Another year come and gone. I've already spouted off about my least favourite films of 2019, and while it's been a pretty dire year for the medium, on the whole, my goodness has it had some complete and utter gems amongst the rubble.
As with the opposite end of the spectrum, this selection of twenty releases lean 'personal favourite' over 'objective best' - they are the releases I've connected with, for a variety of reasons, most profoundly. Based on UK release date, it means that the likes of Parasite, 1917 and Jojo Rabbit (which I've been fortunate to see before their official release) will be staking their claim for the 2020 list over the next twelve months. We blame UK distributors!
You can see how it compares to 2018 here - which would, admittedly, look very different today - and let me know of any inclusions on the list that surprise you, or you expected to see but didn't.
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Honourable Mentions:
- Ben Is Back
- Benjamin
- Eighth Grade
- The King
20. Ad Astra (dir. James Gray)
A character drama disguised as a space movie, Ad Astra has Brad Pitt's stellar lead performance and James Gray's fantastic direction to thank for ensuring that its slower pace and constant narration emotionally engages audiences willing to head to the stars
19. Pain and Glory (dir. Pedro Almodóvar)
An evidently personal piece of filmmaking, Antonio Banderas performs tremendously as a Pedro Almodóvar stand-in in his Pain and Glory, finding something tenderly melancholic and reflective in his exploration of memory and art - and one that will certainly be enriched by repeat viewing and distance.
18. If Beale Street Could Talk (dir. Barry Jenkins)
If Beale Street Could Talk is an immaculately-shot, emotionally-stirring and passionately-made ode to love, time and humanity, as poetic in its dialogue as it is in its visuals. While Jenkins is perhaps a stronger director than he is a writer in this instance, Beale Street still asserts him - in only his second major feature, no less - as one of the most talented, accomplished filmmakers of his generation.
17. Official Secrets (dir. Gavin Hood)
Official Secrets is a thought-provoking effort that successfully marries fact and character drama with genuine thrills and suspense in this powerful cautionary tale on questioning authority and personal risk over national security. With Colette under her belt too, Keira Knightley's 2019 has been wonderful.
16. Toy Story 4 (dir. Josh Cooley)
Toy Story 4 captures the beating heart of this exemplary franchise while successfully evolving it into something new. Well-written, tonally balanced and gorgeously animated, this surprising and heartwarming continuation more than earns its position in one of cinema's greatest franchises.
15. A Private War (dir. Matthew Heineman)
At a time when the press is required more than ever, A Private War arrives at an important moment in our history, with Marie Colvin's life, legacy and career honoured remarkably by Rosamund Pike's breathtaking lead performance in this powerful and poignant film.
14. The Farewell (dir. Lulu Wang)
While very much rooted in a celebration of culture, The Farewell is a universally-relatable tale of family and unity in the face of heartache, with director Lulu Wang crafting a marvellous and emotionally stirring debut feature whose radiating warmth and infusion of humour overcome the somewhat morbid subject matter.
13. Vox Lux (dir. Brady Corbet)
Vox Lux's ambition cannot be faulted, and even when the film overwhelms, Brady Corbet's immersive direction, the committed performances from its role-sharing leads, catchy soundtrack and score, and outstanding cinematography thrive, orchestrating a slick performance that offers a rarely-depicted but endlessly-fascinating insight into stardom, tragedy and loss of innocence.
12. Avengers: Endgame (dir. Russo Brothers)
You will laugh, you will cry, you will cheer, and you will be devastated when the time comes to say farewell. With mostly satisfying character arcs, all-in performances from the whole gang, a sense of refreshing finality, and awe-inspiring scope, Avengers: Endgame concludes this cinema-redefining franchise extremely well indeed, with an ambitious finale as heartbreaking as it is heartfelt.
11. The Kindergarten Teacher (dir. Sara Colangelo)
The Kindergarten Teacher is a taut and thoughtful character study that leaves an indelible mark long after the credits have rolled. Sara Colangelo crafts a fascinatingly constructed discussion on moral responsibility and society's dulling of a creativity identity, elevated even further by Maggie Gyllenhaal's brilliantly-nuanced and internalised work.
10. Destroyer (dir. Karyn Kusama)
Nicole Kidman has never been in better than in Karyn Kusama's Destroyer, a rare feature enriched by a rewatch or two. A complex character study that pulls you in the deeper you go, the compelling writing, blisteringly intense direction and a rug-beneath-your-feet final twist go on to shatter expectations beyond the headline, against-type star turn.
9. Marriage Story (dir. Noah Baumbach)
Who knew pain and melancholy could result in such a rewarding cinematic experience? Be prepared for Marriage Story to break your heart (and mend it a little), with Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver's beautifully-matched performances thriving in Noah Baumbach's semi-autobiographical feature. The emotionally powerful and heartbreakingly authentic Marriage Story is comfortably one of the year's best films.
8. Honey Boy (dir. Alma Har'el)
Honey Boy is a difficult, sorrowful, gut-wrenching watch, but one that feels oddly, inexplicably rewarding: a therapeutic and cathartic piece as important to audiences as it is to the talent who have some empathetically and carefully created it. The pairing of Alma Har'el and Shia LaBeouf is a stroke of genius, with their tonally contrasting work complimenting the other's input and the overall vision of the film superbly, while Noah Jupe's astonishing lead performance will break your heart like few young actors could.
7. Hustlers (dir. Lorene Scafaria)
Hustlers is one of the most pleasant surprises of this film year. While not only endlessly entertaining, the film's deeper exploration of chosen family, the American Dream, greed and corruption infuse something far more sincere into what could've been a conventional, half-baked effort. Thanks to her dual role as both writer and director, Lorene Scafaria reframes a story usually treated with little respect and revolutionises the stripper genre in the process, fuelling it with a ferocity that the ensemble runs with, boasting a career-best from Jennifer Lopez in particular.
6. Booksmart (dir. Olivia Wilde)
Evolving the genre superbly, while still considering the themes so profoundly important to its success, Booksmart will go down as a generational classic, ushering in a new wave of talent that will take the industry by storm. Olivia Wilde, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever and co have skillfully developed a consistent hilarious, beautifully profound and thoroughly entertaining piece of filmmaking that continues the genre's hot streak exceptionally well.
5. Knives Out (dir. Rian Johnson)
Knives Out is a gleeful experience, one as thoroughly entertaining as it is wholly satisfying, with a shining ensemble and a brilliant screenplay sharpening Rian Johnson's excellent modern take on the whodunnit narrative. Frothy fun but narratively substantial with a sharp thematic undercurrent, this is a feature operating at maximum capacity on every level, resulting in pure, unfiltered filmmaking fun. Just when you think you have it sussed, Knives Out swings again and knocks you off your feet. Knives Out is a fun, old-fashioned studio movie smartly rooted in the politics of today.
4. Wild Rose (dir. Tom Harper)
What Tom Harper's feature lacks in scale, it makes up for plenty of heart and soul, and it is that passion that turns country-inspired Wild Rose into one of the year's finest releases to date. A star is truly born in Jessie Buckley, who delivers an electrifying performance - arguably one of the year's very best - in a film whose exploration of dreams, class and opportunity smartly subverts the expectations of the story it tells to heartfelt, uplifting effect.
3. Little Women (dir. Greta Gerwig)
There's unlikely to be a version of Little Women better than Gerwig's deeply nostalgic yet wonderfully contemporary realisation of the well-worn tale. It is pure magic, bound with such compassion and authenticity and emotion, hardly putting a foot wrong in the process. Gerwig thrives on both the writing and directing front, empowering her cast to achieve brilliance of their own that allows Saoirse Ronan, Timothee Chalamet and Florence Pugh, in particular, to shine brightest. Little Women is a marvellous accomplishment that has already found a most special place in my heart.
2. The Favourite (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos)
The Favourite is a marvellously, wildly enjoyable piece that fires from every cylinder with acerbic aplomb. It is a completely captivating, engrossing play from Yorgos Lanthimos who, thankfully, never loses his signature off-beat brilliance in the drive to play it fractionally more mainstream, cooking up a period piece packed with personality and zest. Fortifying Lanthimos' beguiling absurdity, Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are all deserving of the highest plaudits for their work here, and long may they reign. A defining, crowning glory.
1. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (dir. Marielle Heller)
Can You Ever Forgive Me? takes broken, flawed individuals and provokes a great sympathy for their situation and circumstances, primarily through Marielle Heller’s impeccable tonal balancing act and the tender, provoking screenplay from Holofcener and Whitty. Melissa McCarthy's career-redefining performance, which so wonderfully plays to her comedic sensibilities while never jeopardising the film's dramatic requirements, and Richard E. Grant's masterclass in what it takes to give a real, effective supporting performance, bestow us with one of the finest double acts our screens have seen in some time.
A wry, bittersweet but profoundly affecting cinematic experience, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is an astonishing examination of loneliness and detachment in some of the most accomplished musings on such thematics in a while, with a rare LGBT angle empowering it to stand out even more. It is perhaps the most powerfully authentic, yearning and raw piece of filmmaking of the year. Oddly charming, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a towering achievement for all involved and I'll long carry it with me.
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