The Indie Fresh List: Unpregnant, The Broken Hearts Gallery, y chicos negros

Join us weekly as Rotten Tomatoes reports on what’s indie features are streaming. From promising releases by new voices to experimental efforts from storied filmmakers – or perhaps the next indie darling to go the distance for end-of-year accolades – we will break it all down for you here each week.

For the foreseeable future, the specialty box office and all theatrical releases will be on hold as we all make efforts to socially distance ourselves and reduce the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. With that in mind, we have reshaped our Indie Fresh List to include VOD and select drive-in releases. This week we have a road trip comedy, a break-up rom-com, and a powerful doc about the plight of Black men in America. In our Spotlight Section, we have an award-winning story about an undocumented trans woman looking for love and citizenship. Finally, in our Indie Trailers section, we have new clips featuring Julianne Moore, Armie Hammer, Frances McDormand, and Lily Collins.

New This Weekend

Thelma and Louise meets Booksmart in Unpregnant, a laugh-out-loud road trip comedy with a powerful message about female reproductive rights. Idyllic high school student Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) falls pregnant and must make a perilous trek to terminate the unwanted pregnancy. Fearing the social and familial ramifications of her decision to get an abortion, she enlists the help of her former best friend-turned-outcast Bailey, played to perfection by Euphoria star Barbie Ferreira. Hilarious and thought-provoking, the film takes an honest look at the reality of what women face when seeking an abortion, but also provides a ton of laughs. “Unpregnant will delight as much as it stings, a sterling reminder of how many stories about this very subject are still demanding to be told,” writes Kate Erbland of Indiewire.

Available to stream now on HBO Max.

Geraldine Viswanathan continues her streak of stellar indie performances with The Broken Hearts Gallery, a break-up rom-com about a 20-something who uses relationship mementos as the basis for an art exhibit. After her latest heartbreak, gallery assistant Lucy (Viswanathan) channels loss into inspiration and creates The Broken Hearts Gallery, a pop-up space for the items love has left behind. “A bright spot in perhaps the bleakest summer film season of all time, The Broken Hearts Gallery reminds us of the positive aspects of humanity, and how art can be a tool for individual and collective healing,” writes Adriana Gomez-Weston of The Cinema Soloist.

Playing select theaters and drive-ins on September 10th.

As the nation wrestles with the racial reckoning brought on by the deaths of George Floyd, Amaud Arbery, and Breanna Taylor, Black Boys attempts to offer an illuminated look into the lives of Black youths in America. A multi-faceted examination of education, criminal justice, and sports, Black Boys reveals the emotional toll of racism on Black adolescents, led by conversations with politicians, activists, entertainers, sports stars, and the titular subjects: Black Boys. “Ultimately, Black Boys showcases, with great sensitivity and respect, its onscreen subjects, allowing them to speak and be heard. Let us listen and learn,” says to Christopher Llewellyn Reed of Film Festival Today.

Available to stream now on Peacock.

Available on VOD – Spotlight Pick

Writer-Director Isabel Sandoval translates her own gender confirmation journey with the marginalization of trans people and immigrants into the framework for an illuminating and timely story. While Filipina trans woman Olivia (Sandoval) is striving to secure a green card to stay in America, she unexpectedly begins a relationship with the son of the woman she works for, and issues around identity, civil rights, and immigration soon complicate the already fraught romance. “Lingua Franca happens to shine a spotlight on transgender representation by way of a film that places a strong focus on immigration,” according to Danielle Solzman of Solzy at the Movies.

Available to stream now on Netflix.

Along with…

The Assistant (2020) , about a young Hollywood assistant to a predatory producer who struggles when presented with daily evidence of his abuse of women.
Babyteeth (2020) , a dark rom-com about a sickly girl who falls for the town screw-up.
Becky (2020) , a thriller about a girl left alone who must battle escaped convicts when they invade her vacation home.
Blue Story (2020) , a drama about two childhood friends who are torn apart by gang violence.
Corpus Christi (Boze cialo) (2020) , about a convict who impersonates a vicar after experiencing a spiritual awakening.
Disclosure (2020) , an in-depth documentary about trans performers on screen.
Don’t Be Nice (2019) , a documentary about an impressive group competing at the National Slam Poetry contest.
Get Duked! (2020) , a comedy about a group of teens who head to the woods for a nature hike, and hijinks ensue.
The Fight (2020) , a documentary about the lawyers who work on landmark cases at the Supreme Court for the ACLU.
I Used to Go Here (2020) , a comedy about a failed thirtysomething writer travels back to her alma mater trying to relive former glory.
John Lewis: Good Trouble (2020) , an intimate documentary on Civil Rights icon and politician John Lewis.
Miss Juneteenth (2020) , a drama about a former beauty queen who looks to recapture her glory through her rebellious daughter’s own pageant run.
The Painted Bird (2020) , a visceral Holocaust drama about a young orphan’s journey through the grim events of World War II.
The Painter and the Thief (2020) , a documentary about an artist who develops an unexpected friendship with one of the men who stole some of her paintings.
Radioactive (2020) , a biopic about famed scientist Madame Curie.
Relic (2020) , a horror film centered on three generations of women as the elder matriarch suffers from Alzheimer’s.
The Rental (2020) , a thriller about a pair of couples who discover they’re under surveillance while vacationing at a seaside rental.
The Shadow of Violence (2020) , a drama about a former boxer who is pushed to the darker side of the Irish mob.
The Short History of the Long Road (2020) , about a girl and her father who live nomadic lives out of their van.
Summerland (2020) , a period drama about a reclusive author who is charged with a ward during WWII.
The Truth (La vérité) (2020) , a French dramedy about an aging star actress and her relationship with her daughter.
The Vast of Night (2020) , a sci-fi thriller about a young ham radio operator and a local DJ who hear a strange radio transmission.
We Are Freestyle Love Supreme (2020) , an eye-opening doc about Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s improv hip-hop group.
Welcome to Chechnya (2020) , a powerful documentary about LGBTQ+ rights in the conservative nation of Chechnya.
You Don’t Nomi (2020) , a detailed examination of Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls and its cult-like status.
Zombie for Sale (2019) , a horror-comedy about a family of con-artists who tries to sell zombie bites to strangers as a fountain of youth.

Save Yourselves! (2020) 85%

A social media-obsessed millennial Brooklyn couple ventures off for a phone-free weekend at a remote cabin in the woods just before the start of an apocalyptic event.

Nomadland (2020) 100%

The Eternals director Chloe Zhao directs Frances McDormand in this fictional tale about American nomads who reside in vans due to economic hardship.

The Glorias (2020) 73%

Gloria Steinem’s groundbreaking memoir My Life on the Road gets the big-screen treatment from Before Sunset writer-director Julie Taymor, with stars Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander portraying the famed activist.