2. Frances Ha
A hilarious and somewhat moving portrait on today’s youth, with writer/star Greta Gerwig succeeding in delivering a truly great breakthrough performance. Noah Baumbach succeeds in delivering on his directorial wish of inducing ‘nostalgia’, especially harkening echoes of the French New Wave. Shoutouts go to Baumbach for being able to produce this film so covertly, as it is such a surprise to see him make a film so charming when his other films have been so grim. It’s a true claim to his versatility as a director, and Frances Ha most definitely will be a day-one purchase once on home video (by Criterion too!)
1. Before Midnight
Never before have a series of real-time conversations been so interesting. Not only is this the year’s best film, but one of the best films of the decade and maybe one of the best films ever made. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy provide human characters that are both likable and flawed. Richard Linklater provides beautiful images of the Greek landscape and boldly allows his stars/co-writers take control of his story. It’s a beautiful film.
Now that we are 2/3 through the year, here’s hoping that this list will be totally different by December!
Author Bio: Sean enjoys watching and writing about films from any age and place. You can read more of his writings on http://www.thescreenteen.blogspot.com.
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