Five Things I Watched Last Year That Will Stick With Me This Year
New stuff and new old stuff.
I wanted to begin this new year by looking back at the films (and one tv show) that really moved me last year. I watched a lot of new stuff and challenged myself to watch new old stuff. It can be so daunting trying to work through the backlog of movies you’ve missed or things you feel obligated to see, sometimes I lose track of why I want to watch stuff in the first place. It’s the feels, baby! I want to be surprised by how the thing I’m watching makes me feel, and these all surprised me in wonderful ways.
1. Priscilla (2023)
The unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla Presley’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his estate at Graceland.
Sofia Coppola is kind of hit or miss for me. I don’t always feel like the characters in her films can keep up with her aesthetics, but Priscilla absolutely blew me away. Her style is perfectly paired with the material, and her heroine becomes a moving proxy for what a lot of women of Priscilla’s generation experienced at the dawn of second-wave feminism. Coppola tells Priscilla's story with the respect and admiration she deserves, without sacrificing honesty or scrutiny. Every frame of this movie is exquisite, the performances are top-notch; but the true achievement is how deeply it immerses you in Priscilla’s emotional experience without making her seem naive or Elvis seem evil. The most radical thing Coppola does is make him seem real regular. Fair warning - do not watch if you want to still like men by the end.
Available to rent or buy online.
2. Somebody Somewhere (2021-23)
Sam is a true Kansan on the surface, but, beneath it all, struggles to fit the hometown mold. Grappling with loss and acceptance, she discovers herself and a community of outsiders who don't fit in but don't give up. (IMDB)
The second season of this HBO show was a welcome treat that will devastate you without you realizing it until you’re already crying - oops! Bridgett Everett grounds a genuinely wonderful ensemble of actors to paint an achingly tender portrait of life in the Midwest and in middle age. The pacing and characters may be challenging to get on board with at first (you could not describe this show as action-packed), but I found myself increasingly engrossed in their stories and the connections they build. This isn’t a show about finding easy answers or resolutions, it’s about the small moments that make life meaningful and beautiful. Watch this if you like crying for no obvious reason.
Both seasons streaming on HBO.
3. Cure (1997)
A wave of gruesome murders is sweeping Tokyo. The only connection is a bloody X carved into the neck of each of the victims. In each case, the murderer is found near the victim and remembers nothing of the crime. Detective Takabe and psychologist Sakuma are called in to figure out the connection, but their investigation goes nowhere…
The word “masterpiece” gets thrown around a lot, but this movie by Kioshi Kurosawa is the definition of it. An early entry in the wave of Japanese horror films of the '90s and early 2000s, the film is considered highly influential and it’s easy to see why. The composition of the filmmaking is staggering, the story is engrossing and haunting, the performances are captivating. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since watching it for the first time this fall, and I’ve unapologetically gushed about it to anyone who would listen. It follows Detective Takabe as he races to solve a series of increasingly inexplicable and disturbing murders by people who have no memory of committing the crimes. This film is a perfect example of a slow burn and has an incredible payoff.
Available on the Criterion Channel or for online rental.
4. Mississippi Masala (1991)
Years after her Indian family was forced to flee their home in Uganda, twentysomething Mina finds herself helping to run a motel in the faraway land of Mississippi. It’s there that a passionate romance with the charming Black carpet cleaner Demetrius challenges the prejudices of their conservative families and exposes the rifts between the region’s Indian and African American communities.
I’m not a huge romance movie person, but Mississippi Masala thawed my bitter skeptical heart and made me believe in love at the movies again. Sarita Choudhury plays opposite a dashing Denzel Washington in Mira Nair’s indie classic about a young Indian American woman whose family is forced to leave their home in Uganda to resettle in the American South. Denzel plays a carpet cleaner who falls for Choudhury’s Mina despite her family's prejudices about him and his misgivings about them. The film is slick and sexy and it's a rare romance film that focuses on an interracial couple from working-class backgrounds. It’s uncommon for a film to center just one of those things, let alone both, and Nair’s skillful storytelling makes their story compelling and refreshing. If you love love, you will love this movie. I can’t believe I didn’t watch it sooner.
Available on the Criterion Channel or for online rental.
5. Talk to Me (2023)
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
I saw this rocking horror debut from Australian Youtubers The Phillipou Brothers when it came out in the US this summer. It rules, full stop. I was the most scared I’ve ever been in a theater (I blame the theater’s volume!) and really appreciated the strong cast and inventive storytelling. Though ostensibly a movie about a group of teens who let a party trick with an embalmed hand go too far, the film is a clear allegory for addiction and also manages to have something interesting to say about dealing with grief and guilt. Our horror movie renaissance that Jordan Peele and Blumhouse kicked off with 2017’s Get Out has turned into a horror movie glut of late, and it’s hard for films in the genre to stand out. Talk to Me manages to set itself apart with a hooky concept and an appreciation for what the genre can convey emotionally. The effects and filmmaking are surprisingly compelling for a first feature, and I look forward to whatever they put out next.
Available on Prime Video or Apple TV+.
Five more rapid-fire honorable mentions for those of you who made it this far:
The General (1926) - Buster Keaton is the best to ever do it. We would not have the Mission: Impossible franchise without the stunts this guy made possible. He crashes a literal train into a river. Everyone should see it. I watched it on the Criterion Channel but a lot of his movies are on Youtube. They are a great time!
Wuthering Heights (1939) - I, like a lot of people, read this book in high school. It didn’t really stick with me, but this film adaptation starring Lawrence Olivier and Merle Oberon absolutely did. I didn’t really get how much this story explores class lines and the power that confers on the main characters to really mess each other up. It’s a classic for a reason! I rented it on Amazon.
Mae West: Dirty Blonde (2020) - My parents recommended this documentary to me after I watched an early film of hers, I’m No Angel (1933). Mae West is an iconic movie star with a signature swagger, but did you know she was also a brilliant businesswoman who demanded equal pay? It's available on the PBS website or as a streaming rental.
House (1977) - Nobuhiko Obayashi’s cult classic is like if Picnic at Hanging Rock took acid and also had witches. I won’t spoil it by saying too much about it. but it’s about a group of teenage girls who go to visit one of their mysterious aunts for their school break. It’s a colorful horror comedy, so you can guess how that trip turns out! This movie is so much fun. It's currently streaming on MAX.
Pool of London (1951) - This is a pretty tame film noir of the early fifties, but one of the few to feature a Black lead. It’s about a pair of soldiers who are on leave in London for a couple of days and the romance and trouble they get themselves into. The film was shot in London just a few years after the end of WWII, and it's a fun time capsule of that place and time while still being a really moving story. Lead actor Earl Cameron really shines, his range and depth of his performance are reason enough to watch this one. You can find it on Criterion Channel and Kanopy.
Credit: Each plot synopsis comes from Letterboxd via TMDb.
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