Top Fifty Films of the Decade (Part 4 of 5) (1/14/2020)
- Heather German
- Jun 26, 2020
- 7 min read
Updated: Jun 26, 2020
20. Arrival (2016)
Far too often, films involving first contact with aliens turn into violent war movies. We assume the worst when it comes to extraterrestrial species. In a way, this mirrors our feelings towards those from other countries. They don’t look like us, and we can’t understand the way they talk, so therefore they cannot be trusted. The only way to break down this barrier is by communication. Arrival is a science fiction film all about communication. It follows a linguist attempting to decode the aliens’ language so that they can communicate. It’s a powerful and original film that ends in one of the most mindblowing twists in recent memory, but even outside of the twist it’s a delightful piece of philosophical, contemplative sci-fi that encourages us to open up our minds to others and believe in the power of listening.
19. Birdman (2014)
Birdman’s gimmick of shooting the entire film in a single take was so successful, and so heavily talked about, that it’s easy to miss the deeper meanings of the film. A film about theater and film, Birdman’s single take and jazz soundtrack mimic a live performance that suits the subject material, and surrounds us in a surreal world full of people with delusions of grandeur and superiority. It’s a vicious takedown of cultural elitism, taking aim at pretty much everyone involved; pretentious critics, high art snobs that think they’re better because they aren’t mainstream, big movie stars who think they’re better because they’re famous. It criticizes the film industry’s tendency to chew up movie stars and spit them out. It’s a brilliant, sharp-toothed critique of the entertainment industry as a whole, and it’s a lot deeper than people have given it credit in hindsight.
18. The Witch (2016)
Robert Eggers arrived on the scene in 2016 with his debut film The Witch, and immediately took the world by storm. The Witch is easily one of the most accomplished debuts I’ve ever seen. Every single shot is exquisitely composed and layered with detail. The historical accuracy present in the dialogue and story is commendable, and while it may be hard to tell precisely what the characters are saying, the immersion is deeper because of it. But the best part is the atmosphere. Aided by a gloomy colour palette and an almost unbearably unsettling score, every frame of The Witch is dripping with dread, and the feeling of evil forces pressing around the protagonist and her family from all sides - including within - is palpable. I’ve rewatched this a few times since it first released in theaters, and every time I’m left shaken and in dire need of Xanax. It’s not for the faint of heart, but I’ll be damned if it’s not worth every second.
17. Inception (2010)
Inception was a very important film for me when it first was released. While it’s not quite as profound as I thought it was back then, when I was younger it opened my eyes to the possibilities of filmmaking. The way in which the movie blurred the distinctions between dream and reality, in ways that questioned whether a scene was truly happening in a dream or not, left me second guessing everything that happened in my own life for the next couple of days. Of course, I’m not actually in a dream, and I knew that, but the fact that it made me think that much left an impact on me, and I was never quite the same in terms of how I looked at film. Even beyond that, Inception is a fascinating work; a very personal project for Christopher Nolan that combines mind-bending visuals, a fascinating premise and one of his most emotionally affecting character arcs make it one of his finest films, and his best work of this decade.
16. Kizumonogatari (2016 - 2017)
Kizumonogatari feels deliberately inaccessible at times, as if it’s daring the viewer to write it off as obnoxious and self-indulgent. Indeed, within its three hour runtime (released in three parts) there are so many scenes of extended banter and conversations, and lots of it goes nowhere. The action and gore is so over the top it’s absurd, and there’s an undercurrent of hopeless sexual frustration to it that may leave viewers somewhat uncomfortable. But the Monogatari series, which this serves as a prequel too, has always had a meta, satirical edge, calling to the forefront the absurdities of adolescence and the ways in which cultures seem obsessed with embellishing their storytelling, and viewed through this lens, Kizumonogatari is a memetic masterwork, deftly balancing its many excesses with intentionality and charm - and utterly gorgeous and amazingly fluid animation to boot. Beneath all of this is a genuinely moving character piece exploring one of the most complex relationships in all of anime. Kiss Shot is a monster, and she knows it. She hurts others for her own gain, and though she takes no pleasure in it, she can’t stop. Araragi isn’t a monster, but he thinks he is, and is compelled to go to extreme and harmful lengths to help others. Kizumonogatari is about how these two people become inseparably intertwined and destroy each others lives - but beyond the wreckage, perhaps there is the far off chance for redemption.
15. The Babadook (2014)
Lately, we’ve been seeing somewhat of a horror renaissance, where good, legitimately frightening horror that doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares is returning to prominence in the mainstream. One of the earliest signs of this was the success of The Babadook. Though it rubbed quite a few people the wrong way on its first release, The Babadook was one of the most legitimately scary horror films to come out in some time. What mattered more, however, was the story behind it. The film brilliantly switches perspectives from the mother to the son halfway through the film, subtly enough so that we don’t cognizantly realize when it happens, but strongly enough so that we see the world through both of their eyes, giving two very different but equally necessary perspectives on what’s going on. Using this, as well as an Oscar-worthy performance from Essie Davis, The Babadook tells a genuinely disturbing yet emotionally powerful story of a mother and her son, and the uncaged grief that threatens to tear them apart.
14. Parasite (2019)
In a decade in which more and more people are waking up to the crippling wealthy inequality that pervades most of the world today, Parasite is a fitting way to top off the decade. Brilliantly turning class dynamics and stereotypes onto their end, Parasite is a dark comedy that manages to put the emphasis on both dark and comedy. A hilarious send up of class while also a genuinely intense thriller, Parasite resists being put into a single box, constantly redefining and recontextualizing itself, until it finally dispenses with the comedy altogether and demands that the audience pay attention, not just to the plot, but to the world around them. Parasite’s ending is bleak, but it’s an inevitable one, and it’s one that will stay with you for a while.
13. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
12 Years a Slave is a difficult film to watch. Of all the slavery movies that have come out in the past few decades, 12 Years a Slave is easily among the best, going deeper than most and showing the full brutality and inhumanity of the system. Moreover, 12 Years a Slave is fascinating in its stylistic approach, depicting its 12 years of brutality with a poetic, dreamlike quality, rendering it a nightmare for its protagonist in an almost literal sense of the word. Despite its violence, it avoids becoming slavery themed torture porn by focusing on the humanity of those that are being dehumanized, and never losing sight of it. It’s a carefully constructed and thoroughly moving portrait of human suffering and compassion, and if you have a soul in your body, it’s impossible to not be moved by its sobering, heartwrenching final shot.
12. Sorry to Bother You (2018)
Nothing can prepare you for Sorry to Bother You. The trailer makes it looks zany and eccentric, but it barely even scratches the surface. Sorry to Bother You has been called weaponized humor, and I’ve not heard a better description for it from everyone. A brutal satire and takedown of late stage capitalism, Sorry to Bother You starts off as a teleworker comedy with a racial critique, and then continuously mutates over and over, plunging further and further into the stratosphere as it seems to jump the shark and never come down. But throughout the entire experience, it never loses focus of the real world problems that inspires it, and as a result, no matter how bizarre and surreal things get, there’s always still a bleak and all to real look at the ugly side of life in America. I don’t want to say anything more, as it’s imperative that you go into this film blind, but I’ll leave off with this; it’s a unique experience unlike any other, and anyone interested in the power of comedy to attack rather than just entertain should watch it.
11. Hereditary (2018)
I would like to nominate Hereditary as my pick for scariest movie of the decade. Hereditary is a well shot and atmosphere supernatural haunting film, and it’s a pretty damn good one - but that’s not even the scary part. The scary part of Hereditary is the family drama within it. The way in which a family crumbles apart from within due to the pressures of the supernatural elements is completely horrifying to watch. All of the horror and violence in Hereditary, no matter how much supernatural presence is involved, is ultimately inflicted on family by family, and it explores the flaws in the American family ideal by showing just how badly they can go wrong. There are some scenes in this movie that will never leave you - one in particular that I think everyone who’s seen it will know. I can think of few movies this decade that are more legitimately horrifying than this one.
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