5. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
A triumph of underground filmmaking in a totalitarian state, Mohammad Rasoulof’s thriller is a brilliant deconstruction of the rampant injustice within contemporary Iran. Set during the 2022 Masha Amini hijab protests, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” finds Iman(Misagh Zare), a newly appointed investigative judge, at odds with his college-age daughter, Rezvan (Mahsa Rostami), and teenage daughter, Sadaf, (Setareh Maleki), over the political chaos facing the country. Narratively, Rasoulof is somewhat brilliant. Iman is the embodiment of the paranoid, fearful totalitarian regime. His wife Najmeh (Soheila Golestani) represents the broader populace who, when push comes to shove, knows they need to remove the shackles of the state, even if they don’t know how. Rezvan is the generation on the front line. Ready to take a stand, but probably won’t pull it off. And Sadaf? Her generation will no longer “sit down.” They are the radicals, ready to cross the line for freedom. What his daughters truly represent, however, is hope. And despite all the personal imprisonment and horrors he’s experienced, “Seed” demonstrates that deep down, Rasoulof still has hope for the future of his homeland (read our review). – GE
4. “Nosferatu”
A Gothic supernatural horror like no other, perhaps one of the most artistic horror dramas in ages, filmmaker Robert Eggers, has already been at the top of the class in this genre, but he really outdoes himself with the outstanding “Nosferatu.” Featuring a surprisingly remarkable performance by Lily-Rose Depp, the outstanding cast also features Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe and more. Filled with panicky, sweaty dread, spine-chilling terror and throbbing dark eroticism, Eggers film is also pristinely crafted with some of the best cinematography, production design and costumes, you’ll see all year. The Oscars routinely disregard horror films, but Eggers’ hypnotic, stop-you-in-your-tracks movie is so good, it may prove to be the horror they simply cannot ignore (read our review) – RP
3. “A Complete Unknown”
While director Todd Haynes successfully pulled off a Bob Dylan biopic by leaning into arty metaphor to represent his chameleonic evolution, pulling off a more traditional drama of Zimmy is arguably much harder to pull off. But boy does writer/director James Mangold pull it off with his outstanding and captivating “A Complete Unknown,” which tracks Dylan in the early years from arriving in New York to going electric at Newport Folk Festival (approximately 1961-1965). The cast is remarkable; Timothée Chalamet performs and plays dozens of classic Bard songs that capture the soulful power of these tracks and also capture his recalcitrance and refusal to play any of the games expected of him. And somehow, maybe the supporting cast is even better, with Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, and Edward Norton, turning in amazing performances as many of the friends, mentors and lovers in Dylan’s early orbit. But Mangold and the movie are essentially the true star; a dazzling portrait of an ambitious, enigmatic and defiant artist, punk rock to the hilt with a massive allergy to being boxed in and doing what’s expected of him. – RP
2. “Challengers”
Given Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino’s predilection for films featuring sensual warmth, poetic longing, cinematic beauty and chromatic lust, a sports film about tennis, and rivalries seems like an odd choice. But Guadagnino, we must remember, is extremely versatile and adaptable, and he’s also crafting a love triangle at the center of this competition drama, not just winning the game, but earning the affections of the girl. And “Challengers” is just dynamically off the charts in every way; cinematic to the hilt, filled with sweat-dripping tension, electrifyingly paced and edited and scored with throbbing, never-ratcheting beats to give it an extra sense of aggression and ambition (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross). Plus this energetic drama also features a fantastic trio of performances by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. Sexy, smart and spiked with heated and emotional conflict, “Challengers” basically proves Guadagnino can triumph in any genre (read our review). – RP
1. “The Brutalist”
Brady Corbet’s three-and-a-half-hour post-World War II epic finds our hero, Lazlo (Adrien Brody), escaping the horror of fanaticism in Europe only to endure the empty temptations of capitalism in the United States. It is a remarkable accomplishment produced with remarkable means featuring stellar performances not only from Brody but co-stars Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, and Joe Alwyn.
As Rafa Sales Ross wrote in her review from the Venice Film Festival, “A work with such a refined sense of style and place feels like it existed in the world before ever thought of, quietly buried somewhere, just waiting to be found. It is hard to conceive of a director this young and early in his career to be able to deliver a film that comes out of the gates with the confidence and grandeur of a classic. And not a classic in the making, but one already made.” -GE
Honorable Mention
“Longlegs,” “Didi,” “Bird,” “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Return,” “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” “Daughters,” “The Beast,” “All We Imagine Is Light.”
