Things Fall Apart: Top Ten Films of 2008

For many people, myself included, 2008 was a pretty dire year. Some of us lost jobs, some of us lost money, some of us lost both, and nearly all of us experienced, to some degree, the ramifications of the economic crisis. The Obama win provided us with a much-needed dose of hope, but the news this week that Rick Warren, a figurehead for the Christian-right, will be giving the invocation is nothing short of sickening. Is this a sign of what we can expect from his administration?

Film-wise, things weren't much better, especially here in the US. Compared to 2007, which saw studio films of substance (There Will be Blood, Zodiac, The Assassination of Jesse James, No Country For Old Men), this year's crop offered little to trigger the kind of discussion the above list prompted at this time last year.

Over the past several weeks I've had the opportunity to see nearly all of the big December titles, and I'm still bewildered at the fact that each and every one was, at best, little more than an exercise in mediocrity and awards whoring. Not a single one of them required even the slightest brain power, nor did they leave anything to interpret. Australia, Milk, Nixon, Button, Torino, Reader, Road, etc. -- films not without merit, but examples of Indie- and Hollywood at their populist, spoon-fed worst. My irritation was such that, for a short while, I was considering taking a cue from Robert Bresson and submitting the following for a top ten:

1. Synecdoche, NY
2. Synecdoche, NY
3. City Lights
4.  
5.  
6.  
7.  
8.  
9.  
10.  

but then I realized that such an acrimonious response is counter-productive at best.

So, after careful consideration, meditation and cogitation, here's a top ten list that I'm proud to call my own. Rationale behind each choice will appear in an extended post on The Auteurs. I'll provide the link when it becomes available.

In ranked order, my top ten favorite films of 2008 are:

1. Synecdoche, NY, Charlie Kaufman, USA
2. In the City of Sylvia, José Luis Guerín, Spain
3. A Christmas Tale, Arnaud Desplechin, France
4. The Secret of the Grain, Abdel Kechiche, France
5. Funky Forest: The First Contact, Katsuhito Ishii/Hajime Ishimine/Shunichiro Miki, Japan
6. Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen, USA
7. Reprise, Joachim Trier, Norway
8. Paranoid Park, Gus Van Sant, USA
9. I Served the King of England, Jirí Menzel, Czech Republic
10. Waltz With Bashir, Ari Folman, Israel

[UPDATE: My extended post is now online over at The Auteurs]

Comments

[Bob Turnbull]

Funky Forest! Another of my favourite viewing experiences of the last few years was seeing this at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival two years ago. Seeing it with a crowd who was as unprepared as I was for the insanity to follow was a treat. Before you knew it we were all yelling out HOMEROOM!!!!!! and laughing at the silliness of their 3 minute countdown clock for the intermission (and the 17 second one that followed later). Strangely enough, I felt it held up pretty well during a second viewing at home alone. Just terrific fun.

I quite liked Reprise as well. Great use of stylistic touches that really added to the story.

And Synecdoche is still winding its way through my synapses. Can't wait to see it again.

[mike]

I can't believe you left off Role Models.

The very use of a shofar and a yarmulke warranted its inclusion.

[Peter Nellhaus]

That first list is fine as it is.

For myself, I don't even attempt to do a ten best list. I may not do any list this year.

[prowler]

haven't seen the rest (i intend to, at least some of them), but i was disappointed by 'i served..', and especially 'waltz'

can't understand why everyone's gagging over it. so it's about jews approaching a REAL problem, big deal, that doesn't make it a good film - on the contrary. it's tedious and manipulative, and the music is crap.

[Rob]

Glad to see Synecdoche, NY is getting some love. I could have left halfway through (like 2 or 3 people in the theatre did) and it still would have been the best movie of the year. Rarely has a film left me literally stumbling outside the theatre, grasping to make sense of what I had just experienced (seen being too inadequate of a phrase). It is a mad beast of a film, ambitious and unrelenting. It made me want to hole myself up in a closet, shutting myself off from human contact. Oddly, at the same time, it made me appreciate the hell out of my family, friends, girlfriend, and anyone I've ever met in my entire life. My awe has only grown over time, and that is with just a single viewing.

Its a film I will keep with me until that final stage direction.

[Steve]

My top ten list - which is for my own satisfaction more than public consumption, despite it eventually ending up on my Facebook page - is going to be short a number of films that I, as a mere mortal, will not have the opportunity to see until well into 2009. Shows like The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader, Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino...these all open wide on Christmas day, I believe, and so I'll squeeze most of them in. But Che won't see my town until likely January or March; The Wrestler in January; Waltz with Bashir (which I am very excited about) and Fear(s) of the Dark aren't even on the map; and so on. Movies like Milk and Rachel Getting Married I have put off seeing despite positive critical notes due to what I perceive as this "whoring" element you mention. I'm sure performances are good, but the reason for the films seems to be for the sake of being showcases rather than telling stories. Now, you could say the same or worse about The Dark Knight, which I have now watched three times, and I still find it to be a potent piece of epic-genre filmmaking. I know you're not a fan; nor is it my favorite/best film of the year. But I do think it has to be recognized. Sorry, I'm getting off track. I don't mean to put Knight and Bashir in the same sentence let alone category. What I mean to say is I am limited to what I can see, and believe me, I seek out films on DVD as soon as possible when I know I won't get the opportunity to see them (Fear(s) comes to DVD - maybe - in May; Che in March...so I'm just screwed on some films). There are films that I simply may never see...you referenced a very grim-sounding Tilda Swinton film that sounded great but that's the sort of thing I will only hear about on sites like this. And then there are films so under the radar that they get missed - Sylvia seems a great example. I'm patting myself on the back for having run out to see Synecdoche when it opened here and was thoroughly satisfied...a great film that I hope does not get overshadowed in coming years by the Knights and Slumdogs of the world. And this is nothing against Slumdog Millionaire, just that a film with international appeal seems to gain more over time than a film that folds in on itself - no matter how brilliantly - in such an American way. Whew, sorry for the length; I just woke up and felt compelled to write...not even a cup of coffee yet. Love the site, love your writing (despite the occasional perceived elitism...sorry, had to throw that word in one last time this year). Have a great holiday and terrific new year's. And sincerely, best of luck in 2009 with all your endeavors.

[opera chic]

I think "Gomorrah" was truly excellent, def. top ten

[nitesh]

Glad to see The Secret of the Grain in the list, the only film that we officially managed to watch in India.

[Vince]

This is an awesome top ten list, can't wait to see the other one completed. You can post this to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/ and then link back to your site. We are looking for content and in return our users will track back to your site. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.
-Vince

[Rob]

Harold Pinter died...no, he just won the Nobel. Nope...he did die.

[Evan]

I agree, great top ten list. The foreign and domestic film choices were well thought out. Paranoid Park is great but I think there might be a couple other films worthy of that placement. I feel that skater movies have been a little too played out.

Evan
http://www.beyondrace.com

[Ugly Casanova]

Nice Picks, Probably the first person I've seen putting Synecdoche on their top ten. I frankly loved that movie and would definitely put is as number 1 in mine as well.

[Film School]

That's a great collection of films. Our film students are watching several of those with great feedback. Yes, 2008 was a good year for indie films. Let's hope 2009 brings more great films...and a better economy!

[aura]

did you like lucrecia martel´s "la mujer sin cabeza"?
for me it was the year's best...