The Report opens in select theaters this month and streams on Amazon Prime on November 29.
Welcome to TAKE 2, our monthly feature where we highlight recent Chicago International Film Festival selections that are now playing in theaters or on streaming platforms in case you missed them at the Festival! Take a look below for the best of #ChiFilmFest to watch this month.
In Theaters
MOTHERLESS BROOKLYN
Director: Edward Norton
Opening Night, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely guarded secrets that hold the fate of New York in the balance. In a mystery that carries him from gin-soaked jazz clubs in Harlem to the hard-edged slums of Brooklyn and, finally, into the gilded halls of New York’s power brokers, Lionel contends with thugs, corruption and the most dangerous man in the city to honor his friend and save the woman who might be his own salvation.
Screening Details:
Opens November 1, visit website for showtimes
AMC River East 21, 322 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611
HARRIET
Director: Kasi Lemmons
Black Perspectives, Gala Presentation, Women in Cinema, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Based on the thrilling and inspirational life of an iconic American freedom fighter, Harriet tells the extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity, and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
Screening Details:
Opens November 1, visit website for showtimes
AMC River East 21, 322 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611
THE IRISHMAN
Director: Martin Scorsese
Gala Presentation, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.
Opens November 1, visit website for showtimes
2828 North Clark Street, at Diversey, Chicago, IL, 60657
HONEY BOY
Director: Alma Har’e
Special Presentation, Women in Cinema, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
From a screenplay by Shia LaBeouf, award-winning filmmaker Alma Har’el brings to life a young actor’s stormy childhood and early adult years as he struggles to reconcile with his father through cinema and dreams. Fictionalizing his childhood ascent to stardom, and subsequent adult crash-landing into rehab and recovery, Har’el casts Noah Jupe and Lucas Hedges as Otis Lort, navigating different stages in a frenetic career. LaBeouf takes on the daring and therapeutic challenge of playing a version of his own father, an ex-rodeo clown and a felon. Har’el’s feature narrative debut is a one-of-a-kind collaboration between filmmaker and subject, exploring art as therapy and imagination as hope.
Screening Details:
Opens November 8, visit website for showtimes
AMC River East 21, 322 E Illinois St Chicago, IL 60611
THE KINGMAKER
Director: Lauren Greenfield
Official Selection, Documentary, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Infamous in the 1980s for her massive shoe collection, former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos became an international symbol of political corruption and decadence. Now, acclaimed filmmaker Lauren Greenfield (The Queen of Versailles) gains extraordinary access to Marcos, who, despite her fall, remains a major powerbroker in her nation’s politics. The Kingmaker is a harrowing, up-close and personal portrait of political dynasties and the stubborn persistence of authoritarian rule.
Screening Details:
Opens November 15, visit website for showtimes
Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601
WAVES
Director: Trey Edward Schultz
Special Presentation, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family—led by a well-intentioned but domineering father—as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. From acclaimed director Trey Edward Shults, Waves is a heartrending story about the universal capacity for compassion and growth even in the darkest of times.
Opens November 15, visit website for showtimes
AMC River East 21, 322 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611
KNIVES OUT
Director: Rian Johnson
Centerpiece, Comedy, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, The Last Jedi) pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie in Knives Out, a fun, modern-day murder mystery where everyone is a suspect. With an all-star ensemble cast including Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer, Knives Out is a witty and stylish whodunit guaranteed to keep audiences guessing until the very end.
Opens November 26, visit website for showtimes
AMC River East 21, 322 E Illinois St, Chicago, IL 60611
On Streaming
ATLANTICS
Director: Mati Diop
Black Perspectives, Global Currents, Women in Cinema, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Along the Atlantic coast, a Futuristic tower looms over a suburb of Dakar. Ada, 17, is in love with Souleiman, a young construction worker. But she has been promised to another man. One night, Souleiman and his co-workers leave the country by sea, in hope of a better future. Several days later, a fire ruins Ada’s wedding and a mysterious fever starts to spread. Little does Ada know that Souleiman has returned.
Streaming Details:
Atlantics is available to stream on Netflix starting November 9.
I LOST MY BODY
Director: Jérémy Clapin
Global Currents, In Focus: French Animation, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
In a Parisian laboratory, a severed hand escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body in this Cannes Critics’ Week selection. During a hairraising escapade across the city, the extremity fends off pigeons and rats alike to reunite with pizza boy Naoufel. Its memories of Naoufel and his love for librarian Gabrielle may provide answers about what caused the hand’s separation, and a poetic backdrop for a possible reunion between the three. Based on the novel Happy Hand by Academy Award®-nominee Guillaume Laurant (Amélie).
Streaming Details:
I Lost My Body is available to stream on Netflix starting November 19.
THE IRISHMAN
Director: Martin Scorsese
Gala Presentation, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci star in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, an epic saga of organized crime in post-war America told through the eyes of World War II veteran Frank Sheeran, a hustler and hitman who worked alongside some of the most notorious figures of the 20th century. Spanning decades, the film chronicles one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in American history, the disappearance of legendary union boss Jimmy Hoffa, and offers a monumental journey through the hidden corridors of organized crime: its inner workings, rivalries and connections to mainstream politics.
Streaming Details:
The Irishman is available to stream on Netflix starting November 27.
THE REPORT
Director: Scott Z. Burns
Special Presentation, 55th Chicago International Film Festival
In this thriller based on actual events, idealistic Senate staffer Daniel J. Jones (Adam Driver) is tasked by his boss, Dianne Feinstein (Annette Bening), to lead an investigation into the CIA’s post-9/11 Detention and Interrogation Program. Jones’ relentless pursuit of the truth leads to explosive findings that uncover the lengths to which the nation’s top intelligence agency went to destroy evidence, subvert the law, and hide a brutal secret from the American public.
Streaming Details:
The Report is available to stream on Amazon Prime starting November 29.
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