Top 10 Films of 2017

Last year I gave up, but this year I’ve mustered up the energy to squeeze in as many 2017 films as I can before the Oscars, which is pretty tricky when you live here. I haven’t been able to see as many animations or foreign language films as I would have liked to, but I’m pretty happy with my list. So without further ado, here is my top 10:

No spoilers!


10. Brigsby Bear

This was a weird but wonderful little gem that should be a treat for anyone who loves films, or being creative in general. It’s hard to describe the plot without giving too much away, and I think the less you know, the better the experience will be. James is a young man obsessed with a kids’ TV show starring Brigsby the bear. Brigsby posters fill every inch of his room, and he records himself giving his latest Brigsby theories after each new episode. But isn’t James a little too old to be obsessed with this kind of thing? What’s going on? The lead character is sympathetic and kooky in an authentic way, and the film goes down its own unique, unpredictable path with confidence. A highly original film, funny with a tinge of sadness and a surprising amount of heart.


9. Good Time

Good Time is a high-energy urban noir film which makes you feel like you’re right in the middle of the action on the gritty, neon-lit streets of New York City, close up in the face of Connie Niklas, our highly incompetent protagonist who hastily drags you from one bad idea to the next as he tries to rescue his brother who is in prison after a heist gone wrong. The heist takes place at the beginning of the film, and the rest of the story takes place more or less over the course of a single night. It’s shot on 35mm film with a deliberate rough texture, punctured by quick camera movements and a pulsating score – all which add to the sense of panic and claustrophobia. So if that’s your idea of a good time, you’ll love this film. Robert Pattinson completely loses himself in the role of Connie, giving us the best performance of his career so far.


8. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

It’s been 7 months since Mildred’s daughter was brutally raped and murdered, and the local police - “too busy torturing black folks” - have made no progress in their investigation. One day she comes across 3 empty billboards and decides to take matters into her own hands. The film is about anger and revenge, as well as finding peace in this cruel world. It feels like the most fully fleshed-out of Martin McDonagh’s three films with his trademark foul-mouthed, razor-sharp dialogue on full display. Somehow he manages to balance the dark subject matters with humour, and shows that no one is simply good or bad, that everyone has their demons. Frances McDormand is fantastic, making you feel the grief that is eating her up under her deadpan delivery, saying so much with few words. Wearing a jumpsuit, a bandana and accompanied by a spaghetti western soundtrack, this is a woman at war.


7. Personal Shopper

Olivier Assayas and Kristen Stewart have teamed up again after Clouds of Sils Maria, my number one pick of 2015, to create a mysterious and haunting portrait of a woman dealing with grief and loneliness. Maureen, a bereaved spiritual medium, is in Paris trying to contact her twin brother who recently passed away. They’d promised each other that whoever died first would send the other a sign. She works as a personal shopper to Kyra, a film star, picking up fancy clothes and running errands. Unlike in Clouds of Sils Maria where she shared the screen with legendary Juliette Binoche, this time she carries the film on her own, playing Maureen with subtlety and vulnerability. The camera fixates on her as she waits for a sign from her brother who may or may not be there, getting summoned to pick up some high end dress whenever Kyra pleases and tip-toeing into her empty house to leave it behind without a trace, all the while repressing her longing to try it on. At one point in the film while on a train she starts receiving eerie text messages from an unknown number. Is it from her brother? Is it a stalker? Is her imagination playing tricks on her? It’s a thrilling scene in which she acts alone. An intimate and fascinating film which has stayed with me since I saw it in early 2017.


6. Blade Runner 2049

30 years after the original Blade Runner the world is even more bleak, devastated by industrialisation and environmental collapse. The streets are overcrowded with people wearing masks because the air has become so polluted. Our protagonist, Officer K (and later, Joe) – a reference to Kafka’s The Trial – is a lonesome hero who belongs nowhere. The film honours the original, expanding on its themes of what it means to be human and the significance of memories, as well as introducing entirely new ideas of artificial intelligence that are relevant today. The film is a breathtaking work of art – with legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins at the helm - that really takes its time to soak into its visuals. It’s kind of a miracle that this film exists at all. There are so many iconic shots, from rain-soaked rooftops to dusty orange landscapes. Like in Arrival which was one of my favourite films last year, Denis Villeneuve is able to bring a sense of deep emotional truth to the visual spectacle, making this one of my favourite Sci-Fi films ever.


5. I, Tonya

I, Tonya is an unusual biopic based on multiple accounts of events that often conflict with each other. Uninterested in the one and only truth, it becomes an entertaining portrait of Tonya Harding which somehow manages to balance its dark themes of domestic violence with its lighter tones. Characters break the fourth wall for both comedic effect, and also during its toughest scenes to challenge us directly: what do YOU think? While the film depicts its many points of views and doesn’t ask us to take sides, it clearly has a soft spot for Tonya and we root for her as we watch her unable to escape the onslaught of violence, classism and tabloid frenzy, and yet refuse to see herself as a victim. The film is both funny and tragic, and also shows ice skating in a dramatic, up and close way that we don’t normally get to see. But even if you have no interest in ice skating or have never heard of Tonya Harding before, the film is a thoroughly entertaining ride with excellent performances by Margot Robbie and Alison Janney.


4. The Florida Project

While his previous film Tangerine (in my top 10 of 2015) told the story of transgender sex workers in Los Angeles, The Florida Project explores a community struggling to make ends meets, living in extended stay motels just outside the boundaries of the most magical place in the world. Like Tangerine this film is vivid and dripping with sun. But unlike Tangerine, here there is no narrative at all. We spend time with a group of kids led by Moonee during their summer holiday, running riot and mostly getting up to no good. They don’t need any Disneyland; to them, this poverty-stricken area is paradise. The film is heartbreaking and tragic, but there is also so much joy. Halley isn’t a great mother, but you can clearly see the love that she and Moonee share. It reaches an emotional climax towards the end (one of my top film moments of the year), and then closes with a scene reminiscent of the ending to The 400 Blows. Like Truffaut, Sean Baker is a humanist who finds beauty in the little details of people’s lives. He manages to draw out a stunning performance from then-6 year old Brooklynn Prince, who hilariously owns all of her R-rated dialogue. Willem Dafoe, who plays Bobby the motel manager who looks out for Moonee and co, is the only seasoned actor in the film and blends in just perfectly.


3. A Ghost Story

A Ghost Story is unlike any film I’ve ever seen and difficult to describe without sounding a bit silly. The protagonist is a (dead) man covered in a white sheet with eye holes designed to look like a child’s ghost costume for Halloween… Just as I was beginning to think it was ridiculous, it turned into a beautiful and profound experience that has stayed with me since. The title is somewhat misleading; it’s not so much a ghost story as it is a story with a ghost in it. It’s about life, death, love, loss, time, fear of change… With minimal dialogue and no facial expressions for us to deduce, it relies on its haunting soundtrack to convey the ghost’s lonely emotions.


2. Get Out

THE defining film of 2017, Get Out was released in early 2017 and the hype never died down. Jordan Peele uses the story of a black man meeting his girlfriend’s parents as a platform for a delightfully clever satire on race relations in the United States, but it’s also a hilarious, thrilling and terrifying mishmash that bends the rules of genre. As soon as Chris (a brilliantly nuanced performance by Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose arrive at the house, something is clearly off. The parents seem nice but…too nice. Something is wrong with the housekeeper but we aren’t sure what. When you finally get the twist, from there on it’s pure entertainment that never gets out of hand the way many films do, culminating in a brilliant ending. It’s scary, funny, and says something important in a truly unique way.


1. Call Me By Your Name

It’s the summer of 1983, “somewhere in northern Italy”. 17 year old Elio is staying at his family’s summer home with his academic parents. Every summer they host a graduate student who assists Elio’s father on his research; this year it’s Oliver, a 24 year old American who exudes effortless charm and leaves the room with a breezy “later!” His confidence and openness fascinates Elio and takes over his life. Elio is himself open and free, raised by his parents to explore life and discover its fruit as he pleases. He’s well-versed in literature and transcribes classical music, but he’s convinced he doesn’t know anything. They spend their days in lush, sun-drenched gardens, lounging by the pool discussing art and plucking peaches from the trees. It’s summertime and there’s no hurry to get anywhere. Elio and Oliver have instant chemistry though they’re hesitant to admit it at first. Oliver asks Elio to play something on the piano, but Elio won’t play it the way he wants him to. Without realising it, they’re flirting. All these little details build up to the moment when they finally consummate their love, and it makes you hold your breath. And with it there’s a sadness as we know it can’t last. It’s been there from the moment he arrived, in the unspoken words, the rustling leaves and spaces between them that the camera lingers on. The film is a pure and sensual masterpiece accompanied by a beautiful soundtrack. I only need to hear the first couple of seconds of Sufjan Stevens’ Mystery of Love or Visions of Gideon to start welling up. Michael Stuhlbarg, who plays Elio’s father, gives a powerful speech towards the end of the film which destroyed me. And the final shot! Timothée Chalamet should win all the awards for that scene alone. He gives a tour-de-force performance, switching from child-like and playful to wise beyond his years as smoothly as he transitions from French to English to Italian. It’s the most romantic film I’ve seen in recent years, and will resonate with anyone who’s ever been in love.