If you’ve read my top ten lists over the past years, you may
recall recent struggles to find ten movies good enough to list. Thanks to a
west coast visit in which my son, Daniel, treated me to a VIFF pass, I didn’t
have any trouble finding ten films this year. We watched eight (and chose well!),
and half of them made it on my list. Thanks, Daniel!
Honourable Mentions: I won’t say anything about them here,
but two films nearly made my list: My Sailor, My Love and Past Lives.
10. The Holdovers: I’ve only seen this once, and I
know that there is a chance that one of my places of resistance to this film in
the first half might be different on second viewing – i.e. I felt the lead
student role was poorly acted and/or oddly scripted. But the second half may
well vindicate that it was done right all along. Haven’t decided. And I think
I’d hoped for funnier. But I liked lots about this film, particularly that it
made the main characters more human and likeable (without those characters
actually changing all that much).
9. Oppenheimer: It’s been quite a while now since I
saw this, and sometimes my memory is not fair. I know I expected to rank this
movie higher after I first saw it, but for some reason it hasn’t sat all that
well in my memory. I think the missed potential – to really reveal something
profound about the world-changing moment when human atomic potency became a
reality – stayed with me longer than what did work for some reason. But I felt
like the acting was brilliant all around, and it was a creative and interesting
– if too long – biopic about a fascinating person. If only biopics about
musicians could ever be made that were remotely as creative. (That is not a
reference to Maestro, which is certainly more creative than most, but
didn’t make my list.)
8. The Old Oak: I loved this film. I loved the
setting and main character. In terms of simple enjoyment, I may have liked it
better than any Ken Loach film. Yet maybe I even missed the Loach knack of
drawing painful reality into full view. I wondered if, unusually, he felt like
he needed to add a heartwarming touch that felt good, but he made it just a tad
too much like other films. But I can’t say that I didn’t appreciate that touch
anyway!
7. Evil Does Not Exist: I suspect that few readers
will have had a chance to see this, though you may know the writer/director (Hamaguchi) from Drive
My Car. The Japanese rural setting was unique and added interest that got
me through the slow scenes. But what helped even more were the occasional
scenes of rich dialogue (like the town meeting) that were wonderful. And then
the ending…. Does it work? For me, not quite, but it’s certainly a thought-provoking
film.
6. The Quiet Girl: I think I’ll post a short review
that I started but didn’t finish in a week or two in which I’ll say more about
why this quiet and simple film rates this high. Coincidentally, (thanks to a
gift from my friend, Agnes!) I read the novella on which it’s based, just a month
or two before seeing the film – and it’s a good adaptation. Some will find it
too simple and slow, but I felt like its main effect on me was powerful and
needed. Recommended for those who certainly don’t need action (and can handle
subtitles because most of it is in Irish).
5. One Summer: This Quebecois film felt like a film
festival bonus because we saw it on the plane on the way home. In some ways
this felt like the opposite of The Old Oak because this one started like
a more predictable film, but ended up with more richness and complexity. Highly
recommended for everyone.
4. Fallen Leaves: The source of my affection for this
film are a bit unconscious, and I feel like I am only guessing at all the allusions. It’s a quirky
Finnish rom com with constant deadpan humour. It could be light teasing between
friends, sarcasm with some bite, or utterly serious boundary-setting, and it’s
all served with calm, emotionless statements. The protagonists are people
who’ve fallen between the cracks (fallen leaves?) of a depressing and lifeless
society reminiscent of Soviet era industrialism. Can a little love and
faithfulness restore some life?
3. Anatomy of a Fall: This is a very fascinating and
well-made French film that is unique and thought-provoking. Speculations about
guilt, both criminal and otherwise, can keep one reflecting on this film for
ages. The acting and directing is all brilliant. Deserves the Oscar nod for
best picture, though I doubt it will happen. Much more deserves to be said –
but tough without spoilers. When I re-watch this film, I might post a
spoiler-filled review to share some thoughts.
2. The Teacher’s Lounge: My favourite pic from VIFF
is a German film that turns relatively ordinary school tensions into a gripping
drama as we’re invited into the frustrations of the protagonist who,
imperfectly, is trying to get things right among contemporary pressures and
expectations. The screaming pic often representing this film may not be a
natural draw to the film, but it depicts the most satisfying minute of the
whole film festival for me. The VIFF audience may not have screamed out loud,
but in our hearts we were.
1. Living: This was the earliest movie that I saw on
this list, and I knew it would stay on top. I loved the way it was crafted so
consistently. I loved the adaptation of Tolstoy’s Death of Ivan Illich (a
favourite), and if I was more familiar with Kurosawa, I probably would have
appreciated those roots. And, of course, I loved Bill Nighy as I usually do,
but this time more so. Meaningful and unique, creatively and beautifully done.
What more could you ask for? See this film.
Traditionally, I’ve ended with a “spilled coffee list” – the
biggest disappointments of the year. For me, the two films – both highly
reputed by critics who clearly look for different things in films than I do –
were EO (a 2022 film about a donkey) and Godland (a film designed
to make you think that you don’t really want to live in Iceland no matter how
beautiful it might be). Clearly these films were both trying to do something
significant, but neither found any point of engagement in me to make me care or
believe.
And, finally, deserving of mention, is a film I missed in 2022: A Man Called Otto, the American re-make of the Swedish, A
Man Called Ove, which was a big favourite of mine. This isn’t quite up to the original, but whether or not you’ve
seen the Swedish film already, it’s worth watching Tom Hanks reprise the role.