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This weekend there was a brass band playing Christmas music in front of Toronto’s largest downtown department store. This weekend, all the coffee shops in town packed up their pumpkin spices and pulled out their gingerbread and peppermint goodies. This weekend I put my leather jacket in the closet and dusted off my winter coat.

What I’m saying is, signs that we’re coming up on year-end are everywhere.

As I type these words, AMC is showing THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE. As I listen to it play out in the background, I find I remember almost nothing about it – except for the fact that I watched it in a cinema on opening weekend. I actually made a point to see it too, believing for some reason that it was going to be a film that resonated – in the year at least, if not in years to come. Yet, here I sit fourteen years later, and I cannot think about a film that matters less in the conversation of “Year 2000 Films” than THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE.

Back then, I guess you could say I was watching the wrong films as the year drew to a close. It took a long time for me to catch up with YOU CAN COUNT ON ME and BATTLE ROYALE. I still haven’t seen DANCER IN THE DARK or BEFORE NIGHT FALLS. But I sure as heck caught THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE…and ALL THE PRETTY HORSES…and REMEMBER THE TITANS.

What can I say? My tastes back then left a lot to be desired.

To that end, I’m always worried about repeating my mistakes. I’m worried about putting too much emphasis on UNBROKEN, ANNIE, and INTO THE WOODS, meanwhile not taking time to see IDA…or LISTEN UP, PHILLIP…or FORCE MAJEURE…or BABADOOK. Heck, it was this time last year that I was catching up with THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN, which would resonate with me deeply when I looked back on the year as a whole. What’s more, as much as the studios want us to believe that those last few weeks of the year are where they unload the very best stuff to keep it fresh in the minds of Oscar voters, the fact of the matter is that for me, most of the films that stick with me are films I watch by December first.

So help me here folks. Before we get too distracted with decorations, shopping and lists, list, lists, Help me craft a curriculum that won’t have the best sights and stories left unseen. Be they arthouse, blu-ray, or on-demand – what should I make sure to catch up with before the ball drops?

What smaller 2014 films are not to be missed?

28 Replies to “Looking for The Hidden Gems of 2014”

  1. Oh watch Babadook!! It’s *really* good. And have you watched We Are the Best! yet? I think you’ll at least appreciate it. And also Calvary, Locke, Stranger By the Lake, God Help the Girl, Starred Up, Belle and Ping Pong Summer. I don’t now if you’ve watched any of these but if you haven’t, do check them out.

    Also since I feel like I AM the voice of Bollywood on your site, please watch Queen and Haider!

  2. Don’t sleep on Cold In July & Life After Beth which are now on disc…plus Beyond The Lights which played at TIFF and opens this month

  5. When I was younger I didn’t have the taste that I had today myself. You just work on it as time goes by and you see more movies and get interested in other stuff. Also age is an important factor. You just get interested in other things. I guess everyone went through that phase.

    You should definitely watch Dancer in the Dark. But be prepared. It’s a rough ride.

    You should catch up with all those mentioned above. I saw Ida, Listen Up Phillip and The Babadook from that list. Recommend them all. I heard great stuff about the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge with Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins and Bill Murray.

    Here is my letterboxd list of films from 2014 to see which you can use as inpiration:

    http://letterboxd.com/cristian13/list/2014-films-to-see/page/2/

  6. If you can find it try to seek out Wild Tales. It’s a Argentinian movie and consists of 6 short stories. They all have to do with situations taken to their extreme, so one example is of road rage. It is a very funny film with its dark humor but not to be missed.

  7. Force Majeure and IDA are both on my list to see as well, been procrastinating on the latter since TIFF last year.

    I would recommend you catch:

    The Overnighters (a must!), The Babadook, Kumiko: Treasure Hunter (a hidden gem), and Leviathan (a must!…assuming it gets released soon).

  8. I can recommend: A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Force Majeure, The Infinite Man, The Possibilities are Endless, Ida, Clouds of Sils Maria, Girlhood, Beyond the Lights, Of Horses and Men, Starred Up, The Babadook, Leviathan, 20,000 Days on Earth.

  11. You have seen some of them and others have already been mentioned but off the top of my head:
    I Origins
    Calvary
    20,000 Days on Earth
    ’71
    Starred Up
    Locke
    The Double
    Blue Ruin
    Next Goal Wins
    Two Faces of January
    Belle
    Cold in July
    Oculus
    Pride

    And yes, you need to see The Babadook

  12. Seconding Nik – Queen is awesome!

    Also Tracks, The Giver (yes it *is* pretty good) and you’ve probably seen whatever else I’ve seen.

  14. Other than what has already been mentioned (I second/third Calvary, Ida and Beyond the Lights) I would recommend Pride, Venus in Fur, Tim’s Vermeer, Wadjda, and if it ever shows over there, a tiny Australian film called The Infinite Man. There’s also a few TIFF titles, but I don’t think they’re getting releases this year.

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