If you’re hoping for a quality movie night out this month, you’re in luck. October is packed with interesting films playing in the Triangle. You’ll have to slalom through all the Halloween scary movies, of course, but local theaters are providing some good options there, too.
First up, the documentary film that everyone is talking about. You Can See Everything was supposed to be fairly straightforward—a profile of disgraced executive Elizabeth Holmes just before she left to serve an 11-year federal prison sentence. Holmes, of course, was famously convicted in 2022 of defrauding investors of millions with her biotech startup company, Theranos.
The documentary project got weird, fast. Holmes—who hadn’t granted an interview in years—invited filmmakers Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim into the San Diego home she lives in with her partner, Billy Evans, and their two young children. The couple gave the filmmaking crew full access, 24/7, for the next 34 days. The film’s title is taken from Holmes’ promise: “You can see everything.”
What happened then? That’s what everyone is dying to find out. The documentary, assembled quietly over the last three years, premiered a few weeks back in a top-secret screening at the Telluride Film Festival. Reviews were ecstatic, dumbfounded, and careful to preserve the story’s surprises. The film, we are assured, is like nothing we have ever seen. Since then, the filmmakers have released two mysterious, evocative trailers.
Codirector Nathan Fielder is the other wild card here. The Canadian comic auteur, who appears in front of the camera throughout the new doc, has built his brand exploring the increasingly tentative nature of consensual reality in the 21st century. You Can See Everything is clearly a movie for our times, and it’s the best mystery you’re likely to find this Halloween season.
Switching gears entirely, Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali returns to theaters this month with the action-thriller/character study Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. The film’s title refers to an ancient Islamic tale whose relevance soon becomes clear.
Ali stars as Latif, a devoted religious man whose life is thrown into misery when his wife dies, leaving him with three young children to care for. Complicating things further: Latif is an assassin, a legendary killer with a dark and complicated past.
What is it about the conflicted-assassin story that makes it so popular for screenwriters? Who knows? But it works! The Professional. Ghost Dog. Knox Goes Away. La Femme Nikita. In Bruges. Kill Bill. John Wick. The Jason Bourne movies.
Director Bassam Tariq looks to expand and improve upon this proud cinematic tradition. Your Mother is an action movie, never fear. Ali reportedly took the role after training in martial arts for a Blade reboot that never happened. But reviews from the festival circuit reveal that the film is primarily a detailed character portrait, threading in elements of lapsed faith, modern masculinity, Islamophobia, and military veterans returning to civilian life.
A family-friendly third option this month is Wildwood, a fantasy adventure from the independent stop-motion animation studio Laika. The film, long delayed, is adapted from author and musician Colin Meloy’s absolutely lovely 2011 fantasy novel of the same name.
Steeped in the traditions of classic folk tales, Wildwood chronicles a quest by two middle schoolers to rescue a baby abducted by crows. Word nerds will recall that the group name for a gathering of crows is murder—a murder of crows—so this, of course, does not bode well. The quest takes the children into a parallel realm known as the Impassable Wilderness.
The combination of Meloy’s novel with Laika’s animation style promises visual delights. Laika is the studio that brought us superior children’s fare like Coraline, and Meloy’s original book was illustrated by the inimitable Carson Ellis.
Parents should be aware that both the book and the film are aimed at older kids: The movie has a PG-13 rating—and you can expect some violent conflicts and heavy themes. In the voice cast: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Tremblay, Carey Mulligan, Awkwafina, Angela Bassett, Tom Waits, and, hey! It’s Mahershala Ali again!
Quick Picks
The independent European import Fjord is a family drama and legal thriller about a conservative immigrant family and their conflict with the progressive Norwegian justice system. Fjord won the prestigious Palme d’Or prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Japanese superstar Rinko Kikuchi headlines the dance-themed comedy/drama Ha-Chan, Shake Your Booty!. The film centers on a love story in the Tokyo ballroom scene, with dialogue in English, Japanese, and Spanish. Also in the mix: Elaborate dance numbers, magical realism, and a Dirty Dancing tribute. Clearly, this can’t miss.
If you’re looking for a Halloween movie, your best multiplex bet is probably the psychological horror creepshow Other Mommy. Jessica Chastain plays dual roles as a worried mom and as the malevolent supernatural entity impersonating said mom. Weird bonus trivia: Chastain played a similar maternal role in the 2013 horror film Mama, from Argentine director Andy Muschietti. It’s pretty good!
As usual, local theaters have gotten into the Halloween spirit by offering special screenings of classic scary movies. For instance, The Cary Theater is showing Shaun of the Dead and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.
The Alamo Drafthouse in Raleigh will host its annual Dismember the Alamo marathon, along with goodies like the 1994 Italian horror classic Cemetery Man. And the Carolina Theatre of Durham has several choice selections, including Ghost Story, Event Horizon, The Fog, and the ninth annual Rocky Horror Picture Show Halloween Ball. Check online listings for times and dates.
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