Ten Films to Distract You from the Election Results
Today’s the big day. We’re not getting political at all. If anything, we’re going to go the opposite direction and try to use this article as a means of escaping November 3rd, 2020 altogether. Regardless of your political alignments or who you’re voting for, there’s a chance there is a lot of tension in your life right now. So, let’s not discuss that at all. Let’s just talk about ten films that are fantastic means of distraction. They can be full of joy and escapism, or provoking in a non-debatable way. The idea is to not have you worrying about these election results at all. So, let’s dive right in and just celebrate some great cinema. Here are ten films to distract you from the election results (or anything else that’s bothering you, really).
Best in Show
Zany dog owners and a show for these misfits to display their worst and whackiest qualities? Yes, please! The best of Christopher Guest, Best in Show is the usual gang of oddballs doing their thing (plus the iconic duo of Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy are here during their prime, well, before Schitt’s Creek). What better way to be removed from the world than by pretty canines, batty contestants, and the best judges that a competition can have (who can have too much Fred Willard?).
His Girl Friday
It is impossible to think straight when verbal diarrhea is on the program for the night. There is no better film than His Girl Friday when it comes to hundred-words-a-second mania. Besides, you have Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant being as charming and magnetic as ever, all surrounding a screwball plot containing mass confusion. Guaranteed that it will be difficult to focus on anything else when you’re busy trying to follow the insanity that is His Girl Friday.
Roman Holiday
Excursions are always a nice getaway, right? One of the finest cinematic retreats is the one that Princess Anne takes to leave a life of royalty (for a little while) in Roman Holiday. Featuring Audrey Hepburn’s breakthrough, Academy Award winning performance as Anne, and Gregory Peck at his most charismatic, William Wyler’s uplifting day of discovery is so joyful and loving. It’s a wholesomeness we can all use, and it might do the trick.
Playtime
It’s easy to toss around Jacques Tati’s comedic masterpiece Playtime, because it is such a monumental achievement in how visual gags could be represented on screen. It’s impossible to notice every single joke the first time around, and you’re already dealing with a nearly three hour affair. Each and every second feels worthwhile, but it’s too much information to take in. So, you have multiple viewings ahead of you, full of brilliant gag after brilliant gag. There are many hours that Playtime earns from you. It’s so easy to get lost in.
Last Year at Marienbad
Even though there is a political backdrop in Alain Resnais’ greatest achievement, Last Year at Marienbad is driven by its central shtick enough that it wouldn’t matter in times like this. The film is held together by the unfaithfulness of memory, and all of the little details that separate each recollection from each other make this experience beyond remarkable. Last Year at Marienbad is gorgeous, serene, peculiar, and challenging enough that you will be whisked away.
Moonrise Kingdom
Any work of Wes Anderson’s films are distracting enough, since he is second-to-none with his ability to craft cinematic storybooks. However, Moonrise Kingdom is innocent and whimsical enough to really fit on a list like this. Bright colours, even more colourful characters, and uncompromising silliness make this coming-of-age existential adventure so much fun, despite the dark corners the film occasionally entertains. It’s impossible to leave this film gloomy.
Sherlock Jr.
You must love film if you’re on a website like this, so films about the cinematic experience are usually a treat. So, a film of that nature would be a fine addition to this kind of list, but let’s stray away from the feuding on film sets and industry politics. So, Sherlock Jr. is the film of choice. Buster Keaton’s love letter to movies is so earnest that it feels like everyone’s dream come true (and not just the lead projectionist’s). Then, you have Keaton’s definitive stunts that are still mind boggling nearly one hundred years later.
Stop Making Sense
Concerts usually take audiences away from their problems, and there is no better concert film than Stop Making Sense. Featuring Talking Heads and their fantastic band of touring musicians arriving on stage one-by-one and song-by-song, Stop Making Sense is a small flicker that bursts into an unstoppable fire. If you watch this without even an inkling of wanting to bust a move, you may be completely soulless (and we know that isn’t the case).
Smiles of a Summers Night
Absurdity can unwind your mind, but too many doses of it can cause your brain to work overtime. We don’t want that if you’re wishing to take it easy. So, a nice, silly sex romp like, say, Smiles of a Summers Night might be the ticket, because it’s fun but not too out there. Seeing aristocrats lose their order and let loose is rather fun, but the dark satire that rises — especially towards the legitimately unsettling climax — almost makes the film even more of a riot.
Fantasia
Music can be a distraction. So can animation. Splash both together, and you have the brilliant Fantasia: a temporary concert of the mind that is unparalleled (not even by the millennium counterpart, which is still quite good nonetheless). Each song is a separate audible and visual symphony full of creativity and imagination that not even Disney has matched. What a singular experience that warrants at least one view, if not many more.
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.