The Best Films Of 2019
We have reached a few milestones: the end of the year, the end of the decade, the start of the newest edition of the roaring ‘20s, and nearly one full year of Films Fatale. We started the site off with our list of our favourite films of 2018, and we never looked back. Actually, we looked forward, and predicted the films of 2019 we may love the most. Some of these predictions weren’t as great as we would have hoped. Some we didn’t even get a chance to see in 2019. Luckily, a bulk of these anticipated works did not let us down, and you will find a few familiar names in this very list. In 2019, like many years of the new millennium, most of us spent the time either being nostalgic, or leaping ahead to the distant future.
Not many of us sat comfortably in the now: the political divides, climate debates, and cyber anxieties we all have come across a number of times have made us restless. Filmmakers felt the same way, and you can find that similarity within the greatest works of the year. We have period pieces shot with modern messages, as well as the “now” captured by a push for the future of cinema. In between, we have deeply personal projects meant as a coping mechanism (a great deal of the best films of 2019 are cathartic releases). For us viewers, we had a great variety of films to enjoy. 2019 ended up being an incredibly strong year for film, and I’m not just saying that. The bottom 5 of this list could have easily made a bigger impact in other years. I’ve never given so many perfect (or close-to perfect) ratings in a single year since I started reviewing on this level. To finish the ‘10s once and for all, cinema went out with a massive bang.
It is my pleasure to share our list of The Best Films of 2019.
20. Dolemite is my Name
There wasn’t a return as vicious as Eddie Murphy’s finest work (perhaps ever), found in Dolemite is my Name (like The Disaster Artist, but even better). As sympathetic as it is a riot, you laugh both at the plagued Dolemite shoot, and at Rudy Ray Moore’s comedy. Craig Brewer provides the perfect angle for Dolemite is my Name, so you are enjoying yourself and seeing a movement happen simultaneously. Now this is how you have fun with a piece of cinematic history, without beating up on the focal point too much.
Our original review.
19. Booksmart
For a directorial debut, Booksmart shows a bright future ahead for Olivia Wilde. The Feldstein-Dever duo is quirky and infectious, and they are absolutely the two people you would want to be lost in the middle of high school suburbia with. The varying camera effects and editing techniques shows that Wilde is above just making a silly, shallow teen comedy. Booksmart is fun, sure, but it’s also well made, with the best intentions at its core.
Our original review.
18. Waves
While we commented on the story’s slight gaffs only ten days ago or so (our reviews aren’t posted the day we watch these features), Waves has not left our minds since. Despite its brief flaws, Waves remains one of the most exhilarating aesthetic experiences of 2019. As an observation of a troubled family, especially during the biggest crisis of their lives, Waves captures the many motions of glee, terror, heartache, and euphoria. It’s like looking back at one’s youth, through the eyes of a teenager wondering where it all went.
Our original review.
17. Honey Boy
Shia LaBeouf is known for his zany experiments: these are noble efforts considering his disdain for his previous clean-cut image. His strongest idea to date is him actually acknowledging his past with Honey Boy: a screenplay written as a means of replacing his daily journal in rehab. Alma Har’el helps bring LaBeouf’s challenging childhood to light, as LaBeouf does the ultimate gamble and plays an iteration of his own father. Honey Boy pays off, big time, with gut wrenching heartache through and through.
Our original review.
16. Us
We all waited for Jordan Peele’s follow up to Get Out. We got the artsier, gutsier Us: a statement on class privilege in the United States. 2019 has been such a strong year. I was convinced Us would make the top ten (and it’s barely even close on the final list). That’s because it is such a creepy, raw take on the gifts the elite take for granted. The voiceless are granted the podium. Like a modern Twilight Zone episode (excluding, well, the actual modern Twilight Zone episodes), Us is eerie, loopy, and completely manic.
Our original review.
15. High Life
It takes a visionary like Claire Denis to really look past the usual limitations of mainstream science fiction. In High Life, she proposes an unsettling future, where inmates are sent (against their will) to experiment for the rest of us until they die. Although an intergalactic curse, the final moments of every criminal is shot with the richest of colours and textures. This turns High Life into a fever dream, where the content is dismal, but the experience is invigorating.
Our original review.
14. Midsommar
When everyone else is excited for summer to finally hit, we have a stick-in-the-mud like Ari Aster to rain on our parade. Midsommar is a rare well-lit horror film that relies on the strongest dreads of a grief stricken woman to guide the way. Anyone would be sick to their stomachs a quarter of the way in. Then, you realize, this is only going to get worse. And it does. Oh, does it ever. By the hysterical end, you will know delirium to the point of insanity, and, ultimately, bliss.
Our original review.
13. Monos
Sadly, I was right in thinking that Monos was going to be forgotten about by the end of the year. Well, not by us. How could we overlook the unsettling calamity within a young guerrilla unit? Like a mixture of The Lord of the Flies and Apocalypse Now (everyone makes this comparison, but it’s true), Monos is a sickening experiment that will leave you gasping the entire film. Please make it your mission to not sleep on Monos in 2020. It’s well worth your time.
Our original review.
12. The Irishman
We were waiting on Martin Scorsese to release his best film of the 2010’s. He turned in his assignment at the last second, and got an excellent grade. He’s just that kind of filmmaker. Well, he was also writing what he knows about inside and out: the gangster genre. Like Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, this was Scorsese saying farewell to his most definitive genre in the only way he knew how. With wisdom, ambition, and his usual magnetism, Scorsese delivered one last crime opus for the ages.
Our original review.
11. Pain and Glory
After a bit of a slump, Pedro Almodóvar closed off the year (and decade) with his finest film since Volver. Pain and Glory is his 81/2: the expulsion of writers block by turning his demons into his art. All of the film is captivating to behold, as it tosses us between Almodóvar’s youth and later years (sorry, I mean “Salvador Mallo’s). When we get the meta ending, that’s when Pain and Glory becomes something special; it is a self referential statement that will put Almodóvar on the right track once again.
Our original review.
10. 1917
To emulate the anxiety of the battlefield, Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins committed to making 1917 look like it is mostly done in one take. To make the experiment worthwhile, both filmmakers explore the mise-en-scéne within each shot as much as possible. 1917 becomes a balancing act, where the amount of cinematic gymnastics going on will floor you at each possible second. What could have been a standard war epic has turned into a gripping, overwhelming work of beauty, and a staple in both Mendes and Deakins’ careers.
Our original review.
9. The Farewell
In an era where identity is becoming foggier and foggier, Lulu Wang took the time to remind us that we don’t have to wait for tragedy to discover ourselves. The Farewell is a dramedy about impending loss, whilst using one’s heritage to breathe life back into ourselves. Led by a conflicted Billi (played by a superb Awkwafina), The Farewell is the awkwardness of family in general, even outside of the dark moments that unite us all. If anything, The Farewell is more of a love letter than a goodbye.
Our original review.
8. Little Women
Greta Gerwig returned, and just in time for Christmas. We’ve all seen that new filmmaker take on a classic tale, only to prove unfortunate redundancy. Well, Gerwig has made a Little Women for many years to come. With the natures of an indie comedy, and the precision of the great, serious period piece films, Gerwig really make Little Women her way. She also tosses in an extra pinch of modern commentary, proving that Mary Louise Alcott’s classic will forever be a timeless tale (and a reminder that strong women aren’t leaving anytime soon).
Our original review.
7. The Lighthouse
We knew Robert Eggers was going to be super finicky with the historical detail of The Lighthouse. Everything is put into place. All of the sets and costumes are very 1800’s America, and the film is shot to resemble a silent horror classic (albeit with sound). Now, what we didn’t quite expect is how deep into the bizarre Eggers was willing to go. Like Persona if you were hallucinating over rum and starvation, The Lighthouse is a dwelling nightmare that zooms towards insanity, and we love every second of this downward spiral.
Our original review.
6. Marriage Story
Noah Baumbach has dealt with divorce stories before, but this here is a Marriage Story. The difference is that we haven’t arrived after a relationship was ripped apart. We’re right in the thick of the moment, with a couple unsure where the love went; they progressively unroot their deepest anguishes about each other, “thanks” to meddling friends and professionals that only mean well. Featuring some of 2019’s realest moments, Marriage Story is a peak moment for Baumbach from start to finish.
Our original review.
5. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
How every awards show is neglecting this directorial debut by Joe Talbot is absolutely atrocious. I know The Last Black Man in San Francisco came out rather early for the awards season, but shame on every academy. San Francisco is the cinematic poem of 2019, one that comes from personal experience (Jimmie Fails, who stars as a fictional representation of himself). It plays like a metaphysical satire, but everything here is sadly drawn from real life. San Francisco is a moving feature that deserves better this time of year.
Our original review.
4. Uncut Gems
The Safdie brothers love taking people out of their element. This can mean putting viewers in the most uncomfortable of positions for two hours. This can also mean making performers act in ways they never have before (including Adam Sandler in the best role he’s ever pulled off). Uncut Gems presents the chasing of glory, and it takes all of the worst moments to get there. For all of its ugliness, Uncut Gems is also magnificently stunning.
Our original review.
3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
One last piece of scolding. How could France push Les Misérables ahead of the infinitely better Portrait of a Lady on Fire for the Academy Awards? Céline Sciamma’s finest film to date, Lady on Fire is a candid self reflection, through a period piece that emotes the societal bigotry women and the LGBTQ community still continue to face to varying degrees. With vicious commentary, but the gentlest of aesthetics, Lady on Fire is pure art, with its soul and heart on its sleeves.
Our original review.
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
After nine films, it’s nice to finally see Quentin Tarantino being vulnerable. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is three storylines, but it’s more like three states of mind. It’s a surrender from Tarantino, who admits he is coming up to the end of his spectacular run. It is an observation of the severed United States during a time of political separation. It’s a piece of cinematic revisionism, as a means to protect an icon whose life was taken too soon. All of these have a happy ending, only in the restrictions of a sterile Hollywood motion picture.
Our original review.
1. Parasite
Without question, Parasite is the most refreshing film in recent memory. Bong Joon-ho’s aim to talk for the suffering lower classes is in full effect in this assimilation simulation. The basic premise (a poor family that overtakes a rich household through employment) was enough. How Parasite leaps into its craziest territories still amazes me. We end on the biggest bait-and-switch in a film full of so many twists, and we still ache so heavily. Parasite was so good, it was undoubtably the best film in a year that produced so many brilliant works. This domestic black comedy horror (whatever you want to call it) will stick with us for many years to come.
Our original review.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.