January and February are months usually considered a dumping ground for craptacular cinema, but that’s not always the case.
Here are four films that are worth checking out. Three are true gems and the fourth has a wonderful lead performance that makes it worthwhile.
Companion
The genre-blends just keep coming and when they work, they kill—often literally. In Drew Hancock’s wacky and winsome sci-fi-horror-dark-comedy-romance-suspense-thriller, Companion, a group of friends gather at a remote cabin in the woods (the best setting for a sci-fi-horror-dark-comedy-romance-suspense-thriller) where things are not usually what they seem to be, and characters are never who they appear to be. Sadly, too many write-ups and even the trailer give away one of the most delicious twists, but there are quite a number of shocks to come.
I will simply set the stage. Josh (The Boys’ Jack Quaid) and his devoted gf, Iris (Sophie Thatcher, from Heretic) arrive at the desolate cottage owned by Russian whackjob Sergey (Rupert Friend) where a gaggle of friends are gathered including Josh’s bestie, the aloof Kat (Megan Suri), and a way-too-committed gay couple Eli (Harvey Guillén) and Patrick (Lukas Gage). When Sergei gets too handsy with Iris, insanity ensues.
Thatcher has a tricky role, and she kills. I was totally taken with her. Gage, who seems to pop up in everything lately, shows us his impressive range continues to grow. And Friend, in a small but showy part, steals all his scenes.
Companion is an entertaining, clever and nasty look at what greed and power do to people and how control and manipulation are often key factors in relationships. It’s absurd and satisfying all at once.
Warner Brothers releases Companion on January 31, 2025.
Ex-Husbands
Noah Pritzker’s off-beat comedy Ex-Husbands feels like an homage to the 1970 John Cassavetes’ film Husbands funneled through a deeply chill version of The Hangover.
Griffin Dune plays Peter, a dentist with two semi-estranged sons, whose wife of 35 years, Maria (Rosanna Arquette), has just left him. His depressed older son Nick (James Norton) is embarking on a Mexican bachelor party getaway planned and financed by his gay younger brother Mickey (Miles Heizer). Peter, though uninvited, is headed to the same resort, claiming he accidentally booked it.
In Mexico, a handful of Nick’s friends gather. Mickey ends up hooking up with Arroyo (Pedro Fontaine), one of Nick’s married, allegedly straight friends. Peter has his own adventure with the Godmother of a soon to be newlywed. And Nick announces—semi-spoiler-alert-but-not-really— that he’s actually not getting married after all.
Dunne’s reunion with Arquette is a joy to watch. They played opposite one another in Martin Scorsese’s 1985 lunatic comedy, After Hours.
Norton, amazing onstage (astonishing in A Little Life) onscreen (last year’s devastating Nowhere Special) and on TV (Happy Valley), is nicely understated here. It’s a performance that creeps up on you.
Heizer (13 Reasons Why) plays the peacekeeper son and does a splendid job. He’s someone to watch for certain.
Writer-director Pritzker (Quitters) keeps his narrative character-focused and slowly peels back layers of his trio of central figures, so the final scene delivers quite a potent punch.
Ex-Husbands is releasing in U.S. theaters beginning February 21, 2025.
Bonus Track
Brit Julia Jackman’s sweet indie directorial debut, Bonus Track, focuses on George (1917’s Joe Anders), an awkward 16-year-old musician-wannabe, and the odd friendship he develops with popular new student, Max (Samuel Small), the son of a famous music duo. Max appreciates that George is not a sycophant, like the rest of the students and teachers and everyone he seems to come in contact with. The boy’s unlikely bonding turns into something deeper as they explore their attraction to one another.
Bonus Track is affectionately written by Mike Gilbert from a story by Gilbert and actor Josh O’Connor, who has wild and fun cameo in the film. Jack Davenport and a hilarious Alison Sudol are George’s constantly bickering parents.
Anders and Small have great chemistry. Small is both dashing and charming. He commands the frame whenever he is onscreen.
The film is a delightful edition to the queer teen rom-com cannon.
Bonus Track is available to rent or own on VOD February 11, 2025.
Brave the Dark
Set in the 1980s, Damian Harris’s Brave the Dark tells the inspirational story of Nathaniel Deen (who co-wrote and executive produced) and how his teacher/mentor Stan Deen believed in him and saved him.
Shortly after we first meet track star and rebel Nate (Nicholas Hamilton), he is arrested for burglary. Popular drama teacher Stan Deen (Jared Harris, brother of Damian and son of Richard) immediately takes an interest in Nate. And we learn he’s actually a mess, living in his car and haunted by past trauma. Stan takes the boy under his wing and into his home–something that would not be allowed today in any school.
The film rarely goes beyond surface storytelling but manages to stay compelling. For instance, the horrific events that Nate was forced to live through as a child are revealed in a long monologue, with flashbacks, but never fully explored.
Also, the filmmakers never overtly touch on the obvious gay elements in the narrative. That would have made for a far more daring, less simplistic, but not as family-friendly examination of the central relationship. And, honestly, it would have given both characters a lot more nuance, while posing a host of moral and ethical questions—especially in today’s quick-to-judge-and-condemn climate.
The film is being distributed by Angel Studios, a company that usually deals in Christian-oriented feel-good stories, so going down the gay path would probably be sinfully forbidden. As it is now, you can’t help but wonder what the relationship was really like, and if a line was ever crossed. And I kept filling in my own blanks.
Hamilton is excellent as the troubled Nate, grounding him in a pained reality he can’t seem to escape.
Brave the Dark is currently playing in theaters nationwide via Angel Studios
