The best of the 2021 Mill Valley Film Festival

The Mill Valley Film Festival returns for its 44th installment this weekend and audience anticipation couldn’t be higher. After last year’s edition pivoted to COVID-19 restrictions, offering an online and drive-thru hybrid, festival programmers have organized a massive lineup of films to mostly premiere on a big screen.

Safety protocols will obviously be in place for those attending in person, requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test, and a smaller online selection will also be available to those who choose to participate from home.

Mill Valley is located in the heart of the Bay Area and its yearly film festival is considered one of the industry’s best, premiering many Oscar hopefuls with robust Q&A sessions. These lively events help ramp up award season and entertain audiences and Academy voters alike. In addition to new films from directors like Sean Baker (“The Florida Project”), Asghar Farhadi (“A Separation”) and Celine Sciamma (“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”), Mill Valley has a few hidden gems in store this year. The following selections are some of the best it has to offer during the first half of the festival. Stay tuned for a follow-up piece highlighting what’s in store for the back half of this year’s ten day event.

C’MON C’MON

When a radio journalist (Joaquin Phoenix) is forced to deal with a family crisis, the last thing he expects is to babysit his precocious 8-year-old nephew (Woody Norman), while mom tends to troubles of her own. What starts as a familiar bonding adventure meant to bring two opposites together, slowly becomes a lot more, engulfing its audience into the hopes and fears of its protagonists. Shot in luminous black and white, “C’Mon C’Mon” is easily one of the best and emotional films in this year’s lineup. Writer-director Mike Mills (“Beginners,” “20th Century Women) will be onstage to discuss the film after its premiere.

CYRANO

This latest telling of “Cyrano de Bergerac” keeps its period setting but adds a musical element to the mix, resulting in a lavish adaptation from director Joe Wright (“Darkest Hour,” “Atonement”). Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”) stars as the introverted poet Cyrano, while Haley Bennett (“Swallow”) plays his muse Roxanne. Rounding out the tale’s trio is Kelvin Harrison Jr. (“Luce”) as Christian, the dashing figure caught in the middle of this complicated love triangle. “Cyrano” will be the opening night selection and Joe Wright will attend to introduce the film as well as participate in an onstage conversation after the screening.

THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN

The first of two Benedict Cumberbatch films at this year’s festival, “The Electrical Life of Louis Wain” is not the cradle-to-the-grave biopic you may be expecting. Cumberbatch does play the renowned English artist who equally dealt with schizophrenia and an unexpected cat obsession, but the film takes a lighter tone in its cinematic approach. The heavier subjects are touched upon but the main focus is on Wain’s relationship with a family acquaintance (Claire Foy), and how that love affair caused some drama of its own. The result is a fun and entertaining look at a complicated figure and Cumberbatch steals the show with his commanding performance.

THE POWER OF THE DOG

Benedict Cumberbatch continues to impress in his second feature from this year’s Mill Valley lineup, “The Power of the Dog.” Based on the novel by Thomas Savage, the film is a harsh look at love and masculinity in 1920’s Montana. When outgoing rancher Phil (Cumberbatch) learns that his brother (Jesse Plemons) is coming home with a new wife (Kirsten Dunst) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee), he is equally happy and conflicted. That inner turmoil will come to a head as the film slowly and deliberately unravels the heart of this family’s drama. Writer-director Jane Campion (“The Piano”) will be onstage to receive an award and answer audience questions following the film’s premiere.

WOMEN IS LOSERS

Celina is a girl with big dreams and the motivation to back them up. Being a Catholic high school student in 1960’s San Francisco isn’t easy and when Celina unexpectedly gets pregnant, life gets even more complicated. The determination to make a better life for her and the new baby is at the heart of “Women is Losers,” and lead actress Lorenza Izzo (“The Green Inferno”) makes you believe every second of her character’s struggle. Supporting players include Steven Bauer (“Scarface”) and Simu Liu (“Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), while writer-director Lissette Feliciano brings the pieces together to craft a wonderful feature debut. Lorenza Izzo and Lissette Felicano will be present at the film’s in-person premiere for an audience Q&A.

The Mill Valley Film Festival runs from October 7-17. Tickets to in-person and online shows can be found at mvff.com