Top 10 lists are notoriously subjective, of course; one fan’s “best” can easily be another’s “worst.” To be included on my Top 10 Films of the Year list, a film has to do two things: affect me profoundly while watching it, and stay in my thoughts long after the credits roll. Below are my ten favorite films of 2019 that meet that criteria. You can also check out my list from last year here.
- 10.) Blinded by the Light
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British-Pakistani teenager Javed (Viveik Kalra) becomes inspired by Bruce Springsteen’s music.
Javed (Viveik Kalra), a British-Pakistani teen, is apparently born to run. In one of the year’s cleverest films by Gurinder Chadha, the music of Bruce Springsteen speaks to Javed as he wrestles to find his place in Thatcher’s 1980s Britain. Displaced and disenfranchised, Javed is inspired by The Boss’s music to overcome racism, classism, and family obligations to follow his dream of becoming a writer. (You can also read my original capsule review from the Sundance Film Festival here.)
9.) Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles
Even if you’ve never seen the 1964 Broadway musical before, Max Lewkowicz’s documentary about Fiddler on the Roof should be on your must-see list. Yes, the doc is a tight and informative history of the famous musical and its Yiddish literary origins, but it’s also much more. Interviews with the production’s creators, performers, and ardent fans (including Lin-Manuel Miranda, in a terrific segment), allow Lewkowicz to explore the show’s surprisingly universal appeal. The result is a charming, rich, and moving examination of a timeless story about life’s joys and sorrows that has touched millions.
8.) American Woman
This little-seen indie deserves a bigger audience, primarily for Sienna Miller’s raw performance as Debra, a young grandmother left to raise her grandson after her daughter’s mysterious disappearance. Director Kent Jones takes an unsparing look at life in small-town Pennsylvania, as Debra struggles to find her way forward, in a picture that always feels authentic and never maudlin. Stellar supporting work from Christina Hendricks, Aaron Paul, and Amy Madigan also help make the film Top 10-worthy.
7.) Diane
Character actress Mary Kay Place finally gets a star-making vehicle in this psychological drama about love, loss, and the secrets we carry into old age. As the titular Diane, Place makes us care deeply about her family crises, including a son’s drug addiction and family illnesses.
6.) Parasite
One of the most talked about films of the year is also one of the freshest. A poor Korean family dupes a rich one and manages to infiltrate their lives. Full of unexpected twists, director Bong Joon Ho’s film raises difficult questions about class and capitalism and the ambiguity of both.
5.) The Nightingale
Writer/director Jennifer Kent follows up her hit horror flick The Babadook with a disturbing revenge tale. An Irish convict (Aisling Franciosi) banished to Tasmania seeks retribution for an unfathomable act of violence, and finds a kindred spirit in an Aboriginal tracker (Baykali Ganambarr). Their improbable bond underpins Kent’s dark tragedy of racism and imperialism.
4.) Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach’s loosely autobiographical story of a collapsing marriage is every fight in every relationship you’ve ever been in, on screen, in vivid technicolor. Oof. But watching such a familiar scenario play out reminds us we’re not alone. The story especially resonates when the main characters are portrayed by such virtuoso actors as Scarlett Johnannson and Adam Driver, who here gives the finest performance of his career.
3.) Clemency
If Alfre Woodard doesn’t garner an Academy Award nomination for her standout performance as an increasingly morally conflicted Death Row warden, we’ll know the Oscars are the joke many believe them to be. Writer/director Chinonye Chukwu’s film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance this year (making her the first African-American woman to earn the honor), and deservedly so. An unflinching look at the practicalities of the death penalty, Chukwu’s film shows the toll executions take on both the condemned and their executioners. Aldis Hodge, as a Death Row inmate, also turns in an exceptional performance. (You can also read my original capsule review from the Sundance Film Festival here).
2.) Dark Waters
Mark Ruffalo plays real-life Cincinnati attorney Rob Bilott in this alternately infuriating and inspiring David vs. Goliath story. Director Todd Haynes effectively dramatizes the true story of DuPont’s villainous corporate malfeasance with its PFOA chemical (also the subject of an excellent 2018 Sundance documentary). The film paints an unforgettable portrait of an unlikely hero who steadfastly fights for justice in the face of enormous professional and personal cost.
1.) Arctic
Brazilian director Joe Penna’s survival tale of a man stranded in the Arctic after a plane crash debuted way back in February. That’s a real shame, as a lot of critics seem to have forgotten the picture. Mads Mikkelsen, as the man desperately fighting to stay alive, carries the film, successfully conveying a sweeping range of emotions despite almost no dialogue. Mikkelsen gives what is arguably the year’s best performance, in a beautifully shot and brilliantly tense film that, eight months after its premiere, still remains my 2019 favorite.
Honorable Mentions: Ford v Ferrari; Hail Satan; A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood; Maiden
