Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like The Florida Project:
The Lost Daughter
Few debut movies have the level of care and precision that Maggie Gyllenhaal‘s The Lost Daughter has. An intimate film about fragile bonds between mother and daughter, The Lost Daughter relies on powerful performances from Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Jessie Buckley – all of whom exceed with flying colors.
Read our review of The Lost Daughter
Turning Red
Despite feeling a bit like Pixar is borrowing heavily from their contemporaries, Turning Red is the first movie from the studio to actually move the needle in a while. It’s a story for generations to enjoy, and I always prefer when Pixar aims to appeal to older audiences in conjunction with the usual kids demographic.
Read our review of Turning Red
C’mon C’mon
With C’mon C’mon, Mike Mills continues his deeply personal exploration of familial relationships, following Beginners (about his father) and 20th Century Women (about his mother). This time, he turns inward, reflecting on his role as a father and the complexities of raising a child in an uncertain world. The result is a delicate, introspective film that is both heartfelt and deeply human, even if it doesn’t always hit the emotional highs of Mills’ previous work.
Read our review of C’mon C’mon
Anora
Anora is a film that announces Sean Baker as one of cinema’s pinnacle filmmakers. It’s a starry movie that puts you through the ringer and makes you feel just about every emotion possible. It’s grandiose filmmaking at a very high degree of execution. Baker likes to explore similar themes and character types with each of his films, and he’s never been so clear as to why he finds these particular stories so fascinating.
Nightbitch
I get what Nightbitch is trying to do. This Amy Adams-led satirical drama movie digs deep into the physical and emotional transformations women experience during and after motherhood. Adams plays a new stay-at-home mother who feels trapped in her role, spending long, monotonous hours watching her child while grappling with a profound sense of loss.
Aftersun
Charlotte Wells’ debut movie Aftersun is a juggernaut. Few films demand the time and attention this A24 property does and also delivers on the promise of a deeply resonating ending that will surely endure the test of time and re-watchability. In many ways, Aftersun feels timeless – the rare use of technology or dated material is actually of 20 years past (around the timeframe for our lead character Sophie, played by the wonderful and peppy Frankie Corio, to reminisce the time she spent with her father), and the structural architecture and design of the Turkish resort they stay at is nearly absent. Every frame stays with people, not their surroundings.
Didi
Didi is the debut film from writer/director Sean Wang, who is telling an autobiographical story of growing up Asian in the late 2000s. Izaac Wang plays the impressionable 13-year-old stand-in of the director, who navigates learning to flirt, skate, and live in a three-generation household of women.
Red Rocket
Red Rocket marks a powerful return for Sean Baker, offering a sharp critique of American reality against the backdrop of a neon-lit South. The film is equal parts hilarious, heartbreaking, and brutally honest in a way only Baker can deliver. Simon Rex and Suzanna Son co-star.
All of Us Strangers
Andrew Haigh’s All of Us Strangers emerges as one of the most quietly devastating and emotionally resonant films of 2023. From its opening scene, where Adam (Andrew Scott) and Harry (Paul Mescal) meet in the empty expanse of their apartment complex, the film invites viewers into a world filled with space, vibrant colors, and thoughtful design. Andrew Haigh, known for his work on films like Weekend and 45 Years, crafts a poignant narrative that explores the complexities of love, loss, and the haunting specter of the past. What transpires certainly stands as one of his best works yet as a director.
Read our review of All of Us Strangers
The Fabelmans
The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s latest movie, effectively mines through his childhood to examine his love for film. A complex set of ideas mixed in a way only the master filmmaker could pull together.