a re-release and just a a virtual release, so I have very low hopes for its box office chances.

Other Releases

Followed
Proud (Virtual Release)
Runner (Virtual Release)
Vampire Dad

Filed under: Limited Releases, Haebyonui Yoin, Babyteeth, Yokogao, Creating a Character: The Moni Yakim Legacy, Vampire Dad, Quarantine Cat Film Fest, Fiertés, Queen of Lapa, Followed, Runner, Sang-soo Hong, Eliza Scanlen, Mariko Tsutsui, Moni Yakim