18. Cameraperson
Cinematographer Kirsten Johnson made a tribute to her film career by making this technical and creative marvel, a wonderful collage documentary. Johnson’s journey in different countries to document the lives of the citizens is threaded together in “Cameraperson.” It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival with great critical acclaim.
19. Predestination
“Predestination” is a great mind-bending Australian film. The storyline of the film should not be shared as a spoiler because the ending holds the biggest surprise. With great acting by Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, “Predestination” is a great thriller in the tradition of old sci-fi writers like Dick and Welles. The emotional core of “Predestination” works more to the heart than the plot the film suggests.
20. Eighth Grade
“Eighth Grade” is a story of our time. This comedy-drama film following the life of an eighth grade student is a much-needed addition to the coming-of-age canons and is more realistic than the rest of them. The anxiety and fear of missing out are depicted with care and caution. Elsie Fisher gave a great performance as Kayla Day and the film’s sensitive stance toward often misjudged topics of teen emotion is effective. It entered into the competition for the grand jury prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and won the Independent Spirit Award as the best film.
21. Tully
“Tully” brings into light the often neglected topic of postpartum psychosis. The exhaustiveness and boredom of a lonely wife are affectionately underlined in “Tully,” directed by Jason Reitman, who has previously made the films “Juno” and “Jennifer’s Body.” Charlize Theron once again amazed with her psychological and physical transformation, and the film has sudden gasps of humor with the honest undiluted realism of parenthood. “Tully” is heavy for the heart, but also beautiful and vital in normalizing this unanswered topic. “Tully” premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
22. Loving Vincent
“Loving Vincent” was initially advertised as a Kickstarter campaign, so its indie spirit is unmissable. The first fully painted animated feature film, “Loving Vincent” is the result of painstaking effort from more than 100 painters, and Van Gogh’s life deserves no less. The actor’s performances were splendid to watch along with the expressive, dimension-breaking real-life paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. “Loving Vincent” was nominated for Best Animated Film at the 90th Academy Awards and won the Best Animated Film award at the 30th European Film Awards.
23. The Rider
Largely created upon real-life facts, Chloe Zhao created a great emotional film and showed maturity by directing the untrained amateur actors with ease. The setting of the Badlands additionally supported the filmmaker with exciting visual opportunities that he utilized with perfection. The landscape and the mood of “The Rider” created a fantastic poem that is hard to forget. It premiered in the Director’s Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.
24. Sing Street
Teenage years are some of the best times of our life, if not the most beautiful. John Carney tried to recapture the jovial, enthusiastic times of teen life with the musical drama “Sing Street” and the result is worth remembering. It has great hummable tunes, catchy songs to attract the young, emotional and cute storyline to rejuvenate the old and charming acting to bind these two together. The optimism of the film works for the nostalgic audiences who thought of their teenage lives after watching this film. This is a film to refresh the mind. “Sing Street” premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
25. Climax
Gasper Noe created an excellent soundscape in his “Love” followup “Climax.” The visuals are excellent to see on the big screen, but one can only watch the film for its dreamy sound design. Choreographed with great technical mastery, “Climax” provides a dystopian PTSD experience.