Josh Safdie carries that same kinetic, pulse-pounding drive from those films in Marty Supreme. Safdie explores the world of Marty Mauser with his distinctive visual style, including constant motion, fast-paced action and tight close-ups of his characters, making the stakes more effective. 

This film has Safdie firing on all cylinders and pouring his soul into his work. The atmosphere surrounding Marty is chaotic and fun, almost like an intoxicating bubble of Mauser elevated by Daniel Lopatin’s (Oneohtrix Point Never) eclectic score. 

With One Battle After Another, Anderson proves once again that his cinema captures both the madness and moral pulse of America — a mirror held to revolution and the resilience of its dreamers.

A film that highlights a father’s love for his daughter and the lengths he will go to protect her. Anderson is a gifted filmmaker, and his work often reflects the current landscape. Along with a very talented cast, this is one of the best of the year. 

Regardless of it being fictitious, O’Farrell and Zhao use that grief and loss to build the foundation of the complexities of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Hamnet is the most profound and poignant film of the year, and pays homage to Shakespeare in a naturalistic way that other filmmakers have not captured before. Zhao is masterful in her direction, and the way the tragedy unfolds leaves viewers transfixed long after the film is over.

Del Toro has become a master at world-building and imbuing his creatures with emotional depth. The production design in Frankenstein incorporates Gothic architecture and highlights more Earth tones that ground the madness of its central creator. A reminder that the world is a living, breathing organism, and needs to be treated with tenderness and care. 

‘Frankenstein’ review excerpt

KPOP Demon Hunters is a gorgeously animated film that explores the nature of friendship and self-identity. This explores the importance of female friendships on screen and also proves that women are stronger together. With incredibly well-executed action sequences and a soundtrack that will have you singing along, this is the best animated feature of the year.

The Life of Chuck is Mike Flanagan’s most poignant and humanistic work, contemplating the moments you may have missed or taken for granted. Flanagan brings back his favourite cast members and gives them all small roles so fans will find comfort in seeing them. It almost feels like a meditation for viewers. Flanagan goes through these stages that everyone has gone through. Whether you’ve gone through a similar event to Chuck or not, this film will resonate with everyone.

Song explores the hidden reasoning as to why relationships fail because people refuse to look in the mirror and take accountability for their flaws. That’s the problem with modern dating. No one wants to try or even see the other’s perspective. They refuse to bend or even to compromise because they see their life in a certain way. The sooner people realize that life isn’t linear and that it can change in an instant, the sooner they’ll find their partner who will be riding the wave with them. 

It’s much more than just a film about the pandemic. It’s a horror film about the downfall of humanity and the selfishness that has surfaced due to having a platform to express oneself. Much of society is entitled and arrogant. Aster just places a mirror in front of the audience to reflect on what has happened in the past five years. 

Surprisingly enough, the humour in Eddington is a combination of nervous laughter and awkward moments of knowing individuals who would be preaching outlandish ideologies. Aster cleverly never seems biased when the characters are discussing their opinions, but the humorous moments are there to reinforce where he stands.

Sentimental Value is a cathartic and meditative exploration of generational trauma, facing it head-on and offering forgiveness. Rensieve, Skarsgard, Lilleaas and Fanning all give fantastic performances and truly feel the pain of these characters. Trier and Vogt’s choices to have Gustav show understanding towards Nora through his screenplay, which is more about her than his mother, was the connective tissue that brought the emotional weight needed to make an impact.