By Josh Reilly B. and George Bate
The Chicago International Film Festival is now in full swing, and The HoloFiles is on site to cover the amazing event.
Some of the year’s biggest and best films are on display at the 12-day event, including Rian Johnson’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Darren Aranofsky’s The Whale. Brendan Fraser stars in the latter and is currently the favorite to win Best Actor at the next Academy Awards. Meanwhile, Glass Onion star Kathryn Hahn is set to make an appearance at the festival on Tuesday, October 18, receiving a Career Achievement Tribute award in a ceremony held before the showing of the highly anticipated murder mystery.
Here are ten of the most anticipated films at this year’s festival.
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
Premise: Famed Southern detective Benoit Blanc travels to Greece for his latest case, meeting a mismatch group of wealthy people along the way.
Why: Rian Johnson has been a well known filmmaker since his subversive entry in the Star Wars galaxy with The Last Jedi, and is a master at writing mysteries such as this. Expect to be surprised and on the edge of your seat.
THE WHALE
Premise: A reclusive English teacher living with severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.
Why: Brendan Fraser is likely to win several awards for this one, and his comeback has warmed the hearts of many around the world.
NANNY
Premise: Immigrant nanny Aisha, piecing together a new life in New York City while caring for the child of an Upper East Side family, is forced to confront a concealed truth that threatens to shatter her precarious American Dream.
Why: Nanny’s story is remarkably relevant in the modern age, making it a gripping and informative watch, and features a stellar cast that includes Anna Diop and Michelle Monaghan.
A PIECE OF SKY
Premise: In a remote mountain village, the still young love of Anna and Marco is put to the test. As a result of the brain tumor, Marco increasingly a his impulse control. In the tense relationship between the village community and the effects of Marco’s illness, Anne tries to preserve a love that in the end outshines even death.
Why: The film has received rave reviews since its premiere.
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Premise: Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
Why: The film has received a rapturous standing ovation at several high profile film festivals this season already, and unites two of the finest actors working today.