If it’s October, it must be Mill Valley. Yes, everyone’s favorite fall film fest opens tonight, Thursday, October 2nd. You can check out the full program here, and don’t despair if a screening is listed as “standby”: more tickets may be released before the screening date, and same-day wait list tickets most likely will be available. Check out the Box Office for more information. We already presented a sneak peak of three of of this year’s offerings, and below we highlight five more: four great features and an equally worthy documentary. See you at the Fest!
1.) Metallica Saved My Life
(United Kingdom, 2025. 99 min.)
Anyone looking for a sort “Behind the Music” exposé about Metallica would be better served by watching the 2004 documentary Metallica: Some Kind of Monster. That the band is still together 20+ years since that film is a testament to its staying power, which aligns with the angle this new doc takes. “Metallica is everybody” is the rallying cry of Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund’s new film, which Metallica’s PR team is no doubt swooning over. Despite its Metallica-can-do-no-wrong vibe, this documentary about the band’s devoted fans is infectious and disarming. Filled with stories of people from all walks of life and all across the globe who have found solace, connection, and joy in the band’s music and concerts, the picture paints a warm portrait of a Metallica family that embraces anyone who wants to love the band and its community. Particularly affecting interviews from a trans man in Austin and fans from Iraq, Botswana, and Ukraine are emotionally raw, and help keep the picture from sinking too deeply into hagiography. Metallica band members are also interviewed, and they come across gracious and sincere in their appreciation of their fans. Sure the film is terrific PR, but it’s also genuinely uplifting.
Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Thurs., Oct. 9th, 6:00pm at CinéArts Sequoia, Mill Valley (at standby)
– Fri., Oct. 10th, 3:00pm at Smith Rafael Film Center
2.) BLUE MOON
(United States/Ireland, 2025. 100 min.)
Ethan Hawke once again collaborates with writer/director Richard Linklater (Before Sunrise series; Boyhood) to dramatize the tragic tale of Lorenz “Larry” Hart, one half of the prolific Broadway songwriting team of Rodgers and Hart. Hawke plays Hart at a pivotal moment in his career: Richard Rodgers (an excellent Andrew Scott) has just opened Oklahoma!, his first production with Roger Hammerstein (Simon Delaney) as his partner instead of Hart, to rave reviews. Depressed and drunk, Hart holds court at Broadway’s Sardi’s, talking nonstop to his much younger crush, Yale student Elizabeth (Margaret Qualley), and affable bartender Eddie (Bobby Cannavale). Hawke brings a lonely, despondent, Willy Loman-esque quality to Hart, delivering a loquacious, heartbreaking performance that’s bound to be recognized come Oscar time.
Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Tues., Oct. 7th, 7:00pm at CinéArts Sequoia, Mill Valley (at standby)
– Wed., Oct. 8th, 1:00pm at Smith Rafael Film Center (at standby)
3.) A PRIVATE LIFE
(France, 2025. 100 min)
Any film that opens with the Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” has to be good, n’est ce pas? And if it also has Jodie Foster speaking impeccable French, even better. Foster helms this French mystery, playing a psychiatrist who becomes obsessed with investigating the alleged suicide of one of her patients. Was it actually a suicide? Or something more nefarious – or banal? French director Rebecca Zlotowski delivers a smart, Hitchcockian tale of romance, deceit, and family secrets, mais oui. But her picture is also a wry look at therapy, mother/son relationships, and French and American culture clashes.
Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., Oct. 4th, 8:00pm at CinéArts Sequoia, Mill Valley (at standby)
– Fri., Oct. 10th, 5:00PM at CinéArts Sequoia, Mill Valley (at standby)
4.) CHARLIEBIRD
(United States, 2025. 98min.)
If you or anyone you know spent time in a hospital as a kid, this tearjerker may be triggering—but not necessarily in a bad way. Director Libby Ewing’s debut feature took home the Best U.S. Narrative Feature Award at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, where it also earned a Best Performance award for relative newcomer Gabriela Ochoa Perez. Perez plays Charlie, a spirited 17-year-old battling kidney cancer confined to a Houston-area children’s hospital. She strikes up an unlikely friendship with Alyse (Samantha Smart, who also wrote the screenplay), a music therapist still grappling with her own traumatic childhood memories. Evocative and ethereal while also grounded and true, Charliebird is a startling and prescient film about grief and the lingering effects of unresolved emotional wounds.
Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sat., Oct. 4th, 4:00pm at Smith Rafael Film Center
– Mon., Oct. 6th, 6:00pm at Smith Rafael Film Center (at standby)
5.) The Scout
(United States, 2024. 89 min.)
First-time writer/director Paula González-Nasser has an uncanny ability to capture the rhythms of language and speech, whether between colleagues, strangers, friends, or lovers. A former location scout herself, González-Nasser tells the story of Sofia (Mimi Davila), a location scout for a pilot TV show, as she meets with various property owners in and around Manhattan. Davila masterfully conveys Sofia’s emotional shifts with just the slightest change of facial expressions, but in a way that invites us into her private world. We witness scores of interactions during Sofia’s long day, and realize that Sofia and everyone she meets are looking for connection, but are unsure how to find it. Melancholic, tender, and featuring cinematography reminiscent of still photography, the film turns New York City itself into another soulful character.
Screenings (click here for tickets):
– Sun., Oct. 5th, 5:00pm at Smith Rafael Film Center
– Mon., Oct. 6th, 2:30pm at Smith Rafael Film Center
