November 2024 Movie Preview

Foreign/Drama - dir. Payal Kapadia
In LA/NY theaters November 15 (more cities to follow)

Writer-director Payal Kapadia's follow-up to her highly-regarded but little-seen debut (and Golden Eye winner at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival) A Night of Knowing Nothing won the Grand Prix (second place) at this year's Cannes. Set in contemporary Mumbai, this gentle, humane story follows the struggles of three nurses: Prabha (Kani Kusruti) has been abandoned by her husband who is living in Germany; Anu (Divya Prabha), the youngest, is in love with a Muslim boy; and Parvaty (Chhaya Kadam) is being pushed out of her home after her husband's death. When Parvaty decides to relocate to Kerala, Prabha and Anu go with her, taking time away from the city and finding rejuvenation in the seaside village.

Drama - dir. Andrea Arnold
In theaters November 8

Andrea Arnold's latest didn't win an award from the jury at the Cannes Film Festival like her previous three competition films did (2016's American Honey, 2009's Fish Tank, and 2006's Red Road each took home the Jury Prize), but this risky combination of social and magical realism still convinced plenty of critics that Arnold hasn't lost her touch. Nykiya Adams stars as 12-year-old Bailey. She lives with her half-brother Hunter (Jason Buda) and father Bug (Barry Keoghan) in a squat in northern Kent. Life may be miserable, but Bailey is drawn to the local seagulls and ravens and eventually strikes up a friendship with Franz Rogowski's Bird. The film has a divisive late twist which will not be revealed here.

Drama - dir. Steve McQueen
In theaters November 1 / streams on Apple TV+ beginning November 22

Writer-director Steve McQueen's first narrative feature since 2018's Widows is set in England during WWII, when German bombs rained down upon major cities in a devastating monthslong attack known as the Blitz. When a London mother (Saoirse Ronan) sends her nine-year-old son (newcomer Elliott Heffernan) to live in safety in the countryside, the child becomes determined to find his way back home—an adventure that comes with many perils. Reviews were generally positive for the film when it debuted at the BFI London Film Festival a few weeks ago, though some reviewers deemed it a surprisingly "mainstream" and "old-fashioned" war picture that doesn't quite stand up to the director's best work.

Comedy/Drama - dir. Tyler Taormina
In theaters November 8

Ham on Rye and Happer's Comet director Tyler Taormina's third feature is a Christmas tale that takes viewers into the home of an eccentric Italian-American family as generational tensions rise at what could be the last family gathering in their ancestral home. As the night wears on, teenager Emily (Matilda Fleming) and her older cousin Michelle (Francesca Scorsese) sneak out of the house to celebrate in a more youthful manner. The film's cast includes Elsie Fisher, Michael Cera, Gregg Turkington, Maria Dizzia, Sawyer Spielberg, and Ben Shenkman.

Foreign/Comedy/Musical/Thriller - dir. Jacques Audiard
In theaters November 1 / streams on Netflix beginning November 13

The third-place (Jury Prize) winner at this year's Cannes—where it was also one of the most talked-about films in competition—is an ambitious, genre-blending project from A Prophet director Jacques Audiard. The musical melodrama stars Zoe Saldana as a lawyer who helps a cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) get out of his business and leave behind his wife (Selena Gomez) and children to become the woman he has always dreamed of being. While critics at Cannes certainly found Emilia Pérez messy at times (or even all of the time), some also found it exhilarating, and the female ensemble shared the fest's Best Actress award. It's also France's official submission to the 97th Academy Awards where the Spanish-language (yes, we did say it's from France) film is predicted to score nominations in multiple categories including Best Picture.

Animation/Family - dir. Gints Zilbalodis
In LA/NY theaters November 22 (more cities in December)

Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis' follow-up to his award-winning 2019 animated feature Away won the Audience Award at this year's Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Zilbalodis once again writes, directs, edits, and provides the score for a film that follows a courageous cat who teams up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to survive a great flood and find a new home on a now-watery planet. Meditating on the fragility and beauty of nature, Flow is Latvia's entry for Best International Feature at this year's Academy Awards.

Action-adventure/Drama - dir. Ridley Scott
In theaters (and IMAX) November 22

Can Ridley Scott match the success of Gladiator 24 years after that film won five Oscars, including Best Actor for Russell Crowe and Best Picture? That might be asking too much, but Scott loves a challenge. The main gladiator this time is Lucius (Paul Mescal), who witnessed the death of Maximus in the first film. After his land is conquered by Rome and its new emperors Geta (Joseph Quinn) and Caracalla (Fred Hechinger), Lucius is sold into slavery and bought by Denzel Washington's Macrinus as an instrument in his struggle for power. Lucius returns to Rome to face increasingly treacherous Colosseum matches (including a battle against a Roman hero played by Pedro Pascal), as well as the truth of his past (revealed by a returning Connie Nielson as Lucilla).

Horror/Thriller - dir. Scott Beck and Bryan Woods
In theaters November 8

After writing A Quiet Place, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods went on to write and direct Haunt and 65. Their latest feature stars Chloe East and Sophie Thatcher as young Mormon missionaries forced to prove their faith once they step inside the house of Hugh Grant's Mr. Reed. Shot by Chung-hoon Chung (The Handmaiden, Oldboy), this twisty thriller has been praised by critics for its level of craft and impressive performances.

Drama/Thriller - dir. Clint Eastwood
In theaters November 1

The new (and final?) film from 94-year-old director Clint Eastwood is a courtroom drama starring Nicholas Hoult as a juror who comes to believe he could be responsible for the crime for which the defendant (Gabriel Basso) is now on trial. Working from a script by Jonathan Abrams, Eastwood investigates some of his favorite themes—guilt, justice, and the limits of the law—with the support of an excellent cast that includes Toni Collette as the prosecuting attorney, Chris Messina as the public defender, J.K. Simmons as a fellow juror who sides with Hoult, as well as Kiefer Sutherland and Zoey Deutch. Early reviews indicate Eastwood is still in fine form as a director, though it looks like Warner Bros. has no inclination to share the film with moviegoers: It may only play in a few cities. (At least they didn't bury it completely as a tax write-off.)

Drama - dir. Pablo Larraín
In theaters November 27 / streams on Netflix beginning December 11

Pablo Larraín's third film about a famous woman living in a gilded cage (following Jackie and Spencer) is his least successful in the eyes of critics—though reviews are still positive overall. Written by Steven Knight, the drama chronicles the final days of opera singer Maria Callas (Angelina Jolie) in 1970s Paris. She is cared for by her loyal housekeeper (Alba Rohrwacher) and butler (Pierfrancesco Favino), but the Callas shown here is not mounting a comeback. Instead, her drug-addled mind allows Knight and Larraín to utilize flashbacks, fantasy, and an imagined documentary directed by a reporter played by Jodi Smit-McPhee to sketch a portrait of the singer no longer in possession of the voice that made her famous.

Animation/Family - dir. David G. Derrick Jr.
In theaters November 27

Auli'i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson return as Moana and Maui in this sequel to 2016's Moana. Three years after their first adventure, Moana hears the call of her ancestors and must travel to the dangerous, long-forgotten seas of Oceania to find a lost island. Directors David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller are supported by a returning voice cast that includes Alan Tudyk as Hei Hei, Temuera Morrison as Chief Tui, Rachel House as Gramma Tala, and Nicole Scherzinger as Sina.

Documentary - dir. Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor
In NY (Film at Lincoln Center) for one week beginning November 1

Winner of the Panorama Audience Award for Best Documentary Film at this year's Berlin Film Festival, this vérité-style documentary chronicles the systematic destruction of Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank by the Israeli military. Shot over five years and directed by Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Hamdan Ballal, and Rachel Szor, the film focuses on the evolving relationship of Adra, a Palestinian activist, and Abraham, an Israeli journalist. As they learn to trust each other, they capturing damming footage, exposing the strategy of the Israeli government to hide their actions from international governing bodies.

Drama - dir. Malcolm Washington
In theaters November 6 / streams on Netflix beginning November 22

First Fences, then Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Once again, Denzel Washington is bringing one of August Wilson's plays to the big (or small) screen, but this time it's a family affair. Denzel produces while his son Malcolm Washington makes his directorial debut with this adaptation of Wilson's Pulitzer-winning 1987 play (previously adapted for TV in 1995) that stars Malcolm's brother John David Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman). Samuel L. Jackson (who, like John David Washington, recently starred in the play on Broadway), Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Danielle Deadwyler, Corey Hawkins, and Erykah Badu also star in the 1936 Pittsburgh-set drama that finds a family divided over the fate of a damaged heirloom piano. Critics had mostly good things to say about the film when it debuted at Telluride and TIFF a few months ago.

Documentary - dir. Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev
In NY on November 22 / LA on November 29 / more cities in December

Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev received the U.S. Grand Jury Prize (Documentary) at this year's Sundance Film Festival for this unique look at Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Slava, who makes porcelain figures, his wife Anya Stasenko, who paints them, and their friend Andrey Stefanov, a painter who takes on the role of cinematographer, choose to stay in Ukraine despite daily shelling. As the war rages, Slava and Anya try to remain connected to their art, and Andrey tries to find safe passage for his family abroad, but it becomes more difficult as they are pulled into training locals to fight. It's a surprising chronicle of beautiful artwork amidst a brutal war.

Drama - dir. Luca Guadagnino
In theaters November 27

Director Luca Guadagnino reunites with his Challengers screenwriter, Justin Kuritzkes, for this adaptation of William S. Burroughs' semi-autobiographical novel starring Daniel Craig as William Lee, an American expat living in 1950s Mexico City who becomes obsessed with Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey), a young man recently discharged from the Navy, and finding a mythical drug called yage. The search for that drug leads them through the jungle to Lesley Manville's Dr. Cotter and into a hallucinogenic ending that divided critics.

Comedy/Drama - dir. Jesse Eisenberg
In theaters November 1

In one of the best-reviewed films at this year's Sundance Film Festival, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin play mismatched cousins who reunite for a tour through Poland in honor of their deceased grandmother. Written and directed by Eisenberg, it's a film that's as much a funny, odd-couple road movie as a Holocaust film. Their tour guide is played by Will Sharpe, and those accompanying them include Jennifer Grey's divorcee, an older couple (Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes), and a survivor of the Rwandan genocide (Kurt Egyiawan).

Foreign/Drama - dir. Mohammad Rasoulof
In theaters November 27

While imprisoned in 2022, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof formed the idea for his latest film, which incorporates the Woman, Life, Freedom protest movement following the death of Mahsa Amini. After shooting the film in secret, Rasoulof received an eight-year prison sentence and made the difficult decision to flee his homeland, which allowed him to attend the film's premiere in Cannes this year (where Fig won the Special Jury Prize). The propulsive film tracks the disintegration of a family: father Iman, who has recently been promoted to investigating magistrate in the Revolutionary Guard, his wife Najmeh, and their two daughters Rezvan and Sana. When a friend of Rezvan's is injured in the protests and his gun goes missing, Iman destroys those he loves to protect himself.

Drama/Thriller - dir. Tim Fehlbaum
In select theaters November 29 (expands nationwide on December 13)

Writer-director Tim Fehlbaum's follow-up to The Colony chronicles how the ABC Sports broadcasting team covering the 1972 Munich Olympics went live to cover the Palestinian terrorist attack on the Israeli Olympic team that resulted in the death of 11 Israelis. Peter Sarsgaard plays Roone Arledge, the executive in charge of the broadcast; Ben Chaplin is Marvin Bader, the head of operations; John Magaro is producer Geoffrey Mason; and Leonie Benesch (The Teachers' Lounge) plays a local German translator. It's a gripping, behind-the-scenes look at a day that changed live media coverage.

Drama - dir. Tim Mielants
In theaters November 8

Cillian Murphy's first role since his Oscar-winning performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer takes him back to his homeland of Ireland in 1985. It's almost Christmas in a small town in County Wexford, and Bill (Murphy) is struggling to support his wife and five daughters. While out delivering coal one morning, Bill witnesses a young woman being dragged into the local convent. As Bill's conscience nags at him, he eventually meets the convent's imperious Mother Superior (Emily Watson). Adapted by playwright Enda Walsh from Claire Keegan 's Booker-shortlisted novella, the film is a passion project for Murphy who produces the film and chose Tim Mielants, his Peaky Blinders director, to helm it.

Documentary - dir. Johan Grimonprez
In theaters November 1

Director Johan Grimonprez investigates the connection between African politics, American jazz, and the CIA in this essay-style film about the multi-nation plan behind the 1961 assassination of Congo leader Patrice Lumumba. Grimonprez utilizes interviews with jazz icons, CIA operatives, mercenaries and eyewitnesses to expose the impact of state-sanctioned violence on colonial history.

Musical/Fantasy - dir. Jon M. Chu
In theaters November 22

Jon M. Chu (In the Heights, Crazy Rich Asians) directs this adaptation of the popular musical about the witches of Oz with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. Originally inspired by Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (in turn based on l. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, on which the classic 1939 film is based), this first film in a two-part adaptation follows Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda as they meet as students at Shiz University in the Land of Oz. Michelle Yeoh plays headmistress Madame Morrible, and the rest of the supporting cast includes Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose, and Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz. You'll have to wait a year for the second part, which arrives November 26, 2025.

WANT MORE FILMS?
View our Movie Release Calendar for a full list of titles headed to theaters in November and beyond.