20 Best Movies Screened in 2017
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- DirectorAndrey ZvyagintsevStarsMaryana SpivakAleksey RozinMatvey NovikovA couple going through a divorce must team up to find their son who has disappeared during one of their bitter arguments.Loveless is a shocking experience because of its unbearable truth. It is a complex, deep portrait of a society in decay since it is composed of superficial people, extremely selfish and harsh. An unforgettable film that is recommended to everyone.
- DirectorKristina GrozevaPetar ValchanovStarsStefan DenolyubovMargita GoshevaAlexandra AngelovaA reclusive Bulgarian railway trackman finds millions of cash spilled on the tracks and turns them in to the police. When the transport ministry's head of PR Julia Staikova decides to use him as a diversion from a corruption scandal, his simple life falls victim to the grinder of bureaucracy.Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, who gave us the equally important Urok, have made another exceptional film of social realism. Dynamic direction and editing, perfect screenplay, great performances.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsGarance MarillierElla RumpfRabah Nait OufellaA young woman, studying to be a vet, develops a craving for human flesh.This is a dark, cruel and disturbing horror film which gets even unbearable, but everything that takes place works in harmony within a truly inspiring screenplay which provides amazingly well-written characters (one of the best character studies i have ever seen in a horror film) and also runs as a clever allegory about the awakening of sexuality in a repressed environment.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsShahab HosseiniTaraneh AlidoostiMaral BaniadamWhile Ranaa and Emad, a married couple, are participating in a production of "Death of a Salesman," she is assaulted in their new home, which leaves him determined to find the perpetrator over his wife's traumatized objections.The Salesman is another great moment in Mr. Farhadi's flawless filmography. That's because he keeps on being bold and substantive in writing and direction. His movies are like watching fragments of someone's real life. And the Salesman follows the same path .
- DirectorM. Night ShyamalanStarsJames McAvoyAnya Taylor-JoyHaley Lu RichardsonThree girls are kidnapped by a man with a diagnosed 23 distinct personalities. They must try to escape before the apparent emergence of a frightful new 24th.M. Night Shyamalan has made great movies. He also has made some good and underappreciated ones. At some point he started making terrible movies. And then he made the Visit which was a decent found footage horror film. But for all of us who never stopped believing in his comeback, Split was the answer. An exciting horror film, scary and unpredictable, directed as if it was based on a really good graphic novel. Shyamalan followed the successful example of his masterful Unbreakable and the result was triumphant. Of course, Split would never be the same without James McAvoy and his breathtaking performance.
- DirectorStefano SollimaStarsPierfrancesco FavinoElio GermanoClaudio AmendolaA gangster known as "Samurai" wants to turn the waterfront of Rome into a new Las Vegas. All the local mob bosses have agreed to work for this common goal. But peace is not to last long.As of late, the Italian cinema has given us some really good movies. Suburra is probably the best of them because of its perfect storytelling. Stefano Sollima is a really bold and methodical director supported of course by the well-written screenplay and the functional editing.
- DirectorKenneth LonerganStarsCasey AffleckMichelle WilliamsKyle ChandlerA depressed uncle is asked to take care of his teenage nephew after the boy's father dies.It is rare to watch films which can have such an emotional impact. Manchester by the Sea is one of these unique movies where the viewer really relates to the characters drama. Casey Affleck's performance is beyond comments. Just perfect and probably the best of the decade so far.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsBrooklynn PrinceBria VinaiteWillem DafoeSet over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.Sean Baker unrolls fragments of people who are stuck in the shadow of the American dream like the motel lies in the shadow of Disney World. But he has an anthropocentric and ultimately optimistic point of view. This is an exciting film created by a director and screenwriter who’s personal approach gives a unique quality to his work. The cinematography is great as well.
- DirectorDavid MackenzieStarsChris PineBen FosterJeff BridgesToby is a divorced father who's trying to make a better life. His brother is an ex-con with a short temper and a loose trigger finger. Together, they plan a series of heists against the bank that's about to foreclose on their family ranch.David Mackenzie is a very good director yet kinda uneven. Hell or High Water is probably his best work. This is a dynamic, exciting and also complex modern western which shares similarities with Coen's No Country for Old Men and Blood Simple.
- DirectorRodrigo SorogoyenStarsAntonio de la TorreRoberto ÁlamoJavier PereiraInspectors Velarde and Alfaro must find what appears to be a serial killer. This hunt against the clock will make them realize something they'd never thought about: neither one of them is that different from the killer.This is another great Spanish mystery, the best since La Isla Minima. Dark, suspenseful and also complex regarding its character study, resembles Seven to many ways. May God Save us could have been a masterpiece though, if it carried a better ending.
- DirectorSebastián LelioStarsDaniela VegaFrancisco ReyesLuis GneccoMarina, a transgender woman who works as a waitress and moonlights as a nightclub singer, is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend.A Fantastic Woman carries a great screenplay while Daniela Vega is truly impressive. Still, this film would never be so good without Leilo's totally deliberate direction. Every single shot is carefully planned. A masterclass in decoupage.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsAdam DriverGolshifteh FarahaniNellieA quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.Jim Jarmusch brings to light the poetry of the urban life. The love he shows to his characters is moving and at the same time gives a sense of relief. Like taking a deep breath after a stressful period.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsFionn WhiteheadBarry KeoghanMark RylanceAllied soldiers from Belgium, the British Commonwealth and Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.Dunkirk carries grand direction and cinematography while the editing by Lee Smith is masterful and at the same time truly functional since it serves in the best way Nolan's preoccupation regarding time and its relativity.
- DirectorDK WelchmanHugh WelchmanStarsDouglas BoothJerome FlynnRobert GulaczykIn a story depicted in oil painted animation, a young man comes to the last hometown of painter Vincent van Gogh to deliver the troubled artist's final letter and ends up investigating his final days there.Loving Vincent is visually a true work of art. You can't but admire the creators of this breath taking oil-painted animation for their hard work to represent Van Gogh's signature style. It is also a melancholy film about an unappreciated in its time and misunderstood, even now probably, unique artist.
- DirectorMariano CohnGastón DupratStarsOscar MartínezDady BrievaAndrea FrigerioA winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, who has been living in Europe for decades, accepts an invitation to receive another award. In Argentina he finds both similarities and irreconcilable differences with the people of his hometown.Perhaps the biggest surprise of this list, El ciudadano ilustre is a suspenseful slow burner, equally exciting with Relatos salvajes (2014), another great black comedy from Argentina.
- DirectorS. Craig ZahlerStarsVince VaughnJennifer CarpenterDon JohnsonA former boxer-turned-drug runner lands in a prison battleground after a deal gets deadly.S. Craig Zahler is a daring director and screenwriter who is not afraid to take risks and surpass any limits. Just like his debut Bone Tomahawk, a grim mix of horror and western, Brawl in Cell Block 99 is incredibly violent and brutal and also inspired and unique. A true descent to hell. Vince Vaughn's performance is remarkable.
- DirectorYorgos LanthimosStarsBarry G. BernsonHerb CaillouetBill CampSteven, a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy he has taken under his wing turns sinister.Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou keep on representing their weird universe which was firstly introduced to us in their masterful Dogtooth. Only this time they they take one step further into mystery and horror. Lanthimos in direction is grander than ever, supported by Thimios Bakatakis amazing work in cinematography. Still, the story is not as exciting as in the duet's previous works.
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsAndrew GarfieldAdam DriverLiam NeesonIn the 17th century, two Portuguese Jesuit priests travel to Japan in an attempt to locate their mentor, who is rumored to have committed apostasy, and to propagate Catholicism.It's always a pleasure to enjoy Martin Scorsese's narrative skillfulness, even if Silence not nearly belongs to the great director's best moments.
- DirectorAttila TillStarsZoltán FenyvesiSzabolcs ThuróczyÁdám FeketeTwo disabled teenagers looking for meaning in their lives, team up with a wheelchair hit-man.The second biggest surprise of this list comes from Hungary. Kills on Wheels balances successfully among drama, action and comedy thanks to a well-written screenplay and an inspiring direction.
- DirectorPaolo GenoveseStarsGiuseppe BattistonAnna FogliettaMarco GialliniSeven long-time friends meet for dinner. They decide to share their text messages, emails and phone calls. Secrets are unveiled. Harmony trembles.Perfect Strangers, the second Italian film included in this list, is a successful comedy/drama which carries great performances, witty screenplay and a direction that avoids all the tricky points that could come up in a project like this (shot almost entirely in a single place, too much dialogue). Still, Perfect Strangers would be just an ordinary comedy if it didn't carry the bitter irony of the final twist. Due to me, the most successful element of the movie.