the (global) best (and worst) of 2019
As before I'm trying to sum up the most memorable of the staggering 495 titles I've seen in the past year (thanks to festivals, streaming and illness-induced immobility).
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45 titles
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsSong Kang-hoLee Sun-kyunCho Yeo-jeongGreed and class discrimination threaten the newly-formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.It's boring to name this the best film of the year, and yet it unquestionably was. Bong Joon-ho has been pretty much the world's most innovative film maker since "Mother" ten years ago.
- DirectorWojciech SmarzowskiStarsArkadiusz JakubikRobert WieckiewiczJacek BraciakThree Catholic priests meet to celebrate the anniversary of an event which could have taken their lives. Their experiences and motivations to serve as priests are extremely different, and soon each of them will have to face new challenges.Most scathing critique of the Catholic Church caused a scandal upon release in Poland, and pretty much sums up everything that's wrong with religion in general.
- DirectorNadine LabakiStarsZain Al RafeeaYordanos ShiferawBoluwatife Treasure BankoleWhile serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, a 12-year-old boy sues his parents for neglect.Only released in early 2019 after its festival round, this is an instant classic and affirms that Nadine Labaki is the world's most important female director.
- DirectorMari SelvarajStarsKathirAnandhiYogi BabuA law student from a lower caste begins a friendship with his classmate, a girl who belongs to a higher caste, and the men in her family start giving him trouble over this.Very rough around the edges but a real punch in the gut on caste limitations. And the action is handmade and brutal. Social issues kept Indian cinema going strong this year.
- DirectorNoah BaumbachStarsAdam DriverScarlett JohanssonJulia GreerNoah Baumbach's incisive and compassionate look at a marriage breaking up and a family staying together.Of course it will bag Netflix's best picture award and almost everything else. Clearly the best US film this year, though I have issues with the man getting off as much more likable - surprising since Baumbach's partner is Greta Gerwig.
- DirectorRobert EggersStarsRobert PattinsonWillem DafoeValeriia KaramanTwo lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.The other best US film of the year (well, half Canadian). What a feast for eyes and ears, and Dafoe's new career best. He's getting stronger and stronger these past years.
- DirectorOliver Siu Kuen ChanStarsAnthony Chau-Sang WongCrisel ConsunjiSam LeeA paralyzed and hopeless Hong Kong man meets his new Filipino domestic worker. The two strangers live under the same roof through different seasons, and as they learn more about each other, they also learn more about themselves.Another delightful thespian pairing happens in this probably best Hong Kong film in a decade. Very well handled, very good script, could have used a trim or two.
- DirectorAbu Bakr ShawkyStarsRady GamalAhmed AbdelhafizOsama AbdallahA Coptic leper and his orphaned apprentice leave the confines of the leper colony for the first time and embark on a journey across Egypt to search for what is left of their families.Best off-the-beaten-track film I've seen this year. Very low budget, with an appropriate focus on the main two characters and a glimpse at Arab culture otherwise completely unknown.
- DirectorCristina GallegoCiro GuerraStarsCarmiña MartínezJosé AcostaNatalia ReyesDuring the marijuana bonanza, a violent decade that saw the origins of drug trafficking in Colombia, Rapayet and his indigenous family get involved in a war to control the business that ends up destroying their lives and their culture.Another female director to watch is Cristina Gallego, who found unforgettable imagery for her indigenous gangster epic.
- DirectorLijo Jose PellisseryStarsAntony VargheseChemban Vinod JoseSabumon AbdusamadA portrait of a remote village where a buffalo escapes and causes a frenzy of ecstatic violence.Another very well directed and photographed piece by a locally famous, but as of yet internationally ignored film maker who could be the next Tarantino.
- DirectorAri AsterStarsFlorence PughJack ReynorVilhelm BlomgrenA couple travels to Northern Europe to visit a rural hometown's fabled Swedish mid-summer festival. What begins as an idyllic retreat quickly devolves into an increasingly violent and bizarre competition at the hands of a pagan cult.And as American directors go, nobody made as much a name for himself as Ari Aster with this predictable, yet delectable visual delicacy. Best music, best set design in my opinion.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsRobert De NiroAl PacinoJoe PesciAn illustration of Frank Sheeran's life, from W.W.II veteran to hit-man for the Bufalino crime family and his alleged assassination of his close friend Jimmy Hoffa.As for veteran directors, of course Scorcese's swan song is a masterpiece, but be my guest if you feel a bit frustrated by it. Almost four hours, almost no women, and while that fits the story, I can see no reason whatsoever why a woman would want to watch this. And with that budget, 10-20 other films could have been made.
- DirectorCraig BrewerStarsEddie MurphyKeegan-Michael KeyMike EppsEddie Murphy portrays real-life legend Rudy Ray Moore, a comedy and rap pioneer who proved naysayers wrong when his hilarious, obscene, kung-fu fighting alter ego, Dolemite, became a 1970s Blaxploitation phenomenon.Much to my own surprise I loved Eddie Murphy in this. Most of us wrote him off decades ago and here is at the top of his act. What a performance. (Oversized) chapeau.
- DirectorVetrimaaranStarsDhanushAmeer SultanRadha RaviA young carrom player in north Chennai becomes a reluctant participant in a war between two warring gangsters.Dhanush is now pretty much the hottest name in Indian film internationally speaking, and this is definitely his best work to date. The scene stealer is Andrea Jeremiah though, who will quite likely feature more prominently in the sequel.
- DirectorAnubhav SinhaStarsAyushmann KhurranaNassarManoj PahwaIn the rural heartlands of India, an upright police officer sets out on a crusade against violent caste-based crimes and discrimination.Another film tackling caste, Ayushmann Khurrana's performance saves an otherwise slightly too extended runtime and/or simplistic storyline.
- DirectorHans Petter MolandStarsStellan SkarsgårdBjørn FlobergJon RanesA grieving widower moves to the country where a chance encounter rekindles memories from his past.Otherwise confusing because of unannouced switches of time lines, Stellan Skarsgard does display once more his gift for simple, effective delivery. Also best European photography this year.
- DirectorVikas BahlStarsHrithik RoshanMrunal ThakurNandish Singh SandhuBased on the life of Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar who runs the famed Super 30 program for IIT aspirants in Patna.A bit surprising in the acting department was Hrithik Roshan's solid performance here, given that he's been the proverbial pretty boy, the script was at times sloppy - and rubbing his skin with Khol to make him look more Tamil took some getting used to.
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsOlivia ColmanEmma StoneRachel WeiszIn early 18th-century England, the status quo at the court is upset when a new servant arrives and endears herself to a frail Queen Anne.Who else but Olivia Colman deserved the Award more this year? Good thing they got it right. The film itself is a bit too meandering for me.
- DirectorMay el-ToukhyStarsTrine DyrholmGustav LindhMagnus KrepperA successful lawyer jeopardizes her career and threatens to tear her family apart after engaging in an affair with her teenage stepson.Another very strong performance by a seasoned actress, Trine Dyrholm. Perhaps the most difficult part of the year.
- DirectorLulu WangStarsShuzhen ZhaoAwkwafinaX MayoA Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.Also very good dual female performances by Awkwafina and Shuzhen Zhao in a film that otherwise too strongly resembles Ang Lee.
- DirectorZakariyaStarsSoubin ShahirSamuel Abiola RobinsonSavithri SreedharanStory of an African football player and a local football club manager from Malappuram, Kerala.Another very good performance from someone you never heard of: Savithri Sreedharan
- DirectorAlejandro LandesStarsSofia BuenaventuraJulián GiraldoKaren QuinteroOn a remote mountaintop, eight kids with guns watch over a hostage and a conscripted milk cow.Another excellently photographed film from Colombia, which also features a brilliant score and tight audacious storytelling.
- DirectorHouman SeyyediStarsNavid MohammadzadehFarhad AslaniFarid Sajjadi HosseiniThe story of a gang of drug dealers in the south of Tehran who has sheltered many youngsters and orphans from the streets. Shahin and Shakoor who are brothers are leading the gang but when it is collapsed creates a crisis in their family and their lives. Two brothers are making crystal meth in a hidden laboratory in middle of nowhere in an urban jungle, however, they do care for the honor of their neighborhood. All of a sudden, mobile footage on their sister's phone begins spreading everywhere which causes some strange incidents.Very courageous script considering this was made in Iran, where it's becoming more difficult than ever to push the limits of the acceptable.
- DirectorMuayad AlayanStarsAdeeb SafadiSivane KretchnerIshai GolanThe affair of a married Palestinian man and a married Israeli woman in Jerusalem takes a dangerous political dimension when they are spotted in the wrong place at the wrong time, leaving them to deal with more than their broken marriages.Again, very well and concisely written, just occasionally testing the boundaries of disbelief.
- DirectorKongdej JaturanrasameeStarsJennis OprasertPraewa SuthamphongSaheoiyn AophachatSue, the crazy girl that feels as if she was born in the wrong place. But the craziest thing she's ever done is that she is about to leave everything behind, including Belle.Very good coming-of-age drama with far more mature dialogue than any recent American film of this kind.