Indie Fresh List

Indie Fresh List: The Trial of the Chicago 7, David Byrne's American Utopia, and S#!%house

Check out the latest Fresh indie releases, including what's in theaters, what's on VOD, and what's coming soon.

by Jacqueline Coley | October 15, 2020 | Comments

Join us weekly as Rotten Tomatoes reports on what’s indie features are streaming. From promising releases by new voices to experimental efforts from storied filmmakers – or perhaps the next indie darling to go the distance for end-of-year accolades – we will break it all down for you here each week.

This week in our Indie Fresh List, we have a coming-of-age rom-com, a concert documentary about David Byrne, and a powerful courtroom drama from Aaron Sorkin about the 1968 riots at the Democratic national convention. In our Spotlight Section, we have a new black-and-white documentary about incarceration, and in our indie trailer section, we have new trailers featuring Henry Golding, Rachel Brosnahan, Glenn Close, and Amy Adams.

New This Weekend

Aaron Sorkin is back with his second directorial feature, a courtroom drama that retells the raucous and at times ridiculous Trial of the Chicago 7. The 1968 democratic convention was a powder keg before it even convened, as counter-culture icons like Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin and anti-war protesters like Tom Hagen all descended on Chicago looking to protest what they felt was the abandonment of ideals with the nomination of Hubert Humprey, a vocal supporter of the Vietnam war. Touting a jaw-dropping cast of talents including Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Frank Langella, Jeremy Strong, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Sorkin’s signature writing style is delivered with passion and humor. “Sorkin, who’s unmatched in his ability to write debates and speeches, manages to freshen up those old benches, robes, and gavels.” writes Johnny Oleksinski of The New York Post.

Playing select theaters and available to stream October 16 on Netflix.

A new take on a wild night of romance, Shithouse is a touching love story about a lonely college freshman desperate for connection who attends a frat party as a last-ditch effort to make new friends. Cooper Raiff wrote, directed, produced, and stars in his directorial debut, which was slated to premiere at the South by Southwest film festival. Despite the cancellation, Shithouse took home the top Jury Prize in the Narrative Feature section. “Those who dismiss the film based on its title alone may miss out on a deeply affecting and profound portrayal of late adolescence which pays tribute to the coming-of-age tradition even as it forges new emotional pathways,” writes Joel Mayward of Cinemayward.

Playing select theaters October 16.

Spike Lee and David Byrne have joined forces to produce one of the greatest concert documentaries ever set to film. Byrne, the frontman of The Talking Heads, transformed his hit Broadway show American Utopia into a one-of-a-kind concert experience. Assembling a band of world-renowned musicians, he yet again proves why he is one of the most captivating and inventive musicians of our generation. Surprisingly heartfelt for a concert film, “American Utopia is just the kind of healing, inspiring balm that the audience needs right now. It arrives like an unexpected answer to an unspoken prayer,” writes Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post.

Available to stream October 17th on HBO Max.

Spotlight Pick

Fox Rich has had one goal for the past 20 years: to see the release of her husband Rob G. Rich from prison. In our spotlight selection this week we have a Sundance Film Festival award-winning documentary that chronicles the human cost of mass incarceration, highlighting the inequities of who can truly find justice in our current system. Directed by Garrett Bradley, Time follows Rich as she tirelessly works to free her husband, incorporating home videos and private moments to drive home the message. Time is “heartbreaking and passionate,” according to Alissa Wilkinson of Vox, and a “chronicle of love deferred and the life that hope can provide.”

Available to stream October 16 on Amazon Prime.

Along with…
94% Alone (2020) , a thriller about a woman on the run who is stalked by a violent predator.
100% All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) , a documentary that examines the fight against voter disenfranchisement.
94% Babyteeth (2019) , a dark rom-com about a sickly girl who falls for the town screw-up.
71% Becky (2020) , a thriller about a girl left alone who must battle escaped convicts when they invade her vacation home.
93% Blue Story (2019) , a drama about two childhood friends who are torn apart by gang violence.
71% Black Box (2020) , a thriller about a widower recovering from a traumatic brain injury who undergoes experimental treatment.
80% The Broken Hearts Gallery (2020) , a rom-com about an aimless twenty-something who creates an art exhibit to showcase items from past relationships as a means to find closure.
79% Charm City Kings (2020) , a drama about a young man who is seduced by the Baltimore street bike community.
98% Disclosure (2020) , an in-depth documentary about trans performers on screen.
88% Get Duked! (2019) , a comedy about a group of teens who head to the woods for a nature hike, and hijinks ensue.
99% The Forty-Year-Old Version (2020) , about a middle aged playwright who looks to re-invent herself by returning to her hip hop roots.
99% The Fight (2020) , a documentary about the lawyers who work on landmark cases at the Supreme Court for the ACLU.
84% I Used to Go Here (2020) , a comedy about a failed thirtysomething writer travels back to her alma mater trying to relive former glory.
94% John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020) , an intimate documentary on Civil Rights icon and politician John Lewis.
87% Lingua Franca (2019) , about a trans woman who goes to extreme lengths to avoid deportation.
99% Miss Juneteenth (2020) , a drama about a former beauty queen who looks to recapture her glory through her rebellious daughter’s own pageant run.
81% The Painted Bird (2019) , a visceral Holocaust drama about a young orphan’s journey through the grim events of World War II.
97% The Painter and the Thief (2020) , a documentary about an artist who develops an unexpected friendship with one of the men who stole some of her paintings.
63% Radioactive (2019) , a biopic about famed scientist Madame Curie.
92% Relic (2020) , a horror film centered on three generations of women as the elder matriarch suffers from Alzheimer’s.
94% Residue (2020) , about an Ethiopian filmmaker who heads home from school to find his community is unrecognizable.
73% The Rental (2020) , a thriller about a pair of couples who discover they’re under surveillance while vacationing at a seaside rental.
94% The Shadow of Violence (2019) , a drama about a former boxer who is pushed to the darker side of the Irish mob.
89% The Short History of the Long Road (2019) , about a girl and her father who live nomadic lives out of their van.
78% Summerland (2020) , a period drama about a reclusive author who is charged with a ward during WWII.
87% The Truth (2019) , a French dramedy about an aging star actress and her relationship with her daughter.
92% Unpregnant (2020) , a comedy about two former best friends who cross state lines to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.
92% The Vast of Night (2019) , a sci-fi thriller about a young ham radio operator and a local DJ who hear a strange radio transmission.
90% We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (2020) , an eye-opening doc about Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s improv hip-hop group.
90% The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) , a dark comedy-thriller about a Sheriff who appears to be the only person not convinced the town is being terrorized by a werewolf.
89% Zombie for Sale (2019) , a horror-comedy about a family of con-artists who tries to sell zombie bites to strangers as a fountain of youth.

New Indie Trailers

Monsoon

Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) plays a young man who returns home to Vietnam after years away, only to feel like a stranger in his home country.

Hearts and Bones

Hugo Weaving plays an ailing war photographer who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a South Sudanese refugee he once photographed.

Hillbilly Elegy

Glenn Close and Amy Adams play mother and daughter in a drama adapted from J.D. Vance’s acclaimed memoir about his life growing up in poverty-stricken Appalachia.