11.) Beasts of No Nation (Cary Fukanaga)



Starring: Idris Elba, Abraham Attah, and Ama K. Abebrese



Release Date: October 16th



True Detective’s first season is a cult favorite, and with reason. I love it in all its flawed complexity, but controversy arose among fans when the last few episodes left some disappointed. But one universal facet of praise was Cary Fukunaga’s startling cinematic eye. The famous tracking shot that caps off episodes four is already obsessed over by film geeks on Reddit, and this is his first feature since. That alone deserves attention, but more, fan favorite Idris Elba stars in this poignant tale of child fighters in Africa, a tragic subject cinema already covered to some effect in Blood Diamond.



Comparisons already compare the dream-like war violence to early Herzog or Apocalypse Now, making this one of the most anticipated films of the year. And crucially, another dividing line with Beasts of No Nation is that it’s the first film Netflix put out on its own, the movie equivalent to House of Cards or Orange is the New Black.

