We’ve taken a leaf out of Santa’s book, and have decided to reflect on the films of the year by determining which ones have been ‘good/nice’ and which ones have been downright naughty/bad. All of the team have put forward three films on their nice list and three for their naughty lists, giving their reasons why certain films have made the right or the wrong impression. So, grab a mince-pie and some egg nog and join us to examine the lists. Ho, ho, ho!
Saint Pauly very kindly sent across a copy of his list: ”As someone fortunate enough to go to the cinema daily, I’ve made an effort to choose films that may not make a lot of lists.”
Naughty
Films I loved that hit so hard they marked me.
- Katie Says Goodbye* (USA, Dir. Wayne Roberts): This isn’t a nifty little arthouse heartbreaker: Katie Says Goodbye is the Grave of the Fireflies of indie cinema.
- Knife + Heart (France, Dir. Yann Gonzalez): An over the top erotic thriller set in the French gay porn industry of the late 70s. You’ll come for the strap-on murder but stay for the dirty De Palma vibe.
- Beast (UK, Dir. Michael Pearce): A ferocious film of love, rape and murder. Beast’s bite is worse than its bark.
Nice
Films I loved that were so sweet they moved me when they touched me.
- Carmen y Lola (Spain, Dir. Arantxa Echevarria): Two Romani teen girls prove that ‘amor es amor’.
- Yomeddine (Egypt, Dir. Abu Bakr Shawky): This Egyptian road movie about a leper and an orphan looking for family veered from pathos at every turn.
- Lean on Pete (USA, Dir. Andrew Haigh): The boy with the too-big heart that’s breaking isn’t running from something, he’s running to something.
*Katie Says Goodbye: Released on the festival circuit in 2016, but enjoyed a theatrical release in 2018.