Greg's Top Ten Films of 2019
This past year I saw 122 new releases, and admittedly, most weren’t worth my time. However, every year there are thirty or so films that make watching hours upon hours of film worth it. Finding a hidden gem, having your expectations blown away, seeing that long awaited film, experiencing that euphoric feeling only cinema can provide. It’s something special. And 2019 had no shortage of them.
There are so many films I want to gush over and talk at length about, but there aren’t enough hours in the day — and probably too few ears willing to listen if we’re honest. Outside of the top ten there are more than a dozen other films equally deserving of your time and attention, each with their own merits and achievements. Logan Marshall-Green’s tender directorial debut Adopt a Highway finds hope in second chances. James Gray ventures into the cold recesses of emotional isolation with Brad Pitt in Ad Astra. Bi Gan plays with the plasticity of memory and the very form of cinema itself in Long Day’s Journey Into Night. The Farewell is an emotional reckoning with fleeting memories of a time past. And The Lighthouse, Midsommar, The Dead Don’t Die, and Climax are all so damn good, but with only ten spots, I unfortunately don’t have the space for them all.
2019 stands as one of the strongest years in recent memory, something I alluded to last year, but while this year may not have as many great films, it had far more excellent ones. And as I say with every year, any day of the week or mood will cause some of these to shift around, but as it stands, these are my top ten films of 2019, and to me, these are as good as it gets, so let’s begin.
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10. Searching Eva
The ten spot is the most difficult decision on this list. It’s the cutoff which means I have to decide which films are in and which get left out. So many deserving films rotated in and out of this position that at one point I just decided to pull the trigger and go with a little film I saw at the North Bend Film Festival: Pia Hellenthal’s Searching Eva. What makes this avant-doc so special is how it rethinks 21st century conventions. Told in a fragmented AMA style, online followers ask questions and Eva answers. Those answers provide new perspectives counter to societal norms most people hold as standard truths. Privacy, sexuality, personal identity, economic systems, and more are questioned, and it’s all brought into question through Eva’s view of the world. Whether it be posting diary entries online for all to see or meeting up with sugar daddies, your initial reaction may be to pull back, but with each subsequent question, you start to formulate your own question: is Eva the strange one or am I?
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
9. Knives Out
A detective, a murder, and a room full of suspects. A simple and familiar premise, but in the hands of Rian Johnson, Knives Out becomes a rousing and grand whodunnit. When famed crime novelist Harlan Thrombey is murdered, detective Benoit Blanc is hired to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. With a clan of family members trying to lay claim to their inheritance, everyone becomes a suspect, and with money on the line, their true colors seep through. Essential to the film is Johnson’s ability to balance audience suspicions with a keen precision. Just when you think you have someone pegged, another clue is thrown into the mix to undermine your theory. This Clue-like guessing game occurs all the way up until the end when the grand reveal takes place, and once it’s over, you’ll wonder how you let so many glaring clues past you. With an all-star cast and a tack-sharp script, Rian Johnson’s Knives Out stands out as one the most enjoyable theatrical experiences of the year.
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
8. For Sama
One of the most essential films of the year is Waad Al-Kateab’s and Edward Watts’ For Sama. Beginning at the inception of the Syrian Civil War and ending with Al-Kateab’s departure, this PBS documentary traces the changing landscape of Aleppo from vibrant city to decayed ruins. What gives dimension to the film is how it contemplates the merit of staying in a war torn city when you put your loved ones at risk. Told in a personal address to Al-Kateab’s daughter, the titular Sama, it asks what may come of future generations if the war doesn’t end. The perpetuity of the conflict presents a very real scenario where these children of war may only ever know conflict. Documenting five years of events from the perspective of the rebellion, Al-Kateab captures breathtaking images of humanity’s immense compassion and simultaneous destruction, making it one of the most human watches of the year. Incredibly moving, shocking, and awe-inspiring, For Sama requisites a watch from everyone.
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
7. Uncut Gems
The American tale of Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems can’t be experienced without bated breathe. Operating under the American Way of winning — that being lying, stealing, conning— you watch Howard place bet after bet in an effort to cover his ass and sell a rare Ethiopian black opal before his debts catch up to him. A skeezy thriller at heart, Uncut Gems showcases an offbeat, but all too truthful, depiction of what it’s like to chase the American Dream and the harsh reality that it will most likely crush you. Throw in an enticing subplot about Kevin Garnett, a diamond encrusted furbie or two, and a contending best acting performance from Adam Sandler, and you have a sadistic and greedy allegory for trying to make it big in America.
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
6. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
What happens when you love a city that doesn’t love you back? It’s a tough question and one that is increasingly relevant for the swaths of people being displaced by booming economies in large cities. For director Joe Talbot, this is the focus of his his debut feature The Last Black Man in San Francisco. Telling the story of a man who refuses to give up his grandfather’s home in the middle of a gentrified San Francisco, the film is a sincere and painful reminder that the individuals who helped build a city — giving it its life, its color, and its character — are being pushed out. A city film through and through, Talbot shoots San Francisco with such a loving affection that you can practically feel the fog rolling in on the theater as a fog horn murmurs in the distance. Through his eyes you see an inherent beauty in the streets of his home, sensing how deeply he loves this place despite its many issues. It’s simply one of the most beautiful, impassioned, and affectionate cinematic efforts all year.
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
5. Under the Silver Lake
Perplexing as it is hypnotic, David Robert Mitchell’s Under the Silver Lake is something of an enigma. So odd is this film that you wonder if you’re watching something meticulously crafted or horribly misguided, but I would be lying if I wasn’t completely taken by this Labowski-esk neo-noir. Delayed multiple times by A24, the film finally got a silent release on VOD because of … well…how weird it is. It’s so puzzling that it opens itself up to a seemingly unending number of interpretations and readings that are all completely valid. For me, I see a fantastical take on Los Angeles and the endless possibilities that spin out of the city of angels. It’s as if the surreal events taking place in the film can only be experienced in LA, that the cinematic fantasies forged on celluloid are a byproduct of the very real scenarios taking place there. Such a strange film, and one I hope more people warm up to with time.
4. Marriage Story
If you’ve experienced a breakup, Marriage Story will likely leave you in a state of emotional instability. Writer director Noah Baumbach depicts divorce with an honesty that feels like a personal attack on your emotions, especially the emotions you’ve burrowed away and never addressed. Marriage Story digs them up and lays forth a truth you didn’t want to hear, but needed to if you ever wanted any hope at leaving behind your emotional baggage. It’s an expertly crafted film, showcasing the ultimate refinement of Baumbach’s style and featuring two stand out performances from Adam Driver and Scarlet Johansson as Charlie and Nicole. When you see the film, it’s hard not to observe a little bit of yourself in either of them, and that’s what makes Marriage Story so dangerous: that you see all of your ill-willed behaviors and malicious actions carried out by fictitious characters on screen. I cried like a baby and left emotionally devastated.
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
3. Booksmart
From its SXSW premiere, I could feel deep in my bones that Booksmart was something special. Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut isn’t just this generation’s Superbad. It’s something greater. It’s a sincere depiction of female friendship set against the communal plights of high school with a swagger and energy that is contagious. Amy and Molly played by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Faldstein are two high school friends who realize the time they spent studying stopped them from having fun, and on the night before graduation, they go on a one night odyssey looking to make up for time lost. While Amy and Molly are at the forefront, Booksmart also features an endlessly talented cast of supporting teens that provide much of the film’s iconic moments. Whether that be George’s murder mystery party, Jared’s too-nice-for-his-own-good personality, or Gigi’s wild antics, you can’t come out of the film forgetting any one of its characters or any of the outlandish things they did. But beneath all its crude humor and teenage debauchery, there’s something emotionally tangible at the heart of Booksmart. For an hour and a half, we see two friends sharing memories they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives as they near an inevitable cross roads that will separate them. And when we finally arrive at that moment of seperation, we see that this friendship is unwavering and everlasting— a true sign of ride or die best friends— and if that’s not something you can appreciate, I don’t what you can. Cue “Osaka Loop Line” and grab your best friend, because Booksmart is an early coming of age classic.
You can read Megan Bernovich’s full thoughts here.
2. Parasite
Parasite is the type of film that makes you love cinema unabashedly. Bong Joon-ho’s latest is an emotional thriller that perfectly balances tone while delivering a potent message about wealth inequality along bitter class divides. His ability to modulate between comedic one-liners in one moment and taut tension in the next is almost magic and underscores the director’s acute awareness of context and weight within a scene. As the lower class Kim family infiltrates the upper class Park family, you think you know where the film is going, but about half way through, a single door bell ring changes everything and Bong flips the film on its head. It’s a miraculous piece of filmmaking, and perhaps the singular film that 2019 will be remembered for.
You can read my full thoughts on the film here.
1. Little Women
Just when I thought the books were closed on 2019, Greta Gerwig comes in at the eleventh hour, drops Little Women, and leaves me at a loss for words. Gerwig adapts Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about four sisters during the American Civil War with a contemporary language that shows how the author’s themes are as relevant as ever. The four March sisters — Joe, Amy, Meg, and Beth — set out to create a life of their own, lives filled with their own wants and needs, hopes and desires, and most importantly, passions. The issues they go through are everyday occurrences, but they are made interesting not only by their relatability, but also by the wonderful characterization Gerwig imbues each sister with. The actresses delivering Gerwig’s material are lending their own talents as they give life to these sisters with subtle and charismatic embellishes, a particularly true statement for Saoirse Ronan and Florence Pugh as Joe and Amy. Above all else, I think Gerwig’s ability to hold you for so long is one of Little Women’s greatest achievements. You become invested in these four sisters. Their hopes become ours. Their follies are not unlike our own. And their pursuits parallel what we hope to achieve in our own life. As each sister tries to make the life they want, there is a deeply empathetic feeling of sadness when they fail and an even greater sense of elation when they succeed. What they — and by extension we — do in life is a mix of choices made, and Gerwig doesn’t let us forget that. It’s a fundamentally universal theme, one that brings with it tears and smiles, and as we observe these little women forging their own stories, we feel uplifted by the prospects that we can too.
