Ten films to catch if you haven't already from 2016!
10. THE LOBSTER
Bizarre, dark, unconventional and unique, The Lobster, was an intriguing film I found both strange and pleasing at the same time. Given its peculiar plot, (involving a hotel where guests are turned into animals as a consequence of failing to find life partners), you'd think it would be a challenging film to be absorbed by, but its tone, style and delivery all worked for me. I still chuckle to myself thinking about this film. One of a kind for sure!
9. PATERSON
I like Paterson for Paterson himself. He's just such a nice guy, going about life in an honest way as a bus driver with a passion for poetry. I've struggled with Jarmusch's films in the past but found this much more accessible, enjoying Paterson's low-key everyday interactions. It's anti-drama at times but there are good payoffs scattered throughout. With my ignorance of poetic literature, I felt there was quite a bit that passed me by, but what I did catch, I enjoyed.
8. ROGUE ONE
My blockbuster pick of the year was probably always going to be Rogue One as a dedicated and often tormented Star Wars fan. That being the case, the film still easily managed to surpass my expectations, probably for the first time since the originals. What worked best for me was that this film felt like a liberated piece of Star Wars canon. Minus the weight of the Skywalker storyline, it had the freedom to be a distinct film with its own identity. It expressed this by undoing many of the inadequacies of the contemporary films such as cutesy characters, forced love interests and sanitised action sequences. In their place, Donnie Yen, epic space battles and Vader unleashed!
7. I, DANIEL BLAKE
Ken Loach's film focuses on the plight of people living via the welfare system in challenging and difficult circumstances. Their situation is given little sympathy from the corporatisation of that system, supposedly designed to help them. They are faced with dehumanising dead ends, furthering personal desperation, jeopardising basic levels of health and well-being. It's a difficult watch at times, a result of its genuine and authentic portrayal. Loach's work always feels like life on screen to me as important stories to be told. This one is no different.
6. TICKLED
This Kiwi doco by David Farrier and Dylan Reeve was a little gem. The subject alone, competitive tickling, would've been enough to satisfy me for 90 mins, but it unravels to offer so much more. It's a film that somehow manages to go from comedy fetishism to conspiracy drama in a quick, creepy and disturbing way. I initially thought Farrier and Reeve had struck it lucky with this treasure chest of material but in truth, they've been digging around this sort of stuff for years. The film was no walk in the park either, so to see it through to conclusion is credit richly deserved.
5. THE REVENANT
Alejandro G. Iñárritu is one of those filmmakers that isn't intimidated by limitations. The Revenant is further proof of this as we watch 2+ hours of pretty spectacular Di Caprio vs Wilderness. There are big moments everywhere from the opening scene, to bear attack, to horse sleeping bag, and final showdown. Di Caprio did well to survive this, let alone produce a performance, the magnitude of which he'll probably never surpass. The film superbly captures its landscape too with the only criticism being I've yet to find a female friend who liked it. They're about as scarce as a hot bath in the actual film itself which could be a factor.
4. HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE
Crowd pleaser of the year, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, was an absolute hoot with Sam Neill and Julian Dennison combining perfectly as the unlikely odd couple in a NZ bush adventure classic. Based on a Barry Crump novel and infused with a lot of Taika schtick, the film is much more light-hearted and made for laughs than 'Boy' with a broader style of comedy than 'What we do in the Shadows'. It makes the film one that is genuinely enjoyable for all, hard-pressed to find haters. If Taika can generate even an ounce of this fun in his first Hollywood blockbuster (the next Thor film which badly needs it), it could be a massive hit!
3. DHEEPAN
Dheepan, the winner of the 2015 Palme d'Or, is a tense thriller that follows the lives of three Tamil refugees who assume the pretense of a family in order to flee Sri Lanka in the midst of civil war. Where they end up, a rundown estate in France, isn't a great improvement with Dheepan and his makeshift family facing many obstacles, not only with the new environment, but in maintaining their artificially formed family roles. Dheepan also suffers from deep psychological scars as a result of his involvement in the war which runs as an undercurrent throughout the film until things come to a head when he becomes entangled in a gang conflict. It all gets rather ruthless but is well done and well worth the watch.
2. SPOTLIGHT
What a film. I'm not quite sure how to sum up my thoughts better than that to be honest. So good is this film, I'm almost too intimidated to provide comment. Spotlight deals with some heavy material following the true story of the investigative team at the Boston Globe that exposed the horrendous levels of abuse by priests in the Catholic Church and the systemic cover-up that enabled it to flourish. The storytelling is in-depth and emotional and very effectively draws you in and reveals just how many in the community suffered, whilst a larger portion turned a collective blind eye. With the ensemble it has, you'd be forgiven for thinking the film doesn't really have to try, but it is produced with such care and attention you get the impression this was a story they knew they had to tell right. It's just like the actual exposé in that respect, which unfortunately for the victims came years too late.
1. VICTORIA
Closing off the year with the film I've selected as my favourite is the German cult hit, Victoria. Victoria is a film you may have read headlines about due to the fact that the film was shot on the streets of Berlin in one continuous take. That is a huge part of its genius which I'll talk more about later. The story itself, to provide a bit of context, follows the title character and her casual night out, a chance encounter and the calamitous sequence of events that follow. I thought I'd had some fairly hairy nights out over the years but Victoria really takes the cake with this one!
Victoria herself is quite a trusting girl, and the film takes the time it needs to establish her personality and set the scene before her troubles (and our excitement) begins. The drama is also enhanced by the use of the aforementioned continuous shot which has the effect of never allowing you to escape the story and the predicaments Victoria finds herself in. This method would have been no easy feat. It's not like the film uses just one or two sets. They are running all around the place in the streets of Berlin, driving in cars, going into buildings, dodging bullets, the lot! And it is completely seamless. At no point are you pulled out of the film thinking a mistake's been made. You are with it all the way.
The cinematographer and camera operator deserve a lot of credit here, managing the lighting and composition of the film, but the whole thing is a tremendous logistical accomplishment. Fantastic too are the performances, especially that of Laia Costa (Victoria) who puts in a full run-time of what must have been both an emotionally and physically exhausting effort. It's a production of great ambition and they really did pull it off.
In conclusion, I'm not sure if Victoria is technically the "best" film I saw all year (I'm less about the arbitrary ranking of films each time I do this) but it definitely is the one I enjoyed the most. I'm partial to a good thrill, and this one had me edgy throughout. I recommend this to you all and hope it gives you the same type of experience that it gave me.
