The Dojo's Top Ten Films of 2019

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. I have not seen all of the films released this year. This list is subjective.

 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 I have yet to see released in 2019 that I am looking

                           forward to.

I.              THE TOP TEN

10) The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot

            This film wins for the most provocative title of 2019, and it is an apt description of the basic spine of the plot. Sam Elliot shines here as an old grizzled (and possibly immortal) former soldier who was tasked with the titular death of Hitler, and in the present (1970’s – 1980’s), is tasked with the killing of The Bigfoot that is causing a plague. More contemplative than its title suggests, this is a film that asks questions about duty, loyalty, love, loss, romance and regret. There is a great scene in a convenience store where Sam Elliot’s character pulls out a nearly unrecognizable dollar bill from his wallet and asks “Wonder how this one never got caught, to be destroyed so that new crisp legal tender could circulate.” The young man behind the counter smiles and responds “Sometimes, these old ones just hang on.” It is an interesting commentary on aging in a society and what happens when you reach an age where society has forgotten you. This film has a perfect opening shot and anthem for what it wants to be. Gorgeous.

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9) Her Smell

            Directed by Alex Ross Perry Her Smell tells the story of Becky Something (Elizabeth Moss) and her Punk Band, Something She. Told in a series of vignettes, the film drops the audience into various situations throughout Becky’s life. The real star here is Elizabeth Moss who wears the pain and struggle of Becky’s past and current issues with addiction on her face. The strain that Becky’s antics places on her other band members is slowly revealed through dialogue and actions. Sociologically, this movie gives us a glimpse at the music industry from the vantage point of an all-girl punk band. There are interesting gender codes, messages and stereotypes that come out of that that feel fresh and unique because we rarely get to experience it.  

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8) The Farewell

Lulu Wang’s The Farewell is a philosophical meditation on western vs. eastern ideas on the concept of death and dying. The film posits, that from the eastern (specifically Chinese) perspective, the realization of illness impacts the soul and psyche so much that it is a direct route to death. The plot centers around a Chinese American family who go to China under the guise of a wedding to pay their last respects to the family matriarch; who was just diagnosed with terminal cancer without her knowledge. Sociologically, the cultural differences between the Chinese American family, the Chinese members of the family and the Chinese members of the family that immigrated to Japan are really interesting to watch, as is the culture shock of the family’s decision to keep up the lie for most western viewers. Simply great.

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7) Parasite

            Korean Filmmaker Bong Joon ho for the last few years has been interested in social class dynamics. His previous film SnowPiercer and this year’s Parasite discusses the class stratification between the rich and the poor. Whereas Snowpiercer organized social class levels within certain train cars, Parasite does something similar with housing.  What is interesting about this film is the way that the title is a double entendre for all individuals within this film. Every character is living off each other in order to survive. For some, that survival is a literal removal from abject poverty, and for the other it is in order to maintain a established lifestyle. The parasites in this film are created either by desperation or by entitlement.

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6) Midsommar  

            Ari Aster’s sophomore outing after Hereditary, he wrote after a breakup. I think that a sociologist more well versed in marriage, family, and intimate partnerships would have a lot to say about this film. Since, that is not my area of research or emphasis I will try not to do a disservice in this brief analysis. Told from the perspective of a grieving college student Dani (Florence Pugh) who is invited to witness a Scandinavian commune while she is trying to navigate a toxic and gaslighting relationship with her boyfriend Christian (Jack Reynor). What proceeds is a slow revelation of archaic rituals that involve the torture and slaughter of the individuals brought to the community. Not only is this film asking interesting questions about relationships, gendered expectations and social more’s of relationships in the face of crisis, it also slips in a commentary about the importance of collective grief as a coping strategy. Which, when depicted on film, is a striking image of collectivist thinking that is more welcomed now than in the past. As a bonus, several of the characters in the film are cultural anthropologist doing research.  This hits a little too close to home and makes me want to never do fieldwork again. 😊    

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5) Maiden

“The ocean is always trying to kill you, and it never stops.” These are the words that open director Alex Homes film about the first all-female sailing team to enter and succeed in the Whitbread Round the World Race. The film is the resident documentary on this years list that also acts as a semi biography of Tracy Edwards, the young skipper and navigator of “The Maiden” This, like a lot of “glass ceiling breaking” films has the important task of expressing why these women were trailblazes of the ocean, how the deck was stacked against them, and how they became sailing icons . This film also goes the extra mile to dive into the specific relationships of each crew member and the gambles they took, choices they made and the rewards/criticism they got for those choices and decisions. This documentary is well worth your time.

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4) Uncut Gems

           This film takes you in the culture of the New York diamond district. It is a film that addresses a lot of different social issues such as blood diamonds, class stratification, and addiction; albeit indirectly. This is a film the directors, the Safdie brothers, have been trying to make for ten years. What is sociologically interesting about this film is the way that it places the audience in the shoes of gambling addict and jeweler, Howard Ratner (played to perfection by Adam Sandler). The film is so quickly paced we experience the stages of addiction along with Howard. We see him as he is needing a fix, the rising tension of wondering of the bet is going to payoff the utter elation that comes with winning big, and the horror when it doesn’t.  The directors’ strap you in, and do not let up on the tension until the very end. Sandler should at least get an Oscar nod.

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3) The Peanut Butter Falcon

            A road trip film that invokes Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Fin, The Peanut Butter Falcon tells the story of Zak (Played by Zack Gottsagen), a man with down syndrome who escapes his living facility in order to go to a wrestling school to become a professional wrestler.  Along the way he is aided by Tyler a vagabond fisherman (Shia LeBeouf) and pursued by his volunteer caregiver Elanor (Dakota Johnson).  Full of heart, warmth and genuineness that is unique in our current socio-political climate, this is both the film that we need right now and the film we deserve.

 This film would not exist without Gottsagen, (a down syndrome actor) who met the directors Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz at an acting camp.  He asked if they had a part for him in their next movie. To which the directors said that there weren’t a lot of roles for people with down syndrome (and they are often played by non owns actors when they are). An undeterred Gottsagen responded, “You just have to write a part for me.” And that is what they did.  This film is a testament to the importance of symbolic representation in film for people with disabilities. We need to be able to see all of ourselves on screen.

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2) Honey Boy    

            I was not prepared to have two films on my list that star Shia LeBeouf. I have been such a critic of LeBeouf in the past that if you told me last year that this would happen, I would have been very skeptical. However, like Nicolas Cage, LeBeouf has been redeemed through his role in the aforementioned The Peanut Butter Falcon and now Honey Boy. Honey Boy is a thinly veiled autobiography that came out of court mandated rehab LeBeouf had to endure to avoid a 7 year prison sentence. It follows him from his Even Steven’s days through Transformers. LeBeouf takes a soberingly raw introspection of his life that is full of contemplation and deep catharsis. LeBeouf actually takes on the role of his father, adding to the authenticity of the script and the film itself. He does not pull any punches here especially those directed at himself or his father. A summation of the kind of breakthrough this film must have been comes towards the end of the film. Lucas Hass (as the LeBeouf proxy “Otis”) is in rehab and he says to his psychiatrist “ The only thing good my dad ever gave me was pain. And now you’re trying to take that away from me.” LeBeouf should at least get an Oscar nod for writing.

Added Bonus: Shia LeBeouf being Interesting

The Songs:

The Interviews:

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1)  The Lighthouse

   

This is my perfect film of 2019. Not only is this film beautifully shot with stellar performances by the leads of Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, the sound design is both crucial and amazing. This film is allegorical and mythic; drawing upon Norwegian myths and the Greek myth of Prometheus. Sociologically, this film talks about isolation its correlation with mental illness which can be exacerbated by both alcohol and gaslighting.  However, the strongest sociological theme here is masculinity. This film is very male, in the sense that the cultural norms and values that we socialize men into, and how those very things can lead to the development of mental illness and violence.  There is an analysis of male sexuality that is raw and uncomfortable, punctuated by homoerotic tension that is released with violence. This film indicates yet again the correlation that many scholars have made between masculine toxicity and violence. A brilliant, wonderfully interesting film that should be seen by everyone. Even though it may not be for everyone. This is the kind and the quality of cinema that we should strive for in 2020.

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II. Honorable Mentions:

The Art of Self Defense

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Stan and Ollie

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Booksmart

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Hustlers

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The Nightingale

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III.  Films Yet to See:

 Little Women

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Portrait of a Lady on Fire

The Films of Hayao Miyazaki: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

The Second film in my analysis of The Films of Hayao Miyazaki is the post-apocalyptic fantasy  Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.   This is the film that put Miyazaki and his team on the map allowing him to develop and create his own studio. While not known at the time, but Nauscicca embodies everything that we have come to identify as quintessentially “Miyazaki”. Many of the elements, themes and struggles in the film become a standard template for Miyazaki films in the future, eventually identifying as Miyazaki’s signature. Thus, it is through the film’s plot, context (both social and historical), and various themes that make Nausicaa the first pure Miyazaki film.

THE (NEAR) BIFURCATION OF MIYAZAKI

When looking at the totality of Miyazaki’s work, much like a lot of categorizations, you can divide most of Miyazaki’s work in to one of two categories based upon their intended audience. There are Miyazaki films that are more clearly marketed for adults (dealing with heavier themes and darker subtext) and those films that are marketed to children (the films that are socialization tools that have strong and powerful messages for what it means to be an adult usually involving young children as the protagonist).

Miyazaki Films for Adults                                       Miyazaki films for Children

Castle of Cagliostro (1979)                                        Castle in the Sky (1986)

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984)                 My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

Porco Roso (1992)                                                      Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

Princess Mononoke (1997)                                         Ponyo (2008)

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)                                     Spirited Away (2001)

The Wind Rises (2013)                                                How Do I Live? (2020)

However, because binaries are unequal social constructs that have been proven time and again to not fit the complex diversity of reality; it can be argued (correctly in my opinion) that many of these Miyazaki films straddle the line between being solely for adults or exclusively for children. In fact, many of his films involve children as the protagonists, but also has them confront very adult ideas of work, life, and existence. Therefore, while the methodology of this list is an easy shorthand for discerning the more dramatic of Miyazaki’s stories compared to those that are more lighthearted, all of Miyazaki’s films can be enjoyed by all.

          

     PLOT

1000 years after the collapse of industrialization and the “7 days of fire” that covered the planet, Humanity is divided into large “Kingdoms” which are interlocked in battle between themselves and the environment which is personified by the Ohm, large trilobite creatures that, in fits of rage  attack the humans. The air is toxic and the spores of the forest jeopardize the meager civilizations that have survived. The titular Nausicaa is the Princess of the Valley of the Wind, one of the human Kingdoms that is positioned in a valley closest to the sea. Its constant breeze and lush forest protect the kingdom from the toxic spores that have been known to invade and destroy a civilization. This is all put in jeopardy when waring rival kingdoms invade the Valley seeking an ancient weapon that will suppress the toxic forest and allow one kingdom total supremacy.  Nausicaa must act as a bridge between the forest and humanity, quelling tension and aggression on both sides and needing to find the most direct and efficient way to achieve long lasting peace. 

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

          

   (re)gaining trust

            Miyazaki’s previous film  The Castle ofCagliostro was not well received at the box office regardless of wining the prestigious Ofuji Noburo Animation Award[1] in part due to the way that Miyazaki “softened” the Lupin characters so that they would not seem so nihilistic or sexist. Many people chided that it was not “the real” (or to be more accurate) “their” Lupin[2]. As a result of this backlash, and poor box office performance Miyazaki’s subsequent film ideas could not get any traction at any major animation studio. He was seen as too big of a risk.  Therefore, as a proof of concept he published the two volume Manga version of Nausicaa beginning in 1979, first published in 1982. The Manga was a huge success (selling over 11 million copies) which paved the way for the film adaptation.

           

  Leaving it all on the field

The constant setbacks, detours and delays that Miyazaki and his team experienced attempting to bring Nausicaa to fruition left them feeling disillusioned. This despondence and trepidation was well warranted. Miyazaki and his team had yet to establish themselves (Takahata’s ground breaking film Grave of the Fireflies only gets made until after Nausicaa’s success) and they were worried that if Nausicaa was received as well as Castle of Cagliostro, no one else would allow them to make another film. Thus, feeling that this may be their only shot at expressing themselves they began to lace Nausicaa with all of the values, beliefs, ideals, and tropes that would become a signature of the then forthcoming Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki in particular.

          

     

    Warriors of the Wind

            While the film did very well in a majority of the international Markets in the United States, the distribution companies of Manson International and Showmen, Inc edited and recut Miyazaki’s original film into what they titled Warriors of the Wind. This recut/edit of the film not only changed the focus away from Nausicaa to more of an ensemble piece[3]; it also cut out 25 minutes of footage. This lead to a lot of the themes being lost or changed (particularly those about female empowerment and environmentalism).Including:

·         In this version the Ohm are seen and understood only as aggressive antagonists

·         The titular “warriors” use the “God warrior” to destroy the Ohm

·          All of the character development for Nausicaa (Now called Princess Zandra) was cut

Bring completely dissatisfied with the actions of the US distributors, Miyazaki mandated final cut for all of his projects once Studio Ghibli was created. This was to make sure that he could control the fate of his finished films and make sure that audiences could view his film in the way that he had intended.

SOCIAL CONTEXT

In taking a critical sociological perspective on Miyazaki’s films and specifically Nausicaä one gets the sense through both his Manga, and the film that he believes that film has a duty to say something about the world in an attempt to make it better than how he left it.  As indicated in my introduction to Miyazaki’s work he often wrestles with the feeling and self-perception that he has not done enough for the world, that his films are nothing compared to the real work that needs to be done.[4] Yet, through his films complex themes and a focus and representation of femininity and a divergent look at the “ Princess culture”, Miyazaki, through his films, has provided progressive cultural messaging that is the foundation of any progressive social policies or social justice movement. In Nausicaä specifically, because they were  unsure of its success and longevity they packed the film with a dense variety of themes, that he eventually spreads out in his later films.

Anti Capitalism/ Industrialism

In Nausicaa’s opening narration, we are known that it is a thousand years since the collapse of industrialization. The basic sociological understanding of history points to the correlation between the rise of industrialization and early capitalism. The idea that the industrial technology shifted how we live (from a pre-modern era to a modern era) that it created new social and cultural norms, ways of behavior that allowed capitalism as an economic system to grow, and thrive.

This summation of Marx and Weber’s thoughts on the subject can provide some illustration:

Marxio 

   

Is Capitalism Bad For You?

While we don’t get a full explanation as to what happened to cause the fall of industrialization or what truly happened during the “Seven days of Fire”. Though I would assume due to the collusion between Capitalism, Industry and the Military and the endless wars that we (especially the United States) fight it is conceivable and some might even say inevitable that we will eventually destroy ourselves. This is something Miyazaki understood all too well.

In Nausicaä, Miyazaki discusses ancient biological weapons that were stock piled and used against warring factions that we can assume led to the aforementioned “7 days of fire”. These weapons are clear allegories to the nuclear bomb (something Japaneseanimation has always been obsessed with).  Being born in 1941, Miyazaki found the experience of WWII and the bombs informative as a child, and then used the ancient weapons as a way that he could talk about the dangers of nuclear proliferation…which is also a product of the toxic, unregulated, late stage capitalism.    

Environmentalism

                     

   …Industrial civilizations sprawl across the face of the planet plundering the soil of its riches fouling the air, and remolding life forms at will. Cities burned, welling up as clouds of posion…Almost all of the surface of the earth was transformed into a sterile wasteland  Hayao Miyazaki Nausicaä Manga

It is through this quote in the opening cover of the first volume that lays out the beginning of Miyazaki’s thesis on environmentalism that would eventually span a number of his films.  Here Miyazaki is drawing a direct causation between industrialization and environmental destruction. According to Jorgensen et al[5] (2018) the current drivers of climate change are economic systems (capitalism as previously mentioned) and Consumption. Our consumption practices, especially for energy are dangerously unsustainable which fuels environmental depletion.

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       The US is 4.5% of the world’s population

-          But it makes up 21.8% of the global energy use

-          31.8% of industrial consumption

-          39.6% of residential and commercial energy purposes

-          28.6% of the world’s transportation consumption

This equates that the US alone consumes an average of 40% of Global resources.

This desire for resources has led to practices of acquiring those resources quickly and cheaply that are often damaging to the environment, practices that have a long history dating back to Industrialization: Burning coal, deforestation, strip mining, offshore drilling. Unfortunately, the US is often the model for global capitalist success. Which means that other newly industrialized countries like China, are following similar industrial practices as the United States, with greater production and reckless environmental abandon.

Mark Maslin addresses this in his book Climate Change: a Very Short Introduction when he states:

 “Climate change challenges the very economic theories that have dominated global economics for the last 35 years and that we need to build a new [economic and] political system that will allow collective action and more equal distribution of wealth, resources and opportunities.” P 172

This is because industrialization and capitalism has created value in cultural ideas skills and behaviors that result in environmental destruction.  

-          Just 4 % of big five energy producers went to renewable energy research and implementation [6]

-          Climate deniers often manufacture the threat that being eco-friendly is a threat to Capitalism. This was the same excuse that was leveed against abolitionists, The occupy movement about redistribution and any kind of substantive change

-         

      The Solution to the modern ecological problem is:  the radical reordering of our economic political systems that are antithetical to the “free market” belief system[7]

-          We need to plan economies based upon collective priorities and need rather than corporate profitability. This the way that the sustainability becomes Macro in focus

-           To accomplish this, it takes strong Government action at all levels

In the context of Miyazaki, It is fascinating to see that during the time that we gain the ability to measure our impact on the environment[8], Miyazaki also gives us this film as an environmentalist cautionary tale. Through Nausicaä, Miyazaki removes all sub text, and in the text of the film states the importance of the forest to the air quality of the kingdom; positioning Nausicaa’s kingdom as geopolitically valuable due to the wind being able to keep the poisonous spores from festering.  The later revelation that it was the forest that is trying to clean the air of pollutants and save humanity is a mic drop of a conclusion.  

Feminism/ Female Empowerment (better princess culture)

            Miyazaki has always been interested in telling stories about the empowerment and humanity of young girls and women. This has led Miyazaki and his work to be embraced by feminists. As well he should, as he has always been positioned as the antithesis to a western princess culture. Also, it is difficult in the increasing corporatization of (the princess) culture through the Disney monolith that has commodified all aspects of the childhood of multiple generations to find something that is not reinforcing tired stereotypes on the next generation or weaponizing them through nostalgia for adults today.

             Like the trees in Nausicaä, Miyazaki films act as a barrier of protection against this homogeneous toxicity by having the radical idea that women are three-dimensional people.  And while, yes, the monolith[9] is learning some better lessons these days, the change is usually motivated by profit rather than altruism; and the changes that they make are ultimately derivative of Miyazaki from 30 years ago.

EXAMPLE: REY IS NAUSICCA

EXHIBIT A

EXHIBIT B

  

                                                           

CONCLUSION

            Nausicca of the Valley of the Wind is one of the best princess films in existence and it acts as the proof of concept for Miyazaki’s entire career with the establishment of Studio Ghibli. A studio which is not motivated by profit, and seeks to only be able to make enough money to keep the lights on, and the creators working.  Nausicca has everything that is essential to a Miyazaki film. It is a film that represents the essence of its creator/director that it is the film that encapsulates his feelings on the world.   See it. Own it. Share it.                                                                     

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[1] Miyazaki would go on to win this award an additional four times in his career with Nausicaa, Castle in the Sky, Totoro, and Ponyo also winning this award.  

[2] You see this happen even today whether that be the “release the Snyder cut” weirdos or the petition for The Last Jedi to no longer be canon.

[3] The cover adds a lot more men to the story that are not in the original film.

[4] In Sociology, there is a concept put forth by Charles H. Cooley called reference groups. These are individuals living or dead that we use to regulate and evaluate our own behavior. In reading about how Miyazaki feels that he has yet to do something significant makes me wonder who is in his reference group. In other words: who is he comparing himself to that feels so inadequate?

[5] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wcc.554

[6] Naomi Klein (2011) “Capitalism vs. The Climate.” The Nation

[7] Naomi Klein (2011) “Capitalism vs. The Climate.” The Nation

[8] We gain the ability to measure atmospheric CO2 in the 1980’s

[9] Disney