10 Additional Sensational Films That Deserve More Appreciation

Part 2, and the last installment, of our hidden gem series highlighting overlooked cinematic standouts.

Image: MUBI

Welcome to the last installment of the “Best of 2024 films” series!

In the first entry, we explored captivating dramas, inspiring underdog stories, and heartfelt coming-of-age journeys. This new chapter continues the spirit, spotlighting films that triumph over trauma with grace and empathy.

Older films appear on this list because of an ever changing distribution system where smaller movies take longer to reach wider audiences. Unpredictable release schedules also make it impossible to see every new release in a year, leading to some notable omissions.

Despite Hollywood’s slowdown, studios delivered a bold lineup of films from diverse auteurs, works that deserve wider audiences and greater critical recognition. These powerful stories span a wide emotional spectrum, from the rarely explored topic of mature female sexuality to the healing capacity of forgiveness.

Together, these ten films affirm Roger Ebert’s belief in cinema as an empathy machine, expanding whose stories are told and revealing their power to resonate universally.

Image: A24

The Rise of Unapologetic Female Desire

Babygirl (2024)

Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies showcased her talent for crafting complex, morally gray female characters. In her follow-up, a daring American erotic thriller, she trades Gen Z horror for Gen X desire, this time starring a major Hollywood name.

Forty-something CEO Romy (Nicole Kidman) feels unfulfilled in her marriage to her dashing Broadway husband Jacob (Antonio Banderas). A chance encounter with Samuel (Harris Dickinson), a young ambitious intern, ignites her repressed desires. Romy’s illicit attraction sparks a sexual awakening, imploding her picture perfect existence.

Rejin identified the missing element in 90s erotic thrillers: a woman’s pursuit of unrestrained pleasure. By focusing on a mature woman, Babygirl represents an unflinching female perspective that defies the ageist norms, especially in Hollywood, that often erase or diminish older women’s desirability. Nicole Kidman’s commanding presence as a tall, sultry redhead, paired with Harris Dickinson’s magnetic charm, ignites a raw, unhinged expression of lust.

Subverting the tired, sanitized romance trope, Babygirl delivers a sophisticated, seductive take on sensuality; placing a woman’s unapologetic sexual appetite at the center of the story.

Director: Halina Reijn

Writer: Halina Reijn

Cinematographer: Jasper Wolf

Editor: Matthew Hannam

Producers: David Hinojosa, Halina Reijn, Julia Oh

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, Sophie Wilde

Where to Stream: Max

Image: Sideshow and Janus Films

Last Summer (2023)

Cringe-worthy premises seldom warrant our attention, but Catherine Breillat’s evocative French drama is a rare exception.

Anne (Léa Drucker), a respected lawyer specializing in child sexual abuse cases, lives a quiet life in a Paris suburb with her older husband, Pierre (Olivier Rabourdin), and their two adopted children. However, when Pierre’s estranged 17-year-old son Théo (Samuel Kircher) moves in, their peaceful routine is suddenly upended.

Known for her passionate depictions of female sexuality, auteur Breillat flips the script on the common trope of an older man seducing a younger woman. We see, in contrast, a manipulative older woman grooming a confident teenage boy.

Breillat’s gender-reversed take on this exploitative genre unpacks the deeper complexities of power and gender dynamics. She rejects the judgmental gaze, instead accentuating the catastrophic fallout of fleeting pleasure and misplaced trust.

Thoughtful and provocative, Last Summer favors melodramatic depth over shock value, offering a nuanced portrait of unchecked female desire.

Director: Catherine Breillat

Writers: Catherine Breillat, Pascal Bonitzer

Cinematographer: Jeanne Lapoirie

Editor: François Quiqueré

Producer: Saïd Ben Saïd

Cast: Léa Drucker, Olivier Rabourdin, Samuel Kircher, Clotilde Courau

Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel, Kanopy

Image: Kino Lorber

Turning Up the Heat on High-Stakes Suspense

Green Border (2023)

Acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland, famed for her potent political narratives, chronicles a family’s brutal, uncompromising odyssey through global migration. Holland’s new film spotlights the Belarusian-Polish border’s swampy forests, also known as the “green border,” where Middle Eastern and African refugees face a geopolitical catastrophe.

A Syrian family, parents, three children (including a baby), and the grandfather, completes the first leg of their escape to Belarus. Their goal: cross the unsecured “green border” into the EU, reach a relative in Sweden, and seek asylum. The paths of the Syrian refugee family escaping ISIS, an Afghan activist turned migrant, and a young border guard converge, irrevocably changing their lives forever.

Holland’s use of stark black-and-white imagery intensifies the harrowing journey of migrants facing grim, often deadly realities. Rather than pushing a political agenda, she underscores the humanitarian crisis, one that has seen thousands of migrants die or vanish en route to Europe since 2014.

A visceral exploration of the moral complexities faced by refugees trading one terror for another, Green Border is a difficult yet masterful cinematic achievement.

Director: Agnieszka Holland

Writers: Maciej Pisuk, Gabriela Łazarkiewicz-Sieczko, Agnieszka Holland

Cinematographer: Tomasz Naumiuk

Editor: Pavel Hrdlička

Producers: Marcin Wierzchoslawski, Fred Bernstein, Agnieszka Holland

Cast: Jalal Altawil, Maja Ostaszewska, Tomasz Włosok, Behi Djanati Atai, Dalia Naous, Mohamad Al Rashi, Maciej Stuhr, Agata Kulesza

Where to Stream: Kino Film Collection, Hoopla, Kanopy

Image: Amazon MGM Studios

Blink Twice (2024)

Zoë Kravitz’s daring directorial debut uses extreme perversion to expose the horrific imbalance of gender power dynamics. She explores a male-dominated world where toxic masculinity reduces women to pawns in a cruel and calculated game.

Cocktail servers and best friends Frida (Naomi Ackie) and Jess (Alia Shawkat) serve drinks at a party hosted by the elusive tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum). King invites the pair to a weekend getaway on his private island. The women eagerly jettison to an undisclosed tropical paradise where memory lapses and suspicious behavior are the least of their concerns.

Kravitz’s vibrant artistic vision twists the picturesque party girl’s fantasy into a horrifying nightmare. With impeccable framing, a saturated color palette, and simmering tension, Kravitz creates a nerve-wracking, unpredictable puzzle that earns its trigger warning.

Blink Twice is a stylish, sinister takedown of powerful men, with razor-sharp #MeToo commentary that cements Kravitz as a filmmaker to watch.

Director: Zoë Kravitz

Writers: Zoë Kravitz, E.T. Feigenbaum

Cinematographer: Adam Newport-Berra

Editor: Kathryn J. Schubert

Producers: Bruce Cohen, Tiffany Persons, Garret Levitz, Zoë Kravitz, Channing Tatum

Cast: Naomi Ackie, Channing Tatum, Alia Shawkat, Christian Slater, Simon Rex, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Kyle MacLachlan, Geena Davis

Where to Stream: MGM+

Image: Well Go USA Entertainment

Fresh Perspectives on Pulsating Action

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is a critically acclaimed Chinese action epic that became the second-highest-grossing domestic film in Hong Kong last year. A love letter to 1980s martial arts cinema, it also made its international debut at the 2024 Cannes Midnight Screening.

As Britain prepares to hand power back to Hong Kong, troubled youth Chan Lok-kwan (Raymond Lam) seeks refuge in the infamous Kowloon Walled City—a chaotic, high-rise sanctuary for society’s outcasts. There, he meets Cyclone (Louis Koo), a reluctant leader who rules with quiet strength and compassion. Chan’s arrival rekindles long-buried tensions, thrusting the city into one final reckoning.

Cheang composes a visually stunning tale of redemption, where explosive gang warfare converges with the haunting allure of tainted legacies. With keen editing, standout performances, and bone-crushing fight choreography, Walled In cements its place as a modern action classic.

Blending comic-book violence with unexpected tender resonance, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In presents a relentless, refined celebration of vintage Hong Kong action cinema.

Director: Soi Cheang

Writers: Au Kin-yee, Shum Kwan-sin, Chan Taili, Lai Chun

Cinematographer: Cheng Siu-keung

Editor: Cheung Ka-fai

Producers: John Chong, Wilson Yip

Cast: Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Kenny Wong, Philip Ng, Tony Wu, German Cheung

Where to Stream: Hi-YAH!, The Roku Channel

Image: Lions gate/Roadside Attractions

Kill (2023)

Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s gripping Bollywood action film raises the bar for commando movies, unleashing a deadly, high-stakes battle against impossible odds.

NSG commando Amrit Rathod (Lakshya) is in love with Tulika Singh (Tanya Maniktala), who defies her wealthy father’s arranged marriage plans. With his longtime military friend Viresh "Bhukhan" Chatwal (Abhishek Chauhan), Amrit boards a train to New Delhi to stop the unwanted engagement. But their mission collides with chaos when Fani Bhushan (Raghav Juyal) and his gang of knife-wielding bandits launch a violent takeover.

Director Nikhil Nagesh Bhat turns this deadly rampage into a non-stop display of close-quarters combat and emotionally charged action. Blending graphic ultraviolence with real dramatic stakes, Kill stands out in a crowded genre.

Lakshya’s intense, breakout performance anchors Bhat’s over-the-top spectacle; making a strong case for Bollywood’s next big action star.

Kill is a perpetually brutal and bloody thrill ride of unrestrained mayhem that’s impossible to look away from.

Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Writer: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Cinematographer: Rafey Mehmood

Editor: Shivkumar V. Panicker

Producers: Karan Johar, Guneet Monga, Apoorva Mehta, Achin Jain

Cast: Lakshya, Raghav Juyal, Ashish Vidyarthi, Abhishek Chauhan, Harsh Chhaya, Tanya Maniktala

Where to Stream: Hulu

Image: IFC Films/Sapan Studio

Resilience and Forgiveness Unlock Freedom

Ghostlight (2024)

Grief becomes an impenetrable armor, blocking the path to healing in Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s absorbing American family drama. Premiering at Sundance, the film was also named one of the National Board of Review’s top ten independent films of 2024.

We meet Dan (Keith Kupferer), a middle-aged, melancholic construction worker whose pent-up frustration erupts. Observing Dan’s altercation with a driver, Rita (Dolly de Leon) suggests he audition for a part in her community’s production of Romeo and Juliet. Against his better judgment, Dan agrees, forcing a confrontation with past trauma that has hindered his family from mending their shattered lives.

O’Sullivan casts a real-life mother, father, and daughter, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Keith Kupferer, and Tara Mallen, all newcomers to acting. Their natural chemistry brings authenticity to this small-town story about art’s power to rehabilitate.

O'Sullivan and Thompson portray grief as a journey rather than a destination. As the story unfolds, the third act gently reveals the source of the family’s buried grief, rewarding patient viewers with a moving and redemptive finale.

Ghostlight, a quiet, meditative drama, offers a poignant look at suppressed sorrow and the transformative power of human connection.

Directors: Kelly O'Sullivan, Alex Thompson

Writer: Kelly O’Sullivan

Cinematographer: Luke Dyra

Editor: Mike S. Smith

Producers: Ian Keiser, Alex Wilson, Alex Thompson, Pierce Cravens, Edwin Linker, Chelsea Krant

Cast: Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Dolly de Leon, Tara Mallen, Hanna Dworkin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Alma Washington, H.B. Ward, Dexter Zollicoffer, Deanna Dunagan, Francis Guinan, Lia Cubilete

Where to Stream: AMC+, Hulu, Acorntv

Image: Roadside Attractions

Exhibiting Forgiveness (2024)

American painter and filmmaker Titus Kaphar’s powerful directorial debut explores the delicate balance of pride and regret. Exhibiting Forgiveness, which Kaphar wrote and produced, is a deeply personal, soul-stirring exploration of the lasting impact of childhood abuse inflicted by his drug-addicted father.

Tarrell (Andre Holland), a young Black artist, travels with his wife Aisha (Andra Day) and their son Jermaine (Daniel Michael Barriere) to his childhood home to help his mother, Joyce (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), relocate. But when his estranged father La’Ron (John Earl Jelks), a recovering addict, makes an unexpected appearance, buried wounds resurface and threaten to derail everything.

Kaphar examines the painful intersection of addiction, abuse, and the redemptive power of art. Interrogating the complexities of forgiveness in the face of trauma, he juxtaposes traditional masculine roles with contemporary expectations of moral responsibility. Holland and Jelks deliver masterful performances, capturing the raw vulnerability required to seek, and extend, forgiveness.

With unflinching honesty and artistic depth, Exhibiting Forgiveness confronts the weight of the past through the healing lens of Black creativity.

Director: Titus Kaphar

Writer: Titus Kaphar

Cinematographer: Lachlan Milne

Editor: Ron Patane

Producers: Stephanie Allain, Derek Cianfrance, Jamie Patricof, Sean Cotton, Titus Kaphar

Cast: André Holland, Andra Day, John Earl Jelks, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Daniel Michael Barriere, Ian Foreman, Matthew Elam, Jaime Ray Newman

Where to Stream: Hulu

Image: MUBI

Navigating Emotional Depth With Authentic Care

How to Have Sex (2023)

Drawing on her personal experiences as a British teen on European holiday trips, Molly Manning Walker crafts an enlightened coming-of-age drama mirroring the sexual pressure faced by young school girls.

On a rites-of-passage holiday, sixteen-year-old best friends Tara (Mia McKenna-Bruce), Em (Enva Lewis), and Skye (Lara Peake) travel to the Malia party resort in Crete, Greece. The girls expect a summer filled with partying, clubbing, and hooking-up, in what should mark the best time of their youthful lives. As the only virgin in her group, Tara’s efforts to keep up with her friends’ sexual experiences make her vulnerable, ultimately resulting in a catastrophic betrayal that leaves her deeply scarred.

In a true-to-life portrayal, Manning’s BAFTA award-winning maturation tale shows how the fine line of adolescence aggression borders on potential predatory behavior. McKenna-Bruce delivers a powerful performance as a young woman whose hopeful optimism is destroyed by sudden trauma. Director Molly Manning handles the sensitive subject matter with restraint and compassion, avoiding sensationalism while capturing the depth of its tragic impact.

How to Have Sex presents an achingly raw examination of the devastation that follows sexual assault and the grueling psychological terrain victims must navigate.

Director: Molly Manning Walker

Writer: Molly Manning Walker

Cinematographer: Nicolas Canniccioni

Editor: Fin Oates

Producers: Emily Leo, Ivana MacKinnon, Konstantinos Kontovrakis

Cast: Mia McKenna-Bruce, Lara Peake, Samuel Bottomley, Shaun Thomas, Enva Lewis, Laura Ambler, Eilidh Loan, Daisy Jelley

Where to Stream: MUBI, Netflix

Image: MTV Documentary Films

Black Box Diaries (2024)

No woman should have to carry the burden of seeking justice alone, especially after a traumatic sexual assault, and especially while being silenced by the very institutions meant to protect her.

Black Box Diaries follows journalist Shiori Itō’s courageous fight to prosecute her prominent attacker and expose the systemic failures of Japan’s outdated legal and cultural attitudes toward sexual violence. Told with the tension of a political thriller, Itō’s unrelenting investigation shines a spotlight on the country's mishandling of assault cases.

Over eight years, she reported fearlessly on her own case, highlighting how strong evidence was ignored while her assailant walked free.

Premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, the film earned a Peabody Award, a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 97th Academy Awards, and a place on the National Board of Review’s Top 5 Documentaries of 2024.

Black Box Diaries is a brave and intimate account of one woman’s battle against powerful men and the systems that shield them.

Director: Shiori Itō

Cinematographers: Hanna Aqvilin, Yuta Okamura, Shiori Itō, Yuichiro Otsuka

Editor: Ema Ryan Yamazaki

Producers: Eric Nyari, Hanna Aqvilin, Shiori Itō

Where to Stream: Paramount+

All films are available to rent or purchase via VOD platforms.

Got a favorite hidden gem from last year? Drop it in the comments; I’d love to check it out. And don’t forget to subscribe for more underrated discoveries coming your way.