While it’s been a rough 2017 overall, It’s been a phenomenal year in film. With that being said, below is a list ranking what I believe are the top 20 films of 2017. It was painstakingly difficult cutting my list of 100 to 50, but even harder from 50 to 20. Some notable films that barely missed the cut include: “Wakefield,” “The Lovers,” “Wonder Woman,” “Baby Driver,” “Super Dark Times,” “It,” “Split,” “Personal Shopper,” “Columbus,” “Menashe” “and yes, I left out the fan favorite, “Dunkirk.” I also want to mention that there are films that I have excluded because I have yet to see them, such as: “Phantom Thread,” “The Darkest Hour,” “BPM,” and “Molly’s Game” just to name a few. Before delving into my list, I want to first thank The Playlist for allowing me to contribute to their publication this year and allowing me to both appease readers and well…upset readers (unintentionally) with my reviews along the way. So I wouldn’t be surprised if this list is a reflection of the reactions I received during my first year here. Without further ado, I present to you what I believe are 20 of the very best films of 2017. Enjoy.
20. “The Big Sick”
As someone who has never really considered themselves a sucker for romantic comedies, “The Big Sick,” directed by Michael Showalter, quickly changed that. Thoroughly endearing and emotional, and accompanied by striking deadpan humor, “The Big Sick” is as hilarious as it is poignant. With a sharp, interpersonal script and electric character synergy from everyone on board, most notably between Kumail Nanjiani and Holly Hunter, ”The Big Sick” easily stands as one of the greatest romcoms of recent memory. In the most cliche way, “The Big Sick” is a spectacle that makes you cry and laugh. With all of this in mind, it was incredibly frustrating to see this beautiful and hilarious portrait of unrestrained love snubbed by the Golden Globes.
19. “Thelma”
With an atmosphere that recalls a bit of Hitchcock and a storyline that harkens to De Palma’s “Carrie,” “Thelma” is what I believe to be the best foreign language feature of 2017. Director Joachim Trier unravels a breathtaking tale of chilling deliberation while squeezing every ounce of suspense from its paradoxically calm Norwegian scenery and eerie close-ups of agony experienced by the film’s titular main character. “Thelma” is a beautifully brooding piece of film brimming with stunning visuals, but oozing with a palpable uneasiness as the storyline snowballs into complete calamity. An unorthodox coming of age story by every definition, “Thelma” also embodies a supernatural love story that touches upon the ramifications of religious fanaticism, sexual repression and what it is like to be an introvert. In many ways, it’s also an allegory about the detrimental tendencies of religion and the chaos it can bring.
18. “Brigsby Bear”
“A kind and clever indie comedy, ‘Brigsby Bear‘ charms from the very beginning, with emotion, heartbreak, and humor. Bearing a radiant heart and an expanded imagination, ‘Brigsby Bear’ is what James would probably describe as ‘Dope as shit!’ It’s a movie grounded in honesty and parades the pleasantries of humanity, yet it doesn’t forget that it’s a comedy produced by The Lonely Island.” — From my full review
17. “Get Out”
Aside from maybe Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman,” Jordan Peele’s magnificent “Get Out” offered the most timely and important viewing experience of 2017. With jump scares and clever imagery at the forefront, Peele’s cognitive thriller most effectively delivers a pointed knife at the racial tension that reverberates throughout Donald Trump’s America. As a result of the film’s valiant social commentary, Peele dazzles with an unexpected artistry, as he blurs the lines between satire and horror that holds the viewer in a claustrophobic trance. There’s no escaping the sheer, horrific truth revealed by “Get Out,” which is exactly why it may be the most vital film of 2017.
16. “The Florida Project”
“The Florida Project” directed by Sean Baker is an insightful and beautifully-articulated reflection of adventure and the innocence of childhood, but an equally saddening and dark portrait of adulthood. Baker has brought these dichotomic themes together in a way unseen at this level since “Beasts of the Southern Wild,” resulting in a wholly unique coming-of-age story that’s gorgeously shot and directed with a pure sense of realism by Baker. The director takes the lens of magical, childlike wonder and permeates it with the concerns of real-life struggles — money, drugs, friendship, violence and the fight for stability. Similar to his 2015 debut film “Tangerine,” Baker manages chaos with grace, as the balance between the innocence of the children and the world they live in wavers; whereas, the adults of these children are having to give their all just so their children maintain this sense of innocence and childhood. Despite having just two full-length features to his name, Baker has managed to solidify himself as one of the brightest talents working right now.
15. “Marjorie Prime”
Eerily comparable to an episode of “Black Mirror,” but more affecting and extended into a full-length feature, Michael Almereyda’s futuristic “Marjorie Prime” based on Jordan Harrison’s Pulitzer Prize-contending play, stands as a sneakily haunting masterpiece dictated by profound concepts of grief, memory and time. An intellectual and emotional spectacle through and through, the film’s elements of science fiction are almost an afterthought as it poignantly intertwines the implications of how memory and personhood are defined. Aside from the phenomenal acting at hand (Jon Hamm and Lois Smith), the number of philosophical conversations “Marjorie Prime” will incite once it is viewed makes it one of the hidden gems of 2017.
14.” Ingrid Goes West”
As the year comes to a close “Ingrid Goes West” will inevitably end up as one of the most overlooked films of 2017. But this should not detract from it being one of the most important viewings of the year. Matt Spicer’s movie is an all too real satire of social media fixation, but what the film preaches, never crosses over as heavy-handed or misdirected in suggesting that social media is the root cause of the new millennium’s self-absorption. Contrarily, the film’s conflict hinges more on Ingrid Thorburn’s (Aubrey Plaza) obsessive-compulsive personality, which is driven home by the film’s darkest moment and dramatically straightforward final act that will have many recalling “Taxi Driver.” However, in the end, this incredibly aware film still has something impactful to say about Instagram and other social media. We use Instagram and other similar conduits to connect together and, indeed, to show people how we’re living our lives — but it may, in fact, lessen our ability to connect personally. Ingrid lacks that every day, person-to-person means of connection and like all of us, she dearly wants to be liked. Unfortunately, when the time comes for crucial confrontation, Ingrid becomes unhinged.
13. “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
A dark comedy highlighting the way people grieve and the circumstances that lead them there, there are multiple moments in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” where it could have just ended — but holy hell, this unrelenting storyline just kept going and I loved every peak and unexpected detour it took to reach its resolution or lack thereof. With that being said, the film brims with unadulterated anger, anguish and sadistic humor, and at the forefront of it all is Frances McDormand as the appropriately badass Mildred Hayes. McDormand is no stranger to the realm of dark comedy, as her husband Joel Coen alongside his brother (Ethan Coen) reign as the genre’s superiors. Accordingly, McDormand’s role as Mildred is perfectly written for her and only her by Martin McDonagh, and boy does she capitalize on it. In what looks to be a stacked year of contenders for the Best Actress category at the Oscars, McDormand’s tour de force performance as one angry, grieving mother and vigilante, rises above the rest.
12. “Raw”
While maybe not as graphic many had reported back when it premiered at TIFF in 2016, Julia Ducournau’s “Raw” is very much a gnarled, twisted and difficult film to stomach. But beneath all the carnage is a poignant parable wrapped in pulsating flesh, as it beautifully depicts sisterhood and femininity through, well … cannibalism. Ducournau’s stunning direction also examines the constructs of identity, burgeoning sexuality, addiction and the dividing line between human and animalistic desire. “Raw” is a film unlike the one advertised, it isn’t the cannibalism movie many thought they would receive. Yes, there is the feasting upon human flesh, but there’s much more to the film than its cultish allure: it’s a complex, satirical reflection on maturation and the sheer brutality of self-discovery as it pertains to being a woman. It is above all, a story about humanity filtered through a fairly extreme human taboo.
11. “The Shape of Water”
Over time, Guillermo Del Toro, the master of dark and equally whimsical fantasy, has wielded an unparalleled ability to breathe life into both dream-like and nightmarish realms. As is customary, his latest installment of illusive ponderance, “The Shape of Water,” is no exception. What is heavily a romantic story between a mute woman and a man-like sea creature, del Toro blends a selective assortment of genres into a single storyline of pure poignancy, and he does so with and without the slightest hint of convolution and confusion. With what may very well be del Toro’s best work yet, “The Shape of Water” showcases the director’s technical mastery at an unseen level, as he empowers the film to flow between its fantastical elements and social realism alongside standing as a work of art on its own. With all of this being said, what Del Toro’s latest film offers as a stylistic spectacle, is of less importance, as it is first and foremost, a thoughtful meditation on the nature of love and its restraints set forth by social norms.
