12 Best Hidden Gem Movies Of 2016

In an era when filmmaking is a far riskier, less profitable endeavour than it was years ago, big studios tend to stick to predictably lucrative movies more and more. Unfortunately, this means a whole host of brilliant films are overshadowed by banal, big budget blockbusters designed to appeal to the masses rather than offer anything resembling a unique movie.

Of course, some smaller indie films achieve crossover success and 2016 had its fair share of those movies. Hell or High Water, The Witch and Manchester by the Sea all earned not only critical acclaim but also very respectable box office profits considering their relatively tiny budgets.

But for every crossover indie hit there’s a tonne more that fall by the wayside, confined to chatter amongst arty film festival types and limited theatre runs. Fear not though: we’re here to bring you the definitive line-up of last year’s must-see under the radar movies.

Norwegian director Joachim Trier, the same mind behind the critically acclaimed films Reprise and Oslo, August 31st, made his English language debut last year with Louder Than Bombs – a film about familial relationships, grief and memory.

Gabriel Byrne stars as Gene, a teacher and father to the newly married Jonah (Jesse Eisenberg) and high school-aged loner Conrad (Devin Druid). Together they make up the remaining family unit left behind after the death of their matriarch, celebrated war photographer Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), three years earlier.

The movie focuses on the impact upon them when a retrospective of Isabelle’s photography career threatens to reveal the true circumstances surrounding her death and Byrne, Eisenberg and Druid excel as the grieving trio dealing with conflicting memories of their matriarch. Huppert is amazing as per usual too, despite a relatively small amount of screen time compared to her co-stars.

It didn’t quite get the recognition it deserved on the Yankee side of the pond but it did scoop Trier the Nordic Council Film Prize, one of the most prestigious movie awards in northern Europe.