As the year comes to an end, the films of 2024 have taken their place in film history… for good or bad. Awards season is focusing a lot of attention on certain films right now. However, they are not the only ones that deserve your time. Due to all the different outlets available for watching movies, some options could get lost amid all the choices. That would be a shame. This year was full of movies to love, no matter what your favorite genre is, and I’m here to help you avoid missing out on a great viewing experience. Here are the Top Ten Underrated Films of 2024.
Thelma
Senior citizens don’t usually get as much respect– or even as much attention at all– as they deserve on screen. This film changes that. June Squibb, always a treasure, plays the title character, a 93-year-old who is targeted by phone scammers and then sets out to get her money back. The comedy is quite successful throughout this film. There is also a bit of action for Squibb to do, which is unexpected and welcome. The supporting cast includes Richard Roundtree, Parker Posey, Clark Gregg, Malcolm McDowell, and newcomer Fred Hechinger (who also recently starred in Gladiator II). Quite a roster. Crowd-pleasing is truly the right term to describe this story. You will be cheering for Thelma to triumph, to not just get her money back but also prove she can still take care of herself. This one is a treat to spend your time on.
Thelma is streaming on Hulu.
Joy
If you want a film that taps into issues of scientific progress and women’s reproductive rights that are relevant today, look no further than this film. Joy is a delicate and effective drama about the scientists and patients who gave the world in vitro fertilization. Doctors Robert Edwards (James Norton) and Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy) along with nurse Jean Purdy (Thomasin Mackenzie) join together to help women who want to have children. They have to break through tough medical and societal barriers to do so but their work eventually results in the first IVF baby, Louise Joy Brown. Strong religious opposition doesn’t stop them. Even when it comes from Purdy’s own mother. The emotions throughout are well-calibrated, and the finale will absolutely make you tear up.
Joy is streaming on Netflix.
Flow
This film is a bit of an unusual choice. Flow is an independent animated film that is Latvia’s entry for the Acadamy Awards, and it is stunning. There is no dialogue here. The story focuses on a black cat and his interactions with other animals as the world undergoes apocalyptic flooding. The animation style is unique and memorable here, while the score is phenomenal. That’s not all though. Don’t let the lack of human characters fool you into thinking the plot is slight, because it’s not. There is a lot going on here. I especially loved the hints at what human civilization might have been before the flooding, as well as the evidence that animals have evolved a bit by this time. In a year packed with good animation, this film is excellent and worth seeking out.
Flow is currently in theaters.
Sing Sing
Oscar nominee Colman Domingo leads this low-key but memorable drama. He plays John “Divine G” Whitfield, incarcerated at the prison of the title for a crime he did not commit. Participating in a theater troupe gives him purpose while behind bars and you can see it does the same for the other men, too. Authenticity is the guiding principle of this production, and Domingo’s performance is only the most conspicuous example of that. The inmates playing themselves, especially Clarence Maclin, and the story itself add their own realism. The power of art is examined in a very humane and subtle way. Director Greg Kwedar uses the technical aspects of the film to add even more impact. I won’t spoil the plot but especially look for Domingo’s performance in the final scenes.
Sing Sing will be re-released in theaters on January 17, 2025.
My Old Ass
Megan Park, who you might recognize as an actress, wrote and directed this coming-of-age comedy, and it’s better than you expect. Talented newcomer Maisey Stella plays Elliott, a queer girl who takes psychedelic mushrooms with her friends on her 18th birthday and talks to her older self. The humor and dialogue here have a real respect for all the nuances of girlhood, and the laughs come quick and plentiful. And, surprisingly, so do the emotions. The third act turn in this is unexpected but well-handled and it really leaves an impression. The other young actors and Aubrey Plaza as older Elliott are appealing as well. This one probably flew under the radar for you given all the streaming films offered now but that’s a shame because it takes an interesting view on the question, “Would you change the past if you could?”
My Old Ass is streaming on Prime Video.
Sugarcane
National Geographic is a reliable source for important documentaries and this year, that’s Sugarcane. The harrowing subject here is the abuse inflicted on Indian children at residential schools on reservations like the Sugarcane Reservation in British Columbia, Canada. The schools were operated by the Catholic Church and the atrocities perpetrated by the priests and nuns there were heart-wrenching. This film does an excellent job of showing how intergenerational trauma affects the Native peoples of North America. It is still ongoing, too, as evidenced by the scene where the tribe’s current chief reveals some of the hateful, racist messages he received in response to news of an investigation into the schools after graves were discovered on the grounds. A true story that is painful but necessary to tell.
Sugarcane is streaming on Disney Plus.
Woman of the Hour
For more true-crime, this dramatization of the Dating Game Killer is worth watching. Anna Kendrick directs and stars as Sheryl, an aspiring actress with no success. Her agent gets her onto the Dating Game for exposure but it leads to much more than that. One of the bachelors is Rodney Alcala. He was a serial killer who had been operating in multiple states for years. This film bounces back and forth between the game show taping and Alcala’s crimes, especially his interaction with one victim when he was finally arrested. But the focus here is not on the man who victimized women. It is on Sheryl and the women affected by what he did. My favorite thing about the writing and directing here is how it centers women. It recognizes the depressing state of men and how they relate to women.
Woman of the Hour is streaming on Netflix.
Watchmen Chapter I and II
I know I’m cheating a bit by including two films here but this is one whole adaptation divided into two parts, so I can’t really separate them. As I said before, animation had a very good year in 2024. This version of the graphic novel masterpiece Watchmen was only released on digital and BluRay but it’s well worth the time. The excellent story about former masked heroes tracking down a murderer in their midst is retained, as is the adult tone. I think the animation style looks great and the voice acting is outstanding too. Matthew Rhys, Katee Sackhoff, Titus Welliver, and Troy Baker give their characters life. And its in service of storytelling that is so good as to be widely influential in the decades since the comic was published. Watchmen is entertaining in every medium and this production proves that.
Watchmen Chapter I and II are available to rent or purchase on digital.
Didi
Like other films on this list, Didi distinguishes itself by being authentic. This coming-of-age dramedy is about Chris Wang (Izaac Wang) as his experiences the summer before he starts high school change him forever. It’s set in 2008, as MySpace was giving way to Facebook, and it deftly nails the specific nuances of growing up online. It also tackles growing up multiculturally. Chris is Taiwanese-American and straddles that identity the whole film. It’s moments of humor and drama all feel very real. Even if you’ve never been a 13-year-old boy, this film makes it easy to remember what that age was like and how everything felt like life and death even though it very much wasn’t. Add to that the fact that the sublime Joan Chen plays Chris’ mother and you have a must-watch film of this year.
Didi is streaming on Peacock.
Jane Austen’s Period Drama
Viewers need to know up front that this short film is not an adaptation of Jane Austen’s work in any way. It is simply set during the same time period and blends comedy and romance the way her work does. Estrogenia (Julia Aks) is expecting a proposal from Dr. Dickley (Ta’imua) but she gets her period at the most inopportune moment. I laughed out loud through what follows. Estrogenia tells her suitor the facts about women’s bodies while her family listens in, cringing. The love story is happily not ended by this indelicate conversation. I’m a Jane Austen superfan, so I loved it, but you don’t have to be devoted to the classic author to enjoy this brilliant idea for a comedic short film that is well-executed. Especially look for the final moments and the hilarious scene with the end credits.
Jane Austen’s Period Drama is streaming on Kanopy.
Have you seen and enjoyed any of these films? What are your own Top Ten Underrated Films of 2024?
