Cruella Photo : Everett Collection If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Oscar Nominations: 2 Costume Makeup and hairstyling Where to Stream: Disney Plus Whereas Maleficent live-action Disney spinoff was an eyesore that risked tarnishing the appeal of the original, director Craig […]

Luca Photo : Everett Collection Oscar Nominations: 1 Animated feature Where to Stream: Disney Plus Set in Italy in the ’50s, Luca is modest to a fault, and feels generic. But it’s a visually beguiling small-town nostalgia trip, as well as a perfectly pleasant fish-out-of-water fable about a boy sea monster who longs to go ashore. The […]

Unpregnant (2020) Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s Unpregnant puts a buddy-comedy spin on the premise, teenagers embarking on long trips to avoid unwanted pregnancies. The estranged childhood pals Veronica (Haley Lu Richardson) and Bailey (Barbie Ferreira) hit the road to get the former an abortion. The girls’ predicament, which is treated sensitively and matter-of-factly, stands as sobering […]

The Surrogate (2020) Without any preachiness or melodrama, writer-director Jeremy Hersh’s first feature asks tough questions about prenatal testing, eugenics, reproductive rights, parenting, special-needs children and abortion. This lucid ethical drama is propelled by a performance of stunning psychological insight and raw feeling from Jasmine Batchelor as a single woman who has volunteered to be […]

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) The slow-burn chemistry between an artist (Noémie Merlant) and her initially unwilling subject (Adèle Haenel) — who’s also a reluctant bride-to-be — ignites this sensuous and exquisitely measured period piece. Set in late 18th century France, Céline Sciamma’s drama is a lesbian love story, but its true subject […]