RTD: Top 30 Countdown - 20-11

20)  CLIMAX (2018, dir. Gaspar Noe)

I will be the first to admit that I have a bias by default for the polarizing Gaspar Noe. I firmly believe he is one of the most unique visionaries working today, so many will find it unsurprising that Climax lands on this list, let alone so high. That said, despite the generally positive reputation that the film received during its film festival run, I wasn’t particularly grabbed by its premise; a group of dancers’ simultaneous descent into an involuntary LSD trip just didn't captivate me that much. Come March 2019, we finally received the film here in Tucson, and leave it to Noe to leave me speechless and blown away yet again, even at my most skeptical.

A dance troupe prepare to embark overseas for a competition, but not without one last hurrah in their native France. Unbeknownst to them, they will crash into drug-induced oblivion after a sangria bowl is spiked with acid. Instead of any kind of act-structure, Noe masterfully crafts a gradual spiral downward, resulting in one of the most uniquely horrifying experiences in recent cinema. As scary as Climax is, it is equally hypnotic with mesmerizing choreography and masterful technicality, not to mention a soundtrack that the kids these days would call “fire” (along with some great original tracks by Thomas Bangalter). Long story short; Noe has done it again.

19)  LA LA LAND (2016, dir. Damien Chazelle)

Sometimes a film’s greatness is measured less by its perfectness than how much the viewer enjoyed it, was moved by it, inspired, etc. (without sacrificing artistic integrity). This point brings me to hit musical La La Land. Yes, it has more than its fair share of, the most glaring of all being a complete lack of memorable songs (though this could differ from person to person). This flaw should be fatal for a musical, but La La Land ends up being one of those rare cases: a film so lovable, dare I say magical, that flaws become nothing more than irrelevant, like that itch on the back of your neck resolved by a quick scratch.

The songs may be lackluster, but everything around those songs – choreography, sets, camerawork – make up for it and beyond, my personal favorite being the opening number set in the midst of classic L.A. traffic. There is a deep passion for the Hollywood But La La Land wouldn’t be nearly as much as it is without the charming duet of Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, who are nothing short of perfect, beautifully culminated in a terrific finale, albeit rather bittersweet, all set to an adorable Hollywood backdrop with a kind of wide-eyed wonder. One of the greatest musicals? That’s a stretch, but it’s undeniably a memorable one that can only be described as irresistible. Try not to be won over by its spell. I dare you.

18)  ENDLESS POETRY (2016, dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky)

After 23 years of cinematic silence, 2013 saw the return of beloved psychedelic guru Alejandro Jodorowsky with The Dance of Reality, a Felliniesque autobiography chronicling his growing up in a Chilean coastal town. Though it was a welcome return, and certainly an entertaining movie, it was rather flawed, most notably due to its derailing from Jodorowsky’s story to that of his father’s. Well, three years later, Jodorowsky continued his story with Endless Poetry, detailing his move to the city of Santiago and his ambitions to become a poet. The Dance of Reality may have been perfect, but Endless Poetry is about as perfect as a movie can get.

A beautiful tale of independence, individuality, and finding a place in the world, Endless Poetry breathes with life that few films do, contagious in energy, vibrant in color, and rich with imagination, all the while learning from the faults of its predecessor. While this is nothing close to his bizarre ‘70s films (fans of those may be underwhelmed here), Endless Poetry is not without Jodorowsky’s signature self-indulgence, of course. If that’s not your thing, look elsewhere, but if it is, you’ll be treated to one of Jodorowsky’s finest films yet. Capped off with one of the decade’s greatest movie endings, Endless Poetry is pure movie magic, and a tale of self-discovery for the ages.

17)  THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (2019, dir. Joe Talbot)

San Francisco itself becomes a prominent character this most excellent drama by Joe Talbot, where the future is uncertain but the present is becoming more and more unpleasant: gentrification, economic instability, and a touch of urban decay. In spite of all this, citizens remain, chained to memories and nostalgia. Such is the story of Jimmie (Jimmie Fails), a man at a crossroads between younger days and adulthood. Alongside childhood friend Mont (Jonathan Majors), Jimmie embarks on a passionate yet desperate journey to revitalize and re-inhabit his childhood home, allegedly constructed by his father’s own two hands.

It’s a plot that is at great risk of becoming overbearingly politicized, but Talbot never loses balance, keeping the intimate human drama a top priority – the result is touching in its humility. Backed by solid yet modest performances and gorgeous cinematography, peppered throughout with one of the decade’s most underrated scores, The Last Black Man in San Francisco is a bittersweet take on nostalgia and the ever-changing days ahead that is sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enthralling. Yes, life is scary in the steady dissolve of the past along with the fog of the future – The Last Black Man in San Francisco may not help alleviate that tension, but it makes for one of the decade’s most moving and profound films.

16)  WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN (2011, dir. Lynne Ramsay)

We Need to Talk About Kevin, without spoiling too much, is the story of Eva (Tilda Swinton), a wife & mother whose life is thrust permanently upside-down after the violent, horrific deeds of her teenage son, the titular Kevin (Ezra Miller). It is told in a fragmented and disorienting style, out of chronological order. The effect is not only chillingly intoxicating, but the perfect method to enter Eva’s mind, a broken place that is desperate in its attempts to make sense of such tragedy and to put the pieces back together. There is a suggestion that such efforts may be futile, but it makes for one of the very greatest psychological dramas I have ever seen.

The effect of this film is something like quicksand, gradually pulling you into an overwhelming abyss, masterfully directed by Lynne Ramsay with an acute attention to detail (there’s something new to notice with every watch). Though Kevin is essentially a one-dimensional character, he never feels cheap or written off, thanks to a creepy performance from Ezra Miller. But then there’s Tilda Swinton, who has emerged as one of my favorite actresses, and that all started here, which I believe to be her best role to date. Palpably creepy, tightly focused, brilliantly acted, We Need to Talk About Kevin is a nightmarish masterpiece.

15)  CALL ME BY YOUR NAME (2017, dir. Luca Guadagnino)

Nature acts not as a malevolent force but as a lush and alluring (if mysterious) aura in Call Me by Your Name, a most lovely and tender coming-of-age tale of emerging sexuality and uncertain love – it is also quite possibly the decade’s best romance. Elio, an American teenager, spends the summer with his parents in rural Italy where he meets Oliver, a grad student. Initially, there is nothing between them other than a casual acquaintanceship, but before too long Elio is head-over-heels in love with Oliver, and that love takes him on a journey into the world of love that is both devastating and beautiful.

Aside from being one of the most relaxing movies I’ve seen (thanks to exceptional use of location and atmosphere), Call Me by Your Name is one of the greatest depictions of romantic longing and the confusing, frustrating yet irresistible magnetism it brings. Carrying these complex feelings are exceptional performances from Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer, who share a subtle yet striking dynamic that compliments the overall film perfectly, and that bittersweet final shot wraps up the entire experience flawlessly. No matter your gender, no matter your sexual orientation, there is a tearjerking reassurance to Call Me by Your Name – longing and heartbreak are known well to all of us.

14)  PATERSON (2016, dir. Jim Jarmusch)

In Paterson, Jim Jarmusch forgoes bombastic genre-mashing in favor of the humble beauty of day-to-day life, spending one week with Paterson (Adam Driver), a man with a remarkable talent for poetry, specifically in his sharp attention to the littlest of details. His inspiration: the ordinary world around him, which he ordinarily strolls through every single day as an ordinary bus driver in Paterson, NJ, with an endlessly creative girlfriend (Golshifteh Farahani) and a mischievous dog to come home to. There are highs, there are lows, but Paterson isn’t much more (or less) than what is outlined here, but it is nothing short of a beautiful experience.

Paterson is the role Adam Driver was born to play, carrying his role as an unassuming everyman with a subtle sensitivity, perfectly balanced by Golshifteh Farahani as the girlfriend, who is adorable from start to finish. But Paterson would not be what it is without writer-director Jim Jarmusch. I’ve always found him to be at his best when he’s depicting the rhythmic ebb and flow of daily life, as his Paterson-like ability to find art and poetry in the most mundane is not only fascinating, but also sublime. With Paterson, Jarmusch puts his abilities to the test, and the result is one of his finest achievements.

13)  THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010, dir. David Fincher)

A classic American story chronicling the building of an entrepreneurial empire, set in the contemporary days of the digital frontier – such is the basis of The Social Network, the story of one Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg), a genius, determined, yet socially inept Harvard student, and his domination of cyberspace with Facebook. It is a venture that made him the youngest billionaire in the world, but not without a price, as the film details every bridge he burned along the way, which has pinned him down in the midst of not one, but two lawsuits that forever scarred his reputation.

I skipped out on The Social Network upon release, dismissing it as a cash-in on the Facebook name. When I finally got around to it, what I got put Facebook in the backdrop. In the foreground is a compelling and timeless story of business, friendship, and betrayal – considering the subject matter (computer nerds), it is amazing just how accessible this movie is. I credit this fully to Aaron Sorkin, whose script is one of the absolute greatest of recent memory, even earning an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Tack on a suiting score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, and a lead performance by Eisenberg that is nothing short of brilliant, The Social Network is the Citizen Kane for the millennial generation.

12)  INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013, dir. Coen Brothers)

Inside Llewyn Davis begins and ends with its titular protagonist (Oscar Isaac) sitting atop a stool in the Gaslight, guitar in hand, lamenting his struggles through folk songs. When we first see this, we are told everything we need to know about Llewyn. By the film’s end we get to experience where all of those troubles come from – some a result of the harshness of life, but many, many more a result of Llewyn’s own stubbornness and arrogance. For one reason or another, though, we stick through Llewyn as he braves through the cold streets of ‘60s New York.

Like the film itself, Oscar Isaac carries this irritating character without apology, but with sympathy, even proving himself to be a formidable and haunting folk singer. The world around Llewyn matches the character, shot in cold hues with hints of warmth. Folk music is a bit of a morbid icon of American culture, and for that, I couldn’t think of a better fit for this film than the Coen Brothers, making one hell of a folk song of a film, even going so far as to acknowledge Llewyn’s plight as one sick joke. Then again, there’s a key rule to comedy: somebody has to suffer.

11)  ROMA (2018, dir. Alfonso Cuaron)

Mexican auteur Alfonso Cuaron takes another spot in this countdown with Roma, the best film of 2018 and perhaps his greatest achievement as a director. Following a middle-class family in Mexico City in the midst of political and social upheaval, circa 1970s, a housemaid ultimately becomes the heroine of the story in a silent yet glorious emergence, bolstered by an incredible lead performance from Yalitza Aparicio, who approaches her character with the perfect combination of humility and timidity to suit her character.

Equally as humble is the film itself. As amazing as it is to experience as it is to look at, it never really calls attention to itself, politely inviting the viewer to its world. Yes, Roma is a slow film, but willing viewers will find themselves absolutely absorbed by the film’s osmotic spell, with each striking moment etching itself in the viewer’s memory, all building up to a climax that sneaks up on you with its tension, as well as being perhaps the most original baptism scene in cinema. I admit that I’ve been skeptical of Netflix’s gradual emergence in film, and I certainly still have some reservations, but if they can produce films of Roma-level quality, I can rest easy.