10 Underrated Films From The Last 5 Years That Flew Way Under The Radar

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 97%

Box Office: $943,000

Director Clio Barnard made her own little mark in British cinema with her critically acclaimed experimental documentary The Arbor in 2010, though it wasn’t until she made her foray into feature-length film making three years later that she established herself as an exciting new presence on the UK scene. With many a comparison made to Ken Loach, the newcomer was unlucky to be largely ignored by wider audeinces for her fascinating debut The Selfish Giant.

Inspired by the Oscar Wilde story of the same name, the film follows two young Bradford boys named Arbor and Swifty, both of whom have plenty of time on their hands after being suspended from school for fighting. The two soon realise that they can make themselves some money by stealing and selling scrap metal, but a wedge is driven between them when the local merchant takes a shine to one and has no time for the other.

The finale is as hard to watch as most everything that comes before it, though, despite this being a tough film for most viewers to digest, it feels well worth the effort by the time it does. Barnard’s frank honesty is what makes this absorbing movie worthy of the critical acclaim, and her young leads Connor Chapman and Shaun Thomas thrive under her direction, both delivering truly authentic performances.