Top 17 Film Moments of 2017

I suddenly had the idea to do a top film moments post like I once did a few years ago, in order to keep a record of some other films I liked outside of my top 10. For some reason I felt the need to do it before the Oscars, so I've rushed through the list in one evening.

Spoilers, obviously (I tried not to include spoilers in the pictures):

17. Split: Ending

Split would’ve been a perfectly entertaining film without the ending, but that ending made it just that extra bit special. We find out that James McAvoy’s character, nicknamed The Horde, has escaped and is on the loose. First we hear the familiar music. Then we see a news report about him in a diner, where someone talks about a similar case from 15 years ago – the “funny guy in a wheelchair. What was his name?” “Mr. Glass” says a voice behind her – it’s none other than Bruce Willis! And for the first time we realise we’ve been watching a sequel to Unbreakable.

16. Coco: Remember Me

Terrified of losing Hector to the ‘final death’, Miguel rushes to his great grandmother’s side, begging her to remember him. But Mama Coco can barely make out what he’s talking about, let alone remember anything. His family surround him, demanding he explain himself and apologise, when he picks up his guitar and, voice trembling, begins to sing Remember Me, the song Hector had written for her. Mama Coco’s face lights up, and she starts to sing along. It suddenly got very dusty in the cinema for the people sitting around me.

15. Lady Bird: Cafe Hug

When Lady Bird barges into her boyfriend Danny making out with a guy in the bathroom and crosses his name off the wall in her room, we don’t think we’ll see him again. Onto the next guy, probably. But he comes back to the cafe that she works at, and awkwardly starts talking about how his grandma missed her at Thanksgiving. She cuts to the chase and blurts out, “You’re gay!” In a panic, he begs her to not tell anyone, explaining that his parents don’t know and he needs time to figure out how to tell them. Her expression switches to a compassionate one in an instant and they embrace as he starts to cry. In a film with plenty of beautiful little moments, this one stood out to me the most.

14. Killing of a Sacred Deer: Sacrifice

Unable to choose which one of his family members to sacrifice, Colin Farrell’s character seats his wife, daughter and son in the living room, covers his face with a beanie and spins around, randomly firing his rifle until someone is killed. I was enjoying the unfolding horror (quite satisfying after watching them speak in such a robotic, monotone manner throughout the whole film), but this scene was bananas.

13. A Fantastic Woman: Through the Wind

Marina, a transgender woman, loses her lover to a sudden seizure and is unable to even attend his funeral because of the family’s unacceptance of her. It’s a powerful film with a mesmerising performance by Daniela Vega who plays Marina with strength and dignity that trumps the cruelty of the people around her. In one of several surreal, dream-like scenes, the wind blows with such intensity as she walks down the street, and in fighting against it she tilts practically paralleled to the ground. It’s a beautiful moment that briefly puts us into her shoes.

12. Logan: Opening Massacre

There are several touching and also shocking moments in Logan, but I’m going to pick the opening scene. Logan, drunk and tired-looking, wakes up to a group of thugs attempting to steal parts from his car. He tries to speak to them but they shoot him. Of course, he gets back up and those claws come out like we’ve seen so many times before. But it’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before. He tears them apart – literally, limbs are torn off – and we’re treated to claws piercing skulls and graphic sounds of blood squirting.

11. The Last Jedi: Throne Room Fight

There were many moments I particularly enjoyed in The Last Jedi, from the opening bombing sequence to the battle of Crait, but my favourite has to be the fight in Snoke’s throne room where Rey and Kylo fight the Praetorian Guards. Against a crimson red backdrop reminiscent of Kurosawa’s Kagemusha, Rey and Kylo, on the same side and standing back to back, engage in a gorgeously choreographed battle ending with Kylo using Rey’s lightsaber to burning a hole through the head of one of the guards.

10. Wonder Woman: No Man’s Land

“This is no man’s land. It means no one can cross it”, explains Steve Trevor. The battalion has been there for a year and they’ve barely moved an inch. “We can’t save everyone in this war”, he tells her. But of course, that’s not Diana. In a surprisingly moving moment, she throws off her jacket and storms across no man's land. The music soars as she defects bullets in slow motion, and the rest of the soldiers start to follow. It’s the birth of Wonder Woman.

9. I, Tonya: Did You Do It?

We’ve been watching Tonya Harding go through shitstorm after shitstorm, so when her abusive mother, who has never shown an ounce of anything resembling love towards her daughter, comes knocking on her door offering a hug while the press have surrounded her home, we’re genuinely moved. “Did you do it?” she asks just as she’s leaving. Our hearts drop as she reveals the tape recorder strapped to her. It’s the moment you realise it really is her vs the world.

8. Dunkirk: Gliding Spitfire

In one of the film’s most moving moments, Farrier’s (played by Tom Hardy) spitfire runs out of fuel and floats across the sky waiting for the engine to give out. Down below the soldiers are ecstatic as the evacuation has begun. Then everyone’s joy turns to dread as a German plane descends on them. But Farrier isn’t done yet. He shoots the plane down with the last of his ammunition and cheers erupt. He glides across the beach, window open and propellers still, until he is inevitably captured.

7. Blade Runner 2049: Casino Fight 

Blade Runner 2049 is filled with iconic shots, but my favourite scene is the fight between K and Deckard in the abandoned casino. They throw punches at each other (actually it’s pretty one-sided) surrounded by flashing strobe lights and glitchy holograms of Elvis and bright yellow feather-costumed dancers. It’s a strange and beautiful scene.

6. Baby Driver: Opening

The final third of Baby Driver got a little out of hand, but it boasts the best opening sequence of 2017. Baby boogies to Bellbottoms while the rest of his crew rob a bank. It’s followed by a thrilling car chase sequence, introducing us to the world of the world of Baby Driver with a bang. The opening sequence that follows of Baby walking through the city and grabbing a coffee, perfectly in sync with Harlem Shuffle, is pretty amazing too.

5. Personal Shopper: Texting

Who knew text messaging could be so thrilling? As Maureen boards the Eurostar from Paris to London, she starts receiving mysterious texts from an unknown sender and the conversation continuing throughout the entire journey. The sender knows she’s going to London, so she has cause to be alarmed. The film has already established that ghosts are a thing, so it could be her dead brother. Watching her hesitate to press send and stare at the “…” in anticipation while the sender types, we're completely engrossed as we don’t know what to expect.

4. A Ghost Story: I Get Overwhelmed

In a film full of beautiful moments, one that stands out is the scene where Rooney Mara’s character listens to I Get Overwhelmed, the song her husband had written for her. The scene flashes back and forth from she first hears it to her listening to it now, laying on the floor alone. She almost touches the bed sheet of her husband’s ghost standing there right behind her. I quite like the song itself, and I found this to be a beautiful sequence connecting past and present, dead and alive.

3. The Florida Project: Ending

As Moonee goes about her day, she’s suddenly thrown into a chaotic situation which rapidly escalates. She’s about to be taken away from her mother and of course she doesn’t understand why. Desperate, she runs to her friend’s apartment to say goodbye and for the first time, she struggles to find the words and breaks down in tears. Then, her friend grabs her hand and together they run, run, run until they are in the heart of Disneyland. I already commented on the similarity it shares with The 400 Blows in my previous post. It’s a magical moment which also broke my heart. Shot on an iPhone like in Tangerine, you could even interpret it as a dream sequence that never really happened.

 2. Get Out: The Sunken Place

In my previous post I said that Get Out was the most iconic film of 2017. Well, this scene is the most iconic scene of 2017. Rose’s mother lures Chris into hypnosis with the soothing sound of her voice and the gentle tinkling of a teaspoon against a teacup while under the guise of helping him quit smoking. She subjugates him, sending him to the sunken place. It’s more terrifying than any ghost or monster I’ve ever seen. I’m going to cheat and include the film’s ending as one of my favourite moments as well. After surviving a barrage of attacks, Chris thinks it’s finally over as he lies collapsed on the street. Just then, a police car approaches and we’re all thinking the same thing. Until we find that it’s Rod, Chris’ best friend. It’s a clever scene which subverts out expectations.

1. Call Me By Your Name: Speech

I’m going to cheat again and include 2 moments from Call Me By Your Name, my favourite 2017 film. The first is when Elio’s father, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, gives the monologue all parents should print out and memorise. Heartbroken after having said goodbye to Oliver, his father sees Elio’s pain and gives a moving speech about being open, treasuring love if you are lucky enough to find it, and to embrace the sorrow that comes with it. The other moment is the final shot of the film when Elio, after learning via a telephone call from Oliver that he is getting married, sits by the fire and stares into it, just…feeling. His parents are in the background setting the table, letting him be. There are no words, we just watch his face as he goes through a million emotions while the end credits roll to Sufjan Stevens’ Visions of Gideon. Left me stunned in my seat.

Honourable mention: every scene in Mother!