Walter's Top 25 Films of the Decade (2010-2019)

OK – I've tried and have given up writing an understanding or justification of how I determined this list. The truth is that it’s just a gut feeling that is strikingly mis-aligned with the annual lists along the way (several #1s don’t show up, for example). So the bottom line is that I find this terribly hard to explain and comparing different genres of films when summing up a decade feels even harder than doing the same in a single year. All that to say: “I have no justification for this list or its order, and I might change it all around tomorrow.” It’s just what feels right to me right now, and I recommend all of them (but also many that I have omitted, of course).  Here we go:

25. The Way – We walk along the Camino with Martin Sheen and the company he picks up along the way with humour and a reflection on life’s priorities along the way.

24. Pride – Can a common human cause overcome the barriers between two very different groups of people? Let’s hope so.

23. Calvary – a hard but potent look from a different perspective on a messed up church with messed up people and good within.

22. Even the Rain – This is an unusual film, that uses a “film within a film” to make a point of how we stay caught in old patterns.

21. Lady Bird – a smart, well-made, witty look at high school life.

20. Selma – I need to re-watch this as my memory is fading, but it felt like a powerful reminder of an important moment in history. I ask myself why there are so many zillions of movies about wars and relatively few on historical moments like this.

19. Brooklyn – This doesn’t sound strong enough, but it just feels like a classic.

18. The End of the Tour – As I once called it: a mutually vulnerable conversation between two intelligent young men. Some would be bored, but I found it stayed with me.

17. Incendies – A challenging and unique story aimed at helping people re-think the cycle of violence.

16. Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Good, thoughtful fun in Kiwi style.

15. The Salt of the Earth – a documentary on the life and photography of Sebastião Salgado, whose work documents the humanity of forgotten people and forgotten corners of the world.

14. Ex Machina – a sci fi thriller that strikes me as one of the most effective at pointing out the inherent mistakes in the way AI is sometimes being seen and pursued.

13. Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri – beautifully made film that manages to combine passionate intensity with a deeply human appreciation for all sides of conflict.

12b. Take Shelter - Somehow almost missed this one and so had to wedge it in. A fascinating drama about when the lines between mental illness and what's needed start to blur.

12. Never Look Away – After his masterpiece thirteen years ago (The Lives of Others), here is a film that shows again this director’s brilliance and ability to provoke deep questions.  

 

11. Ad Astra – To be honest, I already want to watch this again to remind myself of why I was so impressed. Imagine a film that in the same stroke guts the way both thoughtless Christians (waiting for a saving apocalypse) and thoughtless materialists (looking to space for salvation) place their hope in the wrong place.

10. Les Miserables – Just re-watched this for the first time in years and it sailed up the list again. Still magic.

9. Monsieur Lazhar – For a comedy, this film starts hard, but this provides poignancy for the beautiful story of the immigrant protagonist.

8. Locke – I enjoy films that pull off holding my full attention with a very limited setting – in this case, entirely within one car ride. Brilliantly done, reminding me of an old favourite, Phone Booth.

7. Short Term 12 – Everyone should hug someone who works with kids “in care” after a film like this. Brie Larsen and a great cast makes this work so well.

6. Gravity – This only made #9 the year it came out, but it has crept up and up as I’ve found myself drawn back to it and appreciate it more and more each time. The director somehow creates a deeply reflective symbolic journey that is also an adrenaline ride. I wish I had caught it on the big screen.

5. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood – Creatively made film about a transformative encounter between a journalist and a man with love and integrity.

4. Captain Fantastic – Enjoyable, thought-provoking and unique film that struck a chord in me.

3. A Man Called Ove – I admit that I’m still biased by the fact that I saw this in an amazing independent little theatre in Brunswick, ME, sitting on a couch. And that it felt like a small moment of healing after seeing Trump elected. A funny and serious story about the healing of a curmudgeon.

2. Spotlight – I didn’t see this in time to make my list the year it came out. But I love investigative journalist films, and this one was very well done.

1. Of Gods and Men – I can’t remember another time when I so much wanted to show a film to so many people. A beautiful and challenging true story that is captured perfectly in the spirit of the community it represents.