I first want to mention that I enjoyed Black Panther and noticed its appearance on a few lists. But while both its Afrofuturism design aesthetic and the presence of a black superhero in mainstream film are something to embrace and celebrate, the film is ultimately a fairly conventional Marvel movie with one scene that seemed to be an exact copy of one of (or several?) the James Bond films. I also wanted to like If Beale Street Could Talk (the latest Barry Jenkin's film--he directed Moonlight) more than I did. It certainly wasn't bad--in fact, it was beautiful and moving in places, but overall it felt a bit flat.
Here is my 2018 list:
1. First Reformed. Probably better known as a screenwriter and critic rather than as a director, Paul Schrader wrote Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, one of the most important essays about film noir, and a critical analysis called Transcendental Style in Film. While he directed over 20 films, they have been hit or miss (but mostly miss, especially lately). His most recent film represents Schrader's successful emulation of the transcendental style he analyzed back in the 1970s. With echoes of Bergman, Dreyer and Bresson--particularly Bresson's The Devil, Probably--First Reformed is filled with poetic stillness. It is a beautifully moving story of ideas, an examination of existential dread and despair and the coming end of the world. But with that dread and despair comes the possibility of redemption. The ending reminded me somewhat of a play I teach by Archibald MacLeish called J. B., which is based on the Job story from the Hebrew Bible. In the play after J. B. has lost all of his children and his business (and is given a terrible skin disease), his wife Sarah returns to him and says "blow on the coal of the heart/ ...the candles in the churches are out/The lights have gone out in the sky." God and religion may have abandoned J.B. and his family, but Sarah and J.B. can reignite their lives with the power of love. The final transcendent scene in First Reformed reflects this theme. It's currently streaming on Amazon.
2. Happy as Lazzaro. A modern fairy tale inspired by the Biblical story of (wait for it...) Lazarus, Happy as Lazzaro presents a class commentary and a history lesson on the underclass of Italian society, those who were and continue to be exploited by the wealthy. Lazzaro is a fundamentally good, selfless, loyal, and kind human being, a man without a shred of guile. Alice Rohrwacher's film owes something to early Italian classics like Bicycle Thief and Bitter Rice, but it is also new and visionary and sublime. It's streaming on Netflix.
3. Zama. Argentina's Lucrecia Martel had only directed three films (all critically acclaimed) before her latest, which follows a nearly 10-year feature-film drought. She's almost as prolific as a young Terrence Malick (that's a film-nerd joke). Zama, a revisionist, genre-bending and surreal colonial-era film, tells the story of a Spanish administration official waiting in South America not so patiently for a better post. It's a measured, meditative film about the devastating impact of colonial power.
4. Western. A German film directed by Valeska Grisebach, Western tells the story of a group of German construction workers contracted to build a hydroelectric plant near a small and remote Bulgarian village. One of the workers becomes quickly fascinated with the villagers and village life and prefers them to his gruff coworkers. Tensions between the crew and the village build over a limited water supply and the testosterone-driven crew's sexist treatment of the village women. The film's title purposely evokes Hollywood Westerns. Here, there are no cowboy hats or shootouts or windblown sagebrushes, but tensions between the modern and the untainted West have always been a part of the classic Western genre, and these are the tensions on display here. But Grisebach handles these tensions in a manner far removed from John Ford or Howard Hawkes or Clint Eastwood. It's available at KCLS on video.
5. Roma. By now, everybody knows about Alfonso Cuaron's latest film, so I won't say much. It's a gorgeous and poignant and strange (in a good way) film by one of Mexico's best directors, based on his own life. It's also a film about privilege, class, discrimination, love, pain, loyalty, betrayal, and family. The opening shot alone summarizes the amazing artistry of the film. I got to see it in the theater, but a big screen television will be fine, too. It's streaming on Netflix.
6. Shoplifters. Hirokazu Kore-eda's latest humanist drama focuses on a down-and-out family struggling to survive hand-to-mouth and day-to-day in modern Tokyo. The film's final 30-40 minutes reveal several surprises that make us reevaluate what we have previously seen. It's a heartfelt drama that questions what it means to be a family in a world that is increasingly difficult to survive alone.
7. Sorry to Bother You. A satirical science-fiction comedy like no other, Sorry to Bother You presents a serious critique of capitalism and the ridiculous but brutal and exploitative practices of big business. The last 15-20 minutes might just be too much for some people, but we know early on that when African American men start speaking literally as white men (parts are dubbed with voice actors) that this is not your typical Hollywood movie.
8. Leave No Trace. Best known for Jennifer Lawrence's excellent breakout film Winter's Bone, Debra Granik directed this film about a father and daughter attempting to escape from society. Played against type by Ben Foster, a former soldier suffering from PTSD lives with his teenage daughter in the quiet woods outside Portland. He and his daughter, played with sincerity and sweetness by New Zealand actor Thomasin McKenzie, are discovered and forced to reintegrate into society. Thom must make the difficult decision over whether to live in the human world with the possibilities of friendship and the comforts of modern living or continue wandering in isolation with her seriously depressed father. I thought of Leave No Trace as the anti-8th Grade film. Not that 8th Grade was bad, but it presents a hyperrealistic if totally stereotypical 13-year-old who can't stand the possibility of having a relationship with her earnest father. Yes, there are 8th graders like her, but I disliked spending time in that world. Unlike 8th Grade, Leave No Trace presents a loving relationship between father and daughter. They care about each other in a way that may not be typical, but it should be. I also liked that Granik chooses not to include any villains in her film. There are no cruel social workers, evil bosses, fiery reverends or lustful truck drivers. In this film, the world is filled with decent people all doing their jobs and trying to help those in need.
9. Shirkers. In 1992 Sandi Tan wrote and shot what would have been a revolutionary Singapore road movie with her high-school friends and creepy mentor/teacher. This documentary tells the fascinating story of how the film came to be and why it was never released. It's a film about youthful ambition, idealism, disappointment, crushed dreams, betrayal, and moving on in life. It's streaming on Netflix.
10. You Were Never Really Here. Scottish director Lynne Ramsay found immediate critical acclaim with Ratcatcher, her neorealist first feature film from 1999. While her first films were concerned with documenting the underclass and revealing the pernicious effects of poverty, You Were Never Really Here is a revenge thriller of the highest caliber. It tells the story of a ruthless, efficient but also paradoxically loving hitman who is called to rescue a young girl from a brothel. Ramsay strips the film of most of the graphic violence, which she often abruptly cuts away from to purposely withhold what we as audience members have been conditioned to expect. We still know what happens, but Ramsay doesn't want us to find pleasure in the violence. Like Hamlet, You Were Never Really Here is a work about revenge that also comments on the revenge genre. It also stars Joaquin Phoenix in his best performance. It's streaming on several platforms.
11. Hereditary. Super scary horror movie by a first-time director about a totally psycho family. There are lots of subtle details you miss the first time, so it rewards multiple viewings. Warning: it's very disturbing and violent.
Other films I liked from the year: Bad Times at the El Royale (inventive crime film with lots of twists and turns), BlacKkKlansman (great Spike Lee joint), Death of Stalin (hilarious political satire), The Favourite (funny and original historical drama), Game Night (hilarious rom-com and action adventure; streaming on HBO Go), Isle of Dogs (Wes Anderson animation charged with cultural appropriation [I have mixed feelings about this charge]; streaming on HBO Go), Let the Sunshine In (French relationship drama; streaming on Hulu)), The Other Side of the Wind (Orson Welles's final film finally given the funding to put all of Welles's footage together; streaming on Netflix), Private Life (comedy/drama about a couple trying to have a baby; streaming on Netflix), Spider-Man: Into the Spider- Verse (surprisingly sophisticated and philosophical Marvel animation) and Support the Girls (thoughtful dramedy about a Hooter's- type restaurant; streaming on Hulu).
