As promised, this post will go into further detail on my Top Ten list for 2009. The links lead to full reviews I've previously posted for four of these picks. I thought about writing up individual posts for the other six, for the sake of symmetry, but it's been a long time since I've seen several of them - over a year in some cases - and I don't trust my memory to do them justice. Instead, I'll just cut to the chase and tell you why they made my list.
*"A Serious Man" (Joel and Ethan Coen) - I usually like the Coens' comedies better than their dramas. The universes they exist in may be no less ominous and obscure, but there's always a sense of grinning self-awareness behind the camera too. Such is the case with "A Serious Man," the tale of a mathematics professor weathering a severe existential crisis. The film is full of symbols and portents and the audience is challenged to make sense of it all - or the point of the film may be that searching for an explanation is totally futile, a good-natured poke in the eye of pretentious film fandom.
*"Bright Star" (Jane Campion) - Campion's great strength is her ability to evoke particular moods, and in a period film concerned with chaste romance, sensual poetry, and tragic death, the atmosphere is everything. The relationship between John Keats and Fanny Brawne is defined by long absences and brief contact, and what we see of their shared passion is subtle, delicate, and often difficult, but divine. It's to the director's credit that some of the most affecting scenes are those of the characters in contemplative solitude, practically luxuriating in their romantic longing for each other.
*"District 9" (Neil Blomkamp) - 2009 was a great year for science fiction, and the high point was "District 9," a socially-conscious subversion of the classic alien invasion scenario set in the slums of Johannesburg, South Africa. The first-time filmmakers turned their modest budget and limited resources into an impressive, ambitious Apartheid parable with effects work on par with anything that came out of Hollywood last year. And it's been a long time since we've seen a science-fiction film so canny and biting on so many different levels, not to mention one with such a distinctive point of view.
*"In the Loop" (Armando Iannucci) - A scathing, blistering, profanity-riddled political satire that is hysterically funny and more than a little painful to watch, because one suspects that it may be uncomfortably close to the truth. "In the Loop" dramatizes the lead-up to war in the Middle East, following various political underlings in the UK and US governments as they jockey for power and influence. Full of despicable characters manipulating and backstabbing each other, the arguments are glorious and the rants are even better. The standout performance delivered by Peter Capaldi is my favorite of 2009.
*"Mother" (Bong Joon-Ho) - A Korean thriller about a mentally challenged young man accused of murder, and his loving mother, who is desperate to prove his innocence. I've fallen head over heels for Korean horror movies and revenge thrillers this year, and "Mother" may be the best of the lot. The slow pace, the unusual heroine, and the surprising twists and turns of the plot add up to a film that doesn't feel like anything else in the genre. Best of all, "Mother" managed to genuinely surprise me several times, which doesn't happen too often anymore.
*"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" (Lee Daniels) - "Precious" will make you cringe. And "Precious" will make you wince. And then "Precious" will make you empathize with an overweight, impoverished, illiterate, abused, African-American teenager who's already a single mother dependent on welfare. It's certainly not a comfortable experience, but it's an illuminating one, and perhaps a necessary one for those who would rather forget about Precious Jones and all the forgotten girls like her. After a single viewing of the film, I'm sure that I never will.
*"The Messenger" (Oren Moverman) - I have yet to find a modern war film more cathartic than "The Messenger." Following two members of the Army's Casualty Notification service on their rounds, the film is full of rough edges and awkward moments. The characters don't feel fully formed at times, and the pieces of the narrative don't all quite fit together. But those pieces also contain some of the most emotionally raw, intense scenes of human drama that I've seen all year. And they more than make up for the flaws.
*"Up in the Air" (Jason Reitman) - A dark comedy full of miserable people dealing with the heavy psychic toll of economic uncertainty. Even our hero, a smooth-talking workforce reduction specialist played by George Clooney at his sharpest, can't escape the fallout in the end. Of all the films on this list, "Up in the Air" best captures the mood of 2009, with its alienated characters, soulless corporations, and recession-era gallows humor. Reitman manages to walk a very fine line between too glib and too depressing, bolstered by a stellar ensemble cast.
*"Where the Wild Things Are" (Spike Jonze) - A very rare children's film that in that it's really a film about being a child. Jonze took the broad story outlines and the immortal iconography of the Maurice Sendak book and created a weird and difficult movie about the nameless feelings and strange thoughts that children know better than adults. Watching "Where the Wild Things Are" may make a grown-up viewer feel like they're ten years old again, but the experience may not be as pleasant as they remember. Also, bonus kudos for having my favorite trailer of 2009.
*"Whip It" (Drew Barrymore) - I like setting aside a spot every year for the film that had the most entertainment value, totally irrespective of any technical or artistic merits. Drew Barrymore's debut feature fills that slot this year, but I don't think it need any caveats. It's a strong, delightful, sports film that introduces the viewer to the oddball world of competitive women's roller derby. Oft overlooked is the less bombastic side of the heroine's teenage rebellion, with its note-perfect love story and parental clashes. I don't tend to like sports movies, but I'm in love with this one.
Honorable Mentions
An Education
The White Ribbon
The Hurt Locker
Zombieland
I Am Love
Fish Tank
The Milk of Sorrow
The Red Chapel
The City of Life and Death
About Elly
And for tomorrow, to close out this exercise in navel-gazing, I'll be putting up a post that I wish more critics would write - Why These Ten Critically Acclaimed Films of 2009 Didn't Make the Cut. In other words, what I thought of "The Hurt Locker," "Avatar," "Up," and all the other usual suspects from last winter's award season.
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