7. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer
The horror of The Killing Of A Sacred Deer never comes in the form of jump scares or gratuitous violence. It’s techniques like showing a drop of blood from one’s eye or the singing of a light Ellie Goulding song that elicit paralyzing fear. Also, the emotionally detached characters never react to certain situations in ways one would expect, amping up the ambiguity of this labyrinthian nightmare. Director Yorgos Lanthimos may be known for his gonzo imagination thanks to films like The Lobster and Dogtooth. But this is his most gonzo film yet in the best possible ways.
6. Get Out
While the topic of race relations in America has been dealt with in film before, Get Out does a great job at keeping the conversation going and writer/director Jordan Peele does it in an innovative manner. It depicts the fears that African-Americans feel in modern society and demonstrates how chilling squeaky clean, white suburbia can be in a Stepford Wives-type fashion. It even has moments of dark humor despite it not being a “Best Motion Picture-Musical Or Comedy” type of comedy. It’s a seriocomic horror film that sharply taps into our cultural zeitgeist.
5. The Big Sick
Romantic comedies don’t get as honest and heartfelt as The Big Sick. It isn’t just authentic because it’s based on the real life romance of co-writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. But it shows that people who fall in love will realize how much they love someone by how much hurt they feel over causing them pain. The Big Sick shows the perks of falling in love thanks to the winning chemistry between Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan. Yet it isn’t afraid to show how hard love is and Hollywood romances usually don’t dare to be as honest as this film.
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Finally, someone gave Columbus the credit it deserved! I love that movie! But yeah, Call me by your name is absolutely mesmerizing. Instant classic material