Strong, original #storytelling, with rich cinematography as it meets new tech. The result – great news for fans in 2018: An overflow of terrific #films.
Let me start by celebrating another great year for films! Streaming, newer distribution channels, self-distribution opportunities, and early-stage investment companies have greatly helped #independentfilmmakers get fresh stories out. The number of highly original stories and distinct voices was vast. Storytelling was more personal, more political and more diverse. #Documentaries enjoyed a particularly good year with four excellent titles reaching wide audiences: Won't You Be My Neighbor?, RBG, Three Identical Strangers and Free Solo.
The films that resonated with me in 2018 are the more offbeat stories or character studies told successfully, even when the subject matter didn’t necessary appeal to me at first glance. That's why I love filmmaking – it's that surprise that comes from collaboration done well.
To date, I’ve seen over 120 films, and there are still so many left to see: Minding the Gap, Shoplifters, Border, Let the Sunshine In, The Sisters Brothers, Happy as Lazzaro, Capernaum, Cold War, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Hale County This Morning, This Evening, First Man, Bisbee ‘17 and on and on. As usual, I may amend my list.
My #BestofFilm2018 list totaled more than 25 films, so I had to do some painful pruning. Here are my best 11 picks – 10 films plus one bonus since I couldn’t omit any of the 10. Look for the 14 honorable overflow films below the reviews. In alphabetical order:
The Death of Stalin | Armando Iannucci, Co-writer-Director
A cautionary tale – timely and wickedly funny – about a group of cronies vying for power after Stalin’s death. A great ensemble of actors including Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale and Jason Isaacs bumble and backstab their way to the top. Iannucci has penned a tight, fast-moving satire where the one-liners fly, and dysfunctional politics are mined for every nuance. The film walks in the footsteps of Dr Strangelove and The Producers. Dark, dark comedy, that’s on point for our times.
Eighth Grade | Bo Burnham, Writer-Director
Awkward, insecure, humiliated, confused. A peek into an eighth-grader’s life now, in the age of social media, is to magnify those feelings exponentially. Under the strong direction of first-time filmmaker Bo Burnham, this wonderful story brings those cringe-worthy, developmental years to the forefront. The young lead, Elsie Fisher, tasked with this transition, hits every pain point with truth and grace. Her trademark video sign-off, “Gucci,” is both charming and a yearning for acceptance. An achingly timeless right of passage.
The Favourite | Yorgos Lanthimos, Director
At its core, Yorgos Lanthimos’ dark and twisted tale of 18th century court intrigue under Queen Anne is wound around the eternal theme: Absolute power corrupts. Vying for the upper hand are a triad of women, expertly played by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone. These women have no problem directing ruthless and vengeful behavior towards each other and all who cross their path. Visually offbeat, partially shot through a fisheye lens, this world of corruption is both fun, sometimes hysterical – the duck races – and rabbits, and cruel alongside its rivals and fools. Another winner from Lanthimos, loved it!
First Reformed | Paul Schrader, Writer-Director
Schrader returns to fine form with a searing film about a pastor in the throes of a crisis of faith, living in his small church, facing a shrinking congregation. Depressed, isolated by drinking and ill health, he befriends a female parishioner. His journey forward straddles heaven and hell, as his reawakening takes radical turns. Schrader’s strong script and direction support Ethan Hawke in a career-defining performance, with fine work by the entire cast. Dark, austere, an uncomfortable watch, but the fervor of this existential film can’t be denied.
Isle of Dogs | Wes Anderson, Writer-Director
Set 20 years in a dystopian future in fictional Megasaki City, Japan, Anderson’s wry concept spans both the best and worst of society. Dogs have been banished to Trash Island by a tyrannical mayor because of dog flu. When a young boy goes in search of his missing dog Spots, he finds a pack of dogs willing to fight back against the canicide to come. Politics and humanity clash in this modern fable where you root for the underdogs – literally. Its gorgeous stop-motion photography and meticulous detail illustrates Anderson at his most creatively unleashed.
Leave No Trace | Debra Granik, Co-writer-Director
Living illegally on public land, the insular bond between a war-vet father and his care-giving daughter is shattered when they are separated and placed in social services. When the pair escape to return to the wild, the definition of home leaves each with choices about their future. Ben Forster and Thomasin McKenzie deliver unforgettable performances that are so in sync, their story could be real. Granik masterfully directs this quiet, contemplative and tense film without leading the viewer in any one direction. A sensitive and rewarding watch.
Paddington 2 | Paul King, Co-writer-Director
Amidst all the dark and dystopian films I’ve watched, the gentle voice of Ben Whishaw as the gentle Paddington bear is a breath of fresh air. Heartwarming and charming, the film is extremely well-written and gorgeously produced. The little bear whose mission is to find the good in all meets the selfish baddie that Hugh Grant was born to play. Led by a great live-action cast including Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville and Julie Walters, P2 is funny, touching and inclusive. Lifted my mood and left me feeling hopeful.
Roma | Alfonso Cuarón, Writer-Director
A story of great humanity and heart, Cuarón used all the tools in his box to tell a sumptuous, semi-autobiographical, memory piece about ordinary and not-so-ordinary life. Set against political unrest in 1970 in a suburb of Mexico City, Roma is Cuarón’s ode to remembrance: A young, live-in domestic, Cleo, and the middle-class family that employs her. Yalitza Aparicio, an untrained actor, beautifully inhabits Cleo’s quiet dignity. From the languid storytelling to the stunning, black and white cinematography, this is a near-perfect film. See it on the big screen!
Sorry To Bother You | Boots Riley, Writer-Director
A funny, wild and brutal ride that’s thoroughly original in its voice and visuals. Riley’s debut feature throws everything and then some at the wall. Some sticks, some misses, in this absurdist tale that takes aim at the current state of race, class and capitalism set in an alt-version of Oakland. Lakeith Stanfield is excellent as a black, newbie telemarketer who is intent on climbing the success ladder. Finding his ticket upward through racial code-switching, his trade-off brings gains, but at what cost? This film kept me thinking long after it ended. Get ready for a call to arms.
Three Identical Strangers | Tim Wardle, Director
This documentary tells such a bizarre story, it proves that truth is stranger than fiction. The enduring quest to answer the question of nature versus nurture causes identical triplets placed in an orphanage at birth to be adopted separately. Their reunification goes from celebratory to tragic as they uncover the true story of how and why this happened. It’s best to watch this doc knowing as little as possible, and let Wardle’s skillful, investigative reveal of the circumstances around these now-grown men be a discovery. Equally unsettling and enraging.
Zama | Lucrecia Martel, Writer-Director
What happens when the dream one is waiting for is never realized? Zama, an officer for the Spanish Crown, anxiously awaits a transfer to a better place. As he stagnates in a South American backwater town, he is mocked and passed over, until inertia turns to madness. Martel’s gorgeous and inventive vision is humorous and elliptical. Sound is an integral part of her narrative. The meticulously constructed frames reveal centuries of exploitation, while simultaneously signaling Zama’s degradation and decay. An unsettling portrait of social strata and colonialism, that will likely be loved or hated.
The Honorables
Rounding out my 2018 list: A Ciambra, Annihilation, A Prayer Before Dawn, BlacKkKlansman, The Endless, Filmworker, The Final Year, Lean On Pete, Revenge, The Rider, Sweet Country, Thoroughbreds, Upgrade, You Were Never Really Here.
As in past years, 2018 saw our cup runneth over. Check out my #2019Oscar predictions and my best-of film lists from past years, 2017, 2016 and 2015.
What's on your 2018 best-of-film list?
Design + animation: © 2018 Janet Giampietro | Posters copyright each respective studio.
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