Author’s
Note: This list is a list of the most
sociologically interesting films I have seen this year so far. It is
not a list of my favorite films (though the higher the film is on the list the
more overlap there will be) but of films that sparked sociological analysis in
my head and/or had wide cultural impact.
This list will have three sections 1) The Top
Ten in descending order.
2) Honorable mentions (Great film’s
that just didn’t make the cut)
3) The films yet to be released in 2018 that I am looking
forward to.
THE TOP TEN
10) Black
Panther
The film that recently caused the
debate to have a popular film Oscar at the 2019 ceremony, Black Panther was a film that had a largely black cast and crew
(which in 2018 is shamefully still a novelty) which allowed the central plot
and the conflict between the protagonist (Chadwick Boseman’s T’Chala) and antagonist
(Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger) to be steeped in the issues black people of
color face. One of the interesting impacts of this film was due to the long
global history of slavery many black people of color do not know where their ancestry
is from, thus once this film came out many of those without a country adopted Black Panther’s Wakanda as their ancestral
home.
Written and directed by Scottish
Film Director Lynne Ramsey You Were Never
Really Here is a modern day Taxi
Driver. Joaquin Phoenix plays a hitman that is assigned to recover a young
girl from a human trafficking ring. As he continues the investigation he
uncovers the seedy underbelly of bureaucracy and white men of power. Powerful, tightly written with zero “fat”, this
film is a lean social commentary about wealth and power.
A French Produced Gore revenge
fantasy, Revenge is a gonzo Grindhouse-style
film that literally ran out of blood by the end of the shoot. The film does fall into certain sexist tropes
(in the way that the female body is framed and the perpetration of sexual
violence upon the protagonist) but once the titular “revenge” begins to take
place, the squeals of obliterated toxic masculinity are enough to make up for
how the film got there.
Spike Lee directs the true story of
Ron Stallworth a black Colorado Springs detective, who in the 1970’s infiltrated
the Klu Klux Klan. The brilliance of this film is in the way that Spike Lee
runs a historical thread from the 1970’s to the very issues of racism,
oppression and murder people of color face today. From police brutality to
subtle racism Spike lee shows us that the problems that we had in the past are
still an issue today; going so far as to conclude the film with the protests in
Charlottesville in 2017 concluding with the death of counter protester Heather
Heyer.
6) Eighth Grade
Written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, Eighth Grade is a window into female adolescence
in the new millennium. There are moments in the film that everyone who went through
that awkward stage as an early teenager can relate to, but there are also
scenes that exclusively tackles the social issues that young girls face in our
current culture. For those who think that white men can not accurately, or
fully capture stories about girls and women should see this movie. Burnham is
able to achieve an emotionally moving level of authenticity.
5) Hereditary
Brilliantly shot
by Pawel Pogorzalski, Ari Aster’s Psychological and supernatural horror film Hereditary is a masterful treatise on
mental illness and the strain of trauma upon a family. Grounded by a stellar
performance by Toni Collette, this film is a spiritual companion to Luca Guadagnino’
s remake of Suspiria; however, if you
watch them back to back, you may need to watch with all of the lights on and
sing cheery Holiday carols after... or chase it with number 4 on the list.
Strategically placed as a palate
cleanser before we get to the top three, Won’t
you be my Neighbor the documentary of Fred Rodgers and the program “Mr.
Rodger’s Neighborhood.” captures the audience with nostalgia ( because the program
spanned 30+ years ) and reveals the subtle radical social resistance of one man
from Pittsburgh. The documentary shows us a less divisive and more inclusive
look at social and political compromise. The film also emphasizes that Fred
Rodgers was a religious conservative that treated all people with humanity,
something that the film suggests we have lost sight of. Have a box of tissues
at the ready.
3) Annihilation
A Sci-Fi Thriller by Alex Garland
This film is noteworthy for the majority of its principle cast being female.
The film spends time showing us the diversity of femininity in each character
and how they deal with a situation that gets progressively worse. Focusing on
how we deal with grief and the way that psychological trauma motivates us and
shapes our perception. The Bear sequence is a marvel, and terrifying.
2) Suspiria
Witches, Feminism and Male Panic;
Luca Guadagnino’s remake is brilliant. Reinforcing the power of femininity and
the power women have as a collective to challenge the patriarchal world, is
amazing. Read
my full review of Suspiria.
Anyone who has read my
earlier review for Mandy should not be surprised by its
placement on my list. Panos Costmatos’ film is full of Cheddar Goblins, Demon
Bikers, and Hippie Cults, “ripped shirts” and “crazy evil” all anchored by the
best performance Nicolas Cage has ever given.
Watch it, Buy it, give it to a friend…may not be for everyone.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
MOST ANTICIPATED
YET TO COME IN 2018
Spiderman: Into
the Spider-verse (Dec
14th)
Vice (Dec 25th)
On the Basis of
Sex (Dec 25th)
Anna and the
Apocalypse (Dec 30th)- US (wide)
Destroyer (Dec 30th)
