Best Seriously Overlooked Films of 2011
By Tom Houseman
February 23, 2012
BoxOfficeProphets.com

You don't know us. But you have overlooked us.
I have spent the last three years on my knees, begging and weeping, in an attempt to convince David Mumpower that we need to change the definition of “overlooked” for our Calvin award for Best Overlooked Film of the year. My throat is raw from begging, I am massively dehydrated from all the weeping, and my legs no longer know how to stay in any other position than bent at the knees. And through it all, my efforts have been fruitless. Once again we declared that any film that made less than $25 million was to be declared “overlooked” and eligible for that award.

When was the last time you overlooked anything that cost $25 million? If a new ferrari sports car costs $250,000, you could buy one-hundred of them for $25 million. If you saw a pile of a hundred ferraris, would you be able to overlook it? I find it unlikely that you would. That is why, if I had my say, we would drop the cutoff for “overlooked” status much lower. Unfortunately, I don't have my say (David keeps on telling that this site is not a BOPocracy, it is a BOPtatorship) so I have to find my own way of promoting the films that I consider to actually be overlooked. That's why, for the third year running, I bring you the Best Seriously Overlooked Films of the year. All of these films made less than $1 million at the domestic box-office and have combined for a whopping zero Oscar nominations.

It is rare for action movies to show up on this list, since most of them have big budgets and big studios pushing them down our throats, but when a foreign action film wanders onto American soil it's a reminder of just how terrible most American action flicks are. Number ten on this list is Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, an Argentinian cop drama that features some of the most exciting action sequences of the year. But it also has a powerful message about the dangers of government corruption, how people are manipulated by both politicians and the media, and how fighting against this corruption can be extremely dangerous. But if you don't care about any of that you'll still enjoy the great chase scenes and gun fights. Americans were too busy seeing Cowboys & Aliens to check out this far superior film, which didn't even crack $100,000 at the box-office.

Documentaries can often be dull and emotionless, or sacrificing story for the sake of beating the audience over the head with a political message. But possibly the most emotionally gutwrenching films of the year is the ninth best seriously overlooked film of the year, Project Nim. You could almost see this documentary as a companion piece to Rise of the Planet of the Apes, except this story is even more harrowing and depressing because it's true. Nim was a chimpanzee used in a study on animal language acquisition who spent most of his life living among humans. It's painful watching the people in charge of him acting so inhumane, treating him as part child, part pet, never really understanding him. Unfortunately, documentaries not about exciting topics like penguins and slide shows don't get a lot of attention from film goers, so Project Nim only made $411,184.

It's not surprising that a lot of foreign language films and documentaries make this list, and my number eight pick is the second of three non-English language films to make an appearance. But if audiences knew just how thrilling, captivating, and sexy The Housemaid was, my guess is they'd have been able to live with some subtitles. The Housemaid is a remake of a 1960s Korean classic, and the way it is updated to a modern setting is incredibly effective. Plus, it features four of the best performances of the year. I had never heard of any of the actors in the film, but Do-Yeon Jeon's frail sensitivity, Jung-Jae Lee's mesmerizing charisma, and especially Woo Seo's terrifying cruelty, do these fascinating and multi-dimensional characters justice. Sadly, sexy Korean thrillers don't get a lot of air time, as The Housemaid only took in $157,961 in the US.

I'm surprised that my number six film, Terri, is the highest grossing film on the list, making $655,802. The film is a slow, melancholy, oddly sweet look at an obese, miserable teenager trying to survive high school. It is likely that the film got what attention it did because of co-star John C. Reilly, who plays the charmingly awkward principal who befriends Terri as well as you'd expect. But what makes this film so powerful is the trio of younger actors who take up the bulk of the film's screen time. Joseph Wysocki is extraordinary, bringing so much sadness and a faint optimism to a very quiet role. His Terri is one of the most compelling, sympathetic protagonists of the year. Olivia Crocicchia does a superb job playing a popular girl recovering from a scandal, and Bridger Zadina multiple dimensions to his outrageous character as a shrimpy outcast who befriends Terri. Performances this good from such young actors are rare, and considerably elevate this beautiful film.

It is difficult to make a compelling documentary entirely comprised of found footage, but that is what Goran Olsson accomplishes with The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, number six on my list. During the '60s and '70s there was an influx of Swedish filmmakers wandering around America recording footage. Almost accidentally they were able to record the racial conflict that embroiled New York after Martin Luther King Jr's assassination. Olsson found tons of footage of interviews and events led by figures such as Stokely Carmichael and Angela Davis, and was able to compile into a straightforward and simple story that even those who don't know much about the civil rights movement will be able to understand. The result is a fascinating and educational documentary that desperately needs to be seen by more people, as the film only grossed $273,749.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo advertised itself as “the feel bad movie of Christmas,” but I don't think any movie of the last year made me feel as bad as the fifth best overlooked film at the year, We Need to Talk about Kevin. This deeply disturbing, supremely uncomfortable movie is like watching the most amazing car crash of all time. It is captivating and strangely beautiful, but so incredibly upsetting in its portrayal of a woman dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy involving her son. Tilda Swinton gives by far the best performance of her career, and the way that she interacts with her son is painful to watch but totally gripping. I can understand why this movie only made $597,700, as it is not the kind that would appeal to mass audiences, but if you want to feel horrible about life, this is the film to watch.

Jumping to the other end of the spectrum, Submarine is the fourth best overlooked film of the year and, the funniest film of 2011. I was discussing with a friend recently how great British coming-of-age films are, and Submarine is perfect evidence for this argument. Richard Ayoade's directorial debut is the perfect combination of heartfelt sweetness and hilarity. It never reaches for a laugh, and the flow of the story is so perfect and effortless, never cynical even when taking on serious topics. Newcomer Craig Roberts is brilliantly funny in the lead role, but also so sympathetic in his naivety and optimism. Supporting performances by Sally Hawkins, Paddy Considine, and wonderful young actress Yasmin Paige help develop this great film, which was shamefully overlooked in America, where it only made $467,602.

Miranda July seems to have the makings of a fixture on this list, as her films tend to be both brilliant and very non-commercial. July's second feature film, The Future, is the third best overlooked film of 2011, making only $568,662. July has proven herself to be a unique talent, effortlessly exploring and perfectly encapsulating her characters' quirks and insecurities. July wrote and directed The Future, which she also stars in as half of a couple trying to figure out their place in the world and drifting apart as a result. The strangeness of the film may be too much for some people, but the heart that beats in every minute of The Future is so overwhelming and earnest that I was completely swept away by it. The impressive cinematography and editing, and Jon Brion's perfect score, make this film even better than July's last, Me and You and Everyone We Know.

While The Future was about a couple drifting apart, the second best overlooked film of the year is about a couple coming together. Do not let its low budget and low production value fool you, because Weekend is perhaps the best and most sophisticated film in the mumblecore genre's brief history. Andrew Haigh's directorial debut is about two men who have a weekend-long affair, yes, but it has so much more than that packed into it. It is a story about trust, about trying to both define and understand who you are. But there is also a political message woven into it, exploring the idea of privacy and how it is appropriate to act when there is a possibility of being watched. Not surprisingly, this unrated gay love story didn't do well at the box-office, making only $484,592, but hopefully it is a sign of great things to come for Haigh.

I'm not sure why I decided to see Maryam Keshavarz's directorial debut, Circumstance. I didn't know anything about the film, and had never heard of it before it showed up at the theater I was living nearby, but I didn't have anything better to do, so I figured I'd check it out. Thank goodness I did, because Circumstance is a stunningly beautiful, deeply emotional film that tells a story rarely seen in films today. Keshavarz explores the maturation of two teenage girls in Iran, focusing on the oppression of women in the religiously-dominated society. Not only does the film explore a complicated political situation so clearly and thoroughly, but it doesn't do it at the expense of the story. Atafeh and Shareen are compelling and sympathetic characters, and even Mehran, who almost acts as the story's villain, is a multi-dimensional character whose motives are clear even when his actions are detestable. Of course, being in Persian, Circumstance was not a big box-office draw, making $454,121, but it is, without a doubt, the best seriously overlooked film of the year.

A number of films didn't crack my top ten list but definitely deserve more attention than they got. The documentaries If a Tree Falls and Tabloid were both fascinating exposes of controversial figures. The action film Point Blank and the animated Chico and Rita are both atypical foreign films that would appeal to American audiences if they were given a chance. The same can't be said of Le Quattro Volte, a beautiful but very slow film with no dialogue and very little action, but anyone willing to accept the film on its own terms is in for a treat.

1) Circumstance
2) Weekend
3) The Future
4) Submarine
5) We Need to Talk about Kevin
6) The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
7) Terri
8) The Housemaid
9) Project Nim
10) Elite Squad: The Enemy Within