2009 was a provocative year to say the very least. Granted
any year in which sees Lars Von Trier, Quentin Tarantino, Michael Haneke and
Yorgos Lanthimos releasing movies in the same year but even they seemed to be
trying extra hard to break through boundaries and shock their audiences. All in
all though that was for the best as 2009 wasn’t exactly a great year,
especially for commercial cinema. There were some bright spots but it’s hard to
escape the overbearing shadow cast by the piles of garbage that were ‘Transformers:
Revenge of the Fallen’ and another ‘Twilight’ movie (I can’t remember which
one, they’re all the same to me)
Luckily though the only negative for when it came to my top
ten list was that I didn’t have too much trouble narrowing down my favourites
of this year. That being said there were also plenty of honourable mentions. As
I said blockbusters were lacking somewhat but we were still treated to some
films that managed to do well on the critical front as well as the box office.
JJ Abrams managed to revitalise a franchise for a whole new generation with ‘Star Trek’ whilst Neil Blomkamp
managed to use a science fiction fable to offer important (if not entirely
unsubtle) social commentary in ‘District
9’.
This was also a fantastic year for animation, in many different
forms and styles. Pixar managed to deliver a deeply heartfelt movie (so in other
words they made a Pixar movie) with ‘Up’.
‘A Town Called Panic’ may be the
most nonsensical film of the year but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t
hilarious. ‘Mary and Max’ was the
visually expressive yet emotionally raw animated film of the year. But my
favourite of them all was Wes Anderson’s infectiously charming and brilliantly
crafted ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’.
Going back to live action there’s ‘(500) Days of Summer’ providing a wonderfully bittersweet,
enjoyable and inventive romantic comedy. ‘Up
In the Air’ may have been marketed as a romantic comedy but what we
actually got was a terrific character study boasting a great performance by
George Clooney. Speaking of great performances there’s also Jeff Bridges in ‘Crazy Heart’, Carey Mulligan in ‘An Education’ and Abbie Cornish in ‘Bright Star’.
10: Antichrist
I have no hesitation in saying that Lars Von Trier’s
sadistic horror film ‘Antichrist’ is the single most disturbing movie I have
ever seen. No other movie this year, or any year for that matter, has left me
with a greater sense of dread hours after it has ended. It’s for that reason
that I can’t really recommend it but I can profess to how masterfully made it
is. No one can question whether Von Trier made exactly the kind of movie that
he wanted to or if it created the intended effect, which was to horrify anyone
who watches it. The cinematography is simply stunning and when combined with
Von Trier’s meticulous framing creates a claustrophobic yet oddly beautiful display
of images. The movie deal with themes of pain and depression so it doesn’t pull
punches, I believe Von Trier was trying to project a sense of visceral
discomfort onto his audiences that reflects the torment his characters are
feeling, who are portrayed brilliantly by the powerful performances of Willem
Dafoe and Charlotte Gainsbourg.
9: Goodbye Solo
Having crafted two excellent films in the form of ‘Man Push
Cart’ and ‘Chop Shop’, Ramin Bahrani brings forth his most emotionally resonant
movie yet. It pairs together two characters of completely opposite nature, from
their background to their age as well as their whole outlook on life which
drives the main plot and thematic weight of the movie. It’s within these
characters that Bahrani grounds his film and makes their specific
characteristics feel absolutely essential to the way the plot unfolds. Those
two main characters are perfectly embodied by the two actors who play them,
each bringing such terrific depth and distinctness to each role. The film digs
deep beneath the surface and seeks to convey the full breadth of everything it
discusses.
8: A Prophet
Jacques Audiard’s crime film is a brilliant example of why execution
matters. Though the premise of ‘A Prophet’ is intriguing, it doesn’t scream
masterful. But that is where Audiard’s impeccable attention to detail, grasp of
tone and dynamic sense of energy. But what is remarkable is how these stylistic
touches never detract from the movie’s care for character development. The film
endears its audience to the main character and then proceeds to make the
development of the characters flow seamlessly with the movie’s unfolding plot.
It also helps that the main character is brought to life terrifically by a
breakout performance from Tahar Rahim. The movie never fails to make you feel
the urgency of each situation, carrying a constant sense of tension throughout
as the protagonist is always one slip away from being uncovered.
7: A Serious Man
Though the Coen Brothers story of a midlife crisis and struggle
to cope with the randomness of life has been divisive among audiences, I found
to be another superb effort from the directing duo. It’s amazing how the Coens
have such a capable grasp of tone that they can tackle themes of existential
dread but inject it with an element of humour that not only makes it engaging
to watch but also never allow one sensibility to undercut the other. But it’s
not just the tone that the Coens weave into their narrative brilliantly, it’s
also the underlying themes of their story that feel peppered throughout whilst
never being too obvious that they detract from the main narrative. ‘A Serious
Man’ may not be the Coens at their absolute best but it does represent a more
mature form of filmmaking that is not only refreshing to see them venture into,
but also to see them execute it this well.
6: Moon
One of the most inventive and emotionally resonant science
fiction films in recent memory. ‘Moon’ is a deceptively brilliant piece of
cinema, presenting itself as a futuristic fable but being, at its core, a
deeply humanistic story of identity. Despite being made on a budget of just $5
million the movie never feels underdeveloped as far as its production design
goes. It really is a credit to director Duncan Jones that ‘Moon’ manages to
look more professional than most of the blockbusters released in the same year.
Sam Rockwell delivers a performance that instils paranoia but also deep empathy
and as much as I would love to describe what makes Rockwell particularly
brilliant here, it would risk spoiling the mystery that is set up at the start
of the film. ‘Moon’ is a movie of big ideas but set on an intimate stage that
sets it apart as one of the most intelligent movies of the year.
5: The White
Ribbon
Michael Haneke has always dealt with moral quandaries
throughout his career, on the surface ‘The White Ribbon’ may appear to be a
less strenuous ordeal but on a thematic level it paints a deeply oppressive portrait
from which neither the audience nor the movie’s characters can escape. It’s a
deeply atmospheric work, partly due to its bleak cinematography that matches
the overall tone of the movie. ‘The White Ribbon’ says much about how violence
is built into human society and has to wonder if it is inescapable,
highlighting the way an environment can shape its inhabitants into something
much more immediately dangerous. The cast are fantastic on every level, even
from the young performers. Its narrative is patient but Haneke possesses such a
mastery of framing and composition that every single shot of the movie feels as
involving as it is poetic.
4: A Single Man
The fact that ‘A Single Man’ is a debut feature almost
defies belief. Tom Ford’s film displays such an involving and expressive visual
style without ever detracting from the main narrative. Through visuals alone Ford
manages to place the audience directly within the mind set of his protagonist,
his daily struggles, his outlook on life and the tiny details in which he finds
value. All of that being said, the fact that an internationally renowned
fashion designer is capable of assembling some pretty shots isn’t too
remarkable, what is remarkable is how Ford so perfectly enthuses that style
with the substance of his story. It’s furthered all the more by a tremendous
performance by Colin Firth that, like the direction, finds great emotional
power through the smallest of nuances. It’s honestly kind of amazing that Firth
didn’t win the Oscar for Best Actor, as much as I adore Jeff Bridges I have to
say that the academy made a mistake on that front.
3: Dogtooth
It’s easy to focus on the disturbing subject matter of ‘Dogtooth’
as well as it’s uniquely inventive style, but what struck me most about it was Yorgos
Lanthimos’ magnificent control over image and tone. Every piece of his movie
feels like a deliberately constructed aspect, one that ties into the greater
themes of the movie as well as its highly original narrative. He shoots the
film in a method that combines elegant compositions with off kilter framings
that never fails to elicit a sense of unease. As Roger Ebert put it, the
visuals almost resemble a family photograph where something is a just a little,
but obviously, wrong. The performances are unnervingly in tune with the rest of
the movie, completely embodying Lanthimos’ vision of control and manipulation.
It’s odd that a film as bizarre as ‘Dogtooth’ can also feel so frighteningly
realistic, but that’s mainly because it is. This is a filmmaker taking truth
and exaggerating it to make it cinematic, and it’s about as masterfully made as
they come.
2: The Hurt Locker
The way ‘The Hurt Locker’ goes about dissecting its subject
is so nuanced that you might miss it upon first viewing. It paints a portrait
of a soldier who is incapable of functioning outside of a war. Like the bombs
he disarms, Sergeant William James is explosive and temperamental but also very
good at what he is designed to do. All of those characteristics are brilliantly
embodied by Jeremy Renner’s stoic lead performance, which is punctuated by
shocking bursts of energy. But the most valuable player is, by a long way,
director Kathryn Bigalow, who achieves such a mastery of suspense that it would
be easier to list the moments with ‘The Hurt Locker’ that are not seaming with
palpable tension. Ona technical level the film is beyond perfect, with the
sound design, special effects, production design and every nuance of the environment
being impeccable. Even amid the chaos Bigalow finds clarity both in how she
presents the action, but also how she taps into the deeper meaning of the movie
and never loses focus on what this story has to say.
1: Inglourious Basterds
Hitchcock once said that suspense is two people sitting at a
table, unaware that there is a bomb underneath them. Quentin Tarantino’s war
epic begins with a scene in which a group of Jewish people hiding from a Nazi
Colonel as he sits at a table, conversing with the man sheltering them. In this
case, the audience and the characters all know there is a “bomb” under the
table, and yet Tarantino is able to use it to create one of the most masterfully
tense pieces of cinema I have ever witnessed. The film that follows is bold,
brutal and entertaining on a level nothing else could match this year, but also
punctuated the evidence of a filmmaker in complete and utter control of his
medium. Tarantino’s hyper stylised blend of violence, humour and subversion
takes the war genre and frames it as more of a western. But in the process he
finds dozens of brilliant performances (the standout being Christoph Waltz),
too many amazing scenes to count and dialogue that’s so good it could have been
written by Quentin Tarantino, which it was. It’s a film that one can appreciate
for its craftsmanship but also adore for its entertainment value, both of which
only improve all the more every time you revisit it.
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