10. “Civil War”
In a scenario that increasingly seems to close to reality, Alex Garland explores a contemporary civil war between the combined Western States of California and Texas and the remaining United States. The context is through the eyes of a grizzled war photographer (Kirsten Dunst), a veteran journalist (Wagner Moura), and an inexperienced photographer (Cailee Spaeny) as they journey from New York to Washington, D.C. as the war appears to be coming to an end. In a review from SXSW for The Playlist, Matthew Monagle noted, “Taken for what it is—a thought exercise on the inevitable future for any nation defined by authoritarianism —one can appreciate that not having any easy answers is the entire point. If we as a nation gaze too long into the abyss, Garland suggests, then eventually, the abyss will take the good and the bad alike. That makes ‘Civil War’ the movie event of the year—and the post-movie group discussion of your lifetime.” – GE
9. “Flow”
Latvia’s entry for the International Film Oscar and a contender for the Animated Feature Academy Award, “Flow” follows a black cat as it tries to navigate the breathtaking dangers of an apocalyptic flood in a world where no human beings appear to be found. Writing for The Playlist, Warren Cantrell noted, “An animated triumph of visual storytelling that is as tender as it is bracing, ‘Flow’ deploys animals to unspool an achingly human tale. An adventure yarn about a world in crisis as seen through the eyes of a handful of creatures struggling to survive it, the movie trusts in its non-verbal characters and the emotional currency they earn throughout the tight 86-minute runtime. Emotional and moving, the CG rendering brings every blink, shudder, and shriek to life, breathing life into small moments that consistently land with the heaviest of impacts.” – GE
8. “The Substance”
A “Barbie”-like phenom for horror girls, French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat goes outrageous sicko mode for her body horror, satire and scathing look at the challenges and unfairness of aging and the unattainable terror of upholding impossible beauty standards. Demi Moore features as a 50-something Hollywood star who ages out of sex symbol status, at least as far as her revolting TV producer boss is concerned (Dennis Quaid). Taking the substance, she creates a “better version” of herself that manifests through the beautiful rising star Margaret Qualley. But of course, the quest for beauty perfection is a Faustian bargain and it all goes south from there. Of course, going south for Fargeat is a delirious, gory, hysterically f*cked up nightmare that’s repellant, captivating and just wickedly entertaining and audacious. There’s absolutely no way to ignore Fargeat career going forward, her gnarly vision and commentary on our ghoulish, collective obsession with female beauty (read our review). – RP
7. “His Three Daughters”
Azazel Jacobs’ study of the complicated relationship between three adult sisters is hands down, the best thing he’s ever done. Set almost entirely in a New York City apartment, Jacobs manages to avoid the pitfalls of movies that seem like filmed plays (this markedly does not) and is assisted by incredible turns from Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, and Elizabeth Olsen. And the confidence to begin your movie with a static shot on Coon for a monologue that’s almost two minutes straight? Listen, Coon is talented enough to make reading a CVS receipt captivating, but that moment sets the stage for something truly, truly special (our review). – GE
6. “Hard Truths”
Mike Leigh is proving that at 81 years old, he’s still at the top of his unconventional filmmaking game with his latest endeavor, “Hard Truths.” Thankfully, he has a thunderbolt of a performance from Marianne Jean-Baptiste, as the centerpiece of his drama on how trauma tragically spreads its tentacles through a family. As Pansy, Jean-Baptiste embodies a woman so inherently lonely, so upset, so in pain, that she cannot help but lash out to anyone she comes in contact with. The results are often hilarious – which is intentional – but as the script unfolds the weight on Pansy’s soul and the heartbreak from a sister unable to help her (a fantastic Michelle Austin) transform the proceedings into a tragedy of the highest order. It is simply stellar (read our review). – GE
