Film & TV Lunch Club: January 2024 - Movies on a Shoestring
The Rider, Shiva Baby, Aftersun
We’re half way through January, we’re past Blue Monday and awards season is in full swing - things are looking up! If you’re like me and use January as a month to decompress after Christmas and to recoup both your body and bank balance after a period of over-indulgence, perhaps this month’s list of films will align with your current state of being. Living on a shoestring isn’t easy… but it’s made much more enjoyable when you’ve got a load of great movies and TV to watch to pass the chilly evenings.
Although there is a lot more to be said for a film’s production than its budget, some of the figures between budget and box office are truly astounding. Rocky (1976) for example - often cited in must-watch film lists and as one of the best boxing movies ever made - had an estimated budget of $960,000 and its worldwide gross was $117 million. Likewise, the first film in Satyajit Ray’s Apu Trilogy, Pather Panchali (1955), was produced on a shoestring budget of an estimated $3000 and is now regarded as one of the greatest films of all time. As a genre, horror in particular seems to lend itself well to low budget and big profits, with Saw, The Blair Witch Project and Get Out being a few well-known and highly profitable titles. One of the most impressive examples is Paranormal Activity, which had an estimated budget of $15,000 and grossed $193 million - just going to show that you don’t necessarily need the big bucks to make a hit.
When looking at lists of profitable low-budget films, the vast majority (if not all) are directed by men. So why might this be? Although not based on the most recent data, a 2016 Hollywood Reporter article suggests that distribution is a factor:
On average, low-budget films directed by women were released on only a third as many screens that male-directed movies under $25 million received, a ratio of 242 to 646. And this distribution gap perpetuates the chronic problem facing women in film, especially when it comes to the fact that they are routinely given 25 percent smaller production budgets than their male counterparts.
And this Sight and Sound article states that actually, as budgets rise, fewer women are hired as directors.
The lack of female filmmakers cannot be attributed to a lack of drive, but to the fact that they are being overlooked by the industry once they are working within it. This is further validated by Directors UK statistics regarding the number of female directors at each stage of a career, from shorts and low-budget films to mid-range movies and studio blockbusters. The report’s statistics on the disappearance of women are stark: while 16.1 per cent of directors of films budgeted at less than £150,000 were female, women accounted for just 3.3 per cent of films with a budget of £30 million.
Taking both of these things into account, it seems that women aren’t often given the opportunity to direct mid-budget (£1-10 million) films, and even less so for big budget (£30 million and up) films, and when they have directed low-budget films, the chances of them being a box office success is hampered because the distribution is scant. So where does that leave us, besides angry and outraged? Well, the positive here it that there are plenty of incredible feature films directed by women with low to modest budgets, and even if they didn’t make millions of pounds/dollars upon theatrical release (for a multitude of reasons) they are still films well worth seeing, and that’s what makes up this month’s picks:
🎞 January Selection 🎞
THE RIDER | Official Trailer | Altitude Films | Dir. Chloe Zhao
The Rider (2017; Dir. Chloe Zhao; estimated budget of $80,000)
After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America. Rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon, Youtube or Google Play.
Shiva Baby (2020; Dir. Emma Seligman; estimated budget of $200,000)
At a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy and ex girlfriend. Stream on Mubi.
Aftersun (2022; Dir. Charlotte Wells; budget unknown - the film accessed £350,000 through Screen Scotland as well as funding through BBC Films and the BFI)
Sophie reflects on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her father twenty years earlier. Memories real and imagined fill the gaps between as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't... Rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon, Youtube or Google Play.
🎬 The Long List: Optional Extras 🎬
Other notable films suggested for the theme (all figures below are estimates):
Middle of Nowhere - Ruby goes on a journey of self-discovery when she drops out of medical school in order to focus on her incarcerated husband's well-being. Budget: $200,000.
Paranormal Activity - After moving into a suburban home, a couple becomes increasingly disturbed by a nightly demonic presence. Budget: $15,000; gross worldwide: $193 million.
Napoleon Dynamite - A listless and alienated teenager decides to help his new friend win the class presidency in their small western high school, while he must deal with his bizarre family life back home. Budget: £400,000; gross worldwide: $46 million.
Blair Witch Project - Three film students vanish after traveling into a Maryland forest to film a documentary on the local Blair Witch legend, leaving only their footage behind. Budget: £200,000; gross worldwide: $248 million.
Slacker - A day in the life of Austin, Texas as the camera roams from place to place and provides a brief look at the overeducated, the social misfits, the outcasts and the oddballs. Budget: $23,000; box office gross worldwide: $1.2 million.
Eraserhead - Henry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child. Budget: $10,000.
Catfish - Young filmmakers document their colleague's budding online friendship with a young woman and her family which leads to an unexpected series of discoveries. Budget: $30,000; gross worldwide: $3.5 million.
Rocky - A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect. Budget: $960,000; gross worldwide: $117 million.
Saw - Two strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they got there, and soon discover they're pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a notorious serial killer. Budget: $1.2 million; worldwide gross: $103 million.
Moonlight - A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood. Budget: $4 million; gross worldwide: $65 million.
Lost in Translation - A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo. Budget: $4 million; gross worldwide: $187.8 million.
Another Earth - On the night of the discovery of a duplicate Earth in the Solar system, an ambitious young student and an accomplished composer cross paths in a tragic accident. Budget: $100,000; gross worldwide: $1.9 million.
🔜 Next Month 🔜
The theme for FEBRUARY will be THE BIG FIVE. It Happened One Night celebrates 90 years on 27th February and was the first film to win ‘The Big Five’ at The Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. So we’ll be looking at this and the other films that have won and been nominated for these five awards. Feel free to give me your thoughts about this post or the next one in the comments or on Insta!