A Hidden Life

After a string of heavily improvised, tepidly received films, Terrence Malick wowed Cannes with his latest, the story of notable Catholic Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian conscientious objector whose refusal to pledge loyalty to Hitler during World War II led to his arrest, trial, and execution.

Jojo Rabbit

A different sort of Hitler appears in the latest from Taika Waititi, the New Zealand filmmaker behind Thor: Ragnarok and What We Do in the Shadows. Newcomer Roman Griffin Davis plays Jojo, a confused German boy who turns the dictator into his imaginary friend while his mother (Scarlett Johansson) hides a Jewish girl from the Nazis.

Harriet

Since winning a Tony for The Color Purple, Cynthia Erivo has been making inroads into movies, with memorable turns in two 2018 films, Bad Times at the El Royale and Widows. Directed by the terrific Kasi Lemmons (Eve’s Bayou), Harriet gives Erivo her first starring role, as the abolitionist Harriet Tubman.

Knives Out

For his follow-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson throws a curveball: a star-studded whodunit with a cast that includes everyone from Jamie Lee Curtis and local fave Michael Shannon to Daniel Craig and Don Johnson. (Also featured: a lot of knives.)