‘Some Freaks’, ‘It’s Not Yet Dark’, ‘Wind River’

Some Freaks anchors this look back at a 2017 weekend slate that mixed intimate character studies with larger-scale releases. The original round-up framed a date-night menu built around personal reinvention, institutional scandal, and survival on the margins. Those threads still hold, and the focus on Some Freaks keeps the piece centered on a story about identity and the gap between who people are and who they become.

Some Freaks (Good Deed Entertainment) arrived on limited theatrical release and video on-demand in 2017. Ian MacAllister McDonald made his directorial debut with this coming-of-age story with a twist. Some Freaks follows one-eyed high school senior Matt who meets plus-size Jill and falls more in love than he ever thought possible. But when graduation arrives and Jill moves across the country for college, she undergoes a massive physical transformation – much to Matt’s surprise. As Matt struggles to accept her new look, Jill herself begins to question whether Matt is really the man she thought she knew and the two of them are forced to confront who they are, who they were, and who everyone thinks they’re supposed to be. Stars Thomas Mann (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Lily Mae Harrington (Loserville).

Streaming Availability Today

Some Freaks remains listed on Apple TV for rental or purchase. Icarus streams on Netflix. It’s Not Yet Dark is also available on Apple TV. These shifts from 2017 theatrical and VOD windows to ongoing platform access give viewers straightforward entry points without the original release calendar.

Awards and Recognition Since Release

Icarus won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2018, marking Netflix’s first feature documentary Oscar. The win elevated the film’s profile beyond its initial festival and streaming launch. Post-release recognition has kept the doping investigation in circulation whenever sports-governance stories resurface.

Director Career Trajectories

Taylor Sheridan moved from Wind River to creating the Yellowstone franchise and its expanding universe of series. Mike Flanagan is developing a Dark Tower series slated for 2026, with scripts completed. These later projects show how the 2017 slate fed into larger television and streaming pipelines that continue today.

Cultural and Thematic Resonance in 2026

Icarus continues to surface in debates about sports integrity and anti-doping enforcement. Detroit keeps its place in conversations around racial justice and policing practices that remain prominent. The personal adversity documented in It’s Not Yet Dark aligns with ongoing disability representation discussions in independent cinema.

Where to Watch the Original Slate

Some Freaks is accessible via Apple TV. Icarus streams on Netflix. It’s Not Yet Dark can be found on Apple TV. Wind River, Detroit, The Dark Tower, and Brave New Jersey are available through various digital storefronts depending on region and licensing cycles. Platform listings change, so current search results provide the most accurate options.

Icarus (Netflix) opened on video on-demand in 2017. Amateur bike racer Bryan Fogel (Jewtopia) embarks on a mission to uncover the truth behind the biggest sports scandal in recent history: the Russian doping epidemic. Far from a normal exposé, Icarus sees Fogel take on a personal experiment: doping himself, observing the changes in his performance, and trying to evade detection. Fogel teams up with Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, a renegade Russian scientist linked to Russia’s state-sponsored Olympic doping program, for the experiment. Despite Rodchenkov’s controversial background, the two grow closer through a series of Skype calls, urine samples, and badly administered hormone injections. Netflix promises the documentary will place viewers at the very “heart of an international game of cat and mouse”, as the pair learns they hold the power to blow the lid off the biggest international sports scandal in living memory.

It’s Not Yet Dark (FilmRise) opened on limited theatrical release in 2017. Soon after premiering his short film The Sound of People (2007) at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, promising young Irish director Simon Fitzmaurice was tragically diagnosed with motor neurone disease (ALS). At only 34 years old, Simon was given four years to live. But seven years later and despite total physical incapacitation, Fitzmaurice completed work on My Name is Emily (2015), directing it with only the use of his eyes. It’s Not Yet Dark sees fellow Irish filmmaker Frankie Fenton delve into Simon’s emotional journey of self realization and personal triumph over life-crushing adversity. Affectionately narrated by compatriot Colin Farrell (The Beguiled).

Brave New Jersey (Gravitas Ventures) opened on limited theatrical release in 2017. Set in a small New Jersey town on the night of Orson Welles’s legendary War of the Worlds radio broadcast, Jody Lambert (People Like Us) directs this comedy focusing on the hoax that terrified millions into believing Martians were invading America. Expect an overworked town mayor finally taking a chance on love; a neglected housewife who breaks free from her big-cheese husband; a demure schoolteacher that turns into a warrior; an aimless reverend who rediscovers his faith; and a reclusive war veteran who becomes a hero once again. Forced to confront the possibility that it might be their last night on Earth, these characters band together for a final battle, leading to a “surprising and hilarious outcome”. Brave New Jersey stars Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Heather Burns (You’ve Got Mail), Sam Jaeger (American Sniper), Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect), Dan Bakkedahl (The Heat), Mel Rodriguez (Little Miss Sunshine), and Raymond J. Barry (Training Day). The film recorded a domestic box office of approximately $16,500.

The Dark Tower (Sony Pictures Entertainment) opened on wide theatrical release in 2017. It’s been a long time in the making, but Stephen King’s The Dark Tower is finally coming to the big screen. Dubbed by Sony as the most “ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors”, the story focuses on gunslinger Roland Deschain, who protects the fabric of the universe and is locked in an eternal battle with a mysterious figure known as the Man in Black, who is determined to destroy it. With the fate of not only the world but the universe hanging in the balance, the forces of good and evil collide in The Dark Tower. Directed by Nikolaj Arcel and starring Idris Elba (Prometheus), Matthew McConaughey (Mud), Fran Kranz (Donnie Darko), and Jackie Earle Haley (Preacher). The film received a 16 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Mike Flanagan is developing a series adaptation with scripts completed as of 2026.

Detroit (Annapurna Pictures) opened on wide theatrical release in 2017. The true and “gripping story” of the civil unrest that erupted and shook the Michigan city to its core during the hot summer of 1967. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Detroit delves into the methodology the police and military used to combat the uprising, ultimately exploring the systemic racism prevalent throughout the city. The film reunites Oscar-winning director Bigelow with Mark Boal, with whom she previously collaborated on The Hurt Locker (2008) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012). Stars John Boyega (Attack the Block), Will Poulter (The Revenant), Jacob Latimore (The Maze Runner), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton), Anthony Mackie (Million Dollar Baby), John Krasinski (13 Hours), Jack Reynor (Free Fire), and Hannah Murray (Game of Thrones).

Wind River (The Weinstein Company) opened on limited theatrical release in 2017. Wind River is the “chilling” second feature from Taylor Sheridan, who made his directorial debut with Vile (2011). Set in Wyoming, the film follows Cory Lambert, a tracker on the Wind River Indian Reserve, ravaged by violence and isolation and “where the law of men fades against pitiless nature”. Lost and alone in the wilderness, Lambert stumbles upon the body of a murdered local girl, forcing the FBI to send in a rookie recruit to help solve the mysterious death. Wind River screened to a standing ovation at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Sheridan subsequently taking home the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Director. Stars Jeremy Renner (Arrival) & Elizabeth Olsen (I Saw the Light). Sheridan later created the Yellowstone franchise.

These 2017 titles still reward viewers who want character-driven stories alongside larger ensemble pieces. Some Freaks remains the clearest through-line for anyone tracking how identity and expectation play out on screen. The surrounding films add context on institutional power, personal endurance, and the long tail of festival and streaming exposure.