Best of 2024
2024 has had several outstanding pieces of cinema, some destined for eternity, others outstanding. To make space for more films, this article will present two different lists: one destined for the Top 10 Films from East Europe, and a second one for the Top 10 Non-East European Films. To grant larger presence, films primarily not in east european languages will be counted in the second list, even if there would be ground to grant the "east european" label.
TOP NON-EAST EUROPEAN FILMS AT THE BOTTOM
TOP 10 EAST EUROPEAN FILMS
This year has been ingenerous for east european cinema: often the best films were sidelined, and the oens at major festivals did not meet expectations. It has also been a year of triumph for two particular regions: the baltics countries, that produced several of the most awarded films of the year, and the caucasus, that emerged in the Palmarés of major worldwide film festivals, such as the Venice Film Festival. The following 10 films are the ones considered the best by the author and curator of this project, and chosen in an effort to highlight underrepresented voices, unknown gems, and truly masterful pieces of art.
10. THE EDITORIAL OFFICE
dir. Roman Bondarchuk, Ukraine, 127 min; Berlinale
Surreal, hopeless, A most relevant film that manages to describe the absurdity of the post-truth reality, that exposes ukrainan society's flaws and simultaneously is prophetic, meditative. A kind of controlled chaos that rarely appears in cinema nowadays, and a sort of swan song for a cinematic season sadly interrupted.
9. CELEBRATION
dir. Bruno Anković, Croatia, 86 min; KVIFF
A minimalist story in the mountains of Croatia that spans between fifteen years in the life of a young man, whose life is influenced by the wheels of history. Although it is a film limited by its very reduced scope and its persistence on a rather overrepresented topic, it has a sense of darkness, of atmospheric suspension that makes it a coarse but elegant feature film.
8. WHEN THE PHONE RANG
dir. Iva Radivojević, Serbia, 73 min, Locarno
The Jugoslavian wars have been presented in several films, but seldom in such a form. An experimental film to the bone, a retelling of the experience of the fall of Jugoslavia and the increase of violence that culminated in war, through the eyes of a child. It is an exquisite, tiny masterpiece.
7. FLOW
dir. Gints Zilbalodis, Latvia, 84 min; Cannes, Annecy
Arguably, the most successful animated film in the world outside of the mainstream studios, Flow is a cinematic gem that excels in non-verbal narration without losing dynamism like few films, animated or live-action. The film easily deserves to be considered the best animated film of 2024.
6. CROSSING
dir. Levan Akin, Turkey / Georgia, 105 min; Berlinale
Levan Akin's incredibly powerful film about a Georgian lady searching for her niece in Istanbul's transgender community has a sense of syncretic representation of the near-eastern area across Balkans, Turkey and the Caucasus.
5. TOXIC
dir. Saulė Bliuvaitė, Lithuania, 99 min; Locarno
(GOLDEN LEOPARD FOR BEST FILM)
An entirely impressive debut, Saulė Bliuvaitė's Toxic is one of the most articulate films ever about the exploitation of the body of girls, with a balanced approach that never gets into excess, but is sufficient to be disturbing.
.jpg)
4. UNDER THE VOLCANO
dir. Damian Kocur, Poland / Spain / Ukraine, 105 min; TIFF
Under the Volcano is not a loud, grand film, but very refined on its own scale, which makes it genuinely one of the better central-east european films of 2024.
3. LESSON LEARNED
dir. Bálint Szimler, Hungary, 119 min; Locarno
A film of utmost importance for the themes it tackles, but that is outstanding beyond its socio-political relevance: it is a film of pure cinematic bliss, outstanding beyond its subject, for its strong and balanced narrative qualities.
2. APRIL
dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili, Georgia, 134 min; Venice Film Festival
(SPECIAL JURY AWARD)
A contemplative work of cinema that is
not easily accessible due to its form, but that further consecrates Dea
Kulumbegashvili as one of the new relevant auteurs of east european and
worldwide cinema.
1. WINDLESS
dir. Pavel G. Vesnakov, Bulgaria, 93 min; KVIFF
A film suspended in time, of a heart-wrenching beauty and a quasi-debut work for filmmaker Pavel G. Vesnakov, that is reborn as a true cinematic auteur. Windless is a small but immense work, the greatest revelation in east european cinema from 2024.
TOP 10 NON-EAST EUROPEAN FILMS
World cinema of 2024 has seen some truly unique masterpieces, some which will remain etched in the history of cinema, aswell as some unexpected discoveries, smaller independent films that might get traction as cult classics in the future. These 10 films are again a subjective selection.
10. VERMIGLIO
dir. Maura Delpero, Italy, 119 min; Venice Film Festival (GRAND JURY AWARD)
In an italian cinematic industry that is more and more stagnant and that appears more and more out of touch, self-absorbed, Vermiglio is a small blaze of hope. Italian cinema can still produce films that are detached from the flamboyant lights of Cinecittà, films with a different sensibility, more pastoral, more subtle.
9. BUSHIDO
dir. Kazuya Shiarishi, Japan, 129 min; Far East Film Festival Udine
With the balance of a fable, Bushido feels gentle, warm-hearted, even in telling a story with such sorrow and slowly built tension. It is perhaps the closest contemporary rendering of what a Samurai movie would have been like, if directed by Yasujiro Ozu.
8. THE SECOND ACT
dir. Quentin Dupieux, France, 80 min.; Cannes
Cinema can be as simple as a single long take of two people talking as they walk on a street, and as complex as to uncover through such a basic découpage a whole series of metathemes. Raphael Quenard truly steals the scene, evem with co-stars Louis Garrel, Léa Seydoux and Vincent Lindon.
7. THE SOLDIER'S LAGOON
dir. Pablo Alvarez Mesa, Colombia, 75 min; Cinéma du Réel
Through the grainy aesthetic of 16mm, this experimental documentary evocates, rather than exposes, the complex backstory of a peculiar marsh in Colombia. The benefit of following more experimental film festivals is the discovery of unique films such as this one.
6. DUNE - PART TWO
dir. Denis Villeneuve, USA, 167 min.
Certainly a grand payoff of epic proportions and one of the most visually appealing space opera films ever made, Dune's second part can feel partly limited by those familiar with the novel, but is a form of spectacle that should be more common in mainstream cinema.
5. GAZER
dir. Ryan J. Sloan, USA, 114 min., Quinzaine des Cineastes - Cannes
Seeing this small budget debut thriller, shot on film, feels like discovering Nolan through his film Following in 1998. A nicely crafted film by a filmmaker that must be recognised by the american film industry and given a possibility on a larger scale.
4. THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
dir. Magnus Von Horn, Denmark / Poland, 123 min; Cannes
A film that could feel underwhelming if seen in the wrong context, but that eventually will inevitably grow to be one of the most cherished views of the year, especially for whoever is interested in dark narratives. It features one of the most outstanding, eerie and disturbing opening scenes of any film of the year.
3. NOSFERATU
dir. Robert Eggers, USA / Czech republic, 132 min.
There was no doubt that Eggers' passion project will turn out to be spectacular, even if it is his film that feels closest to a mainstream appeal rather than autorial uniqueness. Nosferatu is one of the most mature incarnations of both Murnau and Stoker's works, greatly improving on the irish novelist's somewhat simplicistic naiveties and further exploring the monstruosity of the german silent film.
2. ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
dir. Payal Kapadia, India, 118 min, Cannes (GRAND PRIX)
Graceful, nostalgic, dreamy, this film deserved the Palme d'Or wholeheartedly. A film with sentiment and that highlights the beauty of indipendent indian cinema, often underfunded and underrepresented, despite being one of the best expressions of this country's film production.
1. THE BRUTALIST
dir. Brady Corbet, USA / Hungary, 215 min; Venice Film Festival
(SILVER LION FOR BEST DIRECTOR)
As soon as the gigantic opening sequence reaches its culmination, it becomes crystal clear that this film is not only one of the best of the year, but one of the best films - perhaps the single best one - of the entire decade. No film fused together the grand spectacle of classic cinema with a modern sensibility as The Brutalist has.
Comments
Post a Comment