The global best (and worst) of 2017
Again, it was a pretty good film year internationally, and a pretty dull one in the US owing to Netflix's ever-increasing dominance. As before, it's a personal choice based on viewing 440 titles from 76 countries.
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- 44 titles
- DirectorNitesh TiwariStarsAamir KhanSakshi TanwarFatima Sana ShaikhMahavir Singh Phogat, a former wrestler, decides to fulfill his dream of winning a gold medal for his country by training his daughters for the Commonwealth Games despite the existing social stigmas.Not so much a movie as a phenomenon. Most successful Indian film of all time. Has been seen by more people than any Hollywood production this year. Of Aamir Khan's many great roles, this is his masterpiece. Has revolutionized and internationalized Indian cinema like none before.
- DirectorRajko GrlicStarsNebojsa GlogovacDejan AcimovicKsenija MarinkovicA gay Croatian professor confronts his own xenophobia after agreeing to help his Serbian neighbor prepare for a citizenship exam, while the neighbor's wife cares for the professor's elderly homophobic invalid father.My 2nd favorite film of the year. Among many excellent performances I've seen this year, Nebojša Glogovac as a cross-dressing teacher stands out, and the ensemble exchange with Ksenija Marinković and Dejan Aćimović makes this the best ex-Yugoslav film of the decade.
- DirectorBong Joon HoStarsTilda SwintonPaul DanoAhn Seo-hyunA young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named Okja.messy but still my 3rd most favorite film of the year. The ending will probably haunt me forever. Once again shows that Joon-ho Bong is the world's most innovative director. And that Netflix will increasingly dominate creative film-making, changing the entire industry in the process.
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAdan JodorowskyBrontis JodorowskyLeandro TaubSurrealist filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky tells the story of himself as a young man becoming a poet in Chile, befriending other artists, and freeing himself from the limits of his youth.Best photography work of Christopher Doyle since "In the Mood for Love". This is an unforgettable artistic chaos, yet still Jodorowsky's most accessible work. Perhaps too bombastic for a younger audience, but a must-see for any cineast of any age.
- DirectorLuca GuadagninoStarsTimothée ChalametArmie HammerMichael StuhlbargIt's the summer of 1983, and 17-year-old Elio is spending the days with his family at their villa in Lombardy, Italy. He soon meets Oliver, who's working as an intern for Elio's father. They discover the heady beauty of awakening desire.The high ranking indicates it - this may very well be the most beautiful gay romance ever filmed, based on a much-loved novel. Breakout role for Timothée Chalamet. The age difference may bother some, but I grew up in the 80s and this is totally what we all dreamed of back then (even though reality doesn't live up to this).
- DirectorSang-il LeeStarsKen WatanabeMirai MoriyamaAoi MiyazakiA grisly unsolved murder links three seemingly unrelated stories in three different Japanese cities.An even better written adaptation. What starts out as a serial killer mystery becomes a complex array of relationships, but it's especially memorable for a rape scene by US military, as this has never been brought up before.
- DirectorsMariano CohnGastón DupratStarsOscar MartínezDady BrievaAndrea FrigerioA winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, who has been living in Europe for decades, accepts an invitation to receive another award. In Argentina he finds both similarities and irreconcilable differences with the people of his hometown.Well-written satire with a memorable performance by Oscar Martinez. Latin American cinema often has severe budget restraints which are clearly visible here, but makes the best of its means.
- DirectorMohamed DiabStarsNelly KarimHany AdelMuhammad El-SebaiSet entirely in an 8m police truck, a number of detainees from different political and social backgrounds are brought together by fate, during the turmoil that followed the ousting of former president Morsi from power.Mostly real-time and within the confines of a police truck, this is a masterpiece of scenography and conveys much more than the straightforward story seems to tell.
- DirectorAki KaurismäkiStarsSherwan HajiSakari KuosmanenKaija PakarinenA poker-playing restaurateur and former traveling salesman befriends a group of refugees newly arrived to Finland.First major feature film to tackle the Syrian refugee crisis - the biggest European challenge in decades. Kaurismäki's script tones down his famous sense for laconic irony, but his style is as sharp as ever.
- DirectorAniruddha Roy ChowdhuryStarsAmitabh BachchanTaapsee PannuKirti KulhariWhen three young women are implicated in a crime, a retired lawyer steps forward to help them clear their names.Best part for Amitabh Bachchan in years - his delivery and vocalization is truly unmatched by just about any actor anywhere. Another women's rights film which mercilessly exposes conflicting social standards.
- DirectorSaket ChaudharyStarsIrrfan KhanSaba QamarDishita SehgalA couple from Chandni Chowk aspire to give their daughter the best education and thus be a part of and accepted by the elite of Delhi.Shows why Irrfan Khan is about the only Indian actor who has managed to break into the US market, as his versatility carries a scathing social satire with a sometimes hard to believe script.
- DirectorsNana EkvtimishviliSimon GroßStarsIa ShugliashviliMerab NinidzeBerta KhapavaA woman separates from her family after 52 years in a multi-generational Georgian household to begin her own adventure. To the shock of her relatives, she leaves everything behind to start again.My favorite female performance of the year would be Ia Shugliashvili's stoic teacher who decides to start to live by herself. Excellent script by Nana Ekvtimishvili who also co-directed, and started a renaissance of Georgian cinema with "In Bloom".
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsBarry G. BernsonHerb CaillouetBill CampSteven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.So far I've not been a fan of this director, but this one takes psychological horror into the realm of classic Greek tragedy. Barry Keoghan could be the next Edward Norton given how intense he comes across.
- DirectorGilles Paquet-BrennerStarsMax IronsStefanie MartiniGlenn CloseIn Agatha Christie's most twisted tale, a spy-turned-private-detective is lured by his former lover to catch her grandfather's murderer before Scotland Yard exposes dark family secrets.Don't miss Glenn Close in this admittedly old-fashioned mystery with an elite ensemble class. It's delicious to see her play all these famous faces against the wall.
- DirectorAmanda KernellStarsMaj-Doris RimpiOlle SarriÁnne Biret SombyA reindeer-breeding Sámi girl who is exposed to the racism of the 1930's at her boarding school, starts dreaming of another life. But to achieve it, she has to become someone else and break all ties with her family and culture.Another remarkable performance is Lene Cecilia Sparrok's in this period drama, which could show American viewers that race is an international dilemma and not quite reduced to black and white.
- DirectorTarik SalehStarsFares FaresMari MalekYasser Ali MaherA maid witnesses a murder at an upscale hotel and a policeman is assigned to the case, but it soon becomes clear that important people don't want the case solved.Memorable for the ambitious effort to create a Cairo neo-noir and Fares Fares' straight-faced performance, as he's famous for comedy. Too bad that Scandinavian mysteries have become so common that one cannot help but notice the similarity to many other plots.
- DirectorKathryn BigelowStarsJohn BoyegaAnthony MackieAlgee SmithFact-based drama set during the 1967 Detroit riots in which a group of rogue police officers respond to a complaint with retribution rather than justice on their minds.Best US film I saw this year, buried underneath yet another avalanche of repetitive superhero franchises. Bigelow's directing is extraordinary, but the film didn't rattle me as much as it would have 5 years ago - the race theme has simply become too ubiquitous, so it feels a bit like a piggyback ride.
- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsMaryana SpivakAleksey RozinMatvey NovikovA couple going through a divorce must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their bitter arguments.If it wasn't for Okja, Zvyagintsev would be my director of choice this year. He has a unique pictorial language, and Oleg Negin' concise script makes this his most accessible film. Like most Russian cinema it's bleak beyond hope and not for the socially faint of heart.
- DirectorNicholas VersoStarsToby WallaceGulliver McGrathMitzi RuhlmannOn Halloween 1997, two estranged teen skaters embark on a surreal journey through their memories, dreams and fears.Stranger Things for gays perhaps, but stylish to the hilt. Best soundtrack of the year for me (by Shinjuku Thief). Not an easy watch - you got to be alone and far away from any light source
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsJames McAvoyAnya Taylor-JoyHaley Lu RichardsonThree girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.Who would have thought that M. Night Shyalaman would once again serve horror gold? Not me but McAvoy's performance and nifty light and sound effects did the trick. Let's hope it's not going to be sequeled to death.
- DirectorLuc BessonStarsDane DeHaanCara DelevingneClive OwenA dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.As I wrote in my review, it's not a masterpiece but the FX was brilliant and a welcome change from ever more identical superhero drivels.
- DirectorChad StahelskiStarsKeanu ReevesRiccardo ScamarcioIan McShaneAfter returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life.Action flicks have it hard these days, so this rare better-than-the-original sequel felt like an adrenaline boost of style over substance.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.Boring for me apart from the impressive sound design, which was a first and merited the experience. Not on a par with Nolan's best though.
- DirectorNaoko YamadaStarsMiyu IrinoSaori HayamiAoi YûkiA deaf girl, Shoko, is bullied by the popular Shoya. As Shoya continues to bully Shoko, the class turns its back on him. Shoko transfers and Shoya grows up as an outcast. Alone and depressed, the regretful Shoya finds Shoko to make amends.Best animated feature for me as it tackles a serious theme (bullying) in a vast variety of consequences, and yet manages to be light and engaging.
- DirectorsLee UnkrichAdrian MolinaStarsAnthony GonzalezGael García BernalBenjamin BrattAspiring musician Miguel, confronted with his family's ancestral ban on music, enters the Land of the Dead to find his great-great-grandfather, a legendary singer.Best CGI feature (of course), but as everything Disney too heavy on the stereotypes and too predictable in the script. A visual delight apart from the dreary "Frozen" short it starts with.
