Between singing serial killers, ice cream monsters, and growing up, the summer of 2024 was a better year for films than you think. Hidden in the pink and atomic shadow of last summer’s Barbenheimer phenomenon lies a special collection of independent films released this summer, through which the artistry and meaning of modern cinema were sustained. And yes, I’m talking about Glen Powell’s delightfully toothy performance in Hit Man. The following is a roundup of films released in these past couple of months (leaving out many critically acclaimed works that I did not get the opportunity to see) that impressed a positive mark on my Letterboxd diary (in no particular order).
1. Daughters
Natalie Rae and Angela Patton’s Daughters is an artistically and socially impactful documentary about the 12-week “Date With Dad” fatherhood program that hosts a dance for incarcerated fathers and their daughters. The film is equally heartbreaking as it is heartfelt—a contemplative reflection of the oppressive nature of the U.S. prison system and its effect on familial bonds. For a majority of the four main girls featured in this documentary, the dance is the only time during in which they are allowed to touch or hug their fathers during their sentences. To try and summarize, review, or accurately process a film that so intricately depicts inequity, love, forgiveness, punishment, and time feels unfair and reductive. Truly understanding the power of this film requires a thorough and receptive watch.
2. Dìdi
As someone who avoids California skaters at all costs, I was pleasantly surprised by the honesty, humor, and overall charm of Sean Wang’s Dìdi. The coming-of-age film, set in the late 2000’s, follows Chris, a Taiwanese-American tween who seeks a place and identity in a changing world. Didì is a fun and comedic journey, but the throughline centers on the complexities of a young person’s relationship with his mom. Exploring themes of growth, identity, masculinity, parenthood, and friendship, Dìdi finds depth, significance, and truth through MySpace, video cameras, skateboarding, and early YouTube.
3. I Saw the TV Glow
I was disappointed to see my friends and peers avoid Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow due to its marketing as a horror film. The horror of I Saw the TV Glow, despite the film’s inclusion of monsters, dream-like villains, and other-worlds, doesn’t emerge through jump-scares or brief, unsettling moments. Rather, it unveils itself but by way of the notion that the window of time to realize your truest self can so easily slip away, leaving you to wonder if it’s too late. The film feels like a portal into an indescribable emotion and universe, and shows its audience something they may never have seen. A thoughtful and immersive allegory of transgender experiences, I Saw the TV Glow is a haunting, transportive, and creative exploration of dysphoria. Either way, give horror films a chance!
4. Crossing
Levan Akin’s Crossing follows a Georgian woman, Lia, and her former student’s brother, Achi, searching through Turkey to find her lost niece, Tekla. Tekla, a trans woman, is thought to be living in Istanbul with her friends, and after the passing of her mother, Lia enters an unfamiliar world in order to reconnect with her. Crossing became my favorite foreign film I’ve witnessed this year, due to the empathetic treatment of its layered characters, its insight into the dynamics of intergenerational relationships, and its representation of culture, identity, and marginalized communities through a loving lens. Crossing is so alive, and hurtfully under-recognized.
As stated, there is a vast collection of films released this summer that received widespread acclaim, and I was unable to attend screenings of them (and perhaps won’t in the near future). Though this summer felt a little bit small for cinema, uncovering truly special and moving films was a consistent and rewarding experience for an obsessive film major such as myself. Though the upcoming months have already proved promising for the cinematic landscape, with projects such as Anora, The Substance, A Different Man, Babygirl, and Nosferatu premiering this fall, the outstanding openings of this summer deserve equal praise and awareness.