Top 15 films of 2015

I’ve had so much free time since October so I’m catching up on 2015 films just before the Oscars. It’s been a challenge because Spanish cinemas dub everything. Anyway, here’s my top 15. I haven’t included films which were nominated for last year’s awards.

Spoiler-free.

15. Wild Tales (dir. Damián Szifron)

This film is made of 6 short stories which aren’t linked at all except for their overall theme of how humans behave in extreme situations. The first one is so surreal and funny, cut to open credits and you know you’re in for a good ride! Some of the segments are quite dark and a little scary in the sense that it feels like it could happen to people around you. Six fun stories for the price of one!

14. Miss Hokusai (dir. Keiichi Hara)

I don’t normally watch animated films unless I know they’re good, but this one surprised me. It’s told from the viewpoint of Hokusai’s daughter, O-Ei, who is also a talented painter. There isn’t much of a big story, and it feels more like a glimpse into their lives. There are many haunting moments, some beautiful imagery, and I think I remember liking the music too for the most part. Really pretty. The Japanese Edo period comes alive.

13. Pawn Sacrifice (dir. Edward Zwick)

Based on the true story of American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer, set during the Cold War. We see him take on the Soviet Empire as well as struggle against his own mental illness, with the whole world watching. I’m not particularly interested in chess, but I still found this to be really enjoyable. Some reviewers are saying that the documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World is far superior, which is true in the sense that it’s more historical accurate and there’s more depth, but this film is worth seeing for Tobey Maguire’s captivating performance as an eccentric, paranoid, sad but also charming Bobby Fischer. The ending comes somewhat suddenly and the story of his later life is explained in the form of text, and I can’t help but feel that there was plenty more interesting story to be told, but perhaps the tone would have shifted too much. For the full experience, see the film and the 2011 documentary, but as a work of fiction based on true events, this was plenty enjoyable.

12. Phoenix (dir. Christian Petzold)

This is a really dark, haunting film about identity, denial, loss, and searching for answers in the post-war era. Nina is a concentration camp survivor, but has been heavily disfigured. She undergoes facial reconstruction surgery and asks the surgeon to give her back the face she used to have. Then she goes on a desperate search for her husband. She finds him, but what awaits her is more and more heartbreak. It’s really gripping, right until the end credits, stylishly shot but the symbolism is subtle and not in your face. The acting is really great too. I saw this just once way back in the summer but it was such a powerful film, it still resonates with me.

11. Room (dir. Lenny Abrahamson)

I wasn’t sure whether to add this to the list or not, because I never want to watch it again. Well, not anytime soon anyway. It’s a harrowing story that was painful to watch, but it also explores the great, loving bond between this mother and her son. It’s a film that I’m really glad I watched, and if you haven’t seen it, you definitely should. I won’t say what this film is about; the less you know before seeing it, the better I think. It’s a raw, emotional experience I’ll never forget. Brie Larson is fantastic as the mother, and the 9 year old Jacob Tremblay was even better as little Jack. He must’ve been like…8 or even 7 during filming? Wow. It’s the best child performance I’ve ever seen. Credit to director Lenny Abrahamson too, for getting such an amazing performance out of a child. He directed Frank from last year, a film I really enjoyed as well.

10. Taxi Tehran (dir. Jafar Panahi)

In 2010 Jafar Panahi was charged with propaganda and banned from making films for at least a decade. I’d seen some of his most famous films before, like Crimson Gold and The White Balloon, but was unaware of the more recent happenings until I accidentally stumbled across his latest film Taxi Tehran. This is actually his third ‘film’ since his ban. The first one being a documentary filmed on an iPhone when he was under house arrest, called This Is Not a Film. I need to check these out. Anyway, in Taxi, Jafar Panahi poses as a taxi driver and has unknown actors play various passengers. Each passenger’s story paints a little picture of what life is like in Iran, and some of them give full-on speeches about topics such as the criminal justice system, and talk about how such views would be banned by the Iranian government if they were to ever put it into a film (ha). The director’s actual niece plays his niece, who has been assigned by her school to make a film as homework, but has been given a list of detailed instructions on what she isn’t allowed to include. It’s all very in-the-face, but also very entertaining. Some of the things that happen and the things they talk about are really humorous and enjoyable. Despite the cameras never leaving the taxi and the film being a series of passengers, it feels quite fleshed out. The director’s courage and reluctance to give up making films in itself makes this film precious, but it’s really also a lot of fun.

9. The Revenant (dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu)

The grittiness of this film takes a toll on the viewer’s mind, but in terms of filmmaking it’s a masterpiece. It’s almost like realism in a sense, because the cast and crew have gone through hell in actual freezing cold settings, and no artificial light has been used (I read that the director only wanted to use real light so they could only film an hour or two of footage per day). DiCaprio crawls through snow and wades through rivers barely uttering a word, and the agony on his face I’m sure is almost all real. But of course, hundreds of hours of rehearsals have taken place, ensuring that things go to plan in those one or two hours, and that no one gets hurt. CGI has been used sparingly for some of the scenes involving animals. What is this called? Torturealism? I’m here under a warm blanket but I feel like I’ve gone through this epic journey too. The water, the snow, the wind, I can almost feel it. It’s intense, but its beauty takes my breath away. The camera soars into the air, under water, glides between trees, pans 360 degrees, and then even makes us look directly into DiCaprio’s eyes at the end. It’s beautiful and it’s powerful. It makes us understand that the greatest villain of the film is nature. It’s not the most enjoyable film in the world, but it’s great cinema that will no doubt stand the test of time.

8. Carol (dir. Todd Haynes)

Cate Blanchett puts on an exquisite performance. Every glance, every move of her fingers, every word she says kind of floats into the air like smoke, and unlike in a film like Joy for example, where the lead performance tramples all over the flimsy mess of a film, the other parts of this film – the cinematography, the music, the framing, it all blends together. No scene feels out of place, too long or too short, which I feel tends to happen in films adapted from books. Credit to the screenplay. I like the mix of things – it’s a love story, but also feels like a thriller at times, a mystery at times. The film is called Carol, but Rooney Mara’s character is no audience surrogate. She’s a fully formed character in her own right. Naïve but not in the annoying sense. It always felt like these two characters were both trying to figure out the feelings they were feeling.

7. Brooklyn (dir. John Crowley)

Another great adaptation from book to screen. It’s a simple love story, but told so beautifully. It’s sweet, pure, funny at times, and I’m reminded that films don’t have to be complicated or have any surprises to be great. Saoirse Ronan is fantastic. She doesn’t carry the film, the film doesn’t need to be carried, but she makes it so great. Her eyes alone convey so much that words cannot. Some people seem to disagree, but I felt a charming chemistry between her and the actor who plays Tony. I put this higher up on the list than Carol, the other love story on my list, because the theme of homesickness really resonated with me. If you’ve ever felt so miserably homesick that you feel like you have no future, the first half of the film will remind you of that.

6. The Brand New Testament (dir. Jaco Van Dormael)

God lives in Brussels, and he’s a dick. Everyone’s heard of his rebellious son, but no one knows about his daughter… I loved this film! It has a dream-like feel reminiscent of Amelie, and it’s hilarious. In a satirical, dark sense, but also in a delightfully oh wow! sense. The final act was a bit disappointing for me. It dragged on a bit, and didn’t give the film the kind of ending it deserved. But still, it’s so high up on my list because of how imaginative and original it is. It’s a lot of fun, has a couple of really beautiful poetic moments, and should be enjoyed for its charm as I don’t think it’s aiming to offend anyone.

5. Inside Out (dir. Pete Docter, Ronnie Del Carmen)

I didn’t see this film until just a couple of months ago and I really wanted to find that it was overrated because I’m a horrible person like that, but by the time I was halfway in I’d run out of things to mumble about and decided to give in to the sheer awesomeness of it. “That’s definitely not how emotions work”, “I moved schools like every other year and never complained”, and “why don’t they just kill sadness?” being some of the comments I made which I now take back. All the bits inside the mind where Joy and Sadness get lost were so clever and imaginative! The train of thought! Urgh. And at a certain point towards the end of the film I had to bite my lip to stop myself from shedding a single tear. It was a surprisingly emotional journey, and it took me back to when I was a child. The outside world and inside head stories went well together and didn’t seem out of sync or unbalanced. I had a great time.

4. Tangerine (dir. Sean Baker)

Filmed using iPhones, Tangerine is about a transgender prostitute who has just been released from prison. She finds out that her pimp boyfriend has been cheating on her and charges through the streets of LA to find him with her best friend on Christmas Eve. This just goes to show you don’t need expensive cameras, fancy sets or famous actors to make a great film. Real characters, imagination and anything with a camera in the hands of talent is what you need. The subject matters of prostitutes and drugs don’t particularly interest me, but it looked like a light bit of fun so I sat down to watch it. The two female leads are so powerful and memorable, they drag you through the colourful streets of LA and immerse you into their lives. It all builds up to one hell of a climax, and you realise how surprisingly solid the film was. It’s not just a comedy, it’s also a raw and touching story about friendship and family, and it’s the warmth and love of these characters that makes the film so great.

3. Ex Machina (dir. Alex Garland)

Sci-Fi isn’t usually my cup of tea, but if it’s written by Alex Garland you know it’s going to involve great ideas about what it is to be human, social norms and gender roles. This was his directorial debut, and it’s amazing how masterfully he is able to work visually. There is a sinister feeling throughout the film which engages us for the entire time. The ominous music, the sparse use of colours, smooth surfaces and framing of characters with lots of space all create a claustrophobic feeling. Like Ava, the AI created by Nathan, we feel trapped inside this building in the middle of vast forest assembled by lots of mirrors which create an inwards depth with no way out. Lots of important and interesting questions are asked and get us talking, which I think is also a sign of a great film. I also really liked the conversations between Nathan and Caleb. They use language that’s simple enough to invite us in and be enticing, but it never feels condescending. The use of CGI is really great despite the low budget. The film gets straight to the point and doesn’t ever lose sight of what it set out to do.

2. Victoria (dir. Sebastian Schipper)

Victoria, a young Spanish woman is in Berlin for a few months. One night after clubbing she bumps into a group of local guys who flirt with her, and she joins them for one last beer…the film then takes us on an unexpectedly insane, intense adventure. The entire 2 hour film was filmed in one single take! And they’re not in just a few simple locations or anything. They cycle down roads, go up buildings, drive around in cars…to think of all the preparation that must’ve gone in to film this, it’s just incredible. You literally go on a journey with them, from something like 3 or 4 in the morning until a perfectly timed sunrise. I read that most of the dialogue was improvised, and the cameraman also had to dive around to avoid accidentally filming other crew members etc. Not just that, but the camera often reflects the character’s state of mind. The naturally flowing dialogue is mostly charming and funny. They speak in English, though there is some German spoken among the guys at times. I purposely turned the subtitles off to try and put myself in the protagonist’s shoes, and I’m glad I did as it felt more real and tense. It’s a really intimate, riveting experience and I’m glad I came across this film.

1. Clouds of Sils Maria (dir. Olivier Assayas)

The female version of Birdman! But easier to understand. That being said I can’t really explain the film… It’s about growing older, various approaches to acting, being ‘relevant’…but there are so many layers to this film that it’s so much more than that. It’s a great work of art set in beautiful locations that blurs the line between what is real and what isn’t at times, and these moments are delightful. Art is a way to express oneself, so really it’s relatable to anyone. Juliette Binoche is remarkable as Maria Enders, an actress who has agreed to play the older woman in a revival of the play that made her famous, opposite the younger character she played all those years ago who is now being played by hip new actress Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is talented but full of scandals. Kristen Stewart holds her own next to Binoche as her personal assistant. They recite lines together, and the conversations they have are a joy to watch. My favourite film of 2015.