58 Diverse Themes Cinema Gems from 2021: From BAFTA to Indie Standouts

The Dig

2021 • 112 min

Drama, History

With World War II approaching, a wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate burial mounds on her property. Their work yields a significant historical find, prompting reflections on Britain's heritage as the nation faces an uncertain future.

6.9

7.1

13+

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Tenet

2020 • 150 min • Budget $205M • Box office $365M

Action, Thriller, Science Fiction

A secret agent known only as the Protagonist must prevent World War III. His mission takes him on a journey through international espionage, where he experiences time moving backward, forward, and in reverse. He must master this unusual perception to…

7.2

7.3

13+

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Limbo

2020 • 104 min • Box office $224K

Drama, Comedy

This film observes refugees awaiting asylum on a secluded Scottish island. It centers on Omar, a young Syrian musician carrying his grandfather's oud with him from Syria. The instrument weighs heavily, symbolizing his past.

6.9

7.2

17+

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County Lines

2020 • 90 min

This powerful drama follows a mother and her fourteen-year-old son who becomes involved in a nationwide drug trafficking operation known as a "County Line." The enterprise exploits vulnerable children and traffics them across Britain.

6.7

6.9

Emma.

2020 • 125 min • Budget $10M • Box office $25M

Comedy, Romance

Set in 19th-century England, the story follows a young woman who, despite her good intentions, repeatedly interferes in the romantic relationships of her friends.

7.0

6.7

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Greyhound

2020 • 92 min • Budget $50M

War, Action, Drama

A new captain commands a fleet of allied ships, transporting thousands of soldiers through the dangerous "Black Pit" to the WWII front lines. For five days without air support, the captain and his crew must fight off enemy Nazi U-boats…

7.4

7.0

13+

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Mulan

2020 • 115 min • Budget $200M • Box office $69M

Adventure, Fantasy, Action

To defend China from invading Huns, the Emperor orders every family to send one man to the Imperial Army. Hua Mulan, the eldest daughter of a respected warrior, volunteers to take her father's place, who is too old to fight.…

6.8

5.8

13+

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Sound of Metal

2020 • 121 min • Box office $516K

Drama, Music

Drummer Ruben starts losing his hearing. A doctor warns him it will get worse, making him feel like his career and life are over. His girlfriend Lou sends him to a rehab facility for the deaf, hoping it will prevent…

7.7

17+

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The Present

2020 • 24 min

Drama

On their wedding anniversary, Yusef and his daughter travel in the West Bank to find a gift for his wife. Navigating soldiers, divided roads, and checkpoints, they face the challenges of a simple shopping trip.

7.3

7.7

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Ammonite

2020 • 118 min • Box office $1M

Romance, Drama

England, 1840s. Paleontologist Mary Anning and Charlotte, a young woman seeking recovery by the sea, form a deep connection. Though from different worlds and with contrasting natures, Mary and Charlotte find solace in each other, realizing they've both been longing…

6.9

6.5

17+

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Onward

2020 • 102 min • Budget $200M • Box office $141M

Family, Comedy, Adventure

In a quiet, suburban setting where elves exist, two teenage brothers set out on an unusual journey. They hope to find evidence that magic still exists in the world.

7.6

7.4

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One Night in Miami...

2020 • 114 min

Drama

Following his victory over Sonny Liston in 1964, Muhammad Ali meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, and Jim Brown. Together, they aim to influence the future of the Civil Rights movement in the segregated South.

7.0

7.1

17+

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Soul

2020 • 101 min • Budget $150M • Box office $121M

Animation, Family, Comedy

Joe Gardner, a middle school teacher passionate about jazz, has a life-changing opportunity when he auditions at the Half Note Club. However, a sudden accident separates his soul from his body, sending him to the You Seminar. This is a…

8.1

8.0

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The One and Only Ivan

2020 • 93 min

Family, Comedy, Drama

Ivan, a gorilla living in a suburban shopping mall, seeks to uncover his history. He teams up with other animals to devise an escape plan from their confinement.

7.4

6.6

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Rocks

2019 • 94 min

Drama

Fifteen-year-old Rocks worries she and her younger brother Emmanuel will be separated and placed in the system if anyone discovers their mother has abandoned them. Determined to stay together, she avoids authorities with the support of her close friends, facing…

6.6

7.4

17+

His House

2020 • 93 min

Drama, Horror

Fleeing the conflict in South Sudan, a young refugee couple seeks refuge in a quiet English town. However, their new home harbors a disturbing darkness just beneath the surface, testing their efforts to build a peaceful life.

6.4

14+

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Eyelash

2019 • 5 min

This film adaptation of spoken word poet Neil Hilborn's acclaimed poem 'OCD' explores the difficulties of falling in love.

—

6.9

Saint Maud

2020 • 85 min • Box office $1M

Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Newly devout, quiet nurse Maud takes a job caring for Amanda, a once vibrant dancer now weakened by a long-term illness, in a luxurious house. An unexpected meeting with an old friend suggests a hidden history, revealing that Maud is…

6.6

17+

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+11

Mank

2020 • 132 min • Budget $25M • Box office $122K

Drama, History

In 1930s Hollywood, acerbic social critic and alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz frantically works to complete the screenplay for Citizen Kane, offering a sharp look at the era.

6.7

6.8

17+

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The Father

2020 • 97 min • Budget $6M • Box office $21M

Drama

As he grows older, a man rejects his daughter's help. Struggling to understand his shifting life, he starts to question those he cares about, his own sanity, and the world around him.

8.1

8.2

13+

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Rebecca

2020 • 123 min

Romance, Drama, Mystery

A young bride quickly marries a wealthy widower and moves to his sprawling family estate. However, she finds herself unable to escape the lingering presence of his deceased wife.

6.3

6.1

13+

Stream on

Mogul Mowgli

2020 • 89 min

Music, Drama

Zed, a rising British rapper, is on the verge of his first global tour when a severe illness forces him to return home to his family. He struggles to reconcile his ambitions for an international music career with the expectations…

6.4

6.6

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News of the World

2020 • 118 min • Budget $38M • Box office $12M

Drama, Western, Adventure

A Texan journeying through the American West, delivering news to frontier communities, finds himself compelled to assist in the rescue of a young girl who has been kidnapped.

6.9

6.8

13+

Stream on

Wolfwalkers

2020 • 102 min • Budget $12M • Box office $1M

Animation, Family, Adventure

In a world gripped by superstition, where wolves are feared and nature is seen as something to control, a young apprentice hunter travels to Ireland with her father to eradicate the last wolf pack. However, after she rescues a native…

8.2

8.0

Stream on

Lizard

2021 • 19 min

An eight-year-old girl who can sense danger is removed from Sunday school. She unknowingly observes the hidden world surrounding a large church in Lagos.

6.0

6.4

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The Social Dilemma

2020 • 94 min

Documentary, Drama

This film examines the harmful effects of social media on people, featuring technology specialists warning about the consequences of their own innovations.

7.4

7.6

13+

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The Dissident

2020 • 119 min • Box office $57K

Documentary

After entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi vanishes. His fiancée and those who oppose the Saudi government then work to uncover the truth behind his brutal murder and expose a worldwide effort to conceal…

7.2

7.8

13+

Stream on

The Song of a Lost Boy

2020 • 10 min

When a young choirboy's voice cracks during a solo, he experiences a crisis of faith and flees his home. He finds refuge with a nomadic group, concealing his true identity while grappling with the decision of whether or not to…

5.5

6.8

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Quo Vadis, Aida?

2021 • 104 min • Budget $4M • Box office $813K

War, Drama, History

In Srebrenica, Bosnia, July 1995, Aida works as a UN translator. When Serbian forces seize the town, her family joins thousands seeking refuge in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations, Aida has access to vital information that…

7.6

8.0

17+

Stream on

The White Tiger

2021 • 125 min

Drama

A determined Indian driver leverages his intelligence and resourcefulness to overcome poverty and achieve success. This is an expansive story, adapted from the New York Times bestseller.

7.0

7.1

17+

Stream on

The Trial of the Chicago 7

2020 • 130 min • Budget $35M • Box office $107K

Drama, History

A peaceful protest escalates into a violent confrontation with police, resulting in a highly publicized and controversial trial.

7.7

17+

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My Octopus Teacher

2020 • 85 min

Documentary

For years, Craig Foster swam daily in the frigid waters off the coast of Africa. There, he encounters an unusual companion: a young octopus with a keen interest in him. Over months of visiting her home and observing her, Craig…

7.9

8.1

Stream on

Clemency

2019 • 112 min • Box office $309K

Drama

Warden Bernadine Williams has spent years carrying out death row executions, and the work has deeply affected her. As she prepares for another execution, Bernadine is forced to confront the psychological and emotional toll of her job, leading her to…

6.3

6.5

17+

Stream on

Calm with Horses

2020 • 100 min

Crime, Drama

In rural Ireland, former boxer Douglas "Arm" Armstrong works as a tough enforcer for the Devers family, who deal drugs. He also tries to be a good father to his five-year-old son, Jack, who has autism. Arm's loyalty is challenged…

6.2

6.8

17+

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Lucky Break

2020 • 11 min

In the quiet hours of a late-night petrol station, a mysterious man appears with a bag of money. However, he may not be the strangest customer the station has seen.

7.0

Pieces of a Woman

2020 • 127 min

Drama

Following a devastating home birth, a young mother embarks on a year of intense grief. The experience profoundly alters her relationships with those around her as she navigates the difficult process of learning to live with her loss.

7.0

17+

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Pinocchio

2019 • 124 min • Budget $12M • Box office $17M

Drama, Family, Fantasy

This live-action adaptation of the classic fairytale tells the story of Geppetto, an elderly woodcarver who creates a wooden puppet named Pinocchio. The puppet magically comes to life and yearns for adventure, quickly finding himself in exciting and sometimes dangerous…

6.6

6.3

13+

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Another Round

2020 • 117 min • Budget $5M • Box office $21M

Comedy, Drama

Four uninspired high school teachers embark on an experiment: they believe that staying perpetually tipsy will make their lives better.

7.6

7.7

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+15

The Owl and the Pussycat

2020 • 4 min

—

6.5

Hillbilly Elegy

2020 • 117 min

Drama

A sudden phone call brings a Yale Law student back to his family's home in Ohio. There, he considers his family's past across three generations and begins to question what he wants for his own future.

6.7

17+

Stream on

Dear Comrades!

2020 • 121 min • Budget $2M

History, Drama

In 1962, a communist government's increase in food prices sparks a strike by workers in the small industrial town of Novocherkassk. The resulting massacre is witnessed through the perspective of a devoted party activist.

7.2

7.4

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David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet

2020 • 83 min

Documentary, Drama

This film chronicles a lifetime spent exploring Earth's natural wonders, as seen through the eyes of the world's most renowned natural historian. In over nine decades, Attenborough has journeyed to every continent, documenting the planet's diverse wildlife and landscapes. The…

8.4

8.9

Stream on

Minari

2021 • 115 min • Budget $2M • Box office $12M

Drama

A Korean American family relocates to a farm in Arkansas, pursuing the American dream. Navigating the difficulties of a new life in the unfamiliar Ozarks, they find strength in their family bonds and discover the true meaning of home.

7.3

7.4

13+

Stream on

The Forty-Year-Old Version

2020 • 123 min

Comedy, Drama, Music

On the verge of turning forty and feeling stuck, struggling New York playwright Radha seeks a creative spark by transforming herself into a rapper.

6.7

7.2

17+

Stream on

Da 5 Bloods

2020 • 155 min • Budget $45M

War, Drama

Four African-American Vietnam veterans journey back to Vietnam. Their mission: to find the remains of their lost squad leader and a rumored treasure. The veterans face dangers from both people and the environment, grappling with the enduring consequences of the…

6.5

17+

Stream on

Nomadland

2021 • 108 min • Budget $5M • Box office $39M

Drama

After losing everything during the Great Recession, a woman in her sixties becomes a van-dwelling nomad and travels across the western United States.

7.2

7.3

17+

Stream on

The Mauritanian

2021 • 129 min • Box office $7M

Drama, Thriller

This is the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man held at the U.S. Military's Guantanamo Bay detention center for more than ten years without being charged. He worked with a defense attorney to try and secure his…

7.4

7.5

17+

Stream on

The Fire Next Time

2020 • 8 min

Growing frustration over inequality erupts into widespread rioting in a disadvantaged community. The already tense atmosphere escalates as the housing estate itself seems to amplify the unrest.

3.0

6.3

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Judas and the Black Messiah

2021 • 126 min • Budget $26M • Box office $6M

Drama, History

FBI Agent Mitchell and J. Edgar Hoover task Bill O'Neal with infiltrating the Black Panthers. As Fred Hampton rises to prominence and develops a relationship with a fellow revolutionary, O'Neal struggles with his loyalty.

7.3

7.4

17+

Stream on

Les Misérables

2019 • 104 min • Budget $2M • Box office $54M

Crime, Drama, Thriller

In Montfermeil, a suburb of Paris where Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables" is set, new Anti-Crime Squad member Stéphane joins experienced colleagues Chris and Gwada. He quickly learns of escalating tensions between local gangs. During an arrest, the trio is overwhelmed,…

7.6

17+

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Miss Curvy

2020 • 25 min

When Uganda holds its inaugural beauty pageant for plus-size women, Namukasa Mariam, a schoolteacher and single mother, decides to participate.

—

7.1

Babyteeth

2020 • 118 min • Box office $989K

Drama, Comedy, Romance

A teenager with a terminal illness causes conflict with her parents when she develops a relationship with a drug dealer.

6.9

7.2

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Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2020 • 94 min

Drama, Music

In 1927 Chicago, legendary blues musician and pioneer, known as the Mother of the Blues, and her band converge at a recording studio. The gathering intensifies existing tensions. Based on a play by August Wilson.

6.6

6.9

17+

Stream on

Moffie

2020 • 104 min

Drama, War, Romance

In 1981 South Africa, a young man faces two years of mandatory military service marked by brutal conditions and pervasive racism. He must also conceal his homosexuality throughout this difficult period.

6.6

6.8

Stream on

+10

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

2020 • 96 min

Comedy

Fourteen years after his previous film documenting his travels across America, Borat returns to the United States with his young daughter. He navigates American culture, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the political elections, risking danger along the way.

6.4

6.6

17+

Stream on

Collective

2019 • 109 min • Box office $200K

Documentary

Following a devastating fire at a Romanian nightclub, burn victims start dying in hospitals from injuries that weren't initially fatal. Investigative journalists launch an inquiry, uncovering widespread corruption within the healthcare system and government institutions. *Collective* follows the journalists, whistleblowers,…

7.5

8.1

Stream on

Promising Young Woman

2020 • 113 min • Budget $10M • Box office $20M

Thriller, Crime, Drama

Haunted by a devastating past, a young woman embarks on a path of revenge against those who wronged her.

7.4

7.5

17+

Stream on

The Midnight Sky

2020 • 118 min • Box office $70K

Science Fiction, Drama

In the Arctic, a solitary scientist urgently tries to reach a group of astronauts on their way back from space. They are returning to a world devastated by an unexplained global disaster.

5.7

13+

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