What are the best new movies to see in September? Our correspondent Abbie Martin Greenbaum shares her list of the top films you need to see this September 2019.
September is film festival season
Film festival season is now fully underway. The end of August and beginning of September bring the Venice Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Meaning that the internet is full of write-ups, hot takes, and the first views of what are sure to be the biggest films of next year.
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This also means that September is when the earliest sizzle of Oscar buzz begins, and critics are already starting to prognosticate. It’s probably just a wee bit too soon.
Happily, even those of us not attending any of this month’s festivals still have many excellent films to catch in movie theaters this month.
The big releases in September 2019 include It Chapter Two, the sequel that finishes off the adaptation of Stephen King’s monster novel. The Goldfinch, based on Donna Tartt’s epic coming of age saga. And Ad Astra, a movie about an astronaut who goes searching for his missing father.
New films in September 2019: Hustlers. Courtesy Photo.
Those who love a good Girl Squad movie are already buying tickets for Hustlers, starring Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu as con artists. Also in the cast? Lili Reinhart, Cardi B, Lizzo, Keke Palmer and Julia Stiles. It’s based on a true story published in New York Magazine. The movie had its world premiere last weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, and is scheduled to be released this Friday.
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Also this month, fans of the hit show Downton Abbey can rejoice. The franchise returns as feature film whose theatrical release will wrap up the story of the Crawley family (at least, for now).
The best new movies September 2019: Downton Abbey The Movie.
the top films you need to see in September 2019
If all of this is not enough to keep you busy, we have a list of five other films that are all worth seeing, each of them pushing the expectations and boundaries of cinema in new and interesting ways.
1. Before You Know It
Directed by: Hannah Pearl Utt. Written by: Jen Tullock and Hannah Pearl Utt. Starring: Hannah Pearl Utt, Jen Tullock, Mike Colter, Mandy Patinkin, Judith Light and Alec Baldwin
Forget the Marvel Cinematic Universe – living in the Before You Know It Cinematic Universe seems like it would be a lot more fun.
Sisters Rachel and Jackie are living in an old, whimsical theater with their father and Jackie’s daughter Dodge, when they discover that the mother they always believed was dead is actually a living soap opera star. If this sounds to you like the most irresistible tagline of a story ever, then you are the person this film was made for and you will love every minute of it.
The top films to see September 2019: Before You Know It director Hannah Utt.
In a time where many movies are using silence as currency, Before You Know It is refreshingly chatty and affable, serving up characters who bubble over with personality.
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You will find yourself wanting to move into the adorably decorated theater bedrooms that all seem to run into each other, and live a life where your father is Mandy Patinkin and he accidentally uses your toothbrush. This film flies by, sweeping you into its colorful embrace and taking you along for two hours of undeniable joy.
The top films to see September 2019: Before Your Know It. Courtesy Photo.
2. Give Me Liberty
Directed by: Kirill Mikhanovsky. Written by: Kirill Mikhanovsky and Alice Austen. Starring: Chris Galust, Lauren “Lolo” Spencer, Maxim Stoyanov.
Even after watching hours of superheroes, spies in suits, and evil clowns, we predict that watching this film will still be the most stressed you’ll feel watching any movie this year. And just maybe, you will decide it is one of your top ten favorites, too.
The top films to see September 2019: Give Me Liberty. Courtesy Photo.
Give Me Liberty takes the word ‘intersectional’ and brings it to roaring life in a magical convergence of hilarity, heart and high-pressure situations. Vic is a medical transport driver, and he is running very, very late for work in this film about what it is like to live in America if you are low income, an immigrant, Black, or living with a disability.
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And yet, even as these circumstances converge on screen in trying and even tragic ways, the film never stops finding the humor in every possible beat. If you do not think a film that is essentially ‘a day in the life’ is going to make you want to re-watch it over and over – prepare to be surprised. Galust and Spencer deliver two incredible performances as the van’s driver Vic and as Tracy, the young woman with ALS who is dragged along on the car’s many detours.
The top films to see September 2019: Give Me Liberty’s Lolo Spencer. Courtesy Photo.
3. Aquarela
Directed by: Viktor Kossakovsky. Written by: Viktor Kossakovsky and Aimara Reques.
Aquarela is a documentary about the water. Except for the very beginning, the majority of the film is either set to music, or is silent, except for the whooshing sound of the current (and the occasional hum of a boat).
The best new movies to see September 2019: Aquarela. Courtesy Photo.
This means that the viewer is lulled into a unique, dizzying experience where they are alone in a dark room for eighty nine minutes with nothing but the swirl of the waves and an epic score to keep them company.
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This is not your average nature documentary. It would be more accurate to think of it as a kind of aqua ballet. It is a must-watch. The images shown – everything from melting ice caps, to cities flooding, to a horse trapped in a muddy brown sea – are taken from all over the world. Giving you the opportunity to take a tour of our earth from a brand new, electrifying perspective. You will never think of water the same way again.
The best new movies to see September 2019: Aquarela. Courtesy Photo.
4. End of the Century
Written by: Lucio Castro. Directed by: Lucio Castro. Starring: Juan Barberini, Ramon Pujol and Mía Maestro.
In End of the Century, Ocho and Javi meet when they are both on vacation in Barcelona. It’s only after they have spent the night together do they realize that they have met before.
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Without giving too much away, this is the kind of film where time and place often melt into something other than you expect. Allowing Castro to tell a story that defies the typical boundaries of a romantic story.
The top films to see September 2019: End of the Century. Courtesy Photo.
Each act of the film asks you to rethink the scenes you have just consumed, playing with your conception of reality – but in a way that is still beautiful and gentle, and never unsettling. You are forced to face the question of whether it matters, in love, if things really are as they seem.
The top films to see September 2019: End of the Century. Courtesy Photo.
5. Ága
Directed by: Milko Lazarov. Written by: Simeon Ventsislavov and Milko Lazarov. Starring: Mikhail Aprosimov and Feodosia Ivanova.
Ága is a story about a broken family, set against the backdrop of the snowy white abyss. Nanook is a reindeer hunter, living with his wife Sedna in a yurt, and grappling with the fact that it is getting harder and harder to survive.
The film is propelled forward by three parallel forces. First, is the sweetness of the couple’s relationship, shown in various domestic shots of them lying side by side, cutting each other’s hair, and cooking together.
The best movies to see September 2019: Aga. Courtesy Photo.
Second is the way in which you watch the natural life around them begin to unravel, as spring comes earlier each year and food is harder to acquire. And third is the unexplained undercurrent of family drama that has separated the parents from their daughter, the titular Ága.
The best movies to see September 2019: Aga. Courtesy Photo.
Where these forces come together creates a film that is possibly unique, a quiet masterpiece that will make you feel lucky to have been invited to sit in on such an intimate setting.
the top films you need to see in September 2019
That’s it – our picks for the best new movies in September 2019. Enjoy!
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For access to insider ideas and information on the world of luxury, sign up for our Dandelion Chandelier newsletter here. And see luxury in a new light.
Abbie Martin Greenbaum grew up in New York City and currently lives in Brooklyn, where she drinks a lot of coffee and matches roommates together for a living. At Oberlin College, she studied English and Cinema, which are still two of her favorite things, along with dessert and musical theater. She believes in magic.
