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 documentary about the history of stuntwomen in Hollywood, a dramedy about a family of con artists, and a historic beauty pageant. For our Spotlight Pick, we honor the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg by bringing back the recent biopic On the Basis of Sex, which Focus Features reissued this week as a tribute to Ginsburg’s life and legacy. Finally, in our Indie Trailers section, we have new clips featuring Jamie Dornan, Anthony Mackie, Julianne Moore, and Janelle Monáe.
Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story (2020)
100%
Behind every jaw-dropping fight sequence or racing car chase, there’s a talented group of stunt performers, and Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story examines the women who make Charlize Theron, Zoe Saldana, and Uma Thurman look incredible on screen. Featuring countless interviews with stuntwomen, filmmakers, and Hollywood stars like Michelle Rodriguez, who serves a the narrator, the film is “engaging as it weaves personal interviews with a treasure trove of archival footage and images. You really get to understand the history and the struggles these women face every day,” writes Sara Clements of Next Best Picture.
Available to rent or buy on FandangoNow, Vudu, iTunes, and Amazon.
Kajillionaire (2020)
90%
For 26 years, a family of con-artists has lied, schemed, and scammed their way through life. When things get dicey during an ill-conceived heist, they charm a stranger into joining them, the ramifications of which change everything. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood and Gina Rodriguez and is directed by Miranda July, and Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post calls it “Funny, poignant, and ultimately triumphant.”
In select theaters now and available to rent or buy on FandangoNow.
Misbehaviour (2020)
87%
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, and Keira Knightley star in this dramedy that reenacts the events of the 1970 Miss World competition. Knightley and Buckley play members of the women’s liberation movement who plot to confront the sexism of beauty pageants by disrupting the live broadcast of the event. Within the pageant, things are further shaken up when news breaks that one of the competition’s first Black contestants defied the odds and took home the top prize. “Misbehaviour is excellent at not pitting women against each other. The movie takes what could be easily a progressive vs. superficial women narrative and turns it into a compassionate tale of sisterhood,” writes Stefania Sarrubba of The Mary Sue.
Available to rent or buy on FandangoNow, Vudu, iTunes, and Amazon.
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
72%
After the tragic passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the nation and the world has been looking back to celebrate her incredible life and legacy. One the first moments when she demonstrated her brilliant legal mind and commitment to advocacy for women’s rights was in her very first case in front of the Supreme Court. Focus Features has issued a re-release of their 2018 film starring Felicity Jones, in which she plays Ginsburg and of which Charlotte O’Sullivan of the London Evening Standard said, “[Taking] its cue from Ruth, On the Basis of Sex includes everyone in the equation. Mothers – and fathers! – should take their brainy kids to see it.” On the Basis of Sex and the companion documentary RBG will play 1000 theaters this weekend and will also be available on demand, with all proceeds going to the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation.
Available to rent or buy on FandangoNow, Vudu, Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play and playing select theaters.
Along with…
93% Alone (2020) , a thriller about a woman on the run who is stalked by a violent predetor.
100% All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020) , a documentary that examines the fight against voter disenfranchisemnt.
93% The Assistant (2019) , about a young Hollywood assistant to a predatory producer who struggles when presented with daily evidence of his abuse of women.
94% Babyteeth (2019) , a dark rom-com about a sickly girl who falls for the town screw-up.
72% 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.
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.
98% Disclosure (2020) , an in-depth documentary about trans performers on screen.
91% Don't Be Nice (2018) , a documentary about an impressive group competing at the National Slam Poetry contest.
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 Fight (2020) , a documentary about the lawyers who work on landmark cases at the Supreme Court for the ACLU.
86% 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.
91% 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.
88% 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.
100% Welcome to Chechnya (2020) , a powerful documentary about LGBTQ+ rights in the conservative nation of Chechnya.
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.
Cedric the Entertainer and Silicon Valley’s Jimmy O. Yang star in this comedy about an aspiring stand-up comic going on the road as the opening act for his idol.
Alicia Vikander, Julianne Moore, and Janelle Monáe star in this biopic about feminist icon Gloria Steinem.
Jamie Dornan and Anthony Mackie star as a pair of paramedics caught up in a series of bizarre and gruesome accidents.
Thumbnail image by the Everett Collection