So here we go...
5. May December
Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) is a well known actress and she has been cast in an independent film telling the story of a woman who married her teenage son's co-worker. The woman in question, Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), and her husband, Joe Yoo (Charles Melton), have been married for 20 years and have three children, the eldest at college and twins who are just finishing school. Elizabeth asks to visit them to get into character. Elizabeth spends time with the family but also others in the town such as Gracie's adult children from her first marriage , Gracie's first husband, and Gracie's lawyer from her statutory rape trial. As Elizabeth seeks to understand what would make a woman in her thirties fall for a 13 year old, she seems to be getting maybe too much into character as she does things like saying to the producer that they need a "sexier" 13 year old to play the film version of Joe. In addition to this, Elizabeth exploring their marriage makes Joe start questioning his relationship with Gracie.
This film is loosely based on the real life case of Mary Kay Letourneau, a former teacher in America, who raped a 12 year old student and got pregnant by him, and then after her jail sentence married him and that marriage lasted 14 years before he filed for divorce. This film was a 2023 film in most places but a late January 2024 in Australia. It is an interesting journey as it makes you at times go through the same journey as Elizabeth where you at times sympathise with Gracie but you never get to the same place as Elizabeth. This is an amazingly made film but at its centre are the performances. I would expect nothing less of Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore as they are both amazing in most everything they are in. The surprise is Melton who basically steals the film when he is on screen. I gave up on Riverdale around when he joined the cast- nothing to do with him, the show got too much for me early in season 2 and I know he joined the cast in season 2 though I don't remember him- so I had no background on him as an actor. I think though Gracie's naivety in midst of knowing what she did would have been a difficult role for a lesser actor than Julianne Moore, the hardest character to make real would have to be Joe. Joe has to be a someone who has had their childhood stolen but also is a believable good parent to children he fathered in his early teens, and someone who has an innocence but also is seeking to understand what it means for him to be around the same age (slightly older) than Gracie was when she raped him. Melton nails every element of the character and makes Joe a very real character. A very complex film but just amazingly made.
Where to watch it- Foxtel
4. Dune Part Two
Following the events of Dune Part One, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) and his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) are alone in the vast spice filled desert of Arrakis and as seen at the end of the first film, they are found by a Fremen tribe lead by Stilgar (Javier Bardem). Paul bonds with Fremen warrior, Chani (Zendaya), and the tribe, especially Stilgar, begin to think Paul is a chosen one, the Lisan al Gaib, who will lead the Fremen to take back Arrakis. Jessica becomes a religious leader among the Freman and is pregnant with a daughter who appears to be psychic in utero (Anya Taylor- Joy makes a cameo as the adult Alia- Jessica's daughter/ Paul's sister). Meanwhile, the Emperor (Christopher Walken) plots how to retain power now that House Atreides has been wiped out (he believes) whilst his daughter, Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), journals the downfall of House Atreides. At the same time, House Harkonnen, under the leadership of Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard), is plotting to take down the Emperor and the sadistic Feyd-Rautha (the nephew of the Baron) (Austin Butler) is gaining power in the house.
It might be a shock to say that this is the only film I gave five stars to on Letterboxd this year. As I say every year, my countdown are a tad subjective and that really shows this year as I enjoyed the three films above this more, but this film is as a film, the best film of 2024. It is to my mind a near perfect film on every front technically though. It looks gorgeous and the cinematography makes Arrakis in particular feel real, and if you know what I like in a film, I'm a sucker for beautiful cinematography. If this film does not win the Oscars for visual effects and cinematography, I will be mad but then again the Oscars do have a history of making me mad with their awarding practices. On top of looking amazing, it is well written and the characters who are at times sprouting sci fi gibberish are perfectly fleshed out characters. The performances by this cast, that is jam packed with some of the best talent out there, helps the characters feel real- I would particularly shout out Rebecca Ferguson and Austin Butler but literally no-one was bad. I didn't write a list the year the first film came out but it would have been in my top five and this was to my mind a better film. I know those who have read Dune (I have not beyond the first few chapters- I'm not a high fantasy/ sci fi person especially if it spends the first chapters making me deep dive religions/cultures/races and Dune does that a tad with Bene Gesserit which is why I put it down the few times I started it) have issues with changes to Chani's character (I quite liked film Chani and Zendaya's portrayal of her but I'm interested to meet book Chani if/when I ever get through the book) and also I know that the ending was changed (I'm OK with less children with the brains of adults killing people- sorry spoilers for the book or earlier adaptations but in all cases those are decades old). I'm very keen for the next film especially to see what they do with the Alia and Duncan relationship- if they do it at all- and people becoming sand worms (yes I know the plots of the some of the books even though I have not read them and they get WILD).
Where to watch- Netflix or Stan (I think- I think it has just dropped on one or both as I saw it as somewhere the other day- but otherwise it is rentable on Apple according to the web)
3. La Chimera
It is the 1980s and Arthur (Josh O'Connor) is a British archaeologist who is returning to Italy after time in jail. He visits Flora (Isabella Rossellini), the mother of his former girlfriend who is missing and presumed dead by everyone but Arthur and Flora. Arthur meets Flora's housekeeper and singing student, Italia (Carol Duarte), and Flora's other daughters show up and encourage their mother to stop letting Arthur mooch off her and Arthur to get a job. Arthur does not want a proper job and he teams up again with the gang of grave robbers that he helps find and sell valuable archaeological finds in graves or nearby. Arthur uses divining technics and what are termed chimeras which are visions he supposedly experiences. Arthur starts a relationship with Italia who it is revealed has two children that she is hiding from Flora and her daughters. Italia is, however, horrified when she discovers Arthur is involved in grave robbing.
I normally don't watch a huge amount of Italian cinema and this year made me question that. This film like many that are not in English did a dance between genres, and it had at times some delightful whimsy. The cinematography that at times made to look very much of the 1980s is beautiful. The performance by Rossellini and Duarte are outstanding, and O'Connor, as I believe one of not many not Italians in the cast and who has to speak Italian for the most part, is a sympathetic lead (more on this later but Josh O'Connor has had a banger of a 2024). The story isn't too complex and the ending is a tad predictable but the film has a charm that means that you love it all the more for that. I'm not sure if Italy has put this forward as their film for the Oscars but if they do, it is going to put up a strong fight (especially with at least one other film that I thought might be a shoe in for a nomination not even being put forward by its country- India did not put All We Imagine As Light forward for consideration which is bonkers to my mind as even if it didn't crack my top 5, it is on a lot of top films of 2024 lists I'm seeing).
Where to watch- Stan
2. Anatomy of a Fall
In a chalet in France, German writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) is in the middle of an interview whilst her French husband, Samuel, annoyingly listening to a remix of a 50 Cent song on a loop at high volume upstairs. The couple's son, Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner), who is visually impaired goes on a walk with his guide dog, Snoop, and gets away from the madness of the chalet. When Daniel and Snoop return to the chalet, they find Samuel's body aside the chalet. The police show up and the question is was it suicide, accident, or murder? Sandra insists that it was an accident but the police are certain it is murder. Ultimately Sandra is arrested for the murder and from there out the trial unfolds.
Another film that was a January 2024 film in Australia but a 2023 film elsewhere (oddly most of my top films this year were released in 2023 outside of Australia). This film is tense as you try and figure out what happened to Samuel. The performance by Sandra Huller (who had a great year) keeps you glued to the screen and Machado-Graner might be a young actor to watch as he is not remotely annoying for a child actor. Also points for Messi who plays Snoop as that is a great animal acting. The way the trial plays out not only is tense as you seek to figure out what happened but the way it brings out inherent misogyny and racism particular as Sandra is forced to speak French in the trial even through she asks to speak English (which also is not her native German) and also the way people with disabilities are treated by the legal system when Daniel has to get involved in the process. I honestly thought this would win more Oscars but I am happy that it won for screen writing at the least.
Where to watch- Stan
1. There's Still Tomorrow
In 1946 in Rome, Allied forces still occupy the streets and the country is still figuring out its future in the aftermath fascism and there are major elections coming up. Delia (Paola Cortellesi) lives in a basement apartment with her physically abusive husband, verbally abusive father in law, and her children including her teenage daughter, Marcella, who undervalues her. Delia goes about her day interacting with her friend who runs a grocery store, her childhood friend/crush who is a local mechanic, and a young American soldier who sees that she is a woman who might be a victim of abuse and seeks to help her. Marcella gets engaged to a boy from a wealthy family and as is Italian practice, Delia has to invite Marcella's future in laws for dinner even though Marcella is ashamed by her family and the fact that they are not wealthy. Unknown to her family, Delia is hiding savings from her family from the multiple jobs she works and she has been planning to potentially give this to Marcella to pay for her wedding dress.
If you had said to me basically any year that I would have two films from a non English speaking country in my top 5, I would have guessed you meant I had two films from South Korea or Japan (in fact if I ever write up 2022 top 5 films, that would including two Korean films in Broker and Decision to Leave). Italy would not even have entered my mind as a likely contender. There's Still Tomorrow was released in 2023 in Italy and if the internet is to be believed, it outsold Barbie (Italy was one of the only countries where Barbie didn't top the 2023 box office). It also was nominated for most everything at the Italian equivalent of the Oscars and won a bunch- the actual Oscars no nomination but I suspect Italy did put it forward for nomination. I caught it at the 2024 Sydney Film Festival where it took home the Festival prize (only second time my favourite film of the Festival has won the prize- the last time was Parasite) and it had a very limited release in Australia in late 2024. I'm very disappointed, as I often am with foreign films, that it didn't get a bigger release. I LOVED this film. Though it depicts banality for much of its length, it isn't a banal film. It is beautifully shot in black and white, and even just visually it harkens back to older Italian cinema. The description above sounds depressing but it is also funny and at times surreal. Paola Cortellesi who wrote and directed the film as well as starring in it, gives a truly amazing performance as Delia- one of my favourites of the year. I'm keeping myself spoiler-less but the end of this film made me happy cry so much.
Where to watch- sadly currently nowhere even at cost- hopefully it pops up somewhere soon
So that is my top five. Only one blockbuster, three foreign language films, three female directors/writers, and four directors who aren't American... am I getting more film snobby in my old age? I hope not.
As always a few other recommendations in no order except the first one):
Wicked Part One (this number five until I saw La Chimera)
A Different Man
The Zone of Interest
Problemista (for all my fellow FileMaker Pro fans)
The Holdovers
Civil War
Australian film of the year- I only saw one but it was good so I will say Furiosa
Performances of the year (there were many) starting with four double ups that showed some amazing versatility:
- Sandra Huller- Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest
- Julianne Moore- May December and The Room Next Door (Moore's performance in May December is just outstanding as the naivety she brings to it is so unlike Moore)
- Tilda Swinton- The Room Next Door and Problemista (her in Problemista reminded me of many women of a particular age who had to make themselves "tough" to succeed that I have worked with over the years)
- Josh O'Connor- La Chimera and Challengers (I had no idea who Josh O'Connor was before this year and these performances just showed insane range from him)
- Paola Cortellesi- There's Still Tomorrow
- Charles Melton- May December
- Mikey Madison- Anora
- Sebastian Stan- A Different Man
- Zendaya- Challengers
- Jonathan Bailey- Wicked
- Austin Butler- Dune Part Two
- Kieran Culkin- A Real Pain
- Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley- The Substance
- Cailee Spaeny- Priscilla (also great in Civil War and Alien: Romulus this year)
- Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha- All We Imagine As Light
Films that are must watch as they will end up on uni curriculums- The Substance and I Saw the TV Glow (I need to rewatch the latter- it is on a lot of top 2024 lists and I think I was biased by thinking it was something it wasn't before I saw it so I enjoyed it but didn't love it- I have a strong suspicion that on rewatch I will reevaluate and I would not be shocked it wound up on my top films of the 2020s list if I write one)
Fun film that everyone should enjoy- The Fall Guy- only film I watched twice this year but I would say find a big screen. Also I hope it gets its way and an Oscar is introduced for stunts and it wins.
Best films that didn't come out in 2024 that I watched for the first time in 2024- Seven Samurai, Night of the Living Dead, and Suspiria (original variety)
And now onto the important point... what was my worst film of 2024? Well there were strong contenders. There was the last film of the Sony Spiderman Universe, Kraven. There was a dreadful adaptation of Much ado About Nothing in Anyone but You (made worse by using my city as a backdrop for its rubbish). There was a "how did this get this cast?" in the film version of Borderlands. There was what if Christmas films had dreadful scripts in Red One (granted lots of Christmas films have dreadful scripts). But it was none of these and there was also no DC film to take it out this year... It was a comic book film but not DC. It was a film that took us to Amazon "looking for spiders with my mother before she died" (best dreadful line delivery that only appeared in the trailer but not the film this year). Wow Madame Web was bad on so many counts. Whilst I know many people in this film can act (Adam Scott- why are you in this?), I'm yet to be convinced Dakota Johnson can and the monotone delivery she gives has repeatedly been shown as not something to anchor a film on (I've seen zero of the Fifty Shades films but I did make the mistake of watching the Netflix version of Persuasion that she helmed and I'll save you the time, "nope"). That would be bad enough but then you are a superhero film where the only superheroes are in a dream sequence, and then you ADR every second line (well every line from the main villain). It was a bad film with a horrid script that didn't even seem to be complete. If you have many wines, it would be funny but without alcohol, it doesn't get to the so bad it is funny point.
And there you have it... and a first for me, I wrote this in one hit.
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