Best Films of the 1980s

For the longest time, I felt that the 1980s were a transition year for cinema. The stellar quality of World Cinema from the 1960s were absent in the 1980s and only a handful of films from this decade have featured in my all time Best film lists. However, revisiting films from this decade has made me think that I have been harsh on this decade. This decade saw the emergence of many new directors, especially from Asia such as Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Wong Kar-wai. Béla Tarr directed his first feature in 1978 but he gained world wide attention in the 1980s. New films from Brazil, Argentina started to emerge in the 1980s as well after those nations were freed of military dictatorships. However, the world was still undergoing massive political changes and that surely played a part in the lack of cinema from this decade: the revolution in Iran and Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan took place in 1979 but their impacts were felt throughout the 1980s; the Iraq-Iran war; the shift in government stance in US, UK and the impact of US interference in Latin America. Of course, one of the bigger events took place in the final months of the decade when the Berlin Wall fell on Nov 9, 1989.

Top 30 films from the 1980s

1. Cinema Paradiso (1988, Italy/France, Giuseppe Tornatore)

2. Amma Ariyan (Report to Mother, 1986, India, John Abraham)

3. Tampopo (1985, Japan, Jûzô Itami)

4. The Shining (1980, UK/USA, Stanley Kubrick)

5. Kalyug (1981, India, Shyam Benegal)

6. L'Argent (1983, France/Switzerland, Robert Bresson)

7. Three Crowns of the Sailor (1982, France, Raúl Ruiz)

8. Where is the Friend's House? (1987, Iran, Abbas Kiarostami)

9. The Decalogue (1989, Poland/West Germany, Krzysztof Kieslowski)

10. Boat People (1982, Hong Kong, Ann Hui)

11. Videodrome (1983, Canada, David Cronenberg)

12. Arth (1982, India, Mahesh Bhatt)

13. Come and See (1985, Soviet Union, Elem Klimov)

14. Taipei Story (1985, Taiwan, Edward Yang)

15. Do the Right Thing (1989, USA, Spike Lee)

16. Jaane Bhi do Yaaron (1983, India, Kundan Shah)

17. Wings of Desire (1987, West Germany/France, Wim Wenders)

18. Dead Poets Society (1989, USA, Peter Weir)

19. Masoom (1983, India, Shekhar Kapur)

20.  O Sangue (1989, Portugal, Pedro Costa)

21. Babette’s Feast (1987, Denmark, Gabriel Axel)

22. Mandi (1983, India, Shyam Benegal)

23. Ghare Baire (1984, India, Satyajit Ray)

24. Terrorizers (1986, Taiwan, Edward Yang)

25. Revenge (1989, Soviet Union, Ermek Shinarbaev)

26. Om Dar-B-Dar (1988, India, Kamal Swaroop)

27. Sans Soleil (1983, France, Chris Marker)

28. My Brother's Wedding (1983, USA, Charles Burnett)

29. Damnation (1988, Hungary, Béla Tarr)

30. Raakh (1989, India, Aditya Bhattacharya)

Honourable mentions:

Pixote (1980, Brazil, Hector Babenco)

Mephisto (1981, Hungary/West Germany/Austria, István Szabó)

A Time to Live and A Time to Die (1985, Taiwan, Hou Hsiao-hsien)

The Vanishing (1988, Holland, George Sluizer)

Katha (1983, India, Sai Paranjpye)

The Official Story (1985, Argentina, Luis Puenzo)

Blow Out (1981, USA, Brian De Palma)

My Neighbour Totoro (1988, Japan, Hayao Miyazaki)

Best Films of the 1970s

After the rich global cinematic feast dished out by the 1960s, one would have expected that the 1970s would have increased that output. However, the 1970s pushed cinema in different directions. A few political events, some starting from the 1960s, easily played a part. To name a few global events: increasing American involvement in the Vietnam War from the mid 1960s, the May 1968 French protests, the toppling of Salvador Allende in Chile (Sept 11, 1973) violent military dictatorships in Brazil, Argentina and their disappearance of citizens, Emergency in India from 1975-77, Canada’s October crisis in 1970 and the OPEC Oil Embargo. This is not a comprehensive list but shows that cinema couldn’t have been top of people’s minds. Interestingly, this likely also played a part in the escapist summer blockbuster that came out in 1975: Jaws. This was followed 2 years later by Star Wars. Recently, Sight and Sound magazine labeled 1975 as the “year that changed cinema forever”. They picked Jaws in one corner and Jeanne Dielman in the other. One started the summer blockbuster trend, the other a path towards a new variation of artistic cinema. The 1970s also saw a handful of post-Vietnam American films and the war’s impact played a direct and indirect part in many violent and crime films. It wasn’t all doom and gloom violence in 1970s cinema. In India, the continued Parallel Cinema movement ushered in new socially charged films from the 1970s-1980s that examined rural life and also the plight of the growing middle class in urban areas.

It is tough to limit this list down to 30 films especially with the diverse range of cinematic genres and style.

Top 30 films of the 1970s:

1. Sholay (1975, India, Ramesh Sippy)

2. The Godfather (1972, USA, Francis Ford Coppola)

3. Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972, West Germany/Mexico/Peru, Werner Herzog)

4. Ankur (1974, India, Shyam Benegal)

5. Stalker (1979, Russia, Andrei Tarkovsky)

6. The Battle of Chile (1975, Venezuela/France/Cuba, Patricio Guzmán)

7. Network (1976, USA, Sidney Lumet)

8. Manila in the Claws of Light (1975, Philippines, Lino Brocka)

9. The Last Picture Show (1971, USA, Peter Bogdanovich)

10. Touki Bouki (1973, Senegal, Djibril Diop Mambéty)

11. Scenes from a Marriage (1973, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)

12. Solaris (1972, Russia, Andrei Tarkovsky)

13. The Conversation (1974, USA, Francis Ford Coppola)

14. The Godfather Part II (1974, USA, Francis Ford Coppola)

15. Uski Roti (1970, India, Mani Kaul)

16. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974, West Germany, Rainer Werner Fassbinder)

17. Les Orders (1974, Canada, Michel Brault)

18. Adoption (1975, Hungary, Márta Mészáros)

19. Montreal Main (1972, Canada, Frank Vitale)

20. Chess of the Wind (1976, Iran, Mohammad Reza Aslani)

21. Titas Ekti Nodir Naam (A River Called Titas, 1973, India, Ritwik Ghatak)

22. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975, Belgium, Chantal Akerman)

23. Insiang (1976, Philippines, Lino Brocka)

24. The Emigrants / The New Land (1971/1972, Sweden, Jan Troell)

25. The Spirit of the Beehive (1973, Spain, Victor Erice)

26. The Devil, Probably (1977, France, Robert Bresson)

27. Taxi Driver (1976, USA, Martin Scorsese)

28. Days of Heaven (1978, USA, Terrence Malick)

29. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972, France/Italy/Spain, Luis Buñuel)

30. Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975, UK, Terry Gilliam/Terry Jones)

Honourable mentions (in no particular order):

Killer of Sheep (1977, USA, Charles Burnett)

Le Cercle Rouge (1970, France/Italy, Jean-Pierre Melville)

The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972, West Germany/Austria, Wim Wenders)

The Conspirators (1972, Brazil, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade)

Cuadecuc, vampir (1971, Spain, Pere Portebella)

Garm Hava (Hot Winds, 1974, India, M.S. Sathyu)

The Conformist (1970, Italy/France/Germany, Bernardo Bertolucci)

A Clockwork Orange (1971, UK, Stanley Kubrick)

Two-Lane Blacktop (1971, USA, Monte Hellman)

The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976, USA, John Cassavetes)

A Woman Under the Influence (1974, USA, John Cassavetes)

Ek Din Pratidin (And Quiet Rolls the Dawn, 1979, India, Mrinal Sen)

Chronicles of the Years of Fire (1975, Algeria, Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina)

The Mother and the Whore (1973, France, Jean Eustache)

Claire’s Knee (1970, France, Eric Rohmer)

Note: Fassbinder’s World on a Wire is a TV serial but if I considered it as a film, it would be on this list.

Best Films of the 1960s

The 1950s saw the release of many brilliant works of cinema from around the world but the 1960s increased that quality substantially. The 1960s is the decade when the words 'World Cinema' truly came to fruition. Some of my all-time favourite films come from this decade so trying to narrow down a list to just 30 titles was a very difficult task.

When it comes to co-productions, Italy and France rule this list with 53% of all titles (16/30) being either an Italian or French production: 8 co-productions involve both France and Italy; 13 productions involving Italy and 3 productions involving France. Of course, when it comes to those co-productions, many are perceived as belonging to only 1 country such as La Dolce Vita is considered an Italian film while Playtime as being French.

Interestingly, Italy dominates the top 10 with 5 titles including the first 4 spots. Safe to say, Italian films never hit such highs in any of my other decades list. So the 1960s were easily my favourite decade when it came to Italian cinema.

Top 30 films of the 1960s:

1. The Battle of Algiers (1966, Italy/Algeria, Gillo Pontecorvo)

2. Hands over the City (1963, Italy/France, Francesco Rosi)

3. Il Posto (1961, Italy, Ermanno Olmi)

4. La Dolce Vita (1960, Italy/France, Federico Fellini)

5. Mahanagar (The Big City, 1963, Satyajit Ray)

6. Bandits of Orgosolo (1961, Italy, Vittoria De Seta)

7. Playtime (1967, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)

8. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, UK/USA, Stanley Kubrick)

9. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964, UK/USA, Stanley Kubrick)

10. Soleil Ô (1967, Mauritania/France, Med Hondo)

11. Black God, White Devil (1964, Brazil, Glauber Rocha)

12. Army of Shadows (1969, France/Italy, Jean-Pierre Melville)

13. An Autumn Afternoon (1962, Japan, Yasujiro Ozu)

14. L'Avventura (1960, Italy/France, Michelangelo Antonioni)

15. Le samouraï (1967, France/Italy, Jean-Pierre Melville)

16. Le Trou (1960, France/Italy. Jacques Becker)

17. Z (1969, France/Algeria, Costa-Gavras)

18. Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962, France/Italy, Agnès Varda)

19. My Life to Live (1962, France, Jean-Luc Godard)

20. Aimless Bullet (1961, South Korea, Yu Hyun-mok)

21. El Verdugo (The Executioner, 1963, Spain, Luis García Berlanga)

22. Change of Life (1966, Portugal, Paulo Rocha)

23. The Sound of Music (1965, USA, Robert Wise)

24. A Married Couple (1969, Canada, Allan King)

25. When a Woman Ascends the Stairs (1960, Japan, Mikio Naruse)

26. Blow-Up (1966, UK/Italy, Michelangelo Antonioni)

27. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966, Italy/Spain, Sergio Leone)

28. Memories of Underdevelopment (1968, Cuba, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea)

29. The Exterminating Angel (1962, Mexico, Luis Buñuel)

30. Meghe Dhaka Tara (The Cloud-Capped Star, 1960, India, Ritwik Ghatak)

Tough to leave out many films. Here are 11 that shouldn’t have missed out (in no particular order):

Psycho (1960, USA, Alfred Hitchcock)

Last Year at Marienbad (1961, France, Alain Resnais)

The Housemaid (1960, South Korea, Kim Ki-young)

Breathless (1960, France, Jean-Luc Godard)

Ikarie XB1 (1963, Czechoslovakia, Jindrich Polák)

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968, Italy/USA, Sergio Leone)

Closely Watched Trains (1966, Czechoslovakia, Jirí Menzel)

Noite Vazia (1964, Brazil, Walter Hugo Khouri)

The Round-Up (1966, Hungary, Miklós Jancsó)

The House is Black (1963, Iran, Forugh Farrokhzad)

La Jetée (1962, France, Chris Marker)

Best Films of the 1940s

Safe to say, the world had more serious matters to consider in the 1940s. Yet, somehow this decade resulted in two films that have dominated the Best Films of All Time list for the longest time – Casablanca and Citizen Kane. In addition, a shining example of Neorealism cinema debuted in this decade with Bicycle Thieves. Plus, quite a few 1940s noir films still top many all time film noir lists.

As WWII was fought mostly in Europe and some parts of Asis and North Africa, it isn’t surprising that majority of this list is made up of American films (6/10 films). The 4 non-American films in the list were released in 1945 or after, which makes sense with the end of WWII and the post-war recovery.

Top 10 Films of the 1940s (roughly in order of preference):

1. Citizen Kane (1941,USA, Orson Welles)

2. Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy, Vittorio De Sica)

3. Rome: Open City (1945, Italy, Roberto Rossellini)

4. Double Indemnity (1944, USA, Billy Wilder)

5. Casablanca (1994, USA, Michael Curtiz)

6. Sullivan’s Travels (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)

7. The Great Dictator (1940, USA, Charles Chaplin)

8. The Third Man (1949, UK, Carol Reed)

9. Late Spring (1949, Japan, Yasujirô Ozu)

10. I Walked with a Zombie (1943, USA, Jacques Tourneur)

Honourable mentions:

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949, UK, Robert Hamer)

The Lady Eve (1941, USA, Preston Sturges)

Best Films of the 1930s

While the 1920s produced a wealth of cinematic riches, that decade also marked the final flourish of silent cinema. The 1930s were characterized by the advent of “talkies” or sound films, which changed the cinematic landscape and how people perceived cinema. Hollywood studios began the shift away from silent films but the 1930s still had a good amount of silent cinema to choose from, especially from Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu who released a handful of silent cinema at the start of the decade.

Top 10 Films of the 1930s:

1. Modern Times (1936, USA, Charles Chaplin)

2. M (1931, Germany, Fritz Lang)

3. L'Âge d'or (1930, France, Luis Buñuel)

4. The Rules of the Game (1939, France, Jean Renoir)

5. I Was Born, But… (1932, Japan, Yasujirô Ozu)

6. Duck Soup (1933, USA, Leo McCarey)

7. City Lights (1931, USA, Charles Chaplin)

8. Bringing Up Baby (1938, USA, Howard Hawks)

9. The Blood of a Poet (1932, France, Jean Cocteau)

10. Earth (1930, Soviet Union, Aleksandr Dovzhenko)

Best Films of the 1920s

This Best of Decades list is inspired by the recent Decades Countdown at Wonders in the Dark. Also, the idea of looking back at Cinema made 100 years ago was appealing. Silent Cinema through the 1910s produced many worthy gems but the 1920s saw a jump in film production both in terms of quantity and quality. The “Roaring 20s” meant that Hollywood studio system was properly established along with the current star system. Notable directors also made their first films such as Alfred Hitchcock, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Sergei Eisenstein. In the case of Chaplin and Keaton, their style and notable signature was established in the 1920s including the releasing of many iconic films. Half of this top 10 could easily be filled with films from Chaplin and Keaton. Films of many genres were released not only in US but across Europe as well. Many of the films that have become part of the Essential Cinema canon came out in this decade as well, such as Sunrise (1927, F.W. Murnau), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Robert Wiene), Metropolis (1927, Fritz Lang), Battleship Potemkin (1925, Sergei Eisenstein), Nosferatu (1922, F.W. Murnau), Greed (1924, Erich von Stroheim), The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, Carl Theodor Dreyer) plus a handful of Chaplin (The Kid, The Gold Rush) and Keaton (Sherlock Jr., The General) titles.

Top 10 films of the 1920s:

1. Metropolis (1927, Germany, Fritz Lang)

2. The Gold Rush (1925, USA, Charles Chaplin)

3. The Crowd (1928, USA, King Vidor)

4. Battleship Potemkin (1925, Soviet Union, Sergei Eisenstein)

5. The General (1926, USA, Clyde Bruckman / Buster Keaton)

6. Man with a Movie Camera (1929, Soviet Union, Dziga Vertov)

7. Nosferatu (1922, Germany, F.W. Murnau)

8. Pandora’s Box (1929, Germany, G. W. Pabst)

9. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, France, Carl Theodor Dreyer)

10. Napolean (1927, France, Abel Gance)

Honourable mentions:

The Kid (1921, USA, Charles Chaplin)

The Cameraman (1928, USA, Edward Sedgwick / Buster Keaton)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920, Germany, Robert Wiene)

Un chein Andalou (1929, France, Luis Buñuel)

Top 10 by Country

Germany and US are tied with 3 films each in the top 10. France and Soviet Union have 2 films each. The top 10 ended up being more spread-out than I had anticipated. Of course, there are still a lot of films from many international nations that are either lost or not widely available, which means this list will change over the years.

Best Films of the 1950s

The Best Films of the 1950s list is inspired by the Decades list countdown at Wonders in the Dark. I will duly post the previous decades list (1920s-40s) over the next few weeks but I will start with the 1950s.

As per Sam Juliano's ask, we are allowed up to 30 titles. It is quite hard to narrow the list down to 30 films and this list has changed quite a bit over the last few decades. There are a handful of titles that were not in this list 5 years ago. For now, here goes.

Best Films of the 1950s (roughly in order of preference):

1. Apur Sansar (1959, India, Satyajit Ray)

2. Pickpocket (1959, France, Robert Bresson)

3. Ikiru (1952, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)

4. Tokyo Story (1953, Japan, Yasujirô Ozu)

5. The Wages of Fear (1953, France/Italy, Henri-Georges Clouzot)

6. Seven Samurai (1954, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)

7. The Seventh Seal (1957, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)

8. Rear Window (1954, USA, Alfred Hitchcock)

9. Ashes and Diamonds (1958, Poland,  Andrzej Wajda)

10. Pyaasa (1957, India, Guru Dutt)

11. Rashomon (1950, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)

12. Pather Panchali (1955, Satyajit Ray)

13. La Strada (1954, Italy, Federico Fellini)

14. Kaagaz ke Phool (1959, India, Guru Dutt)

15. Vertigo (1958, USA, Alfred Hitchcock)

16. Sweet Smell of Success (1957, USA, Alexander Mackendrick)

17. Umberto D. (1952, Italy, Vittorio De Sica)

18. Godzilla (1954, Japan, Ishirô Honda)

19. Death of a Cyclist (1955, Spain, Juan Antonio Bardem)

20. 12 Angry Men (1957, USA, Sidney Lumet)

21. Roman Holiday (1953, USA, William Wyler)

22. The Red Balloon (1956, France, Albert Lamorisse)

23. The 400 Blows (1959, France, François Truffaut)

24. Orpheus (1950, France, JeanCocteau)

25. Rififi (1955, France, Jules Dassin)

26. Los Olvidados (1950, Mexico, Luis Buñuel)

27. The Gunfighter (1950, USA, Henry King)

28. Hiroshima mon Amour (1959, France, Alain Resnais)

29. Fires on the Plain (1959, Japan, Kon Ichikawa)

30. Ace in the Hole (1951, USA, Billy Wilder)

Best Films of 2023

As 2024 draws to a close and Best of 2024 Film Lists are published, I am finally ready to publish an updated Best of 2023 list. It has taken me almost two years to catch up with many of the worthy 2023 films. This list updates the previous 2023 list.

Best Films of 2023

1. Past Lives (USA/South Korea, Celine Song)

A tender emotionally beautiful film. Like a soothing piece of music.

2. La Chimera (Italy/France/Switzerland/Turkey, Alice Rohrwacher)

A warm shape shifting film that tugs at both the mind and heart.

3. Close Your Eyes (Spain/Argentina, Victor Erice)

Erice returns after a long spell to deliver pure cinema! A film that reminds of cinema’s power to evoke memories. The kind of cinema that feels rare nowadays.

4. Eureka (Argentina co-production, Lisandro Alonso)

Another exciting cinematic work from a master filmmaker. Alonso expands his lens in a manner that recalls the hyperconnected world of Eduardo Williams' The Human Surge.

5. The Taste of Things (France/Belgium, Trần Anh Hùng)

A lovely film that takes us on a food journey from growing ingredients to careful food preparation ending with pleasures of food consumption. The film is also a tender love story forged over food and extends the statement “that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Because in this film, a man also cooks for a woman, thereby making the kitchen an equal space for men-women to neatly perform their food dance.

6. Godzilla Minus One (Japan, Takashi Yamazaki)

Shin Godzilla was about logistics and problem solving while Godzilla Minus One smartly builds on that and depicts how to use engineering to solve a very large Godzilla problem.

7. Laapataa Ladies (India, Kiran Rao)

Kiran Rao and writers Biplab Goswami, Divyanidhi Sharma, Sneha Desai have done an outstanding job by seamlessly stitching socially relevant topics within the fabric of a humorous comedic film.

8. The Delinquents (Argentina/Luxembourg/Brazil/Chile, Rodrigo Moreno)

Takes the bank fraud at core of the 1949 Argentine film Apenas un delincuente and transforms it into a languid stroll through the countryside.

9. How to have Sex (UK/Greece/France/Belgium, Molly Manning Walker)

At first, this appears to be cut from the same cloth as Spring Breakers but the film digs deeper into how men can still circumvent consent in a post #MeToo world.

10. 12th Fail (India, Vidhu Vinod Chopra)

It is hard to believe that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a major name in Indian Cinema, has made one of the best films of his career at the age of 70 (he is 71 now). 12th Fail is a film stripped of any fat and with a singular focus. The struggles of exams and getting a job in India have been documented in cinema before but Chopra has infused the film with plenty of hope.  Part of the reason for that could be that the film is based on the real life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma and Shraddha Joshi and highlights how that there was always a ray of hope around the corner for the main character despite many pitfalls.

Honourable Mentions (in order of preference):

Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (India, Arjun Varain Singh)

A highly relevant contemporary film that depicts impact of social media on current generation. The film is set in Mumbai but the scenarios and characters can be found in most internet-connected nations around the world.

Evil Does Not Exist (Japan, Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

Keeps thing on a slow burn until knocks you out with a silent emotional punch!

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Vietnam co-production, Thien An Pham)

An earthy interpretation of Apichatpong’s spiritual cinema.

La Cancha (Canada, Mustafa Uzuner)

Mustafa Uzuner lovingly depicts how a community basketball court in Montreal can be a meditation on life and social connections. Pure cinema.

Io Capitano (Italy/Belgium/France, Matteo Garrone)

A film that goes beyond the headlines and depicts the perilous journey of its two characters from Senegal to Italy. Garrone also shows how communities spring up and sustain characters in cities/nations that find themselves at centre of migration.

Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Romania co-production, Radu Jude)

One of the funniest films of the year that manages to take a dig at lengths corporations go to manufacture/sustain their social image. The constant social media attention of main character means she wouldn’t be out of place with the characters in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.

Mast Mein Rehne Ka (India, Vijay Maurya)

Samsara (Spain,  Lois Patiño) 

Blackberry (Canada, Matt Johnson)

The Settlers (Chile co-production, Felipe Gálvez Haberle)

About Dry Grasses (Turkey/France/Germany/Sweden, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Worthy 2022 films seen in 2024: 

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (India, Lijo Jose Pellissery)

Trenque Lauquen (Argentina/Germany, Laura Citarella)

The Beasts (Spain/France, Rodrigo Sorogoyen)

Showing Up (USA, Kelly Reichardt)

Zwigato (India, Nandita Das)

Uses an example of a food delivery worker to provide a smart commentary on plight of workers in our current tech savvy app driven world.

Best Films of 2023

As Cannes 2024 is wrapping up, I still have to catch up with a few worthy Cannes 2023 films (Lisandro Alonso, Victor Erice) but I have seen enough 2023 films now to put together a list. I have previously mentioned the challenges of legally seeing newer 2023 films so won’t reiterate that here.

Without further ado, here are my best films of 2023:

1. Past Lives (USA/South Korea, Celine Song)

A tender emotionally beautiful film. Like a soothing piece of music.

2. La Chimera (Italy/France/Switzerland/Turkey, Alice Rohrwacher)

A warm shape shifting film that tugs at both the mind and heart.

3. Laapataa Ladies (India, Kiran Rao)

Kiran Rao and writers Biplab Goswami, Divyanidhi Sharma, Sneha Desai have done an outstanding job by seamlessly stitching socially relevant topics within the fabric of a humorous comedic film.

4. The Delinquents (Argentina/Luxembourg/Brazil/Chile, Rodrigo Moreno)

Takes the bank fraud at core of the 1949 Argentine film Apenas un delincuente and transforms it into a languid stroll through the countryside.

5. How to have Sex (UK/Greece/France/Belgium, Molly Manning Walker)

At first, this appears to be cut from the same cloth as Spring Breakers but the film digs deeper into how men can still circumvent consent in a post #MeToo world.

6. 12th Fail (India, Vidhu Vinod Chopra)

It is hard to believe that Vidhu Vinod Chopra, a major name in Indian Cinema, has made one of the best films of his career at the age of 70 (he is 71 now). 12th Fail is a film stripped of any fat and with a singular focus. The struggles of exams and getting a job in India have been documented in cinema before but Chopra has infused the film with plenty of hope.  Part of the reason for that could be that the film is based on the real life story of Manoj Kumar Sharma and Shraddha Joshi and highlights how that there was always a ray of hope around the corner for the main character despite many pitfalls.

7. Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (India, Arjun Varain Singh)

A highly relevant contemporary film that depicts impact of social media on current generation. The film is set in Mumbai but the scenarios and characters can be found in most internet-connected nations around the world.

8. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Vietnam/Singapore/France/Spain, Thien An Pham)

An earthy interpretation of Apichatpong’s spiritual cinema.

9. La Cancha (Canada, Mustafa Uzuner)

Mustafa Uzuner lovingly depicts how a community basketball court in Montreal can be a meditation on life and social connections. Pure cinema.

10. Io Capitano (Italy/Belgium/France, Matteo Garrone)

A film that goes beyond the headlines and depicts the perilous journey of its two characters from Senegal to Italy. Garrone also shows how communities spring up and sustain characters in cities/nations that find themselves at centre of migration.

11. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World (Romania co-production, /Luxembourg/France/Croatia/Switzerland/UK, Radu Jude)

One of the funniest films of the year that manages to take a dig at lengths corporations go to manufacture/sustain their social image. The constant social media attention of main character means she wouldn’t be out of place with the characters in Kho Gaye Hum Kahan.

Honourable Mentions (in order of preference):

Mast Mein Rehne Ka (India, Vijay Maurya)

Samsara (Spain,  Lois Patiño) 

Blackberry (Canada, Matt Johnson)

The Settlers (Chile/Argentina/UK/Taiwan/Germany/Sweden/France/Denmark, Felipe Gálvez Haberle)

About Dry Grasses (Turkey/France/Germany/Sweden, Nuri Bilge Ceylan)

Worthy 2022 films seen in 2024: 

Nanpakal Nerathu Mayakkam (India, Lijo Jose Pellissery)

Trenque Lauquen (Argentina/Germany, Laura Citarella)

The Beasts (Spain/France, Rodrigo Sorogoyen)

Showing Up (USA, Kelly Reichardt)

The Greatest Films of All Time

I have avoided putting up a Greatest Films of All Time list up previously because I have always felt such a list is a slippery task because of two reasons: 

1) it is not possible for me or any person to have seen enough of the vast quantity of quality films from around the world to make a credible list 

2) views of film change over time so such a list would only be a snapshot in time 

There are some exceptions to item #1. The late Allan Fish was one person I knew who made a dent in the huge quantity and quality of films from around the world. His top 3000 films list is a wonder. Despite having seen over 10,000 films, Allan was always on the lookout for gems from around the world as he knew there were always great films to be found and documented his findings in his "The Fish Obscuro" reviews. His cinematic quests were (are) in contrast to the vast amount of North American critics who are happy to view and place only English language Hollywood films in their top 10 film lists annually and call it a year. In terms of North American critics, Jonathan Rosenbaum is an exception as he is well versed in foreign films and is always willing to seek out classic films or revisit films for a different perspective as documented by his “Global Discoveries” Cinema Scope columns. Everyone has blind spots in their film viewing but not everyone is willing to take steps to rectify those like Allan did or Jonathan still does. 

There are still a vast amount of classic films to view and consider worthy of a canon entry. The recent 101 Hidden Gems from Sight & Sound serves as a reminder of the vast amount of films that are rarely seen. Majority of the films in this list still don’t have proper distribution. In contrast, Sight & Sound’s Greatest Films of all Time list contains films that have been mostly accessible in various formats, starting from theatrical screenings to VHS Tapes to DVDs to Blu-Rays and streaming. This accessibility creates a recursive loop which allows more people to view these films thereby ensuring that these films will always be in the Greatest Films of all time lists due to higher number of mentions. 

I am well aware of my blind spots and know that there are a lot more films to be seen. However, I am finally ready to put down a snapshot in time of my 10 Greatest Films list. This list will, and should, change over time but for now, this is it.

Top 10 Greatest Films of all Time

1. The Battle of Algiers (1966, Italy/Algeria, Gillo Pontecorvo)
2. Taste of Cherry (1997, Iran/France, Abbas Kiarostami)
3. Le mani sulla città (Hands over the City, 1963, Italy/France, Francesco Rosi)
4. In the Mood for Love (2000, Hong Kong/France, Wong Kar-wai)
5. Modern Times (1936, USA, Charles Chaplin)
6. Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959, India, Satyajit Ray)
7. Pickpocket (1959, France, Robert Bresson)
8. Ikiru (1952, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)
9. Tokyo Story (1953, Japan, Yasujirô Ozu)
10. Zama (2017, Argentina co-production, Lucrecia Martel)

Honourable mention of dozen films that were once in the Top 10 (arranged in year of release):

Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italy, Vittorio De Sica)
Le salaire de la peur (The Wages of Fear, 1953, Henri-Georges Clouzot)
Seven Samurai (1954, Japan, Akira Kurosawa)
The Seventh Seal (1957, Sweden, Ingmar Bergman)
Il Posto (1961, Italy, Ermanno Olmi)
Black God, White Devil (1964, Brazil, Glauber Rocha)
Play Time (1967, France/Italy, Jacques Tati)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, UK/USA, Stanley Kubrick)
Uski Roti (Our Daily Bread, 1970, India, Mani Kaul)
Amma Ariyan (Report to Mother, 1986, India, John Abraham)
Yi Yi: A One and a Two (2000, Taiwan, Edward Yang)
The Time That Remains (2009, Palestine co-production, Elia Sulieman)

Best Films of 2022

An update to the previously posted Best Films of 2022 list.

Top 12 films of 2022:

1. Pacifiction (France/Spain/Gemany/Portugal, Albert Serra)

An intriguing and refreshing change of landscape, time period and topic from Albert Serra! Pacifiction is not a period piece but a contemporary slow burning tropical espionage film with no guns, no spilled blood but only conversations with a hint of danger. The stunning visuals and hypnotic music elevates the film and adds a layer of mystery reminiscent of Claire Denis’ L’Intrus.

2. Aftersun (UK/USA, Charlotte Wells)

A beautiful yet emotionally devastating film packed with many haunting images, especially the final image which opens a fascinating space between memories, reality and dreams.

3. Return to Seoul (France/South Korea/Cambodia co-production, Davy Chou)

In 2016, I admired parts of Davy Chou’s Diamond Island as its depiction of Cambodia reminded of early Tsai Ming-liang (eg Rebels of the Neon God) and Hou Hsiao-Hsien (due to usage of motorcycle shots). However, his brilliant Return to Seoul is a massive step up and features many intriguing, bewitching sequences. In addition, many emotional weighty scenes are portrayed with a delicate lightness which allows the gravity of the situation to be felt. One of the strongest aspect of the film is the multi-year gaps between events. These gaps feel authentic and realistic as often family issues are unresolved for years because people don’t talk or address things. Instead, people ignore the issues and let them linger. 

4. Matter Out of Place (Austria, Nikolaus Geyrhalter)

Geyrhalter continues his essential depiction of humans impact on our planet. This time, he focuses on the never ending collection of garbage filling our earth and bodies of water. The film recalls Edward Burtynsky’s collaborations with Jennifer Baichawal seen in Manufactured Landscapes (2006), Watermark (2013) and Anthropocene (2018).  

5. My Imaginary Country (Chile/France, Patricio Guzmán)

“How is it possible that I am witnessing a second revolution in Chile?”

Guzmán’s surprising question is remarkable especially when one considers that he has once again documented Chile in a state of unrest almost 5 decades after his famous documentary The Battle of Chile (1975) which depicted the violence that unfolded after Salvador Allende was overthrown by a military coup. The ramifications from that military coup and dictatorship clearly played a part in a decades long eroding of Chilean society which led to the events in 2019 captured by Guzmán.

6. Gehraiyaan (India, Shakun Batra)

Gehraiyaan is a rare precious thing: a mature adult relationship Hindi language film. The gray palette and muted colours perfectly depict the mood of the film which indicates the dangers lurking beneath the surface. Brilliantly acted (Deepika Padukone is mesmerizing) with top notch production values and an infectious soulful track sung by Lothika Jha! 

7. Rule 34 (Brazil/France, Júlia Murat)

Two earlier Júlia Murat films, Found Memories and Pendular, were not adequate preparation for what unfolds in Rule 34. Murat’s newest film pushes the concept of public vs private life to the brink and questions whether any objectivity can exist when the main character Simone (Sol Miranda) carries on living a dual life where her night time activities contradicts her daytime job. There are concepts of law, rules in society, acceptable behaviour, safety, criminality that also need to be unpacked after viewing this film. Sol Miranda has put in a brave and extraordinary performance and her expressions are priceless. This is evident in the film’s ending where the camera looks firmly at her face which goes through an entire range of emotions before her character decides what route she wants to take.

8. Urf/A.k.a (India, Geetika Narang Abbasi)

The film gives a fascinating insight into the Hindi language film industry by depicting the lives of actors who are lookalikes of legendary actors such as Dev Anand, Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan. The honest look into these lookalike actor’s lives raises questions about identity and the God like status some Bollywood movie stars enjoy. As a result, Geetika Narang Abbasi's film provides a new entry point into perceiving Bollywood. 

9. No Bears (Iran, Jafar Panahi)

Any new Panahi film feels like a miracle. He continues to push the boundaries of making cinema within strict restrictions and limitations. This time he travels to the Iranian border and shows how a film can be potentially directed remotely, an appropriate nod to our times where remote work has became a lot more commonplace across the globe. 

10. EO (Poland/Italy, Jerzy Skolimowski)

Packed with incredible images and a hypnotic soundtrack, Skolimowski’s wonder of a film is a genuine cinematic treat!

11. EAMI (Paraguay co-production, Paz Encina)

As per the film notes, “Eami means ‘forest’ in Ayoreo. It also means ‘world’”. Paz Encina highlights the deforestation and its impact on the indigenous Ayoreo-Totobiegosode community of the Chaco region in Paraguay. Her shape-shifting film is a beautiful audio-visual experience and one of the film highlights of 2022.

12. Stars at Noon (France/Panama/US, Claire Denis)

Claire Denis and co-writers Andrew Litvack and Léa Mysius have taken the core of Denis Johnson’s novel The Stars at Noon about 1984 Nicagragua and adapted it to our current times with some tweaks which remove specific details of which country the film is set in. Tindersticks' soundtrack, a constant in Claire Denis films, enhances the mood and elevates proceedings.

Honourable mention:  

Broker (South Korea, Hirokazu Kore-eda)

Kore-eda continues his exploration of the dynamic two-way relationship between adults and children and what constitutes a family. The Korean setting of the film is missing the usual rhythm and emotional resonance found in Kore-eda’s Japanese films. Still, there is plenty to admire in this film especially the performance of Song Kang-ho.