 |
| Cate Blanchett gives the 13 best performances of 2017 in Manifesto. Photo by Julian Rosefeldt, courtesy of Filmrise. |
Is it already June? This year is just flying by. I’m sorry
that updates here have been scant (work’s just been a series of
events that haven’t let up) but this blog seems to be waking up from an
extended hibernation. It’s time to recap the year at its halfway mark.
 |
| Step. Fox Searchlight Pictures |
Writing at POV, however, offers a good handle on the
documentary front. The magazine lets me see most of the non-fiction releases,
and the year actually seems really good on that side of the movie scene with
the best film of the year so far, Step, coming up in August. Other gems like Susanne Bartsch: On Top, City of Ghosts, and Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World
hit festivals and find release later in this year or the next.
Here are my picks for the ten best films of 2017 so far:
 |
| Courtesy Abacus LLC |
Abacus: Small Enough to Jail
(Dir. Steve James)
Steve James finds the ultimate David and Goliath tale of the
2008 financial crisis in Abacus: Small Enough to Jail. This gripping
documentary follows the case of the Sung family and their Abacus bank in New
York’s Chinatown, which is the only bank to date to be charged with mortgage
fraud following the 2008 financial crisis. The film likens Thomas Sung to a
modern day George Bailey as scenes from Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a
Wonderful Life appear intercut with the family’s testimony to their innocence
and that of an institution that exists to meet the needs of a unique community.
The unexpectedly emotional film takes a stand for the little guys.
Abacus is now playing in limited release.
 |
| Courtesy Elevation Pictures |
Beatriz at Dinner
(Dir. Miguel Arteta)
Salma Hayek has one Oscar nomination to her name for her
performance in Julie Taymor’s artfully eclectic Frida. The 2002 biopic of
Mexican painter Frida Kahlo might be the passion project of Hayek’s career, but
her performance in Beatriz at Dinner feels like the role that she’s been
waiting her whole life to play. The star finds a great character in Beatriz,
the dowdy natural health therapist with quiet strength and beauty beneath her
shy demeanour, wrinkles, and dumpy mom jeans. Here is a performance of subtle
humour and downplayed rage as Hayek’s Beatriz serves oodles of truth tea to John
Lithgow’s ignorant white guy in a squirm-inducing comedy that is well-timed for
Trump-era politics.
Beatriz at Dinner is now in theatres.
 |
| NFB |
A Better Man
(Dir. Attiya Khan, Lawrence Jackman)
Hearing the responses to A Better Man during its run at Hot
Docs and at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers (né Bloor) Cinema was medicine for the
soul. It’s so inspiring to see a film have such an impact on audiences and
spark such positive and constructive conversations. This brave feature debut by
Attiya Khan and co-director Lawrence Jackman builds upon Khan’s experience as a
counsellor and survivor of domestic violence to have a conversation with her
ex-boyfriend, Steve, who abused her twenty years ago. In just a few exchanges,
one feels the weight and gravity on both sides of the conversation. The film’s
inclusive approach encourages men to take responsibility for their actions
through recognition and rehabilitation.
A Better Man is playing the festival circuit and community screenings.
A Better Man is playing the festival circuit and community screenings.
 |
| Courtesy Pacific Northwest Pictures |
The Commune
(Dir. Thomas Vinterberg)
Trine Dyrholm gives the kind of performance that would sweep
the accolades of next winter if The Commune were an American production.
Dyrholm is shattering as Anna, an idealistic journalist and mother who
encourages her family to create a home for communal living in an effort to enliven
her fledgling marriage. At some point in this bittersweet drama by Thomas
Vinterberg (Far from the Madding Crowd), Anna loses her grasp of everything she
holds dear. A latter act on-air breakdown in her TV studio is a tour de force of
silent acting as feelings of regret, loneliness, guilt, rejection, and loss
puncture the composed mask she wears at home and at work. The Commune is very
affecting with this soul caught between idealism and reality.
The Commune is now playing in limited release.
Kedi
(Dir. Ceyda Torun)
Cat videos rule the Internet as hoomans search for
time-wasting clickbait to watch at work, but Turkish catumentary Kedi takes the cat movie to
another level as director Ceyda Torun prowls the streets of Istanbul to
experience life from the perspectives of the city’s feline inhabitants. Kedi
suggests that cats hold a spiritual power and the film conveys this feline
serenity through the soothing relationships that Ceyda builds with the furry
subjects. One interviewee says, “A cat meowing at your feet, looking up at you,
is life smiling at you.” Each time a cat in Kedi gazes up towards the camera,
the film offers a heartwarming grin.
Kedi is now plaing in limited release.
 |
| Photo by Julian Rosefeldt, Courtesy Filmrise |
Manifesto
(Dir. Julian Rosefeldt)
Manifesto might be of the love-it-or-leave-it variety, but
in my POV it’s the former. Cate Blanchett gives not one but thirteen award
calibre performances in Manifesto. This ingenious hybrid documentary finds
truth in performance as Blanchett plays a baker’s dozen of characters who
interpret various artistic manifestos and say that original art is hard to find
these days. The range of Blanchett’s performances is impeccable. Through her
shapeshifting ability to inhabit the mindsets of different cultural movements, Manifesto
demands immersion and commitment to one’s art. It’s a bold film with some of
the most incredible work of Blanchett’s career.
Manifesto is now playing in limited release.
Obit
(Dir. Vanessa Gould)
Turn to the death notices of the New York Times and one
finds an unexpectedly life-affirming film. Director Vanessa Gould burrows into
the idiosyncrasies of the Times’ obituaries department and uncovers the stories
of the wordsmiths who rhapsodize the dearly departed. The film is a must-see
for its behind-the-scenes look at the writing process as the word wizards take
the journey of an obituary from the initial phone call confirm the death to the
finishing touches on the article reporting it. Obit tells audiences that one
doesn’t have to win an Oscar, be a multi-platinum pop star, or become President
of the United States to leave one’s mark on the world. The film finds amazing
grace in its ability to show how any person touches the lives of others and
leaves an impact.
Obit is coming soon to home video.
Obit is coming soon to home video.
 |
| Courtesy IFC |
Personal Shopper
(Dir. Olivier Assayas)
The twin in me can’t help but admire Olivier Assayas’s ghost
story Personal Shopper with a chill and a grin. Kristen Stewart gives one of
the best performances of her career as personal shopper and psychic/medium named
Maureen in her second collaboration with the great Olivier Assayas after Cloudsof Sils Maria made her the first American actress to take home a César. (France’s
Oscar.) Stewart is hypnotic and unsettling as tries to connect with the spirit
of Maureen’s recently deceased twin brother Lewis through a dangerous
cat-and-mouse game full of text messages with horrifyingly bad punctuation. As
Maureen finds herself consumed with these haunting messages, the film brings to
life that weird sixth sense that twins share. How we connect with our loved
ones between one world and the next is a mystery, but I hope for my twin’s sake
that I die first since I can only afford Freedom Mobile—I don’t even get
reception in the Lightbox, so reaching the afterlife could prove tricky.
Personal Shopper is now available on home video.
 |
| Courtesy of TIFF |
Sieranevada
(Dir. Cristi Puiu)
This dark ensemble comedy is black humour at its finest as
director Cristi Puiu drops us into the cramped confines of a Bucharest
apartment while a family celebrates the passing of its patriarch. In the
grandest, most understated way, Sieranevada is the epic Romanian Seinfeld movie
we never knew we wanted: it’s about nothing, yet everything, as members of the
family gab about nonsense around the dining room table like Jerry, George,
Elaine, and Kramer at Monk’s diner. It’s the funniest film of the year in its
own rascally way.
Sieranevada is coming soon to home video.
Sieranevada is coming soon to home video.
Wonder Woman
(Dir. Patty Jenkins)
Wonder Women whips the boys back into shape. After a string
of flat-out terrible superhero movies like Batman v. Superman and Suicide Squad
assaulted Hollywood with obnoxiously loud wastes of time and money, this film
by Patty Jenkins gives the blockbuster new life. What a relief it is to see
superhero flick that isn’t unrelentingly dark, serious, and self-important. Wonder
Woman knows that comic books and superheroes shouldn’t be taken too seriously
and it’s all the better for its laid back character. Wonder Woman is the grandest comic book movie
this reviewer has seen in a long time and it’s so refreshing to watch a
mainstream piece of entertainment that doesn’t pretend to be anything other
than great escapism—with the added bonus of being a landmark film for
representing women both behind the camera and in front of it.
Wonder Woman is now in theatres.
Wonder Woman is now in theatres.
Honourable mentions: Citizen Jane: Battle for the City, David Lynch: The Art Life, Maudie, A
Quiet Passion, The Road Forward, T2: Trainspotting, A War
Best unreleased films of 2017: City of Ghosts, Rumble, Step,
Susanne Bartsch: On Top
