As I said, I’ve watched more films this year than I ever have previously, but I wish I had taken the opportunity to listen to more music, expand my tastes a little more, because when I did step out of my comfort zone, I found some albums and films that I really loved. Of course, if you watch enough films you are bound to stumble upon some terrible stuff, and there are three films that I would like to mention that fit into that category, and I will dispose of them in a later post. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Five Feet Apart – Released 22 March 2019
Even before it was released this film was causing controversy when the distributors were paying social media influences to promote the film, a move that was considered as calculated and dishonest as the marketing strategy seemed to play down the severity of cystic fibrosis. And the controversy didn’t go anywhere once the film official dropped earlier in the year. And while on repeated viewing the flaws shine through a lot more, Justin Baldoni’s first big project of note as a director is the emotional punch in the stomach that left me shook to my core walking out of it for the first time. A feeling that I doubt I’ll ever forget.
The film, being about a pair of cystic fibrosis patients who fall in love whilst not being able to be within six feet of each other, might seem like a heart-warming premise on paper, until you realise that this relationship is an accident waiting to happen. Sure, they fall in love and the cinematography and editing reflects that romance in its slow, trembling pace, but the ending puts this film over the top. Because, in the end, no one really gets what they want.
Sure, the protagonist is alive (remarkably), and that certainly means something, but everyone has left her, one way or another. She is alone, alone with the knowledge that she could very well be the next to leave, and that could happen at any time; she knows that more than most, and you see it happen in the film.
The scene where the lovers talk for the very last time is seriously one of the most incredibly shot and edited sequences I saw in cinema all year, and just for that this film is worth a watch. As for Justin Baldoni, I’m excited to see how his follow up project Clouds turns out when it’s released in the coming years. Easily one of my most anticipated films for 2020/21. I might be an easy sell for this kind of teenage melodrama, but when it’s grounded in the kind of cruel reality that this film is set within, and seems to be going above and beyond to try and sell it as such, I can’t help but be pulled along for the ride.
Us – Released 22 March 2019
No. Jordan Peele did not manage to top his stunning directorial debut Get Out with his sophomore project Us, but this film finds a way to hit hard regardless. Sure, the film might not be as politically declarative or have writing as immediately cutting as its predecessor, but trading that in for a slightly more conventional horror framework still manages to work exceptionally well. The night-time settings are gloriously dark and gloomy, the horror finds a balance between being intense and gripping as well as gory and violent, whilst still finding time for some political and social humour around the edges of what is a crazy and chaotic film. Proof of a master.
But Us is a prime example of a film that’s more than might initially meet the eye. A remarkably well written reminder that sometimes our worst enemies are in fact ourselves. Of course, just like Get Out, there are layers to this, and there’s a lot of this that is open to interpretation. And even if this more abstract storytelling carries with it more than a few plot holes, the revenge narrative ends with the frightening blow that even as Adelaide realises that she was the reflection in the mirror, instead of panicking, she just smiles and brushes it aside. It opens up the question of who actually ‘wins’ in this movie, an idea that manifests itself in more than a few films I oved this year. Just look at Five Feet Apart for another example.
I think I will remember 2019 as a year I learned to appreciate horror in both film and music, and even though I wouldn’t call this the best horror movie of the year (we’ll get to that next, and if you know me I’m sure you’ll know what it is), but it was definitely my favourite. Jordan Peele is a legend in the making, and I think we all can’t wait to see what he does next.
Midsommar – Released 5 July 2019
This is an amazing work of film. It’s also a work of film that I never want to watch ever again if I can help it. Jordan Peele might have aced his politically tinged brand of horror that rewards multiple viewings, but what Ari Aster nailed with Midsommar is so far beyond anything I’ve ever seen before in any medium that it left me completely speechless after I saw it for the first time to the extent that I was initially hesitant to call it a film at all. It felt to me like a product of a deeply disturbed mind, especially when Ari Aster himself described the film as a “breakup movie”. But whatever you think of the film’s hard to stomach narrative, the film is a technical masterpiece.
As I said in my review of the film, if Midsommar does not win all the awards for technical excellence then something is very wrong with the world. The editing is exceptional with the frighteningly long takes that linger a few seconds longer than would otherwise feel comfortable being the stars of the show that cut away in unconventional places. The cinematography is haunting as can be and is certainly not convinced with giving the audience any sense of security. The score is also remarkable, and how all the sound evaporates just before the final shot cuts to black as Dani finally finds her peace in the most unlikely of places was inspired; the best two seconds of any film all year.
But even though the film might rule on a technical level, the narrative is almost indescribable in its horror. Certainly not scary, as calling this film scary would imply that it works within a conventional horror framework which I would argue could not be further from the truth, but horrific unlike no other film I’ve ever seen or ever want to see. And the horror is spectacularly well handled within the narrative. Unlike Ari Aster’s previous film Hereditary, there is not a glimmer of the supernatural in Midsommar and that’s where it gets its impact from. The horror feels so natural and human that it makes me feel uneasy based off that alone. That on its own is critical in how this film works. This is the kind of film that every horror director is now playing catch up to. I’m not sure if I ever want to watch it again, but Ari Aster is now in command of his genre, and I can’t wait to see where he takes it. As for everyone else, they have a lot of catching up to do to get on his level.
Sorry We Missed You – Released 1 November 2019
I would put this film in the same group as Us in the sense that, while Sorry We Missed You is exceptional, I’m not sure I would put it in the same tier of amazing as Ken Loach’s previous masterpiece I, Daniel Blake. The difference between the two being that, in I, Daniel Blake, the political commentary was more embedded within the text of the film. What was text in I, Daniel Blake is more in the subtext of Sorry We Missed You, and it therefore does not land with the same immediate punch as its predecessor.
But that being said, trading out the political text for a gripping and emotional narrative grounded in a cruel reality in which people live submerged within the flawed systems as they try to provide for their children who want to escape those systems just as much as the parents do is a genius move from a storytelling perspective, and makes a film that might end up more accessible as Ken Loach’s previous film, but manages to hit its emotional stride through how raw it is presented. If anyone was in any doubt about the skills of Ken Loach as a director, this will silence them. It just feels so effortless and natural.
And even though I went on and on about the stunning ending of this film when I reviewed it in November, the genius of this film more comes through the fact that, yes the family might be on the precipice of falling apart, but there’s no real anger at the systems that put them in that position more than there is a hopeless feeling that something could be done in the future to pull them out of that situation, even as the film’s closing moments do more than enough to convince you otherwise. Chilling stuff, and if you missed it, Ken Loach produced another startlingly raw film set in the real world about real problems happening right now to real people, and you’d be doing a disservice to those people to not check this out.
Le Mans ‘66 - Released 15 November 2019
And the narrative is amazingly well written too. The underdog story might seem tired at first, but there’s a raw honesty to this authentic retelling of when Ford took on Ferrari in the world of sportscar racing. But the most amazing thing about this film, as I highlighted in my review, is the way that the film handles the danger of motorsport at that time. Those of the audience who know their history will pick up on the subtext, but in the most horrific and violent sequence in the film, that subtext becomes text in the most frightening of ways. You’ll know it when you see it.
But overall, this film pretty much overrides my ability to effectively criticize, just like Rush before it, given the subject matter. But even so I don’t think you would find anyone who would deny how excellently the story is told, how well-crafted and fleshed out the characters and their relationships are, and how amazing the film is visually with the decision to use minimal CGI paying huge dividends.
The film just feels epic. I think that’s what I love most, and with a lot of films coming out in 2019 which were more focussed on small emotions, it was nice that 2019 was also able to produce a film like this. Of all the films that I would consider as favourites this year, this is the one I’m most excited to revisit in 2020.
Knives Out – Released 29 November 2019
This was a delightful little surprise that I got around to seeing right at the end of the year. This Rian Johnson directed whodunit was the first film I’ve seen in this genre, and I’m hooked. If any other big director wants to try something like this in the future I’d be on board, but the narrative is, of course, the much bigger selling point in comparison to Rian Johnson’s direction. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this film is perfectly paced. The film wastes no time introducing you to the characters and letting you know that any one of them could have committed this murder and they all have possible motivations that could have led them down that path, before properly introducing us to our protagonist who was the victim’s carer before the tragic incident, and how she has a medical condition meaning that lying makes her throw up. That might seem like a mindlessly written plot devise at first, but by the end of the film it actually works within the narrative to uncover the full story of what truly happened that fateful night.
It might seem a bit weird when you’re watching it for the first time, but when the pieces align at the end, it leads to what might be one of the most satisfying climaxes to any film I saw in 2019, not to mention one of the funniest moments. You’ll know exactly what I’m taking about when you watch this film. I might still be looking forward to watching Le Mans ‘66 again the most, but there are moments in Knives Out that I am looking forward to reliving so much when I rewatch this film in 2020.
If you were going to use one word to describe this film, it would be tight. The film is tightly written, tightly paced, natural but meticulously performed, and as a detective movie, it left me guessing until the very end, but still managed to wrap up its story in the most uniquely satisfying way I witnessed all year. If you missed this film’s initial theatrical release, definitely make time to see it when it is released digitally next year. It might seem convoluted at first, but, by the end, it’s so worth it.
And there you have it. Those were the best films I saw in 2019. My only regret is that it doesn't look like I’m going to have an opportunity to see Little Women by the end of the year, and that film looks really great, but other than that, this list was an exhaustive examination of the best films of the year. On to the worst list...
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