Cause Cinema Selects: Truth, Tenderness, and Tomorrow
Oscar nominees that face truth, and inspire change
Every so often, a film comes along that feels less like a story and more like a reckoning. And as Sundance finishes up in Park City this weekend, with the Festival entering its final stretch before its move to Boulder in 2027, it feels especially fitting to lead with a film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, which premiered at Sundance and is now in the awards conversation with Rose Byrne’s Oscar-nominated performance.
From there, these three films (now streaming) share a rare sweet spot: they’re not built for the megaplex, but they linger, each one carrying something urgent beneath the surface (motherhood under pressure, civic violence, climate and the future). They’ve largely flown quietly outside the commercial spotlight, yet Oscar nominations have pulled them into sharper focus. Together, they’re proof that some of the most essential movies are the ones you almost miss—until they’re impossible to ignore.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
A mother’s life becomes a tightening maze: a child’s mysterious illness, an absent partner, a missing person, and a therapist relationship that turns increasingly volatile. It’s darkly funny, brutally specific, and driven by a performance from Rose Byrne that feels like watching someone try to stay upright in hurricane winds.
ARCO
A beautifully animated, time-bending adventure: a boy from a peaceful distant future is accidentally thrown into 2075, where the world is in peril, and friendship becomes the bridge across timelines. It’s wonder-forward sci-fi with a real emotional core.
The Perfect Neighbor
Leaning into police bodycam footage, this documentary watches a neighborhood dispute escalate into an unbearable tragedy, and forces the viewer to sit with how fear, bias, and “Stand Your Ground” logic can turn daily life into a loaded weapon.
Have a great weekend!