The Top 10 Films I've seen this year

 Top Ten Films

As has been said in my last post fuck 2020. But thank god for films! I should say that featured here are only films that I've seen for the first time this year. Nonetheless, it's a cracking list if I     do say so myself. I've also put a film to watch if you enjoyed that particular film, feel free to ignore of course. Ignore all of it if you want. Here we go...

10. Diego Maradonna (2019) dir. Asif Kapadia



The death of Diego Maradonna meant that there was no way this brilliant documentary wasn’t making the cut. He was simply the most brilliant player to ever have graced the pitch, and this documentary focuses on his glory years at Napoli, where he literally dragged the team almost single-handedly from mid-table to the top - and turned Naples against Italy at the 1990 world cup for his own benefit. I think what’s so brilliant about this documentary is it’s representation of both the good and the bad of Diego. Such an enigmatic and legendary figure should not be represented in any other way, and this captured the drug problem, ties with the mafia, his one-of-a-kind talent, his love for the game and his unfaithfulness to women all in one unforgettable 2 hour piece.

A film to watch if you liked this: Senna (2010)

9. My Octopus Teacher (2020) dir. Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed


This is the last of the documentaries on the list and it's a fantastic one. My Octopus Teacher follows South African diver and filmmaker Craig Foster as he returns to the same kelp forest everyday and forms a relationship with a wild common octopus. As well as teaching you a lot about octopus’ - their playful nature, how smart they are and their remarkable capabilities as a predator and evader - this film becomes as much about the cyclical nature of our environment and how connected every living thing on this planet is to each other. My Octopus Teacher brings you joy, wonder and sorrow in equal measure, and is a fantastic achievement both in documentary and storytelling. 

A film to watch if you liked this: Grizzly Man (2005)

8. La Haine (1995) dir. Mathieu Kassovitz


What can I really say about this modern masterpiece that hasn’t already been studied and discussed by film critics, teachers and students alike? La Haine follows a group of underclass men who are brutalised by the police and held back by the social environment of perpetual crime that they inhabit. It came at a dark time for France, and was an instinctual and brilliantly reflective societal film, whose craft still stands up today against any crime film out there. The poetic and gritty storytelling is matched by the beautiful black and white cinematography and brilliant camera techniques.

A film to watch if you liked this: Kidulthood (2005) - I daresay you’ll be disappointed, but I spent my whole adolescence quite liking this film until I realised that it was pretty much just a London reimagining of La Haine, without anywhere near as much brilliance.

7. Midsommar (2019) dir. Ari Aster


How is this only Ari Aster’s second film? Hereditary was brilliant, but for me, this is even better. Midsommar chronicles main character Dani (Florence Pugh) as she tries to deal with her sisters suicide and emotionally distant boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor). As she is unwillingly invited by Christian to join him and his friends to attend a ritual in Sweden, the group horrifyingly unravels under the disturbing neopagan Scandinavian cult. There’s some really disturbing scenes of gore and violence, but perhaps the most unsettling thing is the mimicry that the cult participate in - it just instantly feels weird and ambivalent to hear hordes of people making sex noises and crying profusely together. It’s also really well shot with countless minute details to look out for, plus Aster doesn’t even need the darkness to scare the hell out of you.

A film to watch if you liked this: Hereditary (2018) (obviously)

6. Amadeus (1984) dir. Miloš Forman


I don’t really know how I’d never even heard of this film until my girlfriend showed me. The accolades and praise it’s garnered over time and from release have just been in a blind spot for me, but its legacy is understandable. Now be warned, this is absolutely fictional. Do not expect a rigorous biography of Mozart and Salieri, because this creates fantasy which only occasionally touches on truth, but it’s all the better for it. In the dichotomy between the awfully-mannered genius of Mozart and the refined personality but uninspiring talent of Salieri, Forman is able to explore the themes of the senseless distribution of otherworldly genius, and the torture it can bring to those who can truly see their inadequacy in the light of the chosen few.

A film to watch if you liked this: Good Will Hunting (1997)

5. Burning (2018) dir. Lee Chang-dong


If you enjoyed Parasite then I’m pretty sure you will love this. Set in Paju (South Korea), this film follows aspiring novelist and working class Lee Jong-su as he reconnects with old schoolfriend Shin Hae-mi and is introduced to Ben - a mysterious and conceited upper-class man in the city. What unwinds is a brilliant study of class anxiety with the genre of psychological thriller. Cinematography is incredible, and you can read a more detailed analysis I wrote on it here. 

A film to watch if you liked this: Not really related but just watch The Handmaiden (2016)

4. Rear Window (1954) dir. Alfred Hitchcock


I ended this year by getting into some more Hitchcock whenever my girlfriend would fall asleep early. This was my personal favourite. Forget Psycho and The Birds - even Vertigo (oooh controversial), Rear Window is a voyeuristic masterpiece. L B Jeffries (played by James Stewart) is a professional photographer who has a broken leg and is stuck in his apartment, people-watching the neighbours in the opposite block of flats. It’s really hard to believe this came out in the early 50’s, because the sophisticated camera work has the same fluidity that seems to permeate the much adored films of today (Birdman, 1917). It’s also purposeful, aligning the viewer directly with our character and never leaving the apartment, whilst restricting our view so we’re always seeing the snippets of murder clues, along with slices of meandering everyday life that gives Rear Window, dare I say it, a more art-house kind of vibe too. The female characters in Stella and Lisa are really strong and astute (within the context of old Hollywood of course), and your main gripe falls with Jeffries and his ridiculous reposts of Lisa’s love. I honestly wondered why she needed to spend the whole film proving herself to him to be an acceptable partner, but the beauty of the direction and everything else just about managed to push it to the back of my mind.

A film to watch if you liked this: I could only have one Hitchcock, and it was so very nearly North by Northwest (1959), so watch that and try to come out of it without falling in love with Cary Grant

3. Come and See (1985) dir. Elem Klimov


This film is the best anti-war film you’re ever likely to see. Set in a Byelorussian village during world war 2, we follow a young boy as he is enlists to stop the Nazi invasion of his homeland. Be warned though, this is potentially the most brutal film ever made in depicting the horrors of war. We follow Florya (the boy) throughout and witness the distressing events he witnesses, and on the occasions that we leave him, we only see more distress. It’s actually nauseous at times. The setting could not be more bleak, the evil is paramount and the camera usage through POV, static shots and lingering takes leave you both compelled and disturbed. Klimov’s achievement here is the fact that I genuinely believe no-one could watch it and take a pro-war stance again.

A film to watch if you liked this: Son of Saul (2015)

2. Cinema Paradiso (1988) dir. Giuseppe Tornatore


An absolutely sensational and sentimental tale in a post-war Sicilian village about a young boy who grows up and finds escape along with unimpeached joy in the magic of film. Some might say that it perhaps goes over the top with sentimentality but personally for me I can’t get enough. The relationship between Salvatore (the boy) and his surrogate father Alfredo (the projectionist at the local cinema) is a beautiful and deep relationship, whilst the cinema itself alludes to times when the magic of films were deeply embedded in the community, and the houses which show them were characters in themselves. For me personally, I just about remember Gosport’s one-of-a-kind cinema ‘The Ritz’ - it’s one screen showing cartoons in the daytime and whatever else at nighttime. This film brought back that occasion and magic that going to the cinema had for me as a child, which in all honesty I’d forgotten due to the franchised multiplexes that run film screenings today.

A film to watch if you liked this: 81/2 (1963)

1. Parasite (2019) dir. Bong Joon-ho


This might not be better than some of the ones listed below it, but purely due to it being a film from this year and all the hype it undoubtedly deserved I had to join in. Because Parasite is phenomenal. The acting, the direction, the themes, the delivery. It set me off on a Bong Joon-ho mission and I soon after ended up blitzing Memories of Murder, The Host and Okja (there listed in order of my preference). One of the things I love about his direction is the mixing of genres, which is completely perfected in Parasite. It holds deep philosophy and reflective ideas one minute, then makes you laugh the next and then before even realising you’re watching scared shitless. The film focusses on a completely poor family, who try to make some money duping a wealthy family into employing them all. Class anxiety and disparity of wealth are the main themes hit on through Joon-ho’s tale, and he does this expertly at every turn. I could go on but I don’t really want to spoil it at all. Just watch it and appreciate one of the best films that has come out in recent years.

A film to watch if you liked this: Shoplifters (2018)

I've watched so many good films this year here's 11 - 20 as well...



11. Ran (1985)
12. Le Samurai (1968)
13. The Lighthouse (2019)
14. Rosetta (1999) - read an analysis here.
15. Phantom Thread (2018)
16. Ad Astra (2019)
17. Memories of Murder (2003) - read an analysis here.
18. Incendies (2010) - read an analysis here.
19. Knives Out (2019)
20. Honeyland (2019)


Other films I've watched for the first time this year:

Shame (2011)
Lost in Translation (2003)
Long Shot (2019)
The Hustle (2019)
1917 (2020)
The House (2017)
The Gentlemen (2020)
Knock Down the House (2019) 
Little Women (2019)
Girl Interrupted (1999)
Good Time (2017)
The Two Popes (2020)
The Invisible Man (2020)
Uncut Gems (2019)
Ninth Gate (1999)
Changeling (2008)
From Hell (2001)
Silence (2016)
Thor: Ragnarok (2019)
Ant Man and The Wasp (2019)
Monos (2019)
Disaster Artist (2019) 
Memories of Murder (2003)
Bombshell (2019)
Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
The Favourite (2018)
Shoplifters (2018)
Jojo Rabbit (2019)
Pierrot Le Fou (1965)
Pain and Glory (2019)
The Host (2006)
Just Mercy (2019)
Ferris Buellers Day Off (1986)
Endless Poetry (2016)
The Last Black Man in San Fransisco (2019)
Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story (2020)
Ready Player One (2018)
Marriage Story (2019)
Brexit: The Uncivil War (2019)
The Help (2011)
Free Solo (2018)
Blakkklansman (2018)
Still Alice (2014)
Mandy (2018)
Incredibles 2 (2018)
Captain Fantastic (2018)
What If (2013)
Rocketman (2019)
The Danish Girl (2015)
Beethoven (1992)
Official Secrets (2019)
Frozen Ground (2013)
Hereditary (2018)
Tenet (2020)
Sully (2016)
Capernaum (2018)
State of Play (2009)
Juliet, Naked (2018)
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Borat 2 (2020)
Boys Don’t Cry (1993)
Okja (2017)
A Single Man (2009)
Unforgiven (1992)
Lolita (1962)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Black Book (2006)
The Witch (2015)
It Follows (2014)
Rabbit Proof Fence (2002)
Game Night (2018)
Mulan (2020)
Lucy (2014)
The Night Before (2015)
Tell Me Who I Am (2019)
North by Northwest (1959)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Vertigo (1958)

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