The best under-appreciated films of 2014

In 2014 the film industry was hit with some of the lowest total box office sales in the last two decades, forcing smaller independent films to fall below the radar most. They were unseen and under appreciated, yet all were very well-crafted, telling amazing stories accompanied by some of the best and unrecognized performances of the year. If you want to see a good film that you can be the first in your friend group to discover, try checking out some of these titles:

Enemy

This film reunites the stunning partnership of Jake Gyllenhaal and director Denis Villeneuve who came together for the 2013 film Prisoners. Enemy is about a Toronto-based history professor who discovers he has a doppelgänger in the form of a bad-boy film actor. Of course, turmoil ensues once the two cross paths after the professor essentially stalks the actor to find out more about him. Gyllenhaal plays both roles beautifully in some of the best work of his career and Villeneuve expertly crafts the film with creepy set pieces (a giant tarantula as an example) and he uses Toronto streets as an amazing set piece which will resonate well with U of T students.

Starred Up

Thanks to the film Unbroken, Jack O’Connell was introduced to American audiences this year in a widely screened studio film. However, a much stronger performance was given in Starred Up, a film about a 19 year-old from a juvenile detention facility who is transferred to the same adult prison as his estranged father. The director was able to balance rough violence with surprisingly delicate emotional moments that were guided greatly by O’Connell’s stunning performance.

Obvious Child

This film stars relatively unknown actors but will guaranteed be the funniest indie film you see all year. A young woman in her twenties who works as a stand-up comedian gets pregnant after a one night stand and is pushed towards getting an abortion. The event forces her to rethink her life and independence in a witty and light manner while still tackling important issues. Strong performances and a riveting plot drive this movie to be a must-see among youth.

The Immigrant

Academy award winner Marion Cotillard stars in this film, delivering one of the best performances of the year. Despite her being nominated for an Oscar for Two Days One Night, (her other 2014 film) this performance is much more powerful. She plays a Polish immigrant who comes to New York City only to fall into the hands of Bruno Weiss, a pimp, played amazingly by Joaquin Pheonix. The film chronicles her time in lower Manhattan with sketchy characters and boasts some of the best angle work achieved by a director this year-specifically in the film’s final scenes. It’s a shame virtually nobody has seen or heard about the film, despite its well-known stars.

All images courtesy of Google