2011 may have been a deeply depressing year for news, but thankfully though it wasn't for cinema. There have been many terrific efforts over the previous 12 months; but it's the collection of the following 20 that stand out for me more than most....in descending order for dramatic effect!
20. ATTACK THE BLOCK
(UK, Joe Cornish)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A group of South London hoodies are forced to team up with a victim of one of their criminal escapades in order to survive an alien invasion that's terrorising their local neighbourhood.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Not only is it a hugely enjoyable Carpenter-esque siege film with plenty of action, humour and suspense; it also dares you to invest sympathy in one of the most demonised social groups in the UK and succeeds in portraying them as human beings rather than monsters - something easily forgotten in times of anarchistic occasions like the England riots.
19. THE DEEP BLUE SEA
(UK, Terrence Davies)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Set in post-war Britain; a married woman falls madly in love with a charismatic RAF pilot and leaves her devoted, older husband to be with him. But as the new couple begin to establish themselves, their relationship begins to crumble.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It marks the return of one of Britain's greatest living (yet undervalued) film-makers and beautifully portrays the all-consuming nature the power of love can hold over someone's thoughts, feelings and decisions. Disgracefully overlooked in the Bafta longlists.
18. KILL LIST
(UK, Ben Wheatley)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Two retired hit-men facing crippling financial troubles and haunted by a difficult experience in Kiev set out on one last contract; but as the bodies begin to mount, the proceedings become increasingly more disturbing.
WHY IT'S GREAT
In a year of such desperately mediocre horror fare, this low-budget treat was an absolute breath of fresh air. Not a horror film in the conventional haunted house sense but through its usage of atmosphere and dread, it made for one of the most unsettling films of the year - whether a scene involved an argument over a pyrex dish or a character's head being smashed to bits with a hammer.
17. TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
(UK/France/Sweden, Tomas Alfredson)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Set during the Cold War; after a failed mission in Budapest; the head of a group of British spies suspects a Soviet mole within the organisation & enlists a retired agent to weed them out.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It has arguably the finest assemble of actors to grace any film in 2011 - including a possible career-best turn from Gary Oldman. Its pacing and lack of explosive set-pieces will be (and have been) a turn-off for the less-patient, but those willing to engage with a tale about the lives of men heavily damaged by living a life of deceit will be richly rewarded.
16. NEVER LET ME GO
(UK/USA, Mark Romanek)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Spanning over three decades in the latter stages of 20th century Britain; three clones Kathy, Tommy & Ruth (who fall in & out with each other's company) gradually over time begin to both understand and accept their reason for existing and why it must come to a premature end in their twenties.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Romanek's adaptation of the celebrated Ishiguro novel not only marks the unique occasion of a Keira Knightley performance that's actually any good; but is also a harrowing, beautiful, low-key science fiction piece that reminds us all of the value to be alive and to make each & every moment count. Possibly the most overlooked and under-appreciated film of 2011.
15. SNOWTOWN
(Australia, Justin Kurzel)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Based on true events; a teenager lacking fatherly guidance is taken under the wing of his mother's new boyfriend - coercing him into a life of homophobia, torture and ultimately murder.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Animal Kingdom may have received more plaudits, but this for me was the much more impressive work that emerged from Australia in 2011. There are incidents in this film so unbelievably shocking and genuinely upsetting you'll struggle to comprehend that they actually took place. Snowtown is not only a brutal and authentic reconstruction of the infamous activities of John Bunting (played here to electrifying effect by newcomer Daniel Henshall), it's an enormously powerful and superbly played drama that displays the sheer helplessness a youngster can face when under the stewardship of an over-powering elder. More chilling and horrifying than a thousand Saws.
14. DREAMS OF A LIFE
(UK, Carol Morley)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Partially-dramatised documentary attempting to understand the desperately sad story of Joyce Vincent; a relatively young woman who died alone in her North London bedsit but whose body wasn't discovered by anyone for a further three years.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Through its usage of both the conventional (talking heads-based interviews) and the unconventional (dramatised moments echoing the likes of Clio Barnard's The Arbor) in the documentary form, it successfully paints a woman of distinct beauty & passion whilst at the same time reminds us all of the continuing decline of community spirit within the UK, the responsibility we all have in looking out for our nearest & dearest and how easy it can be to become so terribly isolated even within a densely populated area.
13. HUGO
(USA, Martin Scorsese)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Set in 1930s Paris; an orphan who dwells within the confines of a railway station attempts to make sense of an item left behind by his late father and the connection it has to a local proprietor.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It's the Marty film that best represents his consuming love of the cinema and its celebration of the medium's early beginnings is an absolute joy to behold that'll be cherished by those both young & old. It's also the closest thing yet to achieve the idea that 3D in film might be more than just a scandalous, money-making commodity.
12. THE TREE OF LIFE
(USA, Terrence Malick)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Structured in three distinctive parts; a middle-aged man contemplates his early life in 50s suburban America, his place in the present, his thoughts on the possible afterlife that awaits and the beginnings of the universe itself.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Possibly the most divisive film of 2011; Malick's Palme D'Or winning personal voyage into life, the universe and everything might be deeply flawed in places, but both it's passion and it's technical bravado are utterly jaw-dropping from start to finish. A spectacular cinematic spectacle that deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible.
11. TAKE SHELTER
(USA, Jeff Nichols)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A happily married family man begins to have vivid visions of an impending environmental catastrophe and reacts by taking steps in preparation for a cataclysmic event. But with a history of hereditary mental illness running through his family genes, he begins to question whether the true threat is posed by mother nature, or himself.
WHY IT'S GREAT
For anyone perturbed by a dream, this will resonate fully. Michael Shannon; an actor certainly accustomed to playing a character of an eccentric disposition (Revolutionary Road, The Runaways, My Son My Son What Have Ye Done?, Boardwalk Empire and many more) also delivers arguably his most well rounded performance to date and cements himself as one of the finest actors working today - that alone is an excuse for watching this haunting and engrossing feature.
10. INCENDIES
(France / Canada. Denis Vileneuve)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Canadian / French twins of middle-eastern origin left behind by their deceased mother follow up on a set of wishes detailed in her will - leading to a journey to the Middle East and a number of shocking revelations as they uncover her past.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It's one of those hugely contrived dramas that is executed to such perfection it's almost Shakespearean. Its depiction of how the feeling of hate can have such damaging repercussions results in a devastating & draining viewing experience (in a good way) that's absolutely essential for those who like their mystery thrillers to carry a knock-out punch. And despite the very best efforts of Snowtown, it also contains the most distressing scene I witnessed in a cinema in 2011.
9. TYRANNOSAUR
(UK, Paddy Considine)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A man consumed by anger and a woman deeply affected by domestic violence make a connection with one another - seeking refuge from their troubled backgrounds respectably.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Where do you start? It's the debut feature from one of Britain's finest actors. It has the two best leads of any film in 2011. It contains the most moving and award-worthy performance of the year that'll successfully reduce you to a fountain of tears if you have any beating heart at all (Olivia Colman - far, FAR away from Peep Show's Sophie). It's the best British film of the year bar none.
8. BLACK SWAN
(USA, Darren Aronofsky)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
An enthusiastic but innocent ballet dancer is desperate to earn the role of the Swan Queen in her company's brand new production of Swan Lake, but its artistic director remains unconvinced she has what it takes to pull off the side of the black & encourages her to explore her dark side.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It's either The Red Shoes From Hell or Suspiria In Heaven. It's a film containing an award-winning performance from Natalie Portman, understands the theatrics of the stage-based universe and explores the idea of losing yourself in a role to the point of obsession, paranoia and insanity to blissful, exciting and delirious effect.
7. THE SKIN I LIVE IN
(Spain, Pedro Almodovar)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A cosmetic surgeon with morally dubious ethics and a troubled family past sets out to perfect a new type of skin graft, using an imprisoned female as a test subject.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It's masterfully directed by a masterful director. It's a strange work that defies genre conventions yet effortlessly switches between different types with all the expertise and precision you'd expect from a film-maker at the absolute top of his game. A work strangely forgotten about in a number of films of the year poll, particularly since it's arguably the finest thing Almodovar has created to date.
6. MELANCHOLIA
(Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany, Lars Von Trier)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A woman consumed by depression struggles through her elaborate wedding whilst her relatively stable sister becomes increasingly frustrated by her "selfish" actions. The arrival however of a giant planet on a possible collision course with earth contributes to re-establishing their attitudes both with one another and life itself.
WHY IT'S GREAT
Whilst it's hardly what I'd call Friday night entertainment; it's a piece that fully understands both the differentiating and debilitating nature of depression, yet still manages to turn that concept into a glorious and strangely life-affirming work of art despite beginning with the end of the world - capturing some some mesmering images and an astonishing turn from Kirsten Dunst in the process. It's also Von Trier's strongest and thematically-sound was so far.
5. WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
(USA/UK, Lynne Ramsay)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A grief-stricken mother attempts to overcome her feelings of guilt and rebuild her life after the devastation caused by a high school massacre carried out by her teenage son.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It marks the long overdue return of Lynne Ramsay; (arguably Scotland's finest film-maker alive) whose adaptation of the brilliant (and deemed by many, unfilmable) Lionel Shriver novel wonderfully establishes an existence that works on its own merits yet retains the most important themes of the source material. The usage of both image and sound to portray recollection and memory is beyond extraordinary - all of which is anchored superbly by a terrific performance from Tilda Swinton. You'll also never listen to Wham's Last Christmas in quite the same way ever again.
4. SENNA
(UK/France/Germany/Brazil, Asif Kapadia)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
Documentary detailing the formula one career of Aryton Senna; covering his rise to prominence, his relationship with team mate / deadly rival Alain Prost, the iconic status he achieved in his native Brazil and ultimately the conclusion of his career.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It proves that documentary can be as engaging in a narrative sense as any fiction film and that you don't even have to be a fan of motor racing to be hugely engrossed. Its style of composing its visual story entirely from archival footage is absolutely amazing - offering unique insight into the legendary F1 driver, the world of F1 itself, his meditations on his own existence and above all, a raw authenticity that fiction film can never ever achieve.
3. DRIVE
(USA, Nicolas Winding Refn)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A stunt-car driver by day and a robbery chauffeur by night becomes entangled amongst a criminal underbelly after taking a shine to a young woman and her son - displaying psychotic tendencies in order to keep them safe from harm.
WHY IT'S GREAT
2011 has seen a number of terrific films - but admittedly many of them have been either very serious or extremely miserable. Therefore the appreciation for this piece of brilliantly directed, pure exploitation gold is even greater - containing the most heart-pounding scene of the year, an absolute killer soundtrack, an iconic character in the shape of Gosling's driver and the cuddily Albert Brooks playing a complete & utter bastard. In the first 15 minutes I nearly wet myself with excitement - you cannot get a better endorsement than that!
2. THE ARTIST
(France/USA, Michel Hazanavicius)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
In a chance encounter at a film premiere; a silent film star of the same feature (George Valentin) and a fan of his work (Peppy Miller) cross paths and his stardom pushes her into achieving her own. But with the arrival of "talkies", both find themselves on differentiating paths - hers towards success & fame, his towards failure & obscurity.
WHY IT'S GREAT
It's not a film that reinforces the need for silent cinema, but reminds you of the simple joy the classic techniques can create - whether through the close-up, the assembling of images or the physical performances of the actors involved (both Jean Dujardian & Berenice Bejo are absolutely magnificent in this regard). A funny, emotional and euphoric experience with universal appeal - from the cinephile to the popcorn muncher. Currently the one I'm backing for the golden statues in February and to quote Peter Bradshaw, I can't wait to see it again!
1. A SEPARATION
(Iran, Asghar Farhadi)
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?
A married couple face up to the inevitability of a divorce after the wife declares her wish to leave Iran to better the life of their child, whilst the husband refuses in order to care for his altzheimers-ridden father. As a result, the husband brings in outside help to cope with the situation the separation creates, leading to an incident that threatens the livelihood of all concerned.
WHY IT'S GREAT
In a year full of many fine films, this one for me towers above them all. An utterly fantastic and engaging drama that's superbly written, wonderfully performed by everyone involved and crucially, is all about character rather than incident. It portrays human behaviour in a fiercely intelligent and completely believable manner - resulting in all the characters' motives being hugely sympathetic yet never completely righteous. It doesn't resort to exploitative sensationalism yet remains gripping throughout like any Hitchcock thriller. It's also a film that celebrates the very act of triumph over adversity - not through the context of the film itself but for the mere fact that it actually exists at all. Its production was constantly dogged by Iranian government interference yet remarkably not only did it achieve completion with its integrity intact, but it's able to display an authenticity in its depiction of the secular-Middle Class and the Sharia Law-enforced working class. And with Iran becoming increasingly obsolete from western civilisation, phenomenal efforts like this need to be treasured even more.
So they were my favourites, but what were yours?
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