9 Criminally Underrated 2013 Films You Probably Missed

6. Best Man Down

In the long list of unseen films, Best Man Down is undoubtedly one of the most unjustly ignored of 2013. Originally made in 2012, the film didn't see release in the US until November 2013, and even then it was only on a limited basis. Quite why the studio didn't have faith in the film remains a baffling mystery for those who have seen and enjoyed it: it's not the most wave-making film of this or any year, but it is a slow-burning success of well-drawn characters and strong story-telling, even if it has a little darkness at its heart. The tone wanders a little, but the "twist" at the end, which comes as no surprise in itself, but which is framed as a shock because the rest of the film insists that the narrative is heading in another direction, is a great moment of under-appreciated writing. Critics unfairly panned the film as sloppy and confused, but the film's biggest crime seems to have been that it was never essential viewing, and that its studio had no faith in it whatsoever. It follows the death of the unfortunately named Lumpy (Tyler Labine) whose best friend (and the groom to Lumpy's best man) must go on a journey, both metaphorical and actual to tell the people he knew of the death, rather than going on his honeymoon, as well as discovering what Lumpy's life has become in their estrangement. When other indie films are proclaimed master-pieces simply by being gentle and ponderous, it is a tragedy that Best Man Down - a genuinely emotionally affecting film - was ignored entirely. Why You Didn't See It It was released with pretty much zero fanfare, and an audience can't have massive expectations when a film is made one year, and released right at the end of the next.