Undistributed, But Not Unloved: Top Ten of 2008

When it comes to end of year top tens, I find the undistributed lists far more interesting (and useful) than the standard ones which, naturally, have a lot of overlap. Learning about a film that's been tucked away at festivals or simply never found its way to these shores is (for me, at least) endlessly fascinating, especially when the recommendation comes from someone whose taste you trust.

Between festivals, film markets, submissions to Benten, and the luxury of living in NYC, I'm afforded many opportunities to see films that might never find US distribution. If I had my way (and an endless supply of cash) I'd happily acquire and distribute all of the below. As it stands, one or two are strong possibilities. Fingers crossed.

I'm adhering to the IndieWire Poll rules for my list, which disqualifies any film that has a US distributor, even if no release date is set. This means that Erick Zonca's Julia, still one of my favorites of the year, will not appear on the list below.

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

1. Du Levande (You, The Living), Roy Andersson, Sweden
   The second best film I saw this year, and one that will find a permanent place on my all-time favorites list. Andersson's surreal series of vignettes is aesthetically similar to 2000's Songs From the Second Floor, but tonally its antipode. Andersson calls this "a film about the grandeur of existing", and there are no better words to describe this occasionally joyous, life-affirming masterpiece.

2. Sparrow, Johnnie To, Hong Kong
   The prolific Johnnie To takes a break from guns and gangsters to create a wonderful homage to both Jacques Demy and Hong Kong itself. A musical without songs, this film had me smiling from the first frame to the last.

3. Night and Day, Hong Sang-soo, Korea
   Reviewed here.

4. Tony Manero, Pablo Larrain, Chile
   Larrain's darker than dark portrait of Pinochet-era Chile is bleak, disturbing, and brilliant. Did I mention it's dark? I recorded a podcast about the film with Aaron Hillis and Time Out film critic David Fear that can be heard here.

5. United Red Army, Koji Wakamatsu, Japan
   Wakamatsu's three-hour docudrama about Japan's notorious leftist guerilla group is as brutal as the beatings its members inflict upon themselves. See Danny Kasman's excellent review over at The Auteurs.

6. Jesus Christus Erlöser (Jesus Christ Savior), Peter Geyer, Germany
   1971. Klaus Kinski stands alone on a stage in front of 5000 people and attempts to read his own version of the New Testament. Things don't go well. Klaus has tantrums. Chaos ensues. The screening in Berlin was made even better thanks to Jurgen's smuggled flask of Absinthe.

7. Voy a Explotar (I'm Gonna Explode), Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico
   Reviewed here.

8. Guest of Cindy Sherman, Tom Donahue/Paul H-O, USA
   One of the best films at this year's Tribeca Film Festival, this candid, confessional documentary about co-director Paul H-O's now-defunct relationship with photographer Cindy Sherman is surprisingly moving, and an interesting study of both the NY art world and what it's like to be a celebrity's "plus one."

9. Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Sacha Gervasi, Canada
   I have to admit that for the first ten or fifteen minutes I was convinced this was a Spinal Tap-esque mockumentary. (That one of the band members is named Robb Reiner certainly didn't help me think otherwise.) Yet Sacha Gervasi's doc about a once-famous heavy metal band that is determined to make it big for a second time is both a funny and touching underdog story, with just the right amount of pathos. One of the few movies this year that made me well up.

10. Chugyeogja (The Chaser), Na Hong-jin, Korea
    Like Memories of Murder and The Host, The Chaser is yet another example of how Korean cinema excels at transforming and transcending genre. A smartly written, thoroughly unpredictable thriller that, save for a few minutes near the end, never succumbs to cliché. Both humorous and horrifying, it becomes that much more impressive when you realize it's director Na Hong-jin's first film. Halfway through I found myself wondering why Hollywood hasn't bought the rights yet. Oh wait, they have. With Leonardo, no less. Sigh.

Comments

[alsolikelife]

holy crap Tony Manero is undistributed? WTF???

[pacheco]

"...I find the undistributed lists far more interesting (and useful) than the standard ones...."

Absolutely true, except, at least for me, they're also maddening. In all likelihood, I'll have the opportunity to watch very few of those films, and that just kills me!

[Daniel]

Great list Andrew. Whatever happened about Benten trying for the Kinski doc? I know people who'd kill to see that.

[Steve]

I'm with you on SPARROW, NIGHT AND DAY and (especially) UNITED RED ARMY. Didn't IFC Films acquire THE CHASER? I've been told that they plan to release it straight-to-DVD/VOD, but you can already find bootlegs of it in a certain East Village adult video store.

[Lady Wakasa]

Aw, man - I got tickets to NIGHT AND DAY at PIFF and had to leave half an hour early because the next movie was across town, I wasn't going to get another chance to see it again, and I figured Hang San-soo would be at A Theater Near Me sometime in the not-too-distant future.

And it *hasn't* been picked up... that's wrong.

[Bob Turnbull]

I've actually seen 3 of your list...

"You, The Living" was my favourite film from last year (TIFF 2007) and remains one of the best theatre experiences I've had in a long time. I just loved this film.

I saw "Tony Manero" at this year's TIFF and was completely surprised by it. I went in blind knowing only the basic plot outline, so when it became dark and darker and darker still, it really pulled me along with it.

And "Anvil"...I saw it at Hot Docs this past year with the band (the two main guys anyway) in attendance and it was just as you described. Classic moment from the film --> "I can answer that in one, no, two, no, three words...We haven't got good management".

And you've made me desperate to see both "Sparrow" and "The Chaser".

[Peter Nellhaus]

If I had felt better, I would have seen Guest of Cindy Sherman at the DIFF. I don't know if it will make a difference, but I ran into the new guy in charge of the Denver International Film Festival, and expressed my disappointment in the lack of Asian films. At least Korean and Hong Kong films usually are available with English subtitles on DVD, unlike Thai films (Ploy being a prime somewhat recent example).

[Joe Bowman]

I thought IFC had The Chaser.

[Filmbrain]

Bob --

So nice to hear that someone else feels the same way about You, The Living.

Joe --

I heard about this last night. However, they are only doing VOD and DVD, not theatrical. I guess that technically counts as distributed, but I'm going to leave it on the list nonetheless.

[Steve]

I guess I don't understand your "rules"...if these are so good, and you saw them in 2008, why not just roll them into your top 10/favorites list? Why separate them out? Quality is quality, right?

Although I feel out of the loop, as Sparrow is the only one I've heard of (but am really looking forward to).

[Jürgen]

That is a great list. I was shocked (shocked!) not to see Julia on it -- it's high on mine -- but of course, Magnolia picked it up so it's ineligible. Perhaps we need a third kind of list for movies stuck in limbo?

[Filmbrain]

Steve --

I'm part of the IndieWire and Auteurs polls, both of which have guidelines about what's permissible. I guess I could make an overall best-of 2008 list, but it's just easier to manage the two.

[MovieMan0283]

What, no Afterschool?

(I kid.)

[msic]

I have it on good authority that IFC are doing the VOD-only thing with NIGHT AND DAY as well. Sigh. I mean, nothing against IFC, god bless 'em and all, but I think a few of these Festival Direct titles could stand up to at least NY / LA / SF / Chicago runs.