Year in review: 21 hidden gem films of 2021

Ryusuki Hamaguchi is a well-known director in some circles, and his latest won Best International Feature at the Gotham Awards. However, it made just $10,000 at the box office, which is less than some of us pay in taxes. 

Shadow in the Cloud didn't get much love when it came out in January, but it still somehow worked. It's the kind of movie that will have you laughing at the premise (Aliens meets Midway) while also gripping your seat in suspense.  

Speaking of suspense, no movie had more tension than this Montana-set Western. The angst between Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemmons looms large as a mountain, yet bristles as intimately as a blade of grass. Jane Campion has done it again. She's given us a movie that moves, sounds, and breathes like no other movie ever made. 

Paul Schrader got his first Oscar nomination for 2018's First Reformed and he'll probably get another one here. Oscar Isaac may get one as well. And yet this movie never cracked Netflix's Top 10. 

This is a great year for rock docs. We got The Beatles: Get Back, Becoming Led Zeppelin, and even a movie about Leonard Cohen. Then there's Summer of Soul, a rock doc that was barely watched or written about. That's not to say it isn't good. It's a treat to watch Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, and The Temptations pour their hearts out on stage. 

Quo Vadis, Aida? made $400,000 at the box office, which is less than the budget for catering on Avengers. That being said, the movie packs more of a punch than Thor, Hulk, and Iron Man combined.  

Funny, heartfelt, and beautifully acted, Sian Heder's directorial debut is one of those films that leaves you in tears. The final 30 minutes--involving a talent show, a college application, and a warm embrace-- will have you racing to the kitchen for more tissues. Please give it a watch: more people need to see it! 

Michael Dweck's documentary about 80-year-old truffle hunters doesn't scream, "shut up and take my money!" But once these men enter the woods, you'll be glad you spent the $14.99 to watch it on YouTube. 

More truffles! Nicolas Cage plays a truffle hunter on the outskirts of Oregon, where his pig is stolen and his house is ruined. Cage has starred in a lot of B-movies over the years, but this may be is his best. 

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar isn't what you would call great filmmaking. It's not even the best movie Kristen Wiig starred in this year. However, as a particular kind of indie, we had to include it on this list. I mean, where else can you watch someone save the world from a hive of bees? 

Ever wanted to run away? To leave your job, house, and mortgage behind? It's something many of us dream of, but few of us have the balls to do. The Enaches, a family living in the reeds just outside of Bucharest, actually did it. In this lyrical, breathtaking documentary, we watch as the Enaches live off the land, the river, and the ease of nature. 

I'm a sucker for rock docs, The Velvet Underground, and any movie that references the 60's, so this one was a shoo-in. Plus, almost no one saw it. The most influential band of all time didn't get much attention when they came out in 1967, so it's fitting that this documentary didn't get much attention either. 

We're putting an asterisk on this one because The White Tiger came out last year. However, we still wanted to include it because, in addition to streaming on Netflix in January, it's a really solid film. It has interesting things to say about India's class system and a killer second-act twist. 

It's not unusual for a foreign film to go unnoticed. Undine is a special case, though. Christian Petzold is a household name, with Academy Award nominations for Barbara and Phoenix. Hopefully, people will discover Undine as well.   

Yes, it's a movie about two strippers who travel to Florida and end up doing sex work. Yet Zola is an absolute delight, a buddy comedy/horror flick that has real things to say about identity, self-worth, and social media. It's too bad so many people were turned off by its premise. 

Did you know there was a missing Leonardo da Vinci painting? I didn't until I watched this documentary about Salvator Mundi, a painting lost in Florence and found in New York centuries later. What are the odds?  Let's just say you'd have a better chance betting on The Jets to win the Super Bowl. 

This is not the first film to mix documentary and animation. However, it is the first film to do it effectively. Flee is as much a work of animation as it is a document of damnation, an inside look at what it means to be an immigrant in Afghanistan. Powerful, honest, and underrated. 

Passing didn't get as much love as its fellow period piece Belfast, maybe because it doesn't have a big-name director or a Van Morrison soundtrack. But it does have something Belfast doesn't: a heart. Sorry Belfast fans, but this is the only period piece that matters. 

OK, so Pixar shouldn't be anywhere near a "hidden gems" list. And yet Luca is their least-watched movie... so here it is. 

Benedict Cumberbatch's best performance of 2021 may be in The Power of the Dog. The film is a masterpiece. But there's something to be said for his role in The Courier, a nifty little thriller that made less money than it cost to make.  

Lastly, there's Spoor. We are pretty sure this is the least seen film of the bunch. We're talking about a movie that made $1 million internationally. If you saw Spoor, you're in rare company. If you haven't--what gives?