When we think of great filmmakers, there is a chance we tread down the path of mentorship. Perhaps it’s a chance we consider if the person who started our preferred film was also a fan of the same type of films or not. If that’s the case I have found one man who has worked as both a film critic and director creating films that you have probably never heard of. Somewhere along the line, he decided to change his life by creating something he originally thought would be impossible. Today, I’m going to share with you 7 best underrated films and tell you why they deserve more recognition. If you enjoy learning about great movies and have an interest in discovering new movies, then this article is perfect for you.
1. Columbus (2017)
Director- Kogonada
When a renowned architecture researcher falls ill unexpectedly while on a speaking tour, his son Jin finds himself trapped in Columbus, Indiana, a small Midwestern city known for its many notable modernist structures. Jin befriends Casey, a young architect who works at the local library. Jin and Casey investigate the town as well as their own conflicted emotions as their relationship grows.
2. Short Term 12 (2013)
Director- Destin Daniel Cretton
Grace and Mason, the hidden couple who work as supervisors at the short-term 12 community for disadvantaged and at-risk adolescents, consult the troublesome teenagers with devotion. Grace, who is capable and sympathetic, does her best to help the children under these circumstances, but she, too, is a traumatised individual who hides her damaged self behind her work. She will have no choice but to confront her own past when the bright, tough, but frail Jayden, who suffers from self-harm problem, is admitted to the community.
3. At Eternity’s Gate (2018)
Director- Julien Schnabel
The last two years of Vincent van Gogh’s life (1888-1890) are chronicled, with a focus on his time in southern France, particularly Arles. He is motivated by his art and what it means to him, rather than by the primary purpose of making money, which he achieves by not selling any of his paintings and relying on his brother, Theo van Gogh, for financial and emotional support.
Van Gogh is perceived as less contemplative about his work than his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin, who has had some success. This is due in part to the pace at which he paints and what is perceived as a haphazard technique of heavy strokes of paint on the canvas. Regardless of how productive he is, he is undoubtedly more introspective. As seen by an iconic event involving his left ear, his overall thoughtful tendency presents itself more as craziness, either apparent or actual.
4. Mama (2013)
Director- Andres Muschietti
Close sisters Victoria and Lily, who were left stranded in the unwelcoming woods five years after their parents’ sad deaths, unexpectedly reunite with their father’s twin brother Lucas and his fiancée Annabel. Without a doubt, how two sickly little unprotected youngsters managed to survive on their own for so long is a marvel, but someone—or even something—must have been guarding them in the dark, deadly jungle. Annabel gradually suspects that, while the girls are settling into this safe, loving environment, whoever/whatever it was is still lurking nearby.
5. The Road (2009)
Director- John Hillcoat
After a disaster, America is a bleak, grey shadow of its former self. A man (Viggo Mortensen) and his young son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) walk across a post-apocalyptic world, attempting to maintain the dream of civilisation. They make their way to the sea, surviving as best they can on what they can find while avoiding roving groups of violent humans who will enslave or kill them.
6. Synchronic (2019)
Director- Justin Benson
When Steve and Dennis, two New Orleans paramedics and longtime friends, are summoned to a sequence of strange and brutal accidents, they chalk it up to a mystery new substance discovered on the site. However, once Dennis’ oldest daughter vanishes, Steve discovers a horrifying secret. The ostensibly hallucinogenic that will test everything he believes about reality — and the passage of time itself.
7. Detroit (2017)
Director- Kathryn Bigelow
1967: The police and the black residents of Detroit appear to be permanently at odds. Owing to the police’s discriminatory and heavy-handed approach to African-Americans. When the cops raid an unlicensed black club, the locals riot. The National Guard and the State Police are dispatched, and Detroit begins to resemble a war zone. On a tragic night, the Algiers Motel is raided by local cops in connection with sniper fire. The police response quickly escalates.
Do you agree? Underrated films deserve more recognition, and today I’ want I’ve given you my list of the best underrated films. I hope that after reading this article you’ll learn something new and discover new hidden gems in your favorite genres.
