Best Films of the Decade: 2003-12

Compiling a best of the decade list using only top 10 film lists from 2003-12 resulted in omissions from many of the best directors in the world. That meant no films from Claire Denis, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Pedro Costa, Béla Tarr, Manoel de Oliveira, Wang Bing, Terrence Malick, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhangke & Nuri Bilge Ceylan. In most cases, it took me a few years to catch up with the forenamed auteur’s work thereby making the film ineligible from an end of the year list. On a few occasions, worthy films narrowly missed out on the top 10. For example, Syndromes and a Century placed #12 in 2008, Uncle Boonmee.. was #15 in 2010 and The Turin Horse grabbed #18 in 2011.

In order to come up with a more complete best of the decade list, I put together a collection of stellar films that I caught a few years after the film’s release. Also, I included some films that were initially cut from my top 10 but placed in an end of the year list. The final tally of this collection ended up being a staggering 181 titles. These 181 titles combined with the original 100 more accurately reflects some of the best films of 2003-2012.

List 1 (reproduced here): 100 films from 2003-2012 top 10 lists

List 2 (in alphabetical order below): 181 films that were delayed viewing or narrowly missed out on the top 10.

12 (2008, Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov)
12:08 East of Bucharest (2006, Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
15 Park Avenue (2005, India, Aparna Sen)
2046 (2004, Hong Kong co-production, Wong Kar-wai)
35 Shots of Rum (2008, France, Claire Denis)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 days (2007, Romania, Cristian Mungiu)
5x2 (2004, France, François Ozon)
A Town Called Panic (2009, Belgium co-production, Stéphane Aubier/Vincent Patar)
A Useful Life (2010, Uruguay, Federico Veiroj)
After this our exile (2006, Hong Kong, Patrick Tam)
Agrarian Utopia (2009, Thailand, Uruphong Raksasad)
Alamar (2009, Mexico, Pedro González-Rubio)
Alexandra (2007, Russia/France, Aleksandr Sokurov)
Apocalypto (2006, USA, Mel Gibson)
Applause (2009, Denmark, Martin Zandvliet)
Attenberg (2010, Greece, Athina Rachel Tsangari)
Avenida Brasilia Formosa (2009, Brazil, Gabriel Mascaro)
Away from Her (2006, Canada, Sarah Polley)
Baixio das Bestas (2007, Brazil, Cláudio Assis)
Ballast (2008, USA, Lance Hammer)
Before I Forget (2007, France, Jacques Nolot)
Between Two Worlds (2009, Sri Lanka, Vimukthi Jayasundara)
Black Butterfly (2006, Peru, Francisco J. Lombardi)
Blind Shaft (2003, China co-production, Yang Li)
Blockade (2006, Russia, Sergey Loznitsa)
Broken Flowers (2005, USA, Jim Jarmusch)
Bug (2006, USA, William Friedkin)
Café Lumière (2003, Japan/Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-heien)
California Dreaming (2007, Romania, Cristian Nemescu)
Carcasses (2009, Canada, Denis Côté)
Certified Copy (2010, France/Iran/Italy, Abbas Kiarostami)
Children (2006, Iceland, Ragnar Bragason)
Chronicles of an Escape (2006, Argentina, Adrián Caetano)
Citizen Havel (2008, Czech Republic, Miroslav Janek/Pavel Koutecký)
Climates (2006, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Closer (2004, USA/UK, Mike Nichols)
Colossal Youth (2006, Portugal, Pedro Costa)
Continental: A film without guns (2008, Canada, Stéphane Lafleur)
Crane World (2003, Argentina, Pablo Trapero)
Crime and Punishment (2007, China, Zhao Liang)
Crimson Gold (2003, Iran, Jafar Panahi, Writer -- Abbas Kiarostami)
Curling (2010, Canada, Denis Côté)
De Muze (2006, Holland, Ben van Lieshout)
Delta (2008, Hungary, Kornél Mundruczó)
Departures (2008, Japan, Yôjirô Takita)
Dirty Carnival (2006, South Korea, Ha Yu)
Dogtooth (2009, Greece, Giorgos Lanthimos)
Dogville (2003, Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier)
Duck Season (2004, Mexico, Fernando Eimbcke)
Election (2005, Hong Kong, Johnnie To)
Elephant (2003, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Enter the Void (2009, France co-production, Gaspar Noé)
Euphoria (2006, Russia, Ivan Vyrypaev)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010, USA/UK, Banksy)
Good Bye Dragon Inn (2003, Taiwan, Tsai Ming-liang)
Happy New Life (2007, Hungary, Árpád Bogdán)
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003, India, Sudhir Mishra)
Helvetica (2007, UK, Gary Hustwit)
Hunger (2008, UK, Steve McQueen)
I Wish I Knew (2010, China, Jia ZhangKe)
Import Export (2007, Austria/France, Ulrich Seidl)
In Memory of Myself (2007, Italy, Saverio Costanzo)
Independencia (2009, Philippines, Raya Martin)
Inland Empire (2006, USA co-production, David Lynch)
In the Pit (2006, Mexico, Juan Carlos Rulfo)
Invisible Waves (2006, Thailand, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang)
Iraq in Fragments (2006, USA, James Longley)
It’s Winter (2006, Iran, Rafi Pitts)
I’m Not Scared (2003, Italy co-production, Gabriele Salvatores)
Japanese Story (2003, Australia, Sue Brooks)
Julia (2009, France/USA/Mexico/Belgium, Erick Zonca)
Khadak (2006, Belgium/Germany, Peter Brosens & Jessica Hope Woodworth)
Khamosh Pani (2003, Pakistan co-production, Sabiha Sumar)
Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003, USA, Quentin Tarantino)
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005, USA, Shane Black)
La France (2007, France, Serge Bozon)
Last Life in the Universe (2003, Thailand/Japan, Pen-Ek Ratanaruang)
Let Each One go Where He May (2009, USA/Suriname, Ben Russell)
Like you know it All (2009, South Korea, Hong Sang-Soo)
Lion's Den (2008, Argentina co-production, Pablo Trapero)
Look At Me (2004, France/Italy, Agnès Jaoui)
Los Angeles Plays itself (2003, USA, Thom Andersen)
Los Muertos (2004, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
Lourdes (2009, Austria/France/Germany, Jessica Hausner)
Love Exposure (2008, Japan, Shion Sono)
L’Appolinde (2011, France, Bertrand Bonello)
L’Enfer (2005, France co-production, Danis Tanovic)
L’Intrus (2004, France, Claire Denis)
Machuca (2004, Chile, Andrés Wood)
Manufacturing Landscapes (2006, Canada, Jennifer Baichwal)
Memories of Murder (2003, South Korea, Joon-ho Bong)
Miami Vice (2006, USA, Michael Mann)
Mildred Pierce (2011, USA, Todd Haynes)
Milk of Sorrow (2009, Peru/Spain, Claudia Llosa)
Mirage (2004, Macedonia, Svetozar Ristovski)
Mithya (2008, India, Rajat Kapoor)
Mo & Me (2006, Kenya, Roger Mills/Murad Rayani)
Moolaade (2004, Senegal co-production, Ousmane Sembene)
Moon (2009, UK, Duncan Jones)
My Joy (2010, Ukraine co-production, Sergei Loznitsa)
Mysteries of Lisbon (2010, Portugal/France, Raoul Ruiz)
Mystic Ball (2006, Canada/USA, Greg Hamilton)
Mystic River (2003, USA, Clint Eastwood)
No Smoking (2007, India, Anurag Kashyap)
Notes on a Scandal (2006, UK, Richard Eyre)
Of Gods and Men (2010, France, Xavier Beauvois)
Oki’s Movie (2010, South Korea, Hong Sang-soo)
Oldboy (2003, South Korea, Chan-wook Park)
Our Beloved Month of August (2008, Portugal, Miguel Gomes)
Oxhide (2005, China, Jiayin Liu)
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006, Mexico, Guillermo del Toro)
Paprika (2006, Japan, Satoshi Kon)
Paradise Now (2005, Palestine co-production, Hany Abu-Assad)
Paraguayan Hammock (2006, Paraguay co-production, Paz Encina)
Paranoid Park (2007, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Parents (2007, Iceland, Ragnar Bragason)
Poetry (2010, South Korea, Lee Chang-dong)
Putty Hill (2010, USA, Matthew Porterfield)
Rapt (2009, France/Belgium, Lucas Belvaux)
Requiem (2006, Germany, Hans-Christian Schmid)
Rhinoceros Eyes (2003, USA, Aaron Woodley)
Rumba (2008, France/Belgium, Dominique Abel/Fiona Gordon/Bruno Romy)
Secret Sunshine (2007, South Korea, Lee Chang-Dong)
Shame (2011, UK, Steve McQueen)
Shut up & Sing (2007, USA, Barbara Kopple/Cecilia Peck)
Siddharth: The Prisoner (2008, India, Pryas Gupta)
Sideways (2004, USA, Alexander Payne)
Silent Souls (2010, Russia, Aleksei Fedorchenko)
Songs from the Second Floor (2003, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
Spare Parts (2003, Slovenia, Damjan Kozole)
Still Life (2006, China/Hong Kong, Jia ZhangKe)
Summer Wars (2009, Japan, Mamoru Hosoda)
Sun Spots (2009, China, Heng Yang)
Syndromes and a Century (2006, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Synedoche, New York (2008, USA, Charlie Kaufman)
Take Shelter (2011, USA, Jeff Nichols)
The Barbarian Invasions (2003, Canada/France, Denys Arcand)
The Box (2009, USA, Richard Kelly)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007, France/USA, Julian Schnabel)
The Edukators (2004, Germany/Austria, Hans Weingartner)
The Ghost Writer (2010, France/Germany/UK,Roman Polanski)
The Girl Cut in Two (2007, France, Claude Chabrol)
The House of Sand (2005, Brazil, Andrucha Waddington)
The Inheritance (2003, Denmark, Per Fly)
The International (2009, multiple, Tom Tykwer)
The King and the Clown (2005, South Korea, Joon-ik Lee)
The Machinist (2004, Spain, Brad Anderson)
The Man’s Woman and other Stories (2009, India, Amit Dutta)
The Middle of the World (2003, Brazil, Vicente Amorim)
The Mosquito Problem and Other Stories (2007, Bulgaria, Director Andrey Paounov)
The New World (2005, USA/UK, Terrence Malick)
The Russian Dolls (2005, France/UK, Cédric Klapisch)
The Strange Case of Angelica (2010, Portugal co-production, Manoel de Oliveira)
The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada (2005, USA, Tommy Lee Jones)
The Tiger Factory (2010, Malaysia/Japan, Woo Ming Jin)
The Tree of Life (2011, USA, Terrence Malick)
The Turin Horse (2011, Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)
The Wind Journeys (2009, Colombia co-production, Ciro Guerra)
The World (2004, China co-production, Jia Zhang ke)
The Wrestler (2008, USA, Darren Aronofsky)
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (2006, Brazil, Cao Hamburger)
There Will be Blood (2007, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)
Three Times (2005, France/Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien)
Tinker Tailor Sailor Spy (2011, UK co-production, Tomas Alfredson)
Todo Todo Torres (2006, Philippines, John Torres)
Tony Manero (2008, Chile/Brazil, Pablo Larraín)
Torremolinos 73 (2003, Spain, Pablo Berger)
Tropical Malady (2004, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010, Thailand co-production, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Undertow (2009, Peru co-production, Javier Fuentes-León)
United 93 (2006, USA co-production, Paul Greengrass)
Used Parts (2007, Mexico, Aarón Fernández)
We Own the Night (2007, USA, James Gray)
West of the Tracks (2003, China, Wang Bing)
Whisky (2004, Uruguay, Juan Pablo Rebella, Pablo Stoll)
White Material (2009, France, Claire Denis)
Win/Win (2010, Holland, Jaap van Heusden)
Woman on Fire Looks for Water (2009, Malaysia/South Korea, Woo Ming Jin)
Woman without a Piano (2009, Spain, Javier Rebollo)
You, the Living (2009, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004, USA, Xan Cassavetes)

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Top 10 of the decade, 2003-12

1. L’Intrus (2004, France, Claire Denis)

2. Tropical Malady (2004, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul) 

3. Colossal Youth (2006, Portugal, Pedro Costa) 

4. West of the Tracks: parts I, II, III (2003, China, Wang Bing)

5. Crimson Gold (2003, Iran, Jafar Panahi) 
6. The Strange Case of Angelica (2010, Portugal co-production, Manoel de Oliveira) 
7. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu) 
8. Three Times (2005, France/Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien) 
9. Foster Child (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza) 
10. Los Muertos (2004, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)

Runners-up: 

Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005, Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)
Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
Syndromes and a Century (2006, Thailand, Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
My Joy (2010, Ukraine co-production, Sergei Loznitsa)
The Turin Horse (2011, Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)
Climates (2006, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

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The comparison of List 1 & List 2 is further proof that it often takes a few years to catch up with all the worthy films from one calendar year. And I am certain the above 278 titles still don't cover everything. I have missed many films over the last decade, including those by Lav Diaz, and need to catch up with a few 2011 & 2012 titles. So the above best of decade could still change in 2014.

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Update Log

Entry #1, Feb 13: Less than a few hours after posting this list, I realized that I left out The New World from the above list. So List 2 grew from 178 titles to 179. I am certain the list will grow in upcoming weeks, so I will gradually update this page and modify the top 10 as needed. But for now, the top 10 stays unchanged.
Entry #2, Feb 16: Hard to imagine I left out the wonderful Mexican documentry In the Pit. Also, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly deserves its place. Total titles in List #2 have been modified from 179 to 181.

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Best Films of the Last Decade

I have always refrained from assessing whether a particular year had a good cinematic output mostly because a majority of foreign films were out of reach for me. This meant I was a few years behind in catching all the newest film titles and as a result, many excellent titles missed my end of the year list. For example, past omissions have included personal favorites such as The Strange Case of Angelica, Mysteries of Lisbon, My Joy, West of the Tracks and Pedro Costa’s Colossal Youth. I had a 2 year delay for the first three films and it was almost 4 years before I finally saw the Costa. But ultimately at the end of the day, I can only judge what is available to me. With that in mind, I decided to tally up my top 10 film lists from 2003 - 2012 to determine a personal best cinematic viewing year. I cut down lists from some years which had more than 10 titles, such as 23 films in 2009.

A quick rundown of lists from 2003 - 2012.

Top 10 films of 2003

1. Lost in Translation (USA/Japan, Sofia Coppola)
2. And Now...Ladies and Gentlemen (2002, France/UK, Claude Lelouch)
3. Mr & Mrs Iyer (2002, India, Aparna Sen)
4. Teen Deewarein (India, Nagesh Kukunoor)
5. Adaptation (2002, USA, Spike Jonze)
6. 21 Grams (USA, Alejandro González Iñárritu)
7. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)
8. Gangaajal (India, Prakash Jha)
9. Haasil (India, Tigmanshu Dhulia)
10. Saathiya (2002, India, Shaad Ali)

Top 10 films of 2004

1. Exiles (France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)
2. Monsieur Ibrahim (2003, France, Francois Dupeyron)
3. Kontroll (2003, Hungary, Nimrod Antal)
4. Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)
5. Carandiru (2003, Brazil co-production, Hector Babenco)
6. Kopps (2003, Sweden/Denmark, Josef Fares)
7. Control Room (USA, Jehane Noujaim)
8. About Baghdad (USA, Sinan Antoon & 4 other directors)
9. Checkpoint (2003, Israel, Yoav Shamir)
10. Before Sunset (USA, Richard Linklater)

Top 10 films of 2005

1. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)
2. Yes (2004, UK/USA, Sally Potter)
3. L’Enfant (Belgium/France, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)
4. Sepet (2004, Malaysia, Yasmin Ahmad)
5. Cache (France co-production, Michael Haneke)
6. Mountain Patrol/Kekexili (2004, China/Hong Kong, Chuan Lu)
7. Head-On (2004, Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin)
8. Brokeback Mountain (USA/Canada, Ang Lee)
9. Good Night, and Good Luck (USA/France/UK/Japan, George Clooney)
10. Turtles Can Fly (2004, Iran/France/Iraq, Bahman Ghobadi)

Top 10 films of 2006

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)
2. Dosar (2006, India, Rituparno Ghosh)
3. El Violín (2005, Mexico, Francisco Vargas Quevedo)
4. Tzameti (2005, France/Georgia, Géla Babluani)
5. The Bet Collector (Philippines, Jeffrey Jeturian)
6. Khosla Ka Ghosla (India, Dibakar Banerjee)
7. The Descent (2005, UK, Neil Marshall)
8. The Lives of Others (Germany, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck)
9. Election 2 (Hong Kong, Johnny To)
10. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (2005, South Korea, Park Chan-wook)

Top 10 films of 2007

1. Foster Child (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
2. Dans la ville de Sylvia (Spain, José Luis Guerin)
3. Slingshot (Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)
4. Children of Men (2006, USA/UK, Alfonso Cuarón)
5. Black Friday (2004, India, Anurag Kashyap)
6. The Bourne Ultimatum (USA, Paul Greengrass)
7. Zodiac (USA, David Fincher)
8. Rendition (USA, Gavin Hood)
9. Ratatouille (USA, Brad Bird)
10. Drained (2006, Brazil, Heitor Dhalia)

Top 10 films of 2008

1. Rachel Getting Married (USA, Jonathan Demme)
2. Happy-Go-Lucky (UK, Mike Leigh)
3. Wonderful Town (2007, Thailand, Aditya Assarat)
4. The Fall (2006, USA/India, Tarsem)
5. Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (India, Dibakar Banerjee)
6. Gomorra (Italy, Matteo Garrone)
7. Silent Light (2007, Mexico, Carlos Reygadas)
8. Tell No One (2006, France, Guillaume Canet)
9. Rock On (India, Abhishek Kapoor)
10. WALL·E (USA, Andrew Stanton)

Top 10 films of 2009

1. Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008, Iran, Ramtin Lavafipour)
2. Breathless (2008, South Korea, Yang Ik-June)
3. Wendy and Lucy (2008, USA, Kelly Reichardt)
4. Police, Adjective (Romania, Corneliu Porumboiu)
5. Buick Riviera (Croatia, Goran Rusinovic)
6. Call If You Need Me (Malaysia, James Lee)
7. Karaoke (Malaysia, Chris Chong Chan Fui)
8. Birdsong (2008, Spain, Albert Serra)
9. Everyone Else (Germany, Maren Ade)
10. Milk (2008, Turkey, Semih Kaplanoglu)

Top 10 films of 2010

1. Kill the Referee (2009, Belgium, Y. Hinant/E. Cardot/L. Delphine)
2. Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)
3. El Pasante (Argentina, Clara Picasso)
4. The American (USA, Anton Corbijn)
5. R (Denmark, Tobias Lindholm/Michael Noer)
6. Manuel De Ribera (Chile, Pablo Carrera/Christopher Murray)
7. The Robber (Austria/Germany, Benjamin Heisenberg)
8. Carlos (France, Olivier Assayas)
9. Shutter Island (USA, Martin Scorsese)
10. The Life and Death of a Porno Gang (2009, Serbia, Mladen Djordjevic)

Top 10 films of 2011

1. Le Quattro Volte (2010, Italy co-production, Michelangelo Frammartino)
2. Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal)
3. Drive (USA, Nicolas Winding Refn)
4. A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhadi)
5. Dhobi Ghat (India, Kiran Rao)
6. Another Year (2010, UK, Mike Leigh)
7. Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Chile co-production, Patricio Guzmán)
8. Aurora (2010, Romania co-production, Cristi Puiu)
9. The Kid With a Bike (Belgium co-production, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)
10. Melancholia (Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier)

Top 10 films of 2012

1. Holy Motors (France, Leos Carax)
2. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011, Turkey, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
3. This is Not a Film (2011, Iran, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb/Jafar Panahi)
4. The Master (2012, USA, Paul Thomas Anderson)
5. Gone Fishing (2012, Argentina, Carlos Sorin)
6. The World Before Her (2012, Canada, Nisha Pahuja)
7. Found Memories (2011, Brazil co-production, Lucia Murat)
8. The Bright Day (2012, India, Mohit Takalkar)
9. Unfair World (2011, Greece/Germany, Filippos Tsitos)
10. Sleeping Sickness (2011, Germany co-production, Ulrich Kohler)

Best overall year

All the years contain many strong films but 2009 has the best overall selection with 10 outstanding entries. On top of that, there are 13 other worthy selections in 2009 that would have made an adequate top 10 substitute.

The Storm (Turkey, Kazim Öz)
Border (Armenia/Holland, Harutyun Khachatryan)
In the Loop (UK, Armando Iannucci)
The Limits of Control (USA, Jim Jarmusch)
Zidane (France, Douglas Gordon/Philippe Parreno)
Ain’t No Tomorrows (Japan, Yuki Tanada)
The Happiest Girl in the World (Romania co-production, Radu Jude)
The Hurt Locker (USA, Kathryn Bigelow)
The Class (France, Laurent Cantet)
District 9 (South Africa/New Zealand, Neill Blomkamp)
Katalin Varga (Romania co-production, Peter Strickland)
I Killed My Mother (Canada, Xavier Dolan)
The Prophet (France, Jacques Audiard)

2010 and 2011 are the next two best years with the highest number of personal favourites.

Top 10 from 100 films

In order to pick 10 titles from these quality 100 films, I ignored the previous year’s ranking and threw all 100 films into one big pot so that all entries were on equal footing. Even though the final list consists of films from 10 different directors and 9 countries, all the films either feature a journey or are shot in a verite style.

1. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005, Romania, Cristi Puiu)

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is called a dark comedy but it is entirely possible to view it as a bloodless horror film where the audience is given a front row seat in witnessing the slow disintegration of the title character. Even though Mr. Lazarescu is slowly edging towards his death, no one around him seems to notice because they are all weighed down by a bureaucratic system and can’t look up to see the obvious.

2. Foster Child (2007, Philippines, Brillante Mendoza)

In 2007, Brillante Mendoza pulled off a unique feat by making two powerful films, Slingshot and Foster Child, in the same year. The two works share many production similarities as both are shot in roughly the same amount of time (10 and 11 days respectively) in locations next to each other and utilize a verite style where actors are integrated with the slum residents to create a unique mixture of fiction and reality. However, the two film differ by their focus on the resident’s lives. Slingshot looks at how corruption and politics mixes with poverty while Foster Child looks at foster care in Philippines and individuals who adopt children and look after them. Foster Child smartly balances both the macro and microscopic view by depicting the larger hierarchal structure of adoption and the tender individual relationships that form between the children and those that care for them. As a result, the film is heart-wrenching and leaves a lasting emotional impact.

3. Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures (2005, Brazil, Marcelo Gomes)

Johann is a traveling salesman who cleverly uses cinema to sell aspirin. As engaging as his encounters are, what elevates this work is the director’s decision to overexpose the film negative. This gives each frame a yellowish tint which perfectly conveys the heat and brutality of the almost endless Brazilian landscape. The overexposed film shatters the fourth wall and ensures the audience gets a sense of Johann’s struggles thereby making them a passenger on his journey. The film also smartly shows how people’s idea of freedom varies and what makes one person happy can be torture for another.

4. Liverpool (2008, Argentina, Lisandro Alonso)

Farrel, a lonely man, leaves a ship’s confined space and heads off into the vast open land in order to seek closure from his past. Alonso’s flexible camera film allows one to breathe in the environment and take in all the sights and sounds while observing the weight drop from Farrel’s shoulders as he makes his way through snow covered paths to his goal.

5. Exiles (2004, France/Japan, Tony Gatlif)

Exiles follows two characters who leave Paris and head to Algeria to find their roots. Since this is a Tony Gatlif movie, flamenco musical sequences are present but this time a touch of Rai music is added to the mix. The music, which consists of a hypnotic 11 minute trance segment near the finale, heightens the emotions thereby ensuring an immersive work.

6. Samsara (2001, India co-production, Pan Nalin)

A beautiful soulful film that explores the philosophical question "How do you prevent a drop of water from drying up?". A Buddhist monk renounces his religious life for the worldly pleasures of sex and love. But despite getting married, he begins to realize that satisfying one desire always leads to more desires. The movie highlights his spiritual journey but more importantly, it tackles the spiritual question from a woman's point of view as well. It is always men who are willing to get up and leave for the mountains. But what about the women they leave behind? Did anyone ask what happened to Buddha's wife?

7. Be Calm and Count to Seven (2008, Iran, Ramtin Lavafipour)

This stunning poetic film opens with fast boats landing on a beach, followed immediately by burqa covered women hurriedly unloading goods off the boats and disappearing into mud houses. The contents of those bags are revealed later on in the film but both the contents and act of smuggling are minor details. The most important aspect of this film is observing the way of life on a tiny beautiful island in the Persian Gulf. If the character’s didn’t speak Farsi, then one would imagine the fishing village setting was Yemen or North Africa . But the film is Iranian and shows a rarely seen side of the Persian country.

8. Holy Motors (2012, France, Leos Carax)

Leos Carax creatively captures the essence of cinema from the silent era to contemporary times while paying homage to key genres throughout.

9. Dans la ville de Sylvia (2007, Spain, José Luis Guerin)

Guerin beautifully strips cinema down to its bare essence capturing every sound found in a vibrant European city, right down to a bottle rolling down a cobblestone street, in following a man's return to the city where he met the lovely Sylvia 6 years ago. It is clear that the man is haunted by memories of Sylvia and seems to encounter her ghost in every female he crosses.

10. Breathless (2008, South Korea, Yang Ik-June)

Breathless draws a direct line from domestic abuse to a gangster life. In doing so, the film clearly depicts the dangers of a violent life, both in a household or in a gang, and demonstrates that there is a consequence to every violent action even if sometimes that consequence takes two generations to manifest itself. Yang Ik-June’s debut film is a rare film that has a purpose for every brutal violent scene and as a result film makes a strong case for leading an anti-violent life.

Children of Men and Once Upon a Time in Anatoalia were very close to making the top 10 and are worthy runners-up.

Countries represented

There are 30 countries represented but 3 nations make up 43% of all films, with USA having 21 films, India with 14 and France 8. Here is the list of nations arranged by inclusions:

USA: 21
India: 14
France: 8

Brazil, Germany, Iran, UK: 4

Argentina, Belgium, Malaysia, Philippines, Romania, South Korea: 3

Chile, Denmark, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Turkey: 2

Austria, Canada, China, Croatia, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Serbia, Sweden, Thailand: 1

Note: in the case of co-productions, the primary country is selected.

Film distribution breakdown of all 100 films

Total number of films seen due to film festivals: 53
Multiplexes: 20
DVDs: 18
Arthouses/indie cinemas: 8
online streaming: 1

The high percentage of titles from USA, India and France is not surprizing as these three countries have a prolific film industry and an established distribution scheme which ensures their works are easily available around the world. This is especially true in Canada where American, Indian and French films are quite accessible via cinemas and DVD/online streams. In fact, for a better part of the last decade, French films were more easily available than Canadian films which were mostly found only at film festivals.

However, the difficulty of seeing films from other countries becomes an issue if film festivals are taken out of the equation. For example, all three Filipino titles came from attending VIFF for two years. So now that I am not attending VIFF, my access to quality Filipino titles has declined drastically. Another decline has come from the closure of a local indie DVD store that specialized in carrying classic and contemporary Asian films of all genres. Therefore, many titles from Hong Kong, China, Japan and South Korea have fallen completely out of my regular viewing schedule. Plus, the shutdown of some mail rental stores such as Videomatica in Vancouver has also hurt in getting access to foreign films. The online film streaming sites in Canada do not have a fraction of the collection that worthy arthouse/indie DVD stores carried previously.

It seems that every year I am forced to repeat similar words about the difficulty of seeing global cinema but the truth is the foreign film distribution model in North America is broken, unless one lives in New York. Foreign film distribution is similarly in bad shape around the world but no such distribution problems exist for substandard Hollywood productions which are available in every part of the world.

A few other observations

2012 is the only year when all 10 films came from 10 different countries.
2003 contains the lowest number of countries represented with 4.
2009: 9 of the 10 films were made available due to film festivals.

Best Films of 2011

It is always hard to put together an end of the year list when one does not have reasonable access to films from around the world. In previous years, I was fortunate to see many worthy cinematic gems thanks to film festivals such as CIFF, VIFF and Rotterdam. Of course, depending on single screenings at film festivals as a primary source for foreign cinema is never a viable option because of the cost and effort involved in attending multiple film festivals. So when the number of film festival offerings dropped in 2011, so did my access to foreign cinema. Thankfully, the year was not a complete washout and I still managed to catch a decent number of worthwhile films. As usual, the list features older titles that I could only see this year theatrically or on DVD.

Favorites roughly in order of preference

1) Le Quattro Volte (2010, Italy co-production, Michelangelo Frammartino)

Michelangelo Frammartino’s remarkable film uses an unnamed town in Calabria as an observatory to examine the metaphysical circle of life. Depicting such metaphysical topics is not an easy task, but Frammartino pulls this off with considerable ease, plenty of humour, tender emotions and a pinch of mystery.

2) Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal)

Habib Faisal’s directorial debut astutely depicts the struggles of a middle class family in Delhi. The Duggals may be fictional characters but one can easily find reflections of their characters in virtually every Delhi colony. Filmed entirely on location, Do Dooni Chaar is absolutely charming and features two excellent performances from Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh. The film only got a limited release in 2010 but thankfully a DVD release in 2011 means the film can be seen by a larger audience.

3) Drive (USA, Nicolas Winding Refn)

Drive perfectly adapts James Sallis’ book while carving out a distinct identity of its own. Like Driver's car, the film is easily able to shift gears and speed up when needed and slow down in a few sequences. On top of that, the film is enhanced with a visual and musical style that evokes the cinema of Michael Mann with a pinch of David Lynch.

4) A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhadi)

In discussing a conflict in his actuality film A Married Couple, the late Allan King remarked that viewers often projected their feelings on the screen and took sides with one of the characters. King’s words come to mind when watching the conflict in A Separation, a film that refuses to take sides with either of the characters. Some calculated editing and the distance maintained by the camera in a few scenes means that viewers are forced to believe everything they see on face value whereas in reality, the truth is hidden in between the cuts. A truly remarkable film that starts off with a divorce hearing but then moves in a much richer direction by observing humans in their moments of fear, stress and anxiety.

5) Dhobi Ghat (India, Kiran Rao)

Dhobi Ghat pays a beautiful and poetic tribute to Mumbai by exploring the emotional state of four characters. The script shrinks the vast and chaotic city down to the microscopic level of these four characters so that they can be observed in tight quarters. Each character has their own set of complex problems and Kiran Rao lets the actors brilliant expressions and body language form a guide to their inner feelings. Throughout the film, the four actors appear to be living their parts as opposed to acting out scripted lines.

6) Another Year (2010, UK, Mike Leigh)

A happily married couple serve as a sponge to absorb the misery of their friends. The film shows that some people are predisposed to always emit a negative energy while there are a few who are strong enough to withstand all the unhappiness around them.

7) Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Chile co-production, Patricio Guzmán)

Just as rays of light are delayed in their arrival to our planet, horrors of the past sometimes take a long time before they are unearthed. Patricio Guzmán’s emotional and meditative film manages to connect exploration of the stars with truths buried in the ground.

8) Aurora (2010, Romania co-production, Cristi Puiu)

Viorel’s (Cristi Puiu) disenchantment and frustration with society around him continues to build until he acts out in a burst of violence. However, the film is not concerned with the consequences of his actions but is more interested in his behavior prior to and after his violent act. Aurora is a fascinating character study that is packed with plenty of dark humor and features a remarkable climax that dives into the same rabbit hole that consumed Mr. Lazarescu (The Death of Mister Lazarescu) and Cristi (Police, Adjective).

9) The Kid With a Bike (Belgium co-production, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne)

The film’s non-stop energy is personified by the young lead character who is able to take all the kicks and roll with the punches. A truly magnificent film but then again one would not expect any less from the Dardennes.

10) Melancholia (Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier)

The end of the world sequence naturally grabs all the attention but the film’s dramatic core lies in the wedding dinner where sharp jabs are traded. These honest verbal punches echo The Celebration and Rachel Getting Married but the words in Melancholia pack more venom and are meant to break the other person down. Justine (Kirsten Dunst) desperately tries to make things work but deep down she knows that some celestial bodies are meant to collide and destroy each other.

11) The Tree of Life (USA, Terrence Malick)

A perfect symphony of camera movements and background score elevates one family’s tale into a much grander scale. The camera continuously zips around the characters, hovers over them, dives down low or swings from a corner in the room. The camera even moves back in time where it patiently captures the big bang and peers into the future as well.

12) Flowers of Evil (2010, France, David Dusa)

David Dusa’s remarkable debut feature is one of the most relevant films to have emerged in recent years. It is a rare film that depicts the revolutions of change taking place around the world by smartly incorporating social media such as facebook, twitter and youtube within the film’s framework. The film also features a groovy background score and makes great use of Shantel’s Disko Boy song.

Note: I was part of the three person jury that awarded this best film in the Mavericks category at the Calgary International Film Festival.

13) The Whisperer in the Darkness (USA, Sean Branney)

Sean Branney’s perfect adaptation of H.P Lovecraft’s short story remarkably recreates the look and feel of 1930’s cinema. The entirely black and white film uses the background score to maintain tension and suspense throughout. In fact, the tension does not let up until the 90th minute when a few moments of rest are allowed before the film heads towards a pulsating finale.

This film was also in the Mavericks Competition at CIFF.

14) Alamar (2009, Mexico, Pedro González-Rubio)

A tranquil and beautiful film about a father’s journey with his son. This is a perfect example of a film that proves that one does not need 3D to have an immersive cinematic experience.

15) Meek’s Cutoff (2010, USA, Kelly Reichardt)

The setting may be 1845 but at its core Meek’s Cutoff is a contemporary film about a journey through an unknown and potentially dangerous landscape. How much faith should be placed on a stranger? If this was such an easy question to answer, then the world would indeed have been a better place.

16) Attenberg (2010, Greece, Athina Rachel Tsangari)

A warm and tender film that puts a spin on a conventional coming-of-age tale by featuring honest communication between a father and daughter.

17) Kill List (UK, Ben Wheatley)

Ben Wheatley’s film packs quite a powerful punch and increases the tension and violence as it races along at a riveting pace. One remarkable aspect of the film is that it keeps quite a few pieces off the screen thereby allowing the audience to fill in their own version of events related to the characters background and even to origins of the cult group. It is tempting to talk about the hunchback but it is best viewers are left to encounter him on their own terms.

18) The Turin Horse (Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky)

Béla Tarr crafts his unique end of the world scenario with a few bare essentials -- an old man, obedient daughter, rebel horse, untrustworthy visitors, an angry wind, potato, bucket, well, table, chair and a window. The film features an array of reverse and sideway shots that manage to open up space in a confined house setting.

19) Buried (2010, Spain/USA/France, Rodrigo Cortés)

Buried proves that in the hands of a talented director a bare bones scenario of a man buried in a coffin can make for an engaging film.

20) The Desert of Forbidden Art (2010, Russia/USA/Uzbekistan, Tchavdar Georgiev/Amanda Pope)

The Desert of Forbidden Art is a living breathing digital work of art that gives new life to paintings that are tucked away from the world. The two directors continue the work of the documentary’s subject Igor Savitsky in showcasing art to the modern world via the medium of cinema.

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Honorable Mentions, in no particular order

Undertow (2009, Peru co-production, Javier Fuentes-León)

Senna (2010, UK, Asif Kapadia)

Martha Marcy May Marlene (USA, Sean Durkin)

Of Gods and Men (2010, France, Xavier Beauvois)

We Have to Talk About Kevin (UK, Lynne Ramsay)

The Ides of March (USA, George Clooney)

Shor in the City (India, Krishna D.K, Raj Nidimoru)

Blue Valentine (2010, USA, Derek Cianfrance)

Red Riding Trilogy (2009, UK, Julian Jarrold/James Marsh/Anand Tucker)

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Some other notable performances/moments

The entire cast of Margin Call are fascinating to watch although Jeremy Irons steals the show with a character that oozes evil and power.

Jimmy Shergill does a commendable job of portraying a prince who is striving to hold onto power despite having no money in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster.

Just like in last year’s Ishqiya, Vidya Balan once again upstages her male counterparts in The Dirty Picture.

The opening moments of Hugo prove that in the hands of an auteur 3D can be a breathtaking experience rather than a loud explosive mess.

Film Log: 2011

Total number of features (fiction and docs) & TV series collections seen: 381

This total includes 8 DVD season collections of the following TV series:

Mad Men, Seasons 1-4
Breaking Bad, Season 1
An Idiot Abroad, Season 1
The IT Crowd, Season 2
Tinker, Tailor, Traitor, Spy, the complete BBC Series

Film (Year, Country, Director): [optional rating out of 10]

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Soul Kitchen (2009, Germany, Fatih Akin)
The Wind Journeys (2009, Colombia co-production, Ciro Guerra)
Aladdin (1992, USA, Ron Clements/John Musker)
I Love You, Beth Cooper (2009, USA, Chris Columbus)
Madeinusa (2006, Peru/Spain, Claudia Llosa)
Rakht Charitra, part 2 (2010, India, Ram Gopal Varma): 6
Tequila Nights (2010, India, Pankaj Saraswat)
Do Dooni Chaar (2010, India, Habib Faisal): 10
A Call Girl (2009, Slovenia co-production, Damjan Kozole)
The Great Match (2006, Spain/Germany, Gerardo Olivares)
Black God White Devil (1964, Brazil, Glauber Rocha)
Away with Words (1999, Hong Kong co-production, Christopher Doyle)
Happy Together (1997, Hong Kong, Wong Kar Wai)
Please Give (2010, USA, Nicole Holofcener)
El Don (2006, Venezuela, José Ramón Novoa)
It is Fine. Everything is Fine! (2007, USA, Crispin Glover/David Brothers)
Flipped (2010, USA, Rob Reiner)
Crane World (2003, Argentina, Pablo Trapero)
The White Countess (2005, UK co-production, James Ivory)
Duck Season (2004, Mexico, Fernando Eimbcke)
Lion's Den (2008, Argentina co-production, Pablo Trapero)
Enter the Void (2009, France co-production, Gaspar Noé): 8
Les Biches (1968, France, Claude Chabrol)
The King’s Speech (2010, UK/Australia/USA, Tom Hooper): 8
Casino Jack (2010, Canada, George Hickenlooper)
The Girl Who Played With Fire (2009, Sweden co-production, Daniel Alfredson)
Cocalero (2007, Bolivia/Argentina, Alejandro Landes)
Dhobi Ghat (2010, India, Kiran Rao): 10
Blue Valentine (2010, USA, Derek Cianfrance): 9
Araya (1959, Venezuela/France, Margot Benacerraf)
Animal Kingdom (2010, Australia, David Michôd): 7.5
Catfish (2010, USA,Ariel Schulman/Henry Joost)
Wild Things (1998, USA, John McNaughton)
Tangled (2010, USA, Nathan Greno/Byron Howard)
A Town Called Panic (2009, Belgium co-production, Stéphane Aubier/Vincent Patar): 8.5

London River (2009, UK/France/Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb)
Birdwatchers (2008, Italy/Brazil, Marco Bechis)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (2008, Germany co-production, Uli Edel)
Looking for Eric (2009, UK co-production, Ken Loach)
The Mechanic (2011, USA, Simon West)
The Company Men (2010, UK/USA, John Wells): 6
Somewhere (2010, USA, Sofia Coppola): 6.5
Ondine (2009, Ireland/USA, Neil Jordan)
Los Bastardos (2008, Mexico/France/USA, Amat Escalante)
Micmacs (2009, France, Jean-Pierre Juenet)
Another Year (2010, UK, Mike Leigh): 10
No One Killed Jessica (2011, India, Raj Kumar Gupta): 8
Red Riding 1974 (2009, UK, Julian Jarrold): 9
Red Riding 1980 (2009, UK, James Marsh): 9
Red Riding 1983 (2009, UK, Anand Tucker): 9
I Wish I Knew (2010, China, Jia Zhang-Ke)
Lebanon (2010, co-production, Samuel Maoz)
Ip Man (2008, Hong Kong, Wilson Yip)
Substitute (2006, France, Vikash Dhorasoo/Fred Poulet)
Lourdes (2009, Austria/France/Germany, Jessica Hausner): 9
Cronicas (2004, Ecuador/Mexico, Sebastián Cordero)
Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002, Australia co-production, Phillip Noyce)
Le Femme Infidel (1969, France, Claude Chabrol)
Nada (1974, France, Claude Chabrol)
I am Love (2009, Italy, Luca Guadagnino)
Que la bête meure (1969, France, Claude Chabrol)
Alamar (2009, Mexico, Pedro González-Rubio)
The Butcher (1971, France, Claude Chabrol)
Juste avant la nuit (1971, France, Claude Chabrol)
Punishment Park (1971, USA, Peter Watkins)
Agrarian Utopia (2009, Thailand, Uruphong Raksasad)
Les noces rouges (1973, France, Claude Chabrol)
Cuadacuc, Vampir (1970, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Nocturne 29 (1968, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Umbracle (1972, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Things Overtaken by Silence (2009, Mexico, Nicolas Perada)
The Adjustment Bureau (2011, USA, George Nolfi): 5
Gasland (2010, USA, Josh Fox)
Kings of Pastry (2009, co-production, Chris Hegedus/D.A. Pennebaker)
The Silence Before Bach (2007, Spain, Pere Portabella)
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (2009, Sweden co-production, Daniel Alfredson)
Last Train Home (2009, Canada/China/UK, Lixin Fan): 9
Warsaw Bridge (1990, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Tamara Drewe (2010, UK, Stephen Frears)
Tere Bin Laden (2010, India, Abhishek Sharma)
Les herbes folles (2009, France/Italy, Alain Resnais)
Tees Maar Khan (2010, India, Farah Khan): 0
Informe General (1977, Spain, Pere Portabella)
Never Let Me Go (2010, UK/USA, Mark Romanek): 6
Carcasses (2009, Canada, Denis Côté)
Limitless (2011, USA, Neil Burger)
The Next Three Days (2010, USA/Canada, Paul Haggis): 7
Client 9 (2010, USA, Alex Gibney)
West is West (2010, UK, Andy DeEmmony)
Songs from the Second Floor (2003, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
You, the Living (2009, Sweden, Roy Andersson)
Pour la suite du monde (1963, Canada, Michel Brault)
Munyurangabo (2007, Rwanda/USA, Lee Isaac Chung)
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010, UK/USA, Woody Allen)
In a Better World (2010, Denmark/Sweden, Susanne Bier): 7.5
Of Gods and Men (2010, France, Xavier Beauvois): 8.5
At Midnight I Will Steal Your Soul (1964, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
Strange Hostel of Naked Pleasures (1975, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
Enter le mer et l’eau douce (1965, Canada, Michel Brault)
The American (2010, USA, Anton Corbijn)

La Nostra Vita (2010, France/Italy, Daniele Luchetti)
Love and Other Drugs (2010, USA, Edward Zwick)
Due Date (2010, USA, Todd Phillips)
Not One Less (1999, China, Zhang Yimou)
Soundtracker (2010, USA, Nick Sherman)
Tucker & Dale vs Evil (2010, Canada, Eli Craig)
I Stand Alone (1998, France, Gaspar Noé): 9
24 City (2008, China/Hong Kong/Japan, Jia Zhang-ke)
Ice Age (2002, USA, Chris Wedge/Carlos Saldanha)
Death at a Funeral (2007, UK co-production, Frank Oz)
L’Acadie l’Acadie?!? (1971, Canada, Michel Brault)
High-Rise (2009, Brazil, Gabriel Mascaro)
Hobo with a Shotgun (2011, Canada/USA, Jason Eisener)
You Are Here (2010, Canada, Daniel Cockburn): 7
Morning Glory (2010, USA, Roger Michell)
The Trotsky (2009, Canada, Jacob Tierney)
IT Crowd: Season 2 (2007, UK, Graham Linehan)
Attenberg (2010, Greece, Athina Rachel Tsangari): 9
Tron (1982, USA, Steven Lisberger)
The Brown Bunny (2003, USA/Japan/France, Vincent Gallo): 7.5
Tanu Weds Manu (2011, India, Aanand Rai)
Band Baaja Baaraat (2010, India, Maneesh Sharma)
The Beautiful Washing Machine (2004, Malaysia, James Lee)
Thank You (2011, India, Anees Bazmee): 0
I Walked with a Zombie (1943, USA, Jacques Tourneur)
Chaotic Ana (2007, Spain, Julio Medem)
Africa United (2005, Iceland, Olaf de Fleur Johannesson)
Star Spangled to Death (2004, USA, Ken Jacobs)
Embodiment of Evil (2009, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse (1967, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
The Strange World of José Mojica Marins (2001, Brazil, André Barcinski/Ivan Finotti)
Awakening of the Beast (1970, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)
Les Ordres (1974, Canada, Michel Brault): 10
demonLover (2002, France, Olivier Assayas)
Zidane (2006, France/Iceland, Douglas Gordon/Philippe Parreno): museum installation
End of Man (1971, Brazil, José Mojica Marins)

How Do You Know (2010, USA, James L. Brooks): 7.5
Ratas, ratones, rateros (1999, Ecuador, Sebastián Cordero)
Nightmare Alley (1947, USA, Edmund Goulding)
Burlesque (2010, USA, Steve Antin)
The Way Back (2010, USA, Peter Weir)
The Holy Girl (2004, Argentina co-production, Lucrecia Martel)
Thirst (2009, South Korea, Chan-wook Park): 7
Warrendale (1968, Canada, Allan King)
Come on Children (1972, Canada, Allan King)
Memory for Max, Claire, Ida and Company (2005, Canada, Allan King)
Dying at Grace (2003, Canada, Allan King)
Game (2011, India, Abhinay Deo): 4
Shor in the City (2011, India, Krishna D.K, Raj Nidimoru): 8.5
The Naked Kiss (1964, USA, Samuel Fuller)
Hereafter (2010, USA, Clint Eastwood)
Summer Wars (2009, Japan, Mamoru Hosoda): 8
A Serbian Film (2010, Serbia, Srdjan Spasojevic)
Chalo Dilli (2011, India, Shashant Shah): 8.5
White Dog (1982, USA, Samuel Fuller): 8
Bee Movie (2007, USA, Steve Hickner/Simon J. Smith)
The Colors of the Mountain (2010, Colombia/Panama, Carlos César Arbeláez): 7
Thieves’ Highway (1949, USA, Jules Dassin)
Dum Maro Dum (2011, India, Rohan Sippy): 6
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010, USA, James Nguyen): 2
Taxidermia (2006, Hungary co-production, György Pálfi): 6
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009, USA, Phil Lord/Chris Miller)
House (1977, Japan, Nobuhiko Ôbayashi)
Iron Island (2005, Iran, Mohammad Rasoulof): 9
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011, USA, Jennifer Yuh): 4.5
Days of Heaven (1978, USA, Terrence Malick): 9
A Ilha da Morte (2006, Brazil/Cuba/Spain, Wolney Oliveira)
The Case of the Grinning Cat (2004, France, Chris Marker)
Buried (2010, Spain/USA/France, Rodrigo Cortés): 9
Monsters (2010, UK, Gareth Edwards): 8
The Red and the White (1968, Hungary/USSR, Miklós Jancsó)
Evangelion: 1.1 (2007, Japan, Masayuki/Kazuya Tsurumaki/Hideaki Anno)
The Tourist (2010, USA/France, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
The Thin Red Line (1998, USA, Terrence Malick): 7.5
The New World (2005, USA, Terrence Malick): 9
Elite Squad (2007, Brazil co-production, José Padilha): 6.5
7 Khoon Maaf (2011, India, Vishal Bhardwaj)
Margarette’s Feast (2003, Brazil/USA, Renato Falcão): 7
The Incredibles (2004, USA, Brad Bird)
I Am (2010, India/Japan, Onir)
Once Upon a Time in Rio (2008, Brazil, Breno Silveira)
Nostalgia for the Light (2010, Chile co-production, Patricio Guzmán): 9
Marigold (2007, USA/India/UK, Willard Carroll)
Extract (2009, USA, Mike Judge)
Biutiful (2010, Mexico/Spain, Alejandro González Iñárritu): 6
Barney’s Version (2010, Canada/Italy, Richard J. Lewis): 7.5
Carancho (2010, Argentina co-production, Pablo Trapero): 8.5
Shaitan (2011, India, Bejoy Nambiar): 7
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971, USA, Monte Hellman): 9
Mademoiselle Chambon (2009, France, Stéphane Brizé): 8
Film socialisme (2010, Switzerland/France, Jean-Luc Godard): 5.33
Spite Marriage (1929, USA, Buster Keaton/Edward Sedgwick)
Horny House of Horror (2010, Japan, Jun Tsugita)
Meek’s Cutoff (2010, USA, Kelly Reichardt): 9
The Tree of Life (2011, USA, Terrence Malick): 9
Gerry (2002, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Cedar Rapids (2011, USA, Miguel Arteta): 7.5
Tokyo Sonata (2008, Japan co-production, Kiyoshi Kurosawa): 9
Marwencol (2010, USA, Jeff Malmberg)
Conviction (2010, USA, Tony Goldwyn)
Bbuddah Hoga Terra Baap (2011, India, Puri Jagannath): 1
Zindegi Na Milegi Dobara (2011, India, Zoya Akhtar): 7
Blackthorn (2011, Spain/USA/Bolivia/France, Mateo Gil): 5.5
Beyond the Black Rainbow (2011, Canada, Panos Cosmatos): 6.5
Gantz (2010, Japan, Shinsuke Sato): 7.5
Gantz: Perfect Answer (2011, Japan, Shinsuke Sato): 6.5
Article 12 (2010, UK/Argentina, Juan Manuel Biaiñ): 5
Dharma Guns (2010, France/Portugal, F.J. Ossang): 6
Morituris (2011, Italy, Raffaele Picchio): 2
Redline (2009, Japan, Takeshi Koike): 7.5

Beau Travail (1999, France, Claire Denis): 9
Friday Night (2002, France, Claire Denis): 7
Delhi Belly (2011, India, Abhinay Deo): 4
Bheja Fry 2 (2011, India, Sagar Ballary): 1
Nénette et Boni (1996, France, Claire Denis): 8
I Saw the Devil (2010, South Korea, Jee-woon Kim): 6.5
Friends with Benefits (2011, USA, Will Gluck): 5
Singham (2011, India, Rohit Shetty): 3
The Night Watchman (2011, Mexico/USA, Natalia Almada)
Source Code (2011, USA/France, Duncan Jones): 6
13 Assassins (2010, Japan/UK, Takashi Miike): 7
New York, I Love You (2009, USA, multiple): 6
White Material (2009, France/Cameroon, Claire Denis): 9
Sucker Punch (2011, USA, Zack Synder): 5
My Dog Tulip (2009, USA, Paul Fierlinger / Sandra Fierlinger)
Miral (2010, France co-production, Julian Schnabel): 5
Double Indemnity (1944, USA, Billy Wilder)
L’Intrus (2004, France, Claire Denis): 10
VIPs (2010, Brazil, Toniko Melo)
Stake Land (2010, USA, Jim Mickle): 4
Road to Nowhere (2011, USA, Monte Hellman): 7.5
Zookeeper (2011, USA, Frank Coraci): 5
Undertow (2009, Peru co-production, Javier Fuentes-León): 9
Trollhunter (2010, Norway, André Øvredal): 6.5

The Wind Will Carry Us (1999, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami): 10
Aarakshan (2011, India, Prakash Jha): 5.5
Bhindi Baazaar (2011, India, Ankush Bhatt): 3
Rango (2011, USA, Gore Verbinski): 6
Tickets (2005, Italy/UK, Abbas Kiarostami/Ken Loach/Ermanno Olmi): 6
Badlands (1973, USA, Terrence Malick): 7.5
Taste of Cherry (1997, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami): 10
99.9 FM (2005, India, Sanjay Bhatia)
Ten (2002, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami): 8
Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi? (2009, India, Saurabh Shukla)
Insignificance (1985, UK, Nicolas Roeg)
Night and Day (2008, South Korea, Hong Sang-soo): 8
Paul (2011, USA/UK, Greg Mottola): 6
The Desert of Forbidden Art (2010, Russia/USA/Uzbekistan, Tchavdar Georgiev/Amanda Pope): 9
Drive (2011, USA, Nicolas Winding Refn): 9
The Mist (2007, USA, Frank Darabont)
Guilt (2011, Canada, Marc Bisaillon)
Maria, my Love (2011, USA, Jasmine McGlade Chazelle)
Heat Wave (2011, France, Jean-Jacques Jauffret)
The Sacrament of Life (2008, USA, Joseph Sorrentino)
Kill List (2011, UK, Ben Wheatley)
Flowers of Evil (2010, France, David Dusa)
Radio Free Albemuth (2010, USA, John Alan Simon)
Old Goats (2010, USA, Taylor Guterson)
Alps (2011, Greece, Giorgos Lanthimos)
The Whisperer in the Darkness (2011, USA, Sean Branney)
Sunflower Hour (2011, Canada, Aaron Houston)
Journey of a Dream (2011, Canada co-production, Shenpenn Khymsar)
George the Hedgehog (2011, Poland, Wojtek Wawszczyk, Jakub Tarkowski, Tomasz Leśniak)
Target (2011, Russia, Alexander Zeldovich)
In Heaven, Underground (2011, Germany, Britta Wauer)
Cold Fish (2010, Japan, Sion Sono)
Le Quattro Volte (2010, Italy co-production, Michelangelo Frammartino): 10
Black Bread (2010, Spain/France, Agustí Villaronga)
Bon appétit (2010, Switzerland co-production, David Pinillos)
Kopfkino (2011, Germany, Serdar Dogan)
Stuff (2010, USA, Lawrence Johnson)
Of Games and Escapes (2010, Canada, Bevan Klassen)
Melancholia (2011, Denmark co-production, Lars von Trier): 9
Senna (2010, UK, Asif Kapadia): 8.5
Page One: Inside the New York Times (2011, USA, Andrew Rossi): 6.5

Win/Win (2011, USA, Thomas McCarthy)
Tere Mere Phere (2011, India, Deepa Sahi): 7
Saheb Biwi aur Gangster (2011, India, Tigmanshu Dhulia): 8
Midnight in Paris (2011, Spain/USA, Woody Allen): 8
Last Night (2010, USA/France, Massy Tadjedin): 6
Fast Five (2011, USA, Justin Lin): 5
Thor (2011, USA, Kenneth Branagh): 6
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop (2011, USA, Rodman Flender)
Super (2010, USA, James Gunn): 4
Hanna (2011, USA/UK/Germany, Joe Wright): 6
The Beaver (2011, USA/UAE, Jodie Foster): 5.5
The Two Escobars (2010, Colombia/USA, Jeff Zimbalist/Michael Zimbalist)
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011, India, Ali Abbas Zafar): 4
Killers (2010, USA, Robert Luketic)
Step Up 3 (2010, USA, Jon M. Chu): 5
Too Big To Fail (2011, USA, Curtis Hanson): 7
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (2010, France, Luc Besson): 6
Margin Call (2011, USA, J.C Chandor): 8
War, Love, God and Madness (2008, UK/Iraq, Mohamed Al Daradji)
Horrible Bosses (2011, USA, Seth Gordon): 8
Sleeping Beauty (2011, Australia, Julie Leigh): 5
Bridesmaids (2011, USA, Paul Feig): 6.5
Mad Men, Season One (2007, USA, multiple): 9
Breaking Bad, Season One (2008, USA, multiple)
Cold Weather (2010, USA, Aaron Katz): 8
Thief (1981, USA, Michael Mann)
That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010, India, Anurag Kashyap): 6
The Turin Horse (2011, Hungary co-production, Béla Tarr/Ágnes Hranitzky): 9

The Kid With a Bike (2011, Belgium co-production, Jean-Pierre Dardenne/Luc Dardenne): 9
Contagion (2011, USA/UAE, Steven Soderbergh): 7.5
Bad Teacher (2011, USA, Jake Kasdan): 5
Mr. Freedom (1969, France, William Klein)
Army of Crime (2009, France, Robert Guédiguian)
Brighton Rock (2010, UK, Rowan Joffe): 6
Aurora (2010, Romania co-production, Cristi Puiu): 9
Mad Men, Season Two (2008, USA, multiple): 8
Mad Men, Season Three (2009, USA, multiple): 7.5
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (2011, USA, Morgan Spurlock): 6
The Ides of March (2011, USA, George Clooney): 8.5
Surveillance (2008, USA/Germany/Canada, Jennifer Lynch): 5.5
Jaan-E-Mann (2006, India, Shirish Kunder): 3
Cars 2 (2011, USA, John Lasseter/Brad Lewis): 6.5
Bal/Honey (2010, Turkey co-production, Semih Kaplanoglu): 8
City of Life and Death (2009, China/Hong Kong, Chuan Lu)
Moneyball (2011, USA, Bennett Miller): 8
Tuesday, After Christmas (2010, Romania, Radu Muntean): 8
A Separation (2011, Iran, Asghar Farhadi): 9.5
The Delicate Art of Parking (2003, Canada, Trent Carlson)
The Housemaid (2010, South Korea, Sang-soo Im)
The Red Chapel (2009, Denmark, Mads Brügger)
Hugo (2011, USA, Martin Scorsese): 8
Man Men Season 4 (2010, USA, multiple): 9.5
Son of Babylon (2009, Iraq co-production, Mohamed Al-Daradji): 8
The Arbor (2010, UK, Clio Barnard): 8

The Bothersome Man (2006, Norway/Iceland, Jens Lien): 6.5
Last Days (2005, USA, Gus Van Sant)
Last Stop 174 (2008, Brazil/France, Bruno Barreto): 5
Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011, USA, Glenn Ficarra/John Requa): 8
Pina (2011, Germany/France/UK, Wim Wenders)
The Dirty Picture (2011, India, Milan Luthria): 7
Red State (2011, USA, Kevin Smith): 5
The Skin I Live In (2011, Spain, Pedro Almodóvar): 7
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011, UK/USA, Lynne Ramsay): 8.5
Tyrannosaur (2011, UK, Paddy Considine): 7.5
Another Earth (2011, USA, Mike Cahill): 4
Love Crime (2010, France, Alain Corneau): 8
Caliber 9 (1972, Italy, Fernando Di Leo)
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010, co-production, Werner Herzog)
The Artist (2011, France/Belgium, Michel Hazanavicius): 7.5
Wrecked (2010, Canada/USA, Michael Greenspan): 6.5
Clueless (1995, USA, Amy Heckerling)
Tinker, Tailor, Traitor, Spy: BBC Series (1979, UK, John Irvin)
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 (2011, Sweden, Göran Olsson)
Even the Rain (2010, Mexico co-production, Icíar Bollaín)
Arthur Christmas (2011, UK/USA, Sarah Smith/Barry Cook): 5.5
Terri (2011, USA, Azazel Jacobs): 7
Miss Bala (2011, Mexico, Gerardo Naranjo)
Carnage (2011, France co-production, Roman Polanski)
BellFlower (2011, USA, Evan Glodell): 5
Trust (2010, USA, David Schwimmer): 7.5
An Idiot Abroad: Season 1 (2010, UK, multiple)
Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011, India, Maneesh Sharma): 8
Desi Boyz (2011, India, Rohit Dhawan): 0
Gandhi to Hitler (2011, India, Rakesh Ranjan Kumar)
Rio Sex Comedy (2010, France/Brazil, Jonathan Nossiter): 6.5
Buck (2011, USA, Cindy Meehl)
The Battle of Chile (1978, Chile, Patricio Guzmán)
O’Horten (2006, Norway co-production, Bent Hamer): 7.5
The Italian Connection (1972, Italy/West Germany, Fernando Di Leo)
Poetry (2010, South Korea, Lee Chang-dong)
The Boss (1973, Italy, Fernando di Leo)
Yeh Saali Zindigi (2011, India, Sudhir Mishra): 7
Rulers of the City (1976, Italy/West Germany, Fernando di Leo)
The Descendants (2011, USA, Alexander Payne): 7.5
Weekend (2010, UK, Andrew Haigh): 8
Tomboy (2011, France, Céline Sciamma): 7
Kidnapped (2010, Spain/France, Miguel Ángel Vivas): 0
Rapt (2009, France/Belgium, Lucas Belvaux)
Attack the Block (2011, UK/France, Joe Cornish): 7

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