6. Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Author Lee Israel is struggling to pay her bills in 1990’s New York when she hatches a plan to get some extra cash. Forging letters by famous writers, she sells them on to collectors and bookstores. But when the dealers start to realise that all is not as it seems, Lee recruits eccentric new friend Jack to help continue the scheme.
Why it’s so rewatchable – For one of the most engaging biopics in recent times
Biopics are often by nature, pretty serious films. Obviously, when you are creating narratives based on real life events and people, the tone can become quite serious and sombre. This is not the case in Can You Ever Forgive Me? The film has plenty of serious material, crime, alcoholism etc, but somehow the tone never becomes too sombre or depressing. Instead, audiences are treated to a scandalous story and brilliant characters in a way that is incredibly engaging.
Trivia: The film was originally due to be directed by Nicole Holofcener and star Julianne Moore. However, six days before shooting was to begin, Moore left the project before Holofcener also left shortly after. It was suspected that Moore had quit but she later revealed that she had been fired.
7. Diego Maradona
On 5th July 1984, Diego Maradona arrived in Naples for a world record fee. The world’s most celebrated footballer and one of most dangerous cities in Europe turned out to be a perfect match for each other. This documentary film follows Maradona’s journey, pieced together from over five hundred hours of unseen archive footage.
Why it’s so rewatchable – For the insight into a footballing legend
Football fans and fans of Maradona will without a doubt revisit this film many times for the behind the scenes look at one of the game’s greatest players and the amazing archive footage, but even those who are not fans of football will find that there is so much to enjoy within this film. A true-life tale that is compelling, tragic and engaging is a film that can be watched multiple times.
Trivia: The film’s director Asif Kapadia told interviewers that half the footage had been found in a trunk in Buenos Aires.
8. High Life
Along with his baby daughter, Monte is the last survivor of a dangerous mission to the far reaches of space. The doctor who led the crew of death row inmates has also disappeared. As what happened onboard is unravelled, Monte and his daughter must struggle to survive as they hurtle towards a black hole.
Why it’s so rewatchable – For getting your head around what is going on
Director Claire Denis has a lot to say about human beings, life and existence in her film High Life and there is so much said and unsaid that it would be near on impossible to watch the film once and understand all the subtext and symbolism. It wouldn’t be unfair to call High Life a difficult film to get your head around. Some of the visuals and narrative are pretty shocking and uncomfortable to watch. High Life may not be a film that audiences enjoy returning to, but it is a film that feels like it merits further study.
Trivia: This is director Claire Denis’ first English language film after previously making thirteen feature films in French. The main reason that she made High Life in English was simply because she said that she couldn’t imagine people speaking French in space.
9. Pokemon Detective Pikachu
After his father Detective Harry Goodman goes missing, his twenty-one-year-old son Tim decides to try and investigate what has happened to him. Going along to his Dad’s abandoned apartment one night, he stumbles across his dad’s partner, Detective Pikachu, a wisecracking super sleuth. Together they set out to the solve the mystery surrounding Harry’s disappearance and the underlying conspiracy threatening Ryme City – a city where humans and Pokemon co-exist peacefully.
Why it’s so rewatchable – For the nostalgia
Whether you collected the trading cards, played the games, watched the cartoon or just remember everyone else doing all those things, most of us grew up knowing all the words to the Pokemon theme tune. Not only were those long-time fans who grew up with Pokemon looking forward to seeing the live action version hit the big screen, but the film also appealed to a younger audience as well. With that in mind, Pokemon Detective Pikachu has universal appeal and its easy watch quality means that is a film that can be easily rewatched.
Trivia: It has been rumoured that this film was given the go ahead after the massive success of the Pokemon GO mobile game.
10. Us
Haunted by an unresolved trauma from her past, Adelaide Wilson is reticent to return to her childhood beachfront home. As a string of eerie coincidences increase her paranoia, her husband tries to convince her that everything is fine. However, Adelaide is proved right when a group of four mysterious and dangerous figures arrive at the door.
Why it’s so rewatchable – For the hidden references
With numerous underlying messages and symbolism, Us is a film that definitely needs to be revisited. There are so many hidden references, symbols and metaphors in Us that director Jordan Peele has crammed into the film, that audiences may discover something else they missed on each subsequent watch. Us fits really well as a follow up to Peele’s first film Get Out and with both films feeling very current, audiences are more than likely to want to rewatch them for their relatability and topical relevance.
Trivia: The numbers 11:11 appear frequently throughout the film. Not only are they seen on the sign that says Jeremiah 11:11 twice, they also appear when Gabe is watching baseball on the TV and the announcer says the score is tied at 11:11, when Addie and Jason are talking in Jason’s room, the clock says 11:11, a carnival worker in 1969 and one of the twins in the present day both wear a t shirt with the band Black Flag’s logo which resembles 11:11 and at the end of the film, the ambulance driving away has the number 1111 on it.