Walter's Top Ten Films for 2019

Was it the year or is it me? Something is changing in my relationship to movies. I am less interested than I used to be, or maybe (as Vic also suggests) it was a lousy year for films. I confess that I saw less than 20 films that were made in 2019 – so if I choose some films that are only average, that is my excuse.  Yet, I’ve seen several reviewers exulting in what a great year it was for film. This depresses me.

As I often say as part of this exercise, while I care about quality filmmaking, I’d much rather see a great story done with mediocre quality than a well-polished turd. There were a lot of well-polished turds out there this year that I care not one whit about. Since I didn’t bother to see most of these (including many Oscar nominees), I won’t name them. I want films that make me think (in a good way) or that entertain me, and preferably both. These are the movies I most enjoyed and would recommend to others:

10. Grüner Wird’s Nicht – This little gem was a film that I would never have seen except for stumbling onto it during an overseas flight. Germany will never be known for its romantic comedies, but this one has a unique character and a novel story – more about personal transformation than romance.   

 9. Dark Waters – I'm biased toward stories that need to be better known. This one is well done, though it doesn’t particularly shine. Most memorable are the respect it shows to the farmer who started it all off and the pain you feel in waiting for the medical team as it analyzes and deliberates for years. 

8. Yesterday – Another fun choice that is probably not going to see many top ten lists. I enjoyed this creative comedy, though it fails to make any consistent point from its novel situation.

7.  Harriet – Here’s another story that needs to be better known. It’s again possible that it could have been done a little better. But it’s a solid depiction of an important woman and her unique contribution to many people’s journeys to freedom. 

6. Official Secrets – Once more my bias is at play - but this time you get a mini-rant: It’s insane that everyone does not know this story. It’s insane that everyone has not learned with utmost historic clarity all the lies and manipulations that led to the hideous evil that was the invasion of Iraq with repercussions that will last for generations. This film may not be perfect, but it effectively tells the story of Katherine Gun and her courageous moral choice.  

5. Knives Out – a classic, fun, and stylish mystery. We need more of these. Perfect entertainment.

4. The Two Popes – based on an imagined, yet believable, encounter between the last two very real popes, this film was a thoughtful surprise. I’m not sure that fans of Pope Benedict would think this was entirely fair, but if it's accurate, I would bless Benedict for the outcome. 

 3. Never Look Away – This is by the maker of The Lives of Others – a 2006 film with a surprising ability to be recalled with great favour by those who have seen it. Donnersmarck has a unique gift to thoughtfully evoke something potent in his films. In Never Look Away, there is a perfect blend of stated and unstated, of making a point that is left to be spaciously pondered by the viewer. In this case, the film is about the meeting place of art and history and experience.

     
2.  Ad Astra – I deliberately want to pair my top two films because this film is best watched in a combination with my #1 film – not because they have much directly to do with each other. There is much food for thought and a powerful critique of the wrong kind of faith – whether that is an unhelpful religious faith or the “faith” of the movie Interstellar. This film does what I love a film to do – uses a strong narrative with a symbolic punch to open up new thoughts.

1. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – This film is just so deeply good. Of course, we should expect that with the combination of Hanks and Mr. Rogers, but added to that it is creatively done with some lovely surprises. The scene in the diner (which I gather was a twist on what happened in real life) was done so well. When you get completely sick and tired of how Christianity is being defiled by its political and consumerist manipulations, watch this film and get healed.

Runner-ups for me are: Little Women and The Irishman, and potential candidates that I didn’t see in time include: A Hidden Life, Just Mercy, and Sorry We Missed You. A few great movies that I saw too late to include last year are Silent Revolution, Can You Ever Forgive Me, Boy Erased, BlacKKKlansmen and Capernaum.

Finally, my “spilled coffee list” contains only one film (which I take to be a triumph of not wasting too much time):  6 Underground – some action fans will love it, but it’s an unimpressive celebration of the kind of thinking that destroys the world. 

But to end on a positive note: two excellent TV miniseries that deserve mention here (which I’ve never done before) are Chernobyl and Messiah – both well worth your time.