It's the start of the new year, which means it's time to look back to the previous years. While lists such as this one are arbitrary, it allows us to reflect upon culture as it was for that year. 2015 was an interesting cinematic year for me. Through a combination of DVDs and theater-going, I was able to watch over well over 220 movies released over the year. Reflecting upon it, I am hesitant to call it a weak year for movies, but it was certainly one in which I felt there were less films that I would wholeheartedly recommend than in previous years. But, an amount of good solid films were certainly there and needs to be seen. Without further adieu, here are my best films of 2015, numbers 20 to 11.
20. "Mustang"
In some sense, I can see “Mustang” being called a reductive film, empowering the Western notion that the ultra-traditional Islamic community is stuck in a bygone era. But I sure love an empowerment story about five orphaned girls trying to overcome the oppressive patriarchy. “Mustang” is a Turkish film directed by Deniz Gamze Erguven who understands the types of pressures that these five young girls are living under. She also understands that all of these girls are different people who react to their home prisons in different ways. By centering this story around five sisters, Erguven is aiming to portray the spectrum of reactions to oppression. Although broad, “Mustang” is light on its feet with the heavy subject matter and the girls are charismatic in their own right. The tension consistently runs high as modernity clashes full force with traditionalism with the results being an entertaining mess of a female empowerment film that I thoroughly enjoyed moment to moment.
19. "Nasty Baby"
At first glance, in fact the first two acts, of Sebastian Silva’s “Nasty Baby,” is a standard mumblecore fare —a bunch of people in their 20s talking about life while never having to worry about life. Yet, it is the third act in which something out of the blue occurs which changes everything about the movie, both in the moment and in retrospect. Reading reviews of the films, the third act caused many to feel sour towards this film. But the way it takes a 180 degree turn completely subverts the mumblecore genre. This radical turn is such a crazy and ambitious move that the filmmaker Silva must be credited for it. If anyone who has seen the movie (and not many people have), I would love to discuss the ending with more people.
18. "Spring"
When I first watched Justin Benson and Aaron Moorehead’s “Spring," I thought to myself that it was a nice little film. The film’s atmosphere and weird narrative ambition lingered in my mind all the way up to the end of 2015. “Spring” is a romantic film masquerading as a horror film. Because this film is so small, I do not want to spoil any details, but the central relationship is tender and pure. Some people have been comparing the relationship to that of Jesse and Celine’s from the Richard Linklater “Before…” series and there is definitely truth in that comparison. Moorehead and Benson is also clearly influenced by the body horror of Cronenberg and John Carpenter’s “The Thing." A mix of “The Thing” and “Before Sunrise” is a combination that I didn’t know I needed until I saw “Spring.”
17. "Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom"
A few years ago, Netflix released “The Square,” a documentary comprised of many people’s different footage of the Egyptian Revolution. In 2015, Netflix released “Winter on Fire,” which does a similar thing for the 2013 Ukrainian Revolution that lasted 93 days. What is special about this film is its feeling of immediacy. Shown through the footage taken by the people smack dab in the center of the revolution, you, a third party unaware of Ukrainian politics, feels irate and angry about the human injustices that occur. You want to pick up the makeshift shields and head towards the fight. Without a doubt, Evgeny Afineevsky is pure propaganda on the revolution’s side, but it is a showcase on the workings of a revolution and its descent into anarchy. It is our knowledge of the aftermath, however, that overshadows the events the film portrays. The film ends on the 93rd day, but the war against Russia’s eventual annexation of Crimea is on the horizon.
16. "Bridge of Spies"
As Spielberg has grown as a filmmaker, he has moved away from movies about broken families into a fascination of how the human spirit is able to overcome adversity. It is this sentiment that makes him feel akin to old Hollywood filmmakers such as Frank Capra. “Bridge of Spies” aspires to show the best of America in a time when America was not shining its brightest light to the rest of the world. But, Spielberg has technical mastery of filmmaking in a way that Capra never had, so along with the “Ra-Ra” American attitude, he was able to craft a Cold War spy thriller that is indeed thrilling. The pacing, editing, and technical skill of the opening scene shows Spielberg at his best. And to drive home the Capra comparison, our modern day everyman, Tom Hanks, continues to call upon Jimmy Stewart by never shedding his persona, but rather just being his likable self. Probably the easiest prediction I will ever make, “Bridge of Spies” will be the perfect cable movie in 10 years, the way that “Catch Me If You Can” is now.
15. "White God"
Imagine a film in which the first half of is about a teenage girl struggling with adolescence, and the second half is a revenge story about a dog who leads an uprising to fight against the canines’ human oppressors. Well, the Hungarian film “White God” does just that. And it is insane but amazing at the same time. Director Kornel Mundruczo, is able to keep both engaging and seamless without ever becoming ridiculous. Well, it’s a little ridiculous. But, filmmaking at its best deals in parables and the plight of a teenage girl with her internal conflicts surrounded by a confusing world surprisingly works with a narrative about dogs out for revenge. What is amazing is that the movie hinges on the performance of a dog who is asked to show emotional complexity in ways that humans struggle to do. “White God” is a unique experience of a movie.
14. "45 Years"
Through films such as “Weekend” and his TV show “Looking,” Andrew Haigh has proven that he is one of those rare filmmakers who is able to capture the complexity of a relationship. At times, relationships are based on such tenuous ground that it really requires a lot of luck for a relationship to last so long. “45 Years” is about how one revelation about a couple’s past is able to disturb the core of a relationship that has already been going strong for 45 years. Haigh’s films is just as much a collaboration between him and the actors he works with and Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtney as the central couple anchors his script. Long silences and lingering glances are just as important than the spoken word. With only 95 minutes of running time, “45 Years” feels like a lean piece of emotional steak that both satisfies and makes you uncontrollably sob at the same time.
13. "Creed"
Ryan Coogler’s “Creed” is pop filmmaking at its best. Coogler milks everything he can from the genre of boxing and the “Rocky” movies to craft an underdog story, hitting on every emotional cliché with expert timing. In this, he shows that clichés are constantly reused because, when they work, they work wonders. “Creed” does something a little more with its story than first meets the eye. The film is a wonderful reworking of the first “Rocky” but it subtly subverts a lot of the issues that the first “Rocky” was never sophisticated enough to touch upon. There is a race problem in the first “Rocky” to the point in which a Rocky Balboa was being painted as the Great White Hope within the context of the movie, and 1970s Philadelphia seemed devoid of African Americans. Here is a film starring and directed/written by black filmmakers who takes that conflict and creates a mix of race and generations in a way that feels natural and welcomed. “Creed” is what most movies released by Hollywood should aspire to be.
12. "Carol"
Todd Haynes has always been a master of his craft. He treats his subjects and films like as if they're dolls placed inside a doll house. His obsession is that of superficial perfection marked by internal turmoil. “Carol” is the logical follow-up to those sensibilities about a wealthy socialite, played by Cate Blanchett, casting a spell over the young department store clerk, played by Rooney Mara. With the 1950s backdrop, Haynes is seemingly playing with familiar territory, but here, his directorial skillset has vastly improved. Now, Haynes is not only a filmmaker but an artisan, crafting his frame. Like a painting, each image is waiting to be drawn meaning from it and “Carol” depends on that. Its reticent pace allows the viewer to slowly extrapolate from each scene and the merit of the film is the cat and mouse game that develops between audience and film.
11. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"
Thank god this was good. With all the hype surrounding the release of the new “Star Wars” movie, if this movie fell short in any way that would have dominated the talking point of cinema for the rest of 2015. Rather, the film meets and in some cases, exceeds expectations. The first 40 minutes is close to perfection. The first “Star Wars” in 1977 was a movie about wonderment in this new world and J.J. Abrams brought the audience back to wonderment with this one by placing us in this familiar but new world. The smartest decision he could have made was incorporating practical effects with modern technology thus finding that seamless middle that many filmmakers have not been able to hit. And in the end, the best thing you can say about this movie is that it is satisfying. Also BB-8 is the best.
This is just part one of the best films of 2015. Be on the lookout for Part 2 where I count down the best films from 10 to 1.
For the worst films of 2015 go here.
(Editors: can you insert links below)
