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The Very Best

The Red Shoes 1948

9.5/10

A fantastical, transcendent Technicolor classic that stands as the definitive ballet drama

A fantastical, transcendent Technicolor classic that stands as the definitive ballet drama.

Our take

While today’s moviegoers would likely pick Black Swan as the ballet film of choice, there is one film classic that brings the title of the best ballet film in contention. That is The Red Shoes. It first divided critics of film and ballet alike, but as time went by, the spectacular drama from Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger deservedly garnered acclaim for the brilliant, novel ways of bridging the gap between art forms. Of course, the most obvious of this is the lush, stunning 17-minute dance sequence that first incorporated dynamic camera movement to the choreography, and captured Han Christian Andersen’s story to its essentials. But aside from just depicting the dance, The Archers reconfigured every other single aspect of film to bend toward the movement without breaking the beauty of every shot– the scoring, the casting, the production design, and the ballet-within-a-film plotline. It’s because of this that The Red Shoes garnered a legacy of being one of the best ballet films, one of the best British films, and even one of the greatest films ever made.

Synopsis

In this classic drama, Vicky Page is an aspiring ballerina torn between her dedication to dance and her desire to love. While her imperious instructor, Boris Lermontov, urges to her to forget anything but ballet, Vicky begins to fall for the charming young composer Julian Craster. Eventually Vicky, under great emotional stress, must choose to pursue either her art or her romance, a decision that carries serious consequences.

Storyline

Aspiring composer Julian Craster exposes his professor’s plagiarism directly to Ballet Lermontov’s impresario, Boris Lermontov. To answer this wrong, Lermontov hires Craster. He also casts ambitious ballerina Vicky Page as the lead for his new ballet, leading her to be torn between dance and her love for the ballet’s newest composer.

TLDR

Black Swan is great, but could never transcend the heights this film reached. Pure cinema.

What stands out

Usually, we use this space to acknowledge the most outstanding aspects of a film, good or bad, but honestly, this is one of the films where all aspects are equally great.

The Very Best

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg 1964

8.8/10

The dreamy, beautiful French musical classic that inspired the likes of La La Land

The dreamy, beautiful French musical classic that inspired the likes of La La Land.

Our take

If we were to list down the best of the best movie musicals ever made, most of the titles would probably come from the Golden Age of Hollywood. But we’d be remiss to forget that just a few years later, all the way across the pond, came The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, a French romantic musical from Jacques Demy. It's certainly in the running for the most gorgeous musical ever made, with the bold, dreamy colors, incredible camera work, stylish costumes, and two beautiful leads front and center, but what makes Cherbourg great is the lush composition made by Michel Legrand. With the sweeping violins and the tragic lyrics of Devant le Garage, to the catchy, jazzy Scène du Garage that starts off the film, Les Parapluies de Cherbourg brings together sublime visuals and sound into one of the greatest musicals ever made.

Synopsis

This simple romantic tragedy begins in 1957. Guy Foucher, a 20-year-old French auto mechanic, has fallen in love with 17-year-old Geneviève Emery, an employee in her widowed mother's chic but financially embattled umbrella shop. On the evening before Guy is to leave for a two-year tour of combat in Algeria, he and Geneviève make love. She becomes pregnant and must choose between waiting for Guy's return or accepting an offer of marriage from a wealthy diamond merchant.

Storyline

The coastal town Cherbourg in Normandy, late 1950s. Umbrella boutique seller Geneviève falls in love with Guy, the dashing mechanic next door. However, after he gets drafted to serve in the Algerian War, Geneviève is forced to face a life-altering decision without him.

TLDR

Jacques Demy and Michel Legrand… Thank you.

What stands out

Look, some viewers might not be a fan of how every line of dialogue is sung here. I get it. To each their own. But don’t tell me that whenever the main theme plays, you’re NOT crying. Don't lie to me.

The Very Best

Autumn Sonata 1978

8.5/10

Chilling and cathartic, this film is a love-hate letter from neglected children to their resentful parents

Chilling and cathartic, this film is a love-hate letter from neglected children to their resentful parents .

Our take

A film like Autumn Sonata shouldn’t work; on paper, it’s simply a confrontation between a resentful daughter and her vain mother. But in the masterful hands of Ingmar Bergman, their knotty relationship unfolds in thrilling, cathartic, and painfully relatable ways. Every accusation feels like a lashing. Every breakdown rips your heart. As a viewer, you sympathize with whoever is onscreen--that’s how real each character seems. You root for the neglected daughter, but also for the pianist who followed her heart and chose career over children. As with most Bergman films, Autumn Sonata feels like an evisceration of one’s soul, but it will feel extra relatable to those of us who’ve harbored secret resentments over our parents or children.

Synopsis

After a seven-year absence, Charlotte Andergast travels to Sweden to reunite with her daughter Eva. The pair have a troubled relationship: Charlotte sacrificed the responsibilities of motherhood for a career as a classical pianist. Over an emotional night, the pair reopen the wounds of the past. Charlotte gets another shock when she finds out that her mentally impaired daughter, Helena, is out of the asylum and living with Eva.

Storyline

Charlotte (Ingrid Bergman) is a celebrated pianist, but when she reunites with her daughter Eva (Liv Ullmann), she’s reminded of the decisions she made to prioritize her career over her children.

TLDR

Has anyone seen the entirety of this film with their parent and lived to tell the tale? Please comment below if you’re a survivor.

What stands out

The ferocious, unforgiving back and forth between daughter and mother. It’s both a dream and a nightmare for something like this to come true.

When Marnie Was There 2014

7.8/10

An orphan finds a friend in this emotionally cathartic coming-of-age drama

An orphan finds a friend in this emotionally cathartic coming-of-age drama.

Our take

Studio Ghibli is best known for their fantastical worldbuilding, but on occasion, they veer into the mundane domestic day-to-day life that might not be as extravagant, but is no less emotionally resonant. At first glance, it seemed like When Marnie Was There would be that kind of small town drama. A young kid moves to the countryside, exploring the new place, seemed to be just another familiar Ghibli protagonist, albeit this time in the wetlands of Hokkaido. But, as Anna befriends another in an abandoned mansion, and keeps being found unconscious by the grass, writer-director Hiromasa Yonebayashi crafts a sense of mystery around her friend that eventually resolves Anna’s loneliness in an unexpected fantastical way. When Marnie Was There might not be one of Ghibli’s most known films, but it nonetheless holds its signature magic of cathartic cartoon animation.

Synopsis

Upon being sent to live with relatives in the countryside due to an illness, an emotionally distant adolescent girl becomes obsessed with an abandoned mansion and infatuated with a girl who lives there - a girl who may or may not be real.

Storyline

Due to her illness, 12-year-old foster child Anna Sasaki is sent to her relatives in Hokkaido to recuperate. When she comes across a nearby abandoned mansion, she meets Marnie, a mysterious blonde girl who only she seems to see.

TLDR

Mild spoilers: It's like Il Mare, but not with romance or magic.

What stands out

The reveal. It really made me cry.

Temple Grandin 2010

7.4/10

A striking biopic that takes a glimpse into neurodivergent genius

A striking biopic that takes a glimpse into neurodivergent genius.

Our take

When depicting a person known best for an advocacy, you have to be accurate to their story, but it’s rare to see a biopic match the ideas of that advocacy in its direction. It’s because of this that the HBO film Temple Grandin is great. While made for TV, it’s not a by-the-numbers biopic that just depicts the academic’s life straight. No, instead, the film experiments with visual ways to depict her unique visual intelligence– as Grandin’s autism also granted her photogenic memory, an above-average instinct for mechanical smarts, and a focus and drive to understand that’s not as shakable as other neurotypical academics. This novel approach matches the very advocacies she lived throughout her life– the systematic, more humane treatment in slaughterhouses, and the idea that autism doesn’t mean deficiency, it just needs support to allow that different intelligence to thrive.

Synopsis

A biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic American who has become one of the leading scientists in humane livestock handling.

Storyline

Arizona, 1960s. Before going to college, autistic woman Temple Grandin visits a cattle ranch owned by her aunt Ann, unexpectedly becoming an animal husbandry expert known best for her advocacy of humane slaughterhouse practices.

TLDR

Thank you, Temple Grandin, for sharing your story.

What stands out

Claire Danes.

Identifying Features 2020

7.8/10

A mother searches for her son in this tragic, contemplative drama on the border

A mother searches for her son in this tragic, contemplative drama on the border.

Our take

Rather than talking about what it takes to get to the other side of the border, Identifying Features instead focuses its attention back home. It’s part of the reason why the film actually highlights how difficult this actually is– Before even reaching it, people hoping to enter America go through a dangerous journey, many of whom disappear without any resolution for the loved ones left behind. But in focusing on what happens back behind the border, the social issue drama becomes more compelling, as the mystery of what happened to the son that left easily strikes a cord and drives the plot forward rather than straightforwardly talking about the journey. As she does so, writer-director Fernanda Valadez sets a spine-tingling mood, with striking, cryptic shots paired with the sober, difficult explanations the loved one who have been left behind with her have tried to formulate. Sin Señas Particulares captures that painful story in such a bold and thoughtful debut.

Synopsis

Magdalena makes a journey to find her son, who has disappeared on his way to the Mexican border with the United States. Her odyssey takes her to meet Miguel, a man recently deported from the US. They start to travel together, Magdalena looking for her son, and Miguel hoping to see his mother again.

Storyline

Having not heard from her teenage son Jesus, who hoped to cross the United States border for work, impoverished mother Magdalena embarks on a dangerous journey to locate him, despite the authorities convinced of his death.

TLDR

Heartbreaking.

What stands out

The cinematography. Claudia Becerril Bulos’ striking shots will stick with many long after watching.

A Tale of Winter 1992

7.7/10

Being hopelessly in love turns into a leap of faith in this optimistic winter romance

Being hopelessly in love turns into a leap of faith in this optimistic winter romance.

Our take

In most cases (and in so many romance films), the heart clinging to a past love can be silly, at best, and self-sabotaging, at worst. Nostalgia filters the past through rose-tinted lenses, skewing our perspective of what’s true and what’s imagined. In another filmmaker’s hands, A Tale of Winter could very well be this cliché, but writer-director Éric Rohmer gives every reason to believe that Félicie’s love is true. Their separation is caused not by a breakup, but by a simple wrong address. She hasn’t closed herself off to finding someone else, but the feeling, hers and the scenes themselves, don’t quite match to the summer romance montage. When she does talk about The One to her prospective suitors, she’s sane and sober, regardless of whether or not she’s right. And because of excellent writing and Rohmer’s approach, we can’t say her choice is wrong.

Synopsis

Felicie and Charles have a whirlwind holiday romance. Due to a mix-up on addresses they lose contact, and five years later at Christmas-time Felicie is living with her mother in a cold Paris with a daughter as a reminder of that long-ago summer. For male companionship she oscillates between hairdresser Maxence and the intellectual Loic, but seems unable to commit to either as the memory of Charles and what might have been hangs over everything.

Storyline

Single mother Félicie has two suitors: salon owner Maxence, who she works for, and librarian Loïc, who her young daughter Elise approves of. However, Félicie longs for Charles, the man she fell in love with in a summer five years ago.

TLDR

This is what romance is all about!

What stands out

The characters, and yes, this includes Félicie. Look, whether or not you agree with Félicie’s reasoning, and whether or not she meets Charles again, it’s undeniable that Félicie would never love someone the way she does Charles. It may not be a choice many would personally make, but it is a choice true to her character, someone who’s true to herself.

Kiss of the Spider Woman 1985

7.8/10

A gay man and a political prisoner change each other's lives through their stories in this wonderfully made drama

A gay man and a political prisoner change each other's lives through their stories in this wonderfully made drama.

Our take

Sometimes, all you need to make a good movie is to get two vastly different characters and force them to stay together. It’s probably why Kiss of the Spider Woman was made in the first place– the novel dumps hardened, self-sacrificial activist Valentin and flamboyant gay man Molina in a jail cell. But rather than depict Molina and Valentin just talking, the film visually recreates the stories they tell to each other as films-within-a-film. Molina’s fictional love stories are given all the glamor and drama of classic 60s romances, and Valentin’s life story depicted with a straightforward, gritty realism that matches the hard experiences he had. So as they tell their stories and challenge each other with their respective approaches to life, director Héctor Babenco ensures that as the two finally feel heard by each other, the audience, too, can easily empathize with the perspectives they take. It also ensures that the plot twist holds a strong punch. Though its escapist approach may suggest otherwise, Kiss of the Spider Woman realistically explores the way storytelling has always meant freedom.

Synopsis

The story of two radically different men thrown together in a Latin American prison cell. One is Valentin, a journalist being tortured for his political beliefs. The other is Molina, a gay window-dresser who fills their lonely nights by spinning romantic fantasies drawn from memories of old movies.

Storyline

Stuck in a Brazilian jail cell, gay man Luis Molina passes the time by talking about his favorite romance films to political prisoner Valentin Arregui. While the two disagree on philosophies, they forge an unexpected friendship.

What stands out

The way Molina’s ending is terribly realistic, while Valentin’s ending is escapist is such a brilliant way to demonstrate how they’ve changed each other’s perspective for the rest of their lives.

A Different Man 2024

7.8/10

A darkly comic parable about the frailty of appearance

A darkly comic parable about the frailty of appearance .

Our take

“Inner beauty is what counts” is a cliche many films have tried and failed to tackle, but A Different Man manages to make it feel unsettlingly new. The film follows Edward, a disfigured man who lives a normal but lonely life. No one is overtly mean to Edward—in fact, many are nice—but he’s consumed by the thought of What If. What if he looked like everyone else? Would his neighbor Ingrid finally make a move on him? Would he be the actor he dreamed he’d be? Would he finally get fewer stares on the street? Those questions are answered when a medical trial transforms his face, but they’re rarely pleasant. A Different Man is a dark comedy with some hints of meta; Stan’s character provides the tragedy, Pearson delivers the wry humor, while Reinsve, as the playwright in charge of dramatizing Edward’s life, is the source of the film’s meta-commentary. It’s the weakest link of the three--it feels like a cop-out when it forgives itself for being “exploitative” but the rest of the film’s elements gel to make a modern parable of sorts about appearance and contentment.

Synopsis

Aspiring actor Edward undergoes a radical medical procedure to drastically transform his appearance. But his new dream face quickly turns into a nightmare, as he loses out on the role he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what was lost.

Storyline

Edward (Sebastian Stan) undergoes a medicinal trial that completely changes his face. He takes the opportunity to take on a new identity but finds himself drawn to his past life, particularly to his neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve) and newcomer Oswald (Adam Pearson).

TLDR

It’s like a modern-day The Double by Dostoevsky.

What stands out

Pearson being the most charming and likable person in the film is a very welcome surprise.

In the Gloaming 1997

7/10

Mother and son reconnect in this quietly moving queer drama

Mother and son reconnect in this quietly moving queer drama .

Our take

In the Gloaming has the expected constraints of a made-for-TV movie. It is set in only a handful of places, features even fewer characters, and utilizes that all-too-familiar cheesy soundtrack present in (I swear) every family drama produced in the ‘90s. That said, In the Gloaming feels more like a precious indie than a cheap TV movie. Mostly, it has the leading performances of Glenn Close and Robert Sean Leonard to thank for that. The two don’t have the big performances you’d expect from a film about AIDS, but their simple and subtle approach works even better than that. First-time director Christopher Reeve (yes, Superman) does well to stay on Close’s face for a few beats longer to show how much pain and doubt she’s hiding beneath her facade of calm. I only wish the film could’ve tied its many loose ends and that we got to know more about Leondard’s character—really know him, beyond his being gay. This would’ve made the film stronger, though it is already a moving watch.

Synopsis

Danny, dying of AIDS, returns home for his last months. Always close to his mother, they share moments of openness that tend to shut out Danny's father and his sister.

Storyline

Diagnosed with AIDS, Danny (Robert Sean Leonard) comes home to spend the rest of his days with his family in their home in the New York suburbs. But amid distant family members, he forges a deeper connection with his mother Janet (Glenn Close).

TLDR

Budget and location limit this TV movie, but top performances keep it afloat.

What stands out

I’ve never seen a star more under-utilized than Whoopi Goldberg in this movie.