2016 was a tough year to pick just ten. So many great genre flicks!
Looks like funeral lights.
1. Cemetery Of Splendor
Apichatpong Weerasethakul does it again, with yet another meditative exercise in gentle dreamlike surrealism. A school is turned into a makeshift hospital after soldiers have suddenly started sleeping, and this is where the mainstay of Apichatpong's films, Jenjira Pongpas, shows up as a disabled character who is a volunteer to help them. Coloured lights are placed at their beds, thought to help them awake. When a couple of soldiers do awake in Jen's presence, she wonders what it all means and whether she's been dreaming all this time, to which the psychic says to just open her eyes very wide to check. Jen is an interesting character, disabled but not letting that get to her, acts vulgar like in her talks about sex, and dismissing that she's old which gives her character more energy than the other much younger characters. It's perplexing at times, with certain shots like a chicken walking by with its children, a
scene of magical chairs using tree stumps, or walking through the forest while a psychic friend embodies a sleeping soldier walking through an invisible palace. What does the government digging up the ground mean? Is the school actually built on top of a cemetery where dead kings suck the souls of the soldiers to fight in their unending battle and that's why the soldiers sleep? The first and last shot being complimentary adds weight to the funereal tone.
Apichatpong is really good at bringing the supernatural down to earth in these modern fairytales but the moral of the fables isn't as crystal clear. His dreamlike narrative is helped immensely by the arresting cinematography (DP Diego Garcia), especially exemplified in this wordless
~7min coloured lights scene which is one of the most mesmerising I've seen in a film from last year. This is slow cinema to a T, but that doesn't stop there being humour at points like
Jen's realisation that she's in the presence of dead royal princesses. More people should watch this unique Thai filmmaker's work.
Who is you?
2. Moonlight
By far, the best coming-of-age film in years and there have been some great ones. What is most refreshing for an already critically acclaimed film is how intimate and silent it is. Despite the various characters, it's ultimately about an evolving friendship/first love over decades. Not all of the threads or characters get resolved at the end, but that's life sometimes and the relationship between Chiron and Kevin is fully enthralling.
The most interesting aspect of the film is the evolution and duality of Chiron and Kevin. Due to the environment, both characters flip on each other as they become adults. Chiron is the quiet introvert who bottles it all ("I cry so much, sometimes I feel I'm gonna turn into drops"), while Kevin is the lovable macho extrovert. After a decade, Chiron hardens up to be a typical macho gangster with grill, do-rag and all while Kevin is the quieter innocent man with a family life. Possibly, Chiron is trying to protect himself and in so, puts up a facade of masculinity to stop further homophobic abuse. It can either be seen as a tragic change or him emulating his father figure (Mahershala Ali). Either way it's a reaction to what he's been through. Due to its examination and indictment of toxic masculinity, reminded me in ways of
Hide Your Smiling Faces. This shift in character is not only bewildering to the audience but also to Kevin ("That fronts, that car, who is you, Chiron?"). When he reverts to his softer side even down to how he simply lies on his bed, it's incredibly satisfying.
It's all about the little details. Has some of the best cinematography (James Laxton) of the year, not just in artistic direction or framing, but also in camera movement such as a car door shot, a rotating shot of Chiron's head hitting the bed, or a following shot for the three different stages of life. The awe-inspiring atmosphere is delivered by the quieter shots with usually Chiron against a background such as the recurring visual motif of water. The score (Nicholas Britell) is achingly beautiful too. The chapter titles preceded by fade-outs and various coloured lights could be symbolising the changes in the character. Some of the best performances of the year also, from Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris, to the teen and adult actors for Chiron (Ashton Sanders and Trevante Rhodes) and Andre Holland (
The Knick) as the adult Kevin. Also, cool to see Janelle Monae acting. I wouldn't be surprised if the actors get snubbed at the Oscars though, as the Academy seems to care more about the screentime of an actor instead of just the sheer quality conveyed in just a few minutes.
There is one moment where I was reduced to tears, and I suspect it'll be the same one for others when Chiron and his mom finally reconvene after many years when the tables of power have turned as she's no longer the shouting junkie ("You ain't gotta love me but you're gonna know I love you").
3. Arrival
Best science fiction film in more than a decade, right along with
The Fountain,
Solaris, and
Contact. Works as a good antidote to the likes of
Independence Day. It's not all self-serious; the process of learning the alien language is fun, the military/scientist conflict is thrilling, and there is good chemistry between Amy Adams' and Jeremy Renner's characters. There is even what seems like a nod to the final shot of Dennis Villenue's previous
Enemy in the form of a dream. A strong emotional power bubbles underneath this tale about communication, empathy, and fate that only comes once in a while in this genre. Max Richter's "On The Nature Of Daylight" is still stuck in my head. Foregoing cliches in the genre by being a talkie rather than an action thriller allows for more arresting moments and visual poetry than recent Malick films.
4. Under The Shadow
I had a choice to pick between
The Witch or
Under The Shadow for the best horror film of last year. Both are great, but just because of the deeper political allegory about the Iranian/Iraqi conflict pared down to a haunted house nightmare for a missing doll and more effective thrill ride, I have to give it up to Babak Anvari's debut feature film. Narges Rashidi deserves to be commended for such a tough role as a mother and wife who has reality slipping past her fingers. An hour of Polanski-esque domestic paranoia and dread is book-ended by the relentless last half-hour that is just hair-raising to the very last frame.
Pretty majestical.
5. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Granted, there isn't much competition this year aside from
Everybody Wants Some!! and
Wiener-Dog, but the same team behind
What We Do In The Shadows (dir. Taika Waititi, who has a great scene about Jesus and doors) deliver once again the best comedy of the year. The development of the relationship between Sam Neill's and Julian Dennison's characters felt natural and is realised how similar they are as loners. Surprisingly, exceptional cinematography (Lachlan Milne) clearly afforded by a bigger budget and helped by the New Zealand forests and mountains (yes, there is a
Lord of the Rings reference). There are a couple of cool pan shots, the latter of which gets funnier when it goes 360 to show off the ridiculous manhunt team. Not surprisingly, WETA helped out on the "Terminator Pig". The whole cast is fantastic, particularly Rachel House as the child welfare worker ("no child left behind") punching way above her weight to tower even over the police. One of my favourite lines from her character is when she's berating Ricky ("You're more like Sarah Connor in the first movie before she could do chin-ups"). Absolutely hilarious and heartfelt throughout. Fantastic visual humour and witty dialogue, reminded me of Edgar Wright's films. More people should go see this.
Where I come from, it's illegal to be naive.
6. The Handmaiden
Park Chan-wook pulls out all the thematic, seductive, and twisting stops in his best film since
Sympathy For Mr Vengeance. Much like Nolan's
The Prestige, it keeps the audience on its toes in this
Rashomon-ish story of greed, betrayal, and love. Top-to-bottom, as a film it's just stunning from production design, sets, iconography, cinematography, editing, music, and directing.
The Handmaiden and
Neon Demon just have the most dazzling visuals in a film from last year, and would make stylish conniving bedfellows. The relationships between the characters is more complex and goes further than just an erotic lesbian affair as those intimate moments have more dialogue and character-building than just titillation to lean more towards female empowerment (probably thanks to the help of a female writer and seeking advice from a queer woman at every stage). Highly recommended especially if you've been waiting ages for a lesbian caper since Wachowski's
Bound.
7. Your Name
You know when you have a dream so real, you want to take a picture to remind yourself it happened for real but then you wake up?
Your Name does a great job capturing that intense desire to make dreams tangible, with the writing and remembering of names. Was a definite emotional rollercoaster with the three climaxes, had me flipping between hoping and fearing. Wonderful visual motif of the ribbons as symbolic of time. This timeline-dividing, body-swap romantic drama set against the clock of an impending earthquake plucked on my heartstrings, pining for young love. Makoto Shinkai's most life-affirming film to date, and a visual pleasure to watch.
Who wants sour milk when you can have fresh meat?
8. Neon Demon
Nicolas Winding Refn stares at the abyss of the fashion world in this seductive and cut-throat modern Grimm fairytale horror. It's not exactly new subject material, from
The Red Shoes,
Suspiria,
Perfect Blue, to
Black Swan covering this from various angles about jealousy and obsession on appearances but it's never been as satirically artificial and grotesque as here. No one talks normally, which adds to the fantasy vibe. Everyone seems like an animal out to get something. Thanks to Natasha Braier and Cliff Martinez, possibly the best and very Argento-esque cinematography/lighting/music in a film I've seen from last year that delivers an intoxicating experience, and a much more enjoyable watch than the previous
Only God Forgives. Half of the film's enjoyment for me was the score. Personally, this is the best Cliff Martinez score (my favourite composer right now) I've heard which mixes the thumping synths of this dark world with the glittery presence of the princess-like Jessie (Elle Fanning).
Most of the film is shot in the dark to give an otherworldly atmosphere (helped by the visual motifs of the moon, mirrors, blood, and triangles) where a photo shoot looks like an ancient ritual, contrasted with the sickeningly bright and picturesque LA daylight. One shot even reminded me of Zulawski's most famous scene in
Possession. Appreciated the narrative twist where the film goes against your expectations considering of what Jessie has become from innocent deer to cold big cat yet she's not as in command, and has the balls to continue for a dozen minutes after such a climatic sequence. Memorable from the very first frame to the last, this is one of my favourite films of the year, which I didn't expect from such a critically divided reception.
9. Embrace of the Serpent
A haunting exploration about the last grips of a dying culture as Christian colonialism takes hold, set between two time periods as an Amazonian tribesman ages. The main quest is to find psychedelic plants while also archiving the history of these tribes. Karamakate (Nilbio Torres/Antonio Bolivar) is brilliant, going from stubborn isolated warrior who still cares about his culture and beliefs while everyone else westernises to someone who's forgotten and given up. There is a great uneasy tension between the white travellers and Karamakate, rightly so, as he doesn't know that if he trusts them with imparting knowledge about the plants then what if they betray and destroy the land like they did before. There is foreshadowing much like
White Ribbon to a terrible future, in this case the rise of the Colombian cocaine industry. Cinematography (DP David Gallego) is stunning, from the vistas to the wide shots and a trippy
2001-ish colour climax sequence. Just a fascinating film, and one of my favourites from last year.
It's in my memories. The most powerful magic there is.
10. Kubo and the Two Strings
I shouldn't have been surprised that this would turn out to be a more personal affair because this is Laika and they're great at bringing the fantastical from tragedy but rooting it all in sadness. With Coraline and Paranorman, they felt more grounded in that they were smaller settings but here there is a hero's epic journey, so I was expecting just a competent action adventure with Japanese mythology. The cinematography and sights are gorgeous, the side characters are worth rooting for, the visual humor and music is excellent, and the action is more engaging and better choreographed than many action films this year.
However, I was not expecting a more meta-textual and familial tale about storytelling and having loved ones live on in your memories past their living presence. A central motif is lanterns being lit and made to flow in the river as memorials to passed relatives. The film is essentially grieving therapy, which might not seem the most kid-friendly especially for an animated film "for kids" but it's also the kind that was dearly beloved in the 80s and feels more important than other animated escapist fare.
Was holding back tears at the end. Fantastic end credits sequence. Parents will most likely lose it.
i still haven't seen moonlight OR arrival and handmaiden won't be out here for another few months too.
