I saw a total of 309 films last year, both new and old, 218 in theaters and 91 streaming or on video discs. I’ve come up with 29 films that are the best of what I saw, or at least my favorites. I don’t claim that all of these are great films, though some of them are. They got my attention and engaged me in one way or another. Most of these films were written or co-written by their directors. I think this makes a difference in the result. Below are my picks for the top five films of the year, with Sirāt and Train Dreams at the very top. The rest are listed in alphabetical order.

In the interest of economy and attention spans (mine included), I’ll try to keep my comments to a minimum..

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Sirāt (Oliver Laxe, director & co-writer)

I saw this at the start of a week-long Academy Awards qualifying run in December and was so knocked out that I saw it again before it left. The second time was, if anything, an even richer experience. From the opening scene, with a huge wall of speakers being set up in a large, outdoor location with hundreds of people milling about, it feels like something immense is about to happen. When pounding techno music began pouring from the stacks of speakers and the crowds started dancing, I realized this was a rave. A father (Sergi López), along with his young son, is searching rave sites in the deserts of southern Morroco for his daughter, who has disappeared. They hook up with four ravers to continue the search. This is an amazing film that reveals itself in continually unexpected ways. There are frequent jolts along the way. At times it has echos of The Wages of Fear (1953) and L’Aventurra (1960), but it’s definitely its own thing.

Sirāt opens for a regular run on February 6. I’ll be there.

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Train Dreams (Clint Bentley, director & co-writer)

I’d bought the Denis Johnson novella when it was published in 2011, but didn’t get around to reading it until sometime last spring. I was deeply moved by the story and the direct, uncluttered way it was written. It was after reading book that I was excited to learn that a film adaptation was in the works. I’ve seen it twice now, and was not disappointed either time. This is probably Joel Edgerton’s best performance so far, quiet and understated. If Train Dreams has a message, it’s that everything’s connected, from the smallest to the largest.

Train Dreams is available for streaming on Netflix.

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The Secret Agent (Kleber Mendonça Filho, director & writer)

I first saw Wagner Moura in Elite Squad (2007), and liked him very much in that. He’s the heart of The Secret Agent. This is a heavily layered narrative, with a framing device that I only really understood at the end. Very strong movie with a lot of weight.

Not yet available for streaming, but continuing to play at Film at Lincoln Center.

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Sinners (Ryan Coogler, director & writer)

This is the first film I saw last year that really seemed like something. I’d heard that it had to do with vampires, but the marketing before it opened was very cagey about that. And yes, Sinners has vampires in it, but it’s not a vampire movie, if you get the difference. For a large-scale, costly IMAX production that became as popular as it did, it’s unusual that it’s not a sequel, not part of a franchise, and not based on a novel or TV show. This is original content. Okay, From Dusk till Dawn(1996) is an influence, along with nods to conventions of the vampire genre, but it’s more about race in the South in the 1930s. This film has many layers.

The following clip is truly amazing. This quote from voice-over heard during the sequence sets the stage: “There are legends of people with the gift of music so true, it can conjure spirits of the past and of the future.” Indeed.

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One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, director & writer)

I first saw this in 70mm IMAX at the AMC Lincoln Square multiplex. Then I learned that it was showing in Vista Vision at a theater near Union Square, one of only four theaters in the world, as unlikely as that seems, that can project a true Vista Vision print. Well, I couldn’t pass that up. It was well worth it. Excellent cast. I especially liked Benicio del Toro and Chase Infiniti, but found Sean Penn’s character and performance a little hard to take. I don’t know if this is a great film, but it’s one hell of a ride.

The following clip is really great. The rolling roads remind me of strips of film. Unfortunately, the clip ends before the sequence is over, but you’ll get the idea.

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Here are the rest of the best.

Anemone (Ronan Day-Lewis, director & co-writer)

Excellent film with Daniel Day-Lewis in his first film after an eight-year “retirement,” co-written with his son Ronan, who also directs. Anemone was shown at the New York Film Festival and opened in theaters even before the festival was over. Curiously, it was in theaters only for a very brief time, blink and you missed it. Hard to understand, considering some of the films that stick around for weeks. Strong performances, including Samantha Morton as his Day-Lewis’ wife, Samuel Bottomley as his son, and especially Sean Bean as his brother.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos, director)

Wonderfully bonkers, if not quite up to the epic level of Lanthimos’ Poor Things. I remember thinking during the movie that it would be great if they would end it in a way you’d think they wouldn’t have the nerve to, and then they did it! Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are great, they really go for it.

Available for streaming on Prime and Peacock.

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Caught Stealing (Darren Aronofsky, director)

I loved this, it had me all the way. It’s like a Coen Bros. movie on speed.

Available for streaming on Prime and Netflix.

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Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (Embeth Davidtz, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Dreams (Dag Johan Haugerud, director & writer)

Third film in a trilogy set in Oslo, Norway. The first two I saw earlier in the year are Love and  Sex. They’re both very good, but Dreams is my favorite. Engaging characters and an abundance of conversation in all three.

Not yet available for streaming.

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Familiar Touch (Sarah Friedland, director & writer)

With Kathleen Chalfont as a woman experiencing cognitive decline whose son has just moved her into a care facility. She’s a great actress, always authentic. I’ve liked seeing her work for many years, notably as Dominic West’s mother in the HBO series The Affair. She’s excellent here. It’s refreshing that there are no villains, but as with many of the films on this list, a lot of humanity.

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The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Mark Shakman, director)

When I first saw trailers for this, I thought there was no way I wanted to see it. I’d become turned off to most of the Marvel/DC superhero blowouts. Plus I still had a bad memory of the first Fantastic Four film twenty years ago in 2005. Then the way a friend who’d seen the film described it got me interested. I saw it the next day in IMAX and loved it. It has a lightness in tone, but I didn’t find it silly. Actually reminded me the excellent Incredibles movies. It’s satirical, but not a joke.

Available for streaming on Prime and Disney+.

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Father Mother Sister Brother (Jim Jarmusch, director & writer)

Not yet available for streaming.

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Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro, director & writer)

It’s been pointed out in several publications that this the film del Toro was born to make. Given his interests and statements over the years, I’d have to agree. Frankenstein has an excellent cast and production values. While I wasn’t quite as transported as I’d hoped to be, this makes a worthy addition to the long list of Frankenstein films. No one does the Gothic thing quite like del Toro. The trailers below are different enough that I wanted to include both.

Available for streaming on Netflix.

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Hamnet (Chloé Zhao, director & co-writer)

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A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow, director)

The following is edited from what I wrote after seeing A House of Dynamite at the New York Film Festival last year.

If the purpose of Kathryn Bigelow’s film is to scare the hell out of an audience, mission accomplished. An unidentified missile is detected coming over the Pacific from an unknown source, its trajectory indicating it will strike somewhere in the continental United States, most likely Chicago. Once this kicks off, it never lets up, as various governmental agencies race to figure out what’s going on and how to respond. The film gets seconds away from point of impact at least twice, then rewinds to start the clock over in different locations and agencies. The cast is excellent. Not a lot of laughs. It’s especially unnerving, in light of our president’s plans to resume nuclear testing.

Available for streaming on Netflix.

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Is This Thing On? (Bradley Cooper, director & co-writer)

Not yet available for streaming.

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It Was Just an Accident (Jafar Panahi, director & writer)

Not yet available for streaming.

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The Life of Chuck (Mike Flanagan, director & co-writer)

I loved this the first time I saw it, and wanted my wife to see it. It was only during my second viewing that I got what was going on. Duh. The first time was great, but now it all clicked in. Maybe if I’d read the Stephen King story first.

There are several set pieces involving dance. I think the one below is the best. It certainly raises hopes that the film is going to deliver, which I think it does.

Available for streaming on Prime and Hulu.

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Marty Supreme (Josh Safdie, director & co-writer)

Not yet available for streaming.

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Predator: Badlands (Dan Trachtenberg, director & co-writer)

Terrific sequel to the director’s Prey (2022), which was about as high concept as one could get, with a Predator landing in the Northern Great Plains in 1719 and hunting a tribe of Comanches. It was fresh and inventive and I loved it. The new one is just as good, shaking things up a bit by having a Predator as the protagonist, the “hero.” This is made more viewer-friendly by having Elle Fanning as a wisecracking damaged android who helps the Predator. An odd couple pairing that’s oddly charming at times. Very satisfying ending.

Available for pricey rental on Prime. Cost will go down later.

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Resurrection (Bi Gan, director & writer)

The following is edited from what I wrote after seeing Resurrection at the New York Film Festival last year.

I loved this film, but am unable to describe it in a way that makes much sense. It’s a shapeshifting mashup of many different elements. I’d need to see it again, which I intend to do. Or maybe a dozen times, to get a better handle on what’s going on and how it all goes together. A few years ago I saw Bi Gan’s Long Days Journey into Night (nothing to do with Eugene O’Neill), which is similar to Resurrection in style and structure. I was drawn in and became quite disoriented, at one point not sure what theater I was in or what day it was. With both films I gave up trying to make sense of what was going on and just went with it.

Not yet available for streaming.

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Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass (Quay Brothers, directors & writers)

From notes I made after seeing this film at Film Forum on September 11: “Unique, mysterious, what the fuck?” And then again on September 18: “Second viewing in a week. Today was the last day of its run and wanted to see it again. Could see it a dozen times and get new stuff each time. Today it seemed rather frightening, felt some anxiety watching it.”

Here’s Film Forum’s description: “The first feature in 20 years by animation masters The Quay Brothers is inspired by stories by Polish author Bruno Schulz (Street of Crocodiles). In a mixture of live action and breathtakingly intricate stop-motion puppetry, the Quays follow the journey of Josef, who arrives at a labyrinthine sanatorium in search of his dying father. Told in seven chapters corresponding with seven prophetic, mystical viewing lenses, the film bends objects, time, and dimensions as Josef navigates the realm between dreams and reality.”

The disorienting effect of this film is very similar to what I wrote about Resurrection above. I think Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass has the logic of a dream. Once I was able to be open to that, to surrender and let go of the need for things to make sense, I was able to just go with it. Still not sure what was going on, and that’s okay.

Not yet available for streaming.

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Sentimental Value (Joachim Trier, director & co-writer)

The following is edited from what I wrote after seeing Sentimental Value at the New York Film Festival last year.

Loved it!!! Probably my favorite film of those I saw in the festival. Stellan Skarsgård is especially good as famous director who wants to make an autobiographical film with his estranged daughter Renate Reinsve, previously seen in Trier’s The Worst Person in the World. With Elle Fanning as an American actress also cast in the film Skarsgård is directing. Lots of deep feeling in this.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Sorry, Baby (Eva Victor, director & co-writer)

Available for streaming on Prime and HBO Max.

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Splitsville (Michael Angelo Covino, director & co-writer)

Very funny. The extended clumsy fight between the two guys near the beginning is a complete hoot.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (Scott Cooper, director & writer)

The following is edited from what I wrote after seeing this at the New York Film Festival last year.

Scott Cooper is a strong director. I love his first film, Crazy Heart (2009) and later Hostiles (2017). His being the director/writer here is what got me past my initial ambivalent feelings when I first heard about it. Jeremy Alan White had the almost impossible job of recreating Bruce Springsteen, made more challenging by the fact that Bruce is still here. That it centers around the making of the Nebraska album was significant. I love that record. Knowing now that it came out of Springsteen’s deep depression at the time makes it more meaningful to me. I have some reservations, mainly about the fictional girlfriend, but the movie works much more than it doesn’t. It’s its own thing.

Available for streaming on Prime.

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The Testament of Ann Lee (Mona Fastvold, director & co-writer)

Here’s what I wrote on FaceBook after seeing this film: “Saw The Testament of Ann Lee yesterday. Felt like walking out several times during the first hour, but glad I stayed with it. Amanda Seyfried is totally committed in her portrayal of the founder of the Shakers and their efforts to establish a utopian community in this country at time of the Revolutionary War. She and her followers seem like bonkers fanatics, but the film doesn’t judge them at all. Very strange movie. Don’t know if I liked it, but was impressed. And then there are the musical numbers. You had to be there.”

I still don’t know what to do with this film, where to put it. I just know, in ways I don’t understand yet, it’s really different, very serious, and definitely worth the time.

Not yet availabe for streaming.

Not yet available for streaming.

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The Virgin of the Quarry Lake (Laura Casabé, director)

Set in Argentina in 2001, this is a very unusual coming-of-age story that becomes a horror movie, with scenes and feelings that me think of David Lynch’s films and the Jacques Tourneur/Val Lewton I Walked with a Zombie. It has moments of lyrical beauty as well as intense violence and a dark Voodoo magic that suggests ancient ways. I’ve seen it twice, and it has really stayed with me.

No theatrical release date as yet.

The following clip gives a sense of the ominous tone that runs through the film.

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Other films of note from last year

 April (Dea Kulumbegashvili, director & writer)

Jay Kelly (Noah Baumbach, director & co-writer)

 Koln 75 (Ido Fluk, director & writer)

 Mickey 17 (Bong Joon Ho, director & co-writer)

An Officer and a Spy (Roman Polanski, director & co-writer)

The Phonecian Scheme (Wes Anderson, director & co-writer)

Souleymane’s Story (Boris Lojkine, director & co-writer)

Weapons (Zach Cregger, director & writer)

Where to Land (Hal Hartley, director & writer)

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Okay, that wraps it up for now. Stay tuned for the next one. — Ted Hicks

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