10 Picks for the 2019 Philadelphia Film Festival

The 28th Philadelphia Film Festival begins this week. With over 150 different films it can be hard to figure out what to see.

You can check out the full program here. But we’ve got some suggestions.


The Irishman
Martin Scorsese brings together the dream team of Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci to tell a saga of crime and friendship across several decades. See a possible Oscar nominee before its general release.
Tuesday, October 22, 8:15pm
Philadelphia Film Center


Knives Out
When a renowned mystery writer winds up dead, an eccentric investigator (Bond star Daniel Craig) suspects foul play from among his many heirs in this star-studded whodunit from Rian Johnson (Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi).
Friday, October 25, 6:45pm
Philadelphia Film Center


The Lodge
Two newly motherless siblings spend the days leading up to Christmas in complete isolation with their soon-to-be stepmom who is haunted by her own demons. Buzzed-about horror in the After Hours PFF section.
Friday, October 18, 9:30pm
Saturday, October 26, 10:10pm
Ritz East B


Parasite
Bong Joon Ho brings his singular mastery home to Korea in this pitch-black modern fairy tale, winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Canne film festival.
Thursday, October 17, 6:00pm
Philadelphia Film Center


Jallikattu
Like Jaws with a cow. A madcap hunt for a bull on the loose throws an entire Indian village into a frenzy, leading to a dangerous and visceral clash that can only end in violence in this wildly cinematic, jaw-dropping feature.
Friday, October 18, 7:30pm
Sunday, October 27, 8:00pm
Ritz East A

Deerskin
In the latest bizarre film from director Quentin Dupieux (Rubber), Oscar-winner Jean Dujardin stars as a man hopelessly enraptured by a vintage deerskin jacket with a mind of its own.
Saturday, October 19, 7:55pm
Friday, October 25, 9:45pm
Ritz East B


The Truth (La Vérité)
In his follow to last-year’s award-winning Shoplifters, celebrated Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda journeys to France for this tale of an uneasy reunion between a mother and daughter, played by Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche.
Monday, October 21, 4:00pm
Wednesday, October 23, 12:45pm
Ritz East B


Jojo Rabbit
Ten-year-old Jojo has an imaginary friend—Hitler. In this charming and poignant satire by Kiwi auteur Taika Waititi, Jojo learns the abhorrent truth about his Nazi idols when he discovers a young Jewish woman hiding in his home.
Saturday, October 19, 6:15pm
Philadelphia Film Center


The Report
Adam Driver stars in this scathing political drama as the Senate staffer charged with investigating the CIA’s use of “enhanced interrogation” in the wake of 9/11.
Monday, October 21, 8:45pm
Wednesday, October 23, 3:15pm
Ritz East B


Idol
This twisted neo-noir from South Korea tracks the bloody fallout that ensues when a politician’s teenage son kills a man in a hit-and-run.
Thursday, October 24, 8:30pm
Sunday, October 27, 4:30pm
Ritz East B


The Vast of Night
Set over the course of one uncanny night in 1950s New Mexico, this intelligent, entertaining sci-fi thriller follows two teens investigating a strange, supernatural frequency.
Thursday, October 24, 8:15pm
Saturday, October 26, 8:45pm
Ritz Five


Dogs Don’t Wear Pants
A dominatrix offers an emotionally paralyzed widower an unexpected chance for sexual and psychological release in this playful dark comedy.
Wednesday, October 23, 8:30pm
Friday, October 25, 9:15pm
Ritz Five


Honey Boy
Loosely based on the life of writer and star Shia LaBeouf, this drama follows the relationship between a 12-year-old actor and his erratic, ex-rodeo-clown dad.
Saturday, Octpber 26, 8:45pm
Philadelphia Film Center

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