“You Were Never Really Here”
We’ve been beating the drum for this once since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017. Jessica Kiang ends her glowing “A” review with the question, “Can Lynne Ramsay please direct all movies, forever?” It’s safe to say that’s a sentiment that all of us share. Ramsay’s approach to Jonathan Ames’ novella strips the film of nearly all verbal exposition, but tells us everything we need to know in every single frame, sound cue, and bruised sense of self-worth on Joaquin Phoenix’s gaze. Not unlike Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice,” “You Were Never Really Here” locks us firmly into Joe’s (Phoenix) perspective, never deviating from his POV. And Ramsay – as she does so effortlessly – provides us with empathy and compassion for broken individuals, and in this case, ones who seek redemption only to discover that maybe they’re too far gone. Speaking of “Inherent Vice,” the score here by Jonny Greenwood might be one of his best. It’s moody and angelic one second, and then accompanied by horror movie-esque scratches on strings the next, and all of the pieces click perfectively in their respective scenes. Sparse in plot, but rich in emotion and subtext, “You Were Never Really Here” may be Ramsay’s best, which makes it an easy candidate for the best film in any year. – RO
“Disobedience”
Sebastian Lelio is celebrating the best success of his career right now. Shortly after winning an Oscar for the wonderful “A Fantastic Woman” in the Best Foreign Film category this year, Lelio also presented audiences with his quick turnaround follow-up, “Disobedience,” which featured some of the best work in Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams’s careers to date. An erotic and stimulating romantic drama filled with thoughtful rumination, it’s certainly the type of film that leaves you eager to discuss its dense themes and astounding performances. In his TIFF write-up from September, Kevin Jagernauth praised Lelio’s latest film by saying Lelio, once again, “crafts a drama that’s both sensual and spiritual, deeply moving and tender” and that the acclaimed director created “a probing look at the illusion of freedom in both religious and secular life, and the bracing reality faced by two women when the relationship between them sparks back to life” in his celebratory B+ review. Keep your eyes peeled for Sebastian Lelio. His future is a bright one, and we can’t wait to see what the incredible director creates with his following work. – WA
“Annihilation”
“Annihilation” is, in a word, spellbinding. The sophomoric directorial effort from Alex Garland (“Ex Machina”), this sophisticated, unsettling mature sci-fi feature inspired by Jeff Vandermeer’s acclaimed novel of the same name is the type of invigorating filmmaking we all-so-rarely see in movie theaters these days, particularly under the studio system (though it’s worth noting that Paramount infamously and tragically had little faith in ‘Annihilation’ and its box office success, with the movie not making nearly as much money as it should’ve). Beautifully shot, gorgeously conceived, richly nuanced and commandingly lead by Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez, Oscar Isaac and Jennifer Lason Leigh, “Annihilation” is practically as great as adult-centric entertainment can be. It’s exactly the kind of hard sci-fi work of genius that will be hailed as a classic. In his radiant A review, Rodrigo Perez said Garland’s latest film is, “a hypnogogic nightmare, a trippy biolab you wouldn’t want to study in, and a masterful achievement about the terrors and ecstasies of the microbial.” He also hailed it as “a visionary experience with monumental dimension.” Expect “Annihilation” to be remembered for a long, long time. – WA
“Black Panther”
“Notions of identity, isolationism, birthright, and nativism aren’t exactly the first elements that come to mind when you think of a crowd-pleasing Marvel movie, but that’s exactly the kind of captivating moral, emotional and geopolitical texture that’s strewn throughout ‘Black Panther.’” The opening sentence to Rod’s “B+” review of “Black Panther” perfectly articulates why Ryan Coogler’s film stands tall on the shoulders of the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There are very few franchise obligations in Coogler’s film, which allows him the freedom build Wakanda as a living, breathing country instead of a mere CGI backdrop, organically develop the conflict not only within T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) as he decides what kind of ruler he wants to be, but also the conflict of birthright that was denied to Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to create the MCU’s most complex and sympathetic villain to date. Themes of oppression, black-on-black crime, Afrofuturism, and exceptionalism at the expense of others couldn’t feel timelier, and they all manage to cohere and add depth to what is otherwise a sleek, action-packed, and emotionally-engaging blockbuster. In this age of “All tentpoles, all the time,” it’s rare to have a blockbuster film that truly feels like a bonafide event, which is exactly what “Black Panther” felt like. Wakanda forever! – RO
“A Fantastic Woman”
It’s Sebastián Lelio time again because apparently the Chilean filmmaker can’t make a bad film if he tried. Winner of the 90th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Lelio’s “A Fantastic Woman” centers on a transgender woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer. Her life however, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend. Daniela Vega delivered one of the most stunning and magnetic performances of the year and its almost criminal that she wasn’t nominated alongside people like Meryl Streep, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie last year. Visually electric and playing with a Hitchcockian atmospheres, “A Fantastic Woman” is a stirring with a striking performance that says so much about our unkind and judgemental world. ” ‘A Fantastic Woman’ suggests that hostility toward something or someone that is not easily categorized would be better directed at the categories themselves,” Jessica Kiang wrote in her review. “Listen to Marina sing, and before you’d classify the sound as anything, you’d call it beautiful.” – RP
Honorable Mentions
Look, we could be here all day. There are tons of great films in 2018 so far and many that are coming up soon that we loved like Xavier Legrand‘s “Custody” for example which comes out at the end of this month. Consider these as all part of the extended list: Samuel Maoz’s “Foxtrot” (which in a way feels like a 2017 movie since it was a Foreign Language Oscar contender),”Claire’s Camera” by Hong Sang-soo, Alex Ross Perry‘s “Golden Exits,” Abbas Kiarostami‘s “24 Frames,” Jonas Carpignano‘s “A Ciambra,” Max Winkler’s “Flower,” Valeska Grisebach‘s “Western,” and Andrew Haigh‘s “Lean On Pete.”
More riches are coming too and you can always look to our The Best Films Of 2018 That We’ve Already Seen list and or The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of The Year, to chart out a path for what to keep an eye out on for the rest of 2018.
