A Father, His Missing Daughter, and Her Secretive Life Online

John Cho in "Searching"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

As directors Sean Baker and Steven Soderbergh proved with their respective 2015 and 2018 films, "Tangerine" and "Unsane," there are many possibilities to be had when utilizing modern technological devices for visual storytelling, with these two films being shot on iPhones.  However, an example of having this technology play a significant part in how a movie unfolds is Leo Gabriadze’s 2015 horror film “Unfriended,” which takes place on MacBook screen during a Skype chat.  

Now, Aneesh Chaganty brings us a movie with a similar approach for his feature-film directorial debut, “Searching,” the story of which is told through computer and smartphone screens.  The result is a psychological techno-thriller that never uses its visual style as a crutch, but rather employs it in such a way that offers the movie an abundance of surprises and emotional depth.

David Kim (John Cho) is the single father of Margo (Michelle La), a high-school student.  Near the end of the school year, she disappears.  With the help of Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing), David searches through Margo's social media accounts to determine what might have happened to her.  As the investigation progresses, David makes discoveries that cause him to wonder if he knew his daughter at all.

Cho delivers a captivating performance as a father who's experiencing a parent's worst nightmare, and the dramatic heft that he provides for his character is one of the aspects that helps the film become so much more than it could have been.  Through his work, Cho brings the urgency, worry, and frustration that goes into trying to find Margo, and his commitment to the role gets you caught up in his character's persistence as he gets further into the mystery.     

Messing presents a character who's determined in her profession, but still offers a sense of caring towards David during his unimaginable ordeal.  Messing's role provides a feeling of certainty that Margo will be found, even when the situation has anything but certainty, and you're relieved to have this character with you during the film.

After the first 10 minutes of the movie, you only see Margo from time to time (obviously), but in these quick scenes, La offers a performance as someone who seems detached and troubled, which encourages you to wonder what was bothering her in the events leading up to her disappearance and adds to the emotional stakes of the story, which are already significant.

What's intriguing about this kind of movie is how, just like in "Unfriended," you can know what the characters are thinking, even when they're not on screen.  The way that the cursor moves and hesitates over the "Send" button, or the way how someone might type something, only to then erase it and pause to think of something else to write, you can feel the character's hesitation and contemplate their thoughts as they decide what to do.  This is just one of many examples of how you can develop your characters when you use mobile and desktop devices as the canvases for your story.

The screenplay by Chaganty and Sev Ohanian provides you with insight into who Margo is, but keeps enough about her undisclosed so as not to reveal any secrets too soon.  The way in which they use videos and pictures to help you become familiar with Margo's family in the film's opening minutes is one of the film’s most-noteworthy aspects, and this helps you become invested in the characters early on, so when the search for Margo begins, you're able to have a deeper connection with David as he goes through the tribulation of having his daughter go missing.  When all of this is mixed into a story that presents one shock after another, you have a narrative that succeeds in keeping you enthralled in its labyrinthine mystery.  Everything that we learn about Margo’s online life adds another layer to her disappearance, and every bit of information acts as a piece to a digital puzzle that becomes more intricate from scene to scene.

As a director, Chaganty makes sure that “Searching” provides us with enough time to dwell on what we find out about Margo and contemplate what it could all mean in the bigger picture of the investigation.  And, with cinematography from Juan Sebastian Baron that immerses us in the details of the film’s online landscape, and editing from Nick Johnson and Will Merrick that makes the film as fast-paced as any other memorable thriller, Chaganty and his team chase a new horizon of modern filmmaking (just as Gabriadze did with “Unfriended”), leading to an innovative moviegoing experience.

If you would like a film that will keep you breathless and rigid in your seat, your search ends here. 

Grade: A 

After Living Amongst Nature, a Father and Daughter Try Adjusting to Society

Thomasin McKenzie and Ben Foster in "Leave No Trace"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

So far, this year, we’ve had a couple of movies that deal with main characters who are present-day veterans dealing with troubled lives.  In Lynne Ramsay’s “You Were Never Really Here” and Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed,” they examine what these characters are feeling with startling and poignant effect, providing us with in-depth views of their situations.  Not only does this make for impactful filmmaking, but it gives you a view into a relevant and important topic.

Writer-director Debra Granik achieves the same with her drama, “Leave No Trace,” a film that will astound you with two unforgettable performances that anchor a timely and heartrending story.

Will (Ben Foster) is a veteran suffering from PTSD, and his 13-year-old daughter, Tom (Thomasin McKenzie), have been living in a large urban park in Portland, Oregon.  When a small mistake has them spotted by authorities, they’re placed in social services.  While Tom has an easier time settling into her new surroundings than her father, he soon has them run away to rebuild their lives out in nature.

Foster’s dialogue is sparse throughout the film, but this encourages us to pay close attention to his facial expressions and discern what’s going through his mind.  Although we see certain things in the film that hint at the person Will was before the events of the film, it doesn't give away a great deal.  Instead, this is a performance where Foster's nonverbal acting can provide us with a sense of the hardships that he’s experienced, but we're not sure of the precise details of what's happened to him.  This results in an affecting performance where so much can be said when not much is said at all.  

McKenzie is stunning in a breakout role as someone who’s torn between embracing a new life and holding on to her old one.  Right from the opening scene, we see a character who, despite being a teenager, possesses a resourcefulness with which to take care of herself when living on the outskirts of civilization, and this resourcefulness pairs well with the confidence that McKenzie displays in her acting.  It's an understated performance that requires an inherent talent, and for an up-and-coming actress to triumph in a role such as this, it's obvious that there are many successes to expect from McKenzie as her career progresses.

The chemistry between Foster and McKenzie helps to make this film one that will get you lost in their journey and always have you contemplating what their future holds.  They're each other's world, and their bond is so strong that you can't imagine them being apart.  Foster and McKenzie create a father-daughter team that's celebratory in its strength and heartbreaking in its uncertainty, and you'll find yourself fortunate to be spending time with these characters to see how they traverse the film's timely themes.

The screenplay by Granik and her "Winter's Bone" co-writer, Anne Rosellini, (Granik directed the film), which is based on Peter Rock’s 2009 novel “My Abandonment,” may have a simple narrative at its core, but there's so much to analyze beneath the events of the film.  Several of the exchanges between Will and Tom have just a small amount of dialogue, so the story encourages us to fill in the blanks as to what's happening that we're not hearing or seeing.

What makes this a superb screenplay is how it doesn't just tell a survival tale in the sense that these characters are trying to get by while living out in nature, but also a survival tale on a deeper level for Will's character.  During the film, we see that Will believes that living outside of society will help him outrun the effects of his PTSD, and this adds a whole other layer to his character because we know that society wants to help him, but he's not sure if it can, and we find ourselves begging for him to receive whatever assistance that he needs, for both his sake and his daughter's.

Cinematographer Michael McDonough, who lensed “Winter’s Bone," comes back to offer his talents for "Leave No Trace."  Just as he was able to capture the oppressive bleakness of the Missouri Ozarks in "Winter's Bone," he provides gorgeous framing of the forest landscapes that the main characters inhabit, giving us an idea of the tranquility that they find with living in this place.  The loving shots of the lush, green surroundings welcome you into Will and Tom's peaceful seclusion, and when you're stripped away from the beauty of the outdoors as the film shifts them to civilization, you feel the same level of displacement that Will and Tom feel.

Granik presents a moving look at PTSD and how it effects those who are afflicted with it.  When handling this sensitive topic, she lets you feel the power of the story’s most-emotional moments through the subtly of the performances, how the scenes are constructed, and the opportunities that you’re given to contemplate the themes.  Its Granik’s expert direction that allows you to focus on the smaller details of what happens throughout the film and lets them speak for the bigger message of the story.

“Leave No Trace” brings you on an odyssey where you feel the lives changing for the characters as you’re watching them, and you can’t miss the chance to take part on a journey such as this.

Final Grade: A

Before Starting High School, a Young Girl Strives to be More Confident

Elsie Fisher in "Eighth Grade"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In the first 10 minutes of standup comedian/writer-director Bo Burnham’s comedy-drama, "Eighth Grade” (his feature-film directorial debut), there's a brief scene with his main character, Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher, in her breakout role), attending band practice at school.  Her introverted persona is emphasized with her being in the back, seeming to be out of sight from everyone.  However, being a cymbal player, she gets to crash them on occasion.  She's shy, but wants to be noticed.  Thus begins an endearing coming-of-age story that will amaze you with its sincerity.

The story follows Kayla, who's had a difficult time in eighth grade.  She's in her last days of the school year, and during this time, she will try her best to get over her insecurities and become the optimistic individual that she always wanted to be.

Fisher provides a performance that's so natural that it’s not close-to-life, but life itself, and we know that her performance is going to be exceptional right from the opening scene.  Here, it's a few minutes of a laptop screen filling up the cinema screen as Kayla makes a YouTube video for her channel, with Kayla facing the audience.  During this scene, we can see that Fisher has an instinctive feel for her character, exemplifying all of Kayla’s anxiety, while also showing us glimmers of the extrovert within her that's trying to get out.  Fisher captures the uncertainties that her character's experiencing, and later on, we see a willingness in her to explore her confidence, and Fisher shows the hunger in her character's eyes to be more outgoing and accepted.  Kayla might not be a character who’s used to attention, but this performance will call a lot of it to Fisher, and she deserves it.

Josh Hamilton's performance as Kayla's father isn't that of a stereotypical parent that you'd see in other movies that are centered on teenagers, but is instead one that brings humor and sentiment to the everyday interactions between him and his daughter.  You see how hard he tries to bond with Kayla, but the disconnect between them is apparent, making his attempts to reach her both witty and heartbreaking, and his work here feels as genuine as Fisher's.  Near the end of the film, there's a father-daughter scene where he delivers a heartfelt monologue to Kayla, and because of the compassion within this dialogue and quiet emotion that occurs between the two characters, this scene could go down as one of the best in 2018 cinema.

Burnham’s screenplay has an abundance of honesty concerning the middle-school experience and what it means to grow up during that time.  The scenes that he brings to realization offer plenty of opportunities for the viewers to connect with Kayla, and it’s impossible to watch this movie without seeing yourself in any of the situations in which Kayla finds herself.  Besides constructing these scenes that make you laugh, cry, or cringe with their realness, Burnham also manages to imbue them with dialogue that sounds like how these characters would talk in real life and doesn’t have a hint of artificiality. 

With the help of cinematography by Andrew Wehde, Burnham's visuals are able to capture whatever Elsie's feeling at any moment.  This is most-notable in a scene where Kayla's on the phone with a high-school student, named Olivia (Emily Robinson), whom she shadowed.  The two have already forged a connection, and you can hear the excitement in Kayla's voice as she's speaking with Olivia because she now has someone with whom she can talk.  As she's talking, Kayla's pacing back and forth in her room, doing a lot of rambling in the conversation, and the camera moves back and forth with her in a close-up the whole time, allowing us to feel Kayla’s anxiety through the constant movement of the camera, just as Kayla's experiencing it when she's talking to Olivia.  Up until this point, we've never seen her carry on a conversation like this, and it's a scene that's joyous because of Kayla having a new friend, but also nerve-wrecking because, since she's testing her new social skills, we're not sure how it's going to turn out. 

It's appropriate to have a standup comedian make a film that focuses on the concept of growing up, as they’re performers who have a talent for offering insight into relatable topics, and Burnham’s able to provide an in-depth look into Kayla's experiences, capturing all of the awkwardness and apprehension that permeates her life at school and at home.  With “Eighth Grade,” Burnham presents us with a special moviegoing experience because Kayla’s journey isn’t just personal for her, but it will be personal for you, as well. 

Final grade: A

In an Alternate Reality, a Telemarketer Finds His Calling

Tessa Thompson and Lakeith Stanfield in "Sorry to Bother You"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

One of the most thrilling aspects of watching a movie is seeing an idea unfold that has you wonder how such a narrative was ever conceived.  You’re caught by surprise from scene to scene as your expectations continue to be subverted, and you’re left transfixed and excited as you think about what kind of bonkers ending that the film has waiting in the wings.

Rapper Boots Riley accomplishes this in a stunning directorial debut with his comedy, “Sorry to Bother You,” in which he provides a surreal, unpredictable, inventive, lay-it-all-out-there film that defies categorization.

Cassius "Cash" Green (Lakeith Stanfield) is a down-on-his-luck young man who lives in Oakland, California, with his girlfriend, Detroit (Tessa Thompson), in his uncle’s (Terry Crew) garage.  When Cassius receives a job as a telemarketer, it doesn’t seem to work out in the beginning.  However, he soon achieves unexpected success, which leads him to the front ranks of his company as a “power caller.”  Although he enjoys it at first, Cassius soon has to decide for what he cares about more: his ideals, or his wealth.

Stanfield, who showed hints of talent in just a few minutes of screen time in last year’s horror smash, “Get Out,” wows you with his portrayal of a morally conflicted individual who’s placed in a job that goes from dead-end to endless riches.  In the arc through which his character travels, Stanfield shows the ethical problem that’s occurring in Cassius' mind during the film, and his ability to display this internal struggle keeps us immersed in Cassius' journey as he must choose to whom he will express his loyalty.  All of this helps Stanfield excel in his star-making performance.

Populating this world-turned-upside-down version of Oakland is a fair share of memorable supporting characters.  Besides Thompson as Cassius’ artistic girlfriend, there’s Danny Glover and Steven Yeun as Cassius' helpful coworkers; Michael X. Sommers as Cassius’ supervisor; Kate Berlant as a higher-up who brings Cassius through the gateway of power calling; Jermaine Fowler as Cassius’ best friend; and Omari Hardwick, who plays a mysterious man who shows Cassius the irresistible pull of being a power caller.

However, the best supporting performance comes from Armie Hammer, who plays a hard-partying, coked-up CEO.  It’s a role where you can feel the energy emanating from Hammer as his character revels in the debauchery that his luxurious lifestyle can offer him, and it’s a fun performance that adds an extra jolt to a film that’s already brimming with vigor.

A commendable aspect of Riley's screenplay is how he approaches the craziness of the world that he constructs.  The film’s rather soft in its unconventionality as it opens, and although you can tell from the start that the story's going to be out-there, it doesn’t reach high levels of absurdity right at the beginning.  Instead, it’s careful in establishing this tone, so as that craziness mounts, you’re able to accept it because you’re now familiar with the unexpectedness of the story.  It accomplishes this to the point where, once there's an occurrence that blindsides you and kicks off the film's third act, it's easy to accept these events that are happening because the film has been preparing you for it with all of the madness that has come before.

In the middle of all of the film's events, Riley’s narrative tackles many relevant topics, such as workers’ rights, corrupt governments, and media in society.  Given the film’s creative portrayal of the world, you can see these themes explored through a fresh lens that helps to invigorate the story and spur some excellent discussions afterwards.

In a year that has seen a few noteworthy filmmaking debuts, Riley's entrance onto the scene stands out, and you can't help but contemplate from where this imaginative force has come.  When you experience this movie, it's clear that Riley has many things on his mind, and he's able to blend all of his ideas to show us a world that's unsettling in how close it is to our own.  Although the movie flies by, you still feel as though Riley spends enough time on these topics in order to say what he needs to say.  And, as soon as the end credits begin to roll, you're astonished in the best way possible because of the wild ride of a film to which Riley just treated you.

"Sorry to Bother You" is one of the most original and daring films that you'll see this year, and you can't let it get away from you.  A new filmmaking talent is calling, and you need to answer him.

Final grade: A

After Almost Two Decades, Triplets are Reunited

From left: Edward Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran
in "Three Identical Strangers"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

This year, we’ve had quite a few “based on a true story” movies where you’re surprised to believe that the events of the film had happened in real life.  We’ve had a controversial Kennedy-family scandal in John Curran’s “Chappaquiddick,” a college-campus art heist in Bart Layton’s “American Animals,” and an epic game of tag in Jeff Tomsic’s “Tag.”  

However, when a documentary tells us a true story, the experience has a whole other level to it because of the interviews and archival footage bring us so much closer to the real thing.  And, this experience becomes more memorable when you watch the unfolding of a true story of which you’ve never heard before.

Tim Wardle accomplishes this with his shocking and infuriating documentary, “Three Identical Strangers,” where he chronicles the heartbreaking effects of a separation and reunion between triplets, resulting in an intricate exposé and one of the year’s most-intriguing films.

For their whole lives, Eddy Galland, David Kellman, and Robert Shafran have grown up in their adoptive families, never thinking that they were one of three.  Then, in New York, 1980, circumstances arise that bring the 19-year-old brothers together.  While their time together is joyous at first, their reunion soon leads to consequences that none of they could have imagined.

On a few occasions throughout the movie, Wardle employs some dramatic reenactments of the events.  However, it doesn’t make the documentary feel like one of those run-of-the-mill true-crime shows with such reenactments.  Instead, Wardle films the stand-ins for the main real-life counterparts from their backs, which allows us to not be distracted by seeing the actors’ faces, but letting us imagine the faces of the real people on the actors.  This lets us to see these events play out as they blend aesthetics of both a documentary and narrative.

There are numerous layers to this mystery, and you’ll find yourself aghast at the truth as Wardle unravels it for you in one of the strangest and most-emotional true stories to be put on film in the last few years.  He provides vivid insight for these events, speaking with the brothers’ families, their friends, and the people who were behind their separation at birth.  This is a movie that will rattle your emotions because of how difficult it is to believe that what was done to these brothers could be allowed to be done to anyone.  We go from seeing them meeting each other as the best thing to happen to them, to it being the worst thing that happened to them.  It all results in a labyrinth of secrets and deception in which you’ll find yourself captive from beginning to end.  Although this is a documentary, there are many who might not know the full story, so there isn’t much that I can reveal because of spoilers. 

The documentary is only a little over 90 minutes, but Wardle still offers the fullest view that we could receive on this subject.  This makes “Three Identical Strangers” a must-see movie that will render you speechless.  However, that won’t last long because once you leave the theater, you won’t be able to stop talking about it.

Final grade: A

For a Group of Longtime Friends, Playing Tag is a Way of Life

From left: Jeremy Renner, Jon Hamm, Ed Helms,
Jake Johnson, and Hannibal Buress in "Tag"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

It seems like you can make almost anything into a movie these days: books, plays, television shows, toys, boards games, and even apps.  While many of the ideas that come from these sources end up working, there are just as many that don’t.  And, once you think that you’ve heard of every idea for a movie, another comes out that proves you wrong.

This is the case with director Jeff Tomsic’s new comedy, “Tag,” which focuses on…you guessed it.  However, the real shock isn’t that the film’s based on something as simple as the childhood game, but that it’s based on a true story.  And, despite the movie’s thin narrative, it’s still able to provide some fun with the help of its talented cast and zany premise.

Ever since they were children, Hogan (Ed Helms), Jerry (Jeremy Renner), Bob (Jon Hamm), Randy (Jake Johnson), and Kevin (Hannibal Buress), have played tag for the whole month of May every year, with Jerry having never been “it.”  When Jerry plans to retire from tag after the current game ends so he can focus on his upcoming marriage, Hogan decides to round up his friends to try to tag Jerry before he leaves the game for good.  Meanwhile, Rebecca Crosby (Annabelle Wallis), a reporter for “The Wall Street Journal,” joins the group to write a story about them.

Helms, Hamm, Johnson, and Buress are all given their own memorable moments, but it’s Renner who’s the standout of the quintet.  It’s not often that we get to see him in a comedy, and Renner seems to revel in the opportunity to let loose and dive into the on-screen antics.  

While the five main characters are enjoyable to watch, another notable performance is that of Isla Fisher, who plays Hogan’s wife, Anna.  Her character isn’t part of the actual game, but she still exhibits the same level of competitiveness as her husband, which leads to her own comical ways of getting involved with tag, despite not playing.  Although Renner may be the most-noteworthy of the five friends, it’s Fisher who gives the funniest performance of the movie.

The screenplay by Rob McKittrick and Mark Steilen, which is based on a “Wall Street Journal” article by Russell Adams, titled “It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It,” tries to make the most out of its slight premise by including enough characters that can play off of each other, and because of the chemistry among the cast, the story works better than it could have.  While there isn’t any depth to the characters, the narrative still manages to make use of the cast’s aptitude for verbal and physical comedy.

The film sometimes strains against its meager concept and becomes a bit repetitive with the various tag scenes, but Tomsic’s ability to keep those sections entertaining makes up for this flaw.  These sequences are made funnier by the use of slow motion as we hear the inner thoughts of the tag players when they contemplate their moves and predict other people’s moves, similar to Robert Downey, Jr. during his action scenes in his two “Sherlock Holmes” movies. 

Although you might be better off watching the narratively similar “Game Night,” which came out earlier this year, seeing “Tag” with a group friends for an easy night out will prove to be as diverting as the game itself.

Final grade: B

When Stranded at Sea, Adventure Becomes Survival

Sam Claflin and Shailene Woodley in "Adrift"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Out of all of the survival stories we’ve seen in film, some of the most harrowing tend to be the ones with characters who are stuck in the middle of the ocean.  In these movies, the situations are much more dire, as you have nothing around you but the vast waters and horizon, you’re not sure how far away you are from the land, and you might not have the proper necessities.  Several films have tackled this narrative, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Lifeboat,” Chris Kentis’ “Open Water,” Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi,” and J.C. Chandor’s “All Is Lost.”  

Now, Baltasar Kormákur returns to the survival genre (he directed 2015’s “Everest”) with “Adrift,” which is based on a true story.  With a gripping performance from Shailene Woodley and accomplished camerawork, Kormákur’s able to provide us with a film that manages to rise above its sometimes-routine narrative.

In 1983, Tami Oldham (Woodley) and her boyfriend, Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin), decide to sail from Tahiti to San Diego.  When their boat is wrecked during a storm, the two must do whatever they can to survive and figure out how to make it to land.

Woodley provides heartrending work as a young woman who must brave the elements in order to rescue herself and Richard, and she shows that she’s able to take charge of the screen whenever she’s the only one there (Richard becomes lost for some time after the storm).  Woodley throws all of her talent into exhibiting the hopelessness and frustration of being stranded, making us feel the emotional toll of being alone in such conditions.  As the story goes on, Woodley taps into her character’s deepest resilience as Tami endeavors to survive, and all of this culminates in a performance that provides the film with a lot of its power.

The chemistry between Woodley and Claflin does a great deal in making us care about the characters and keeps us invested throughout.  When they’re on screen, we witness the blossoming of a relationship that’s built on love and the thrill of finding adventure, both of which are shown to be inextinguishable.

Robert Richardson graces the film with his accomplished-as-always cinematography.  Besides the shots of the ocean that range from gorgeous to foreboding, his most-memorable work in the film is his use of long takes, particularly in the scenes on land where Tami and Richard build their relationship.  By doing this, he immerses us in the flawless rapport between Woodley and Clafin as we see their interactions play out and feelings for each other strengthen.

One of the best uses of Richardson’s long takes is the opening scene, which occurs inside the boat after the storm (the film goes back and forth between the events before and after the storm).  This scene is about five minutes, and Richardson has the camera follow Woodley around the wreckage as she surveys the damage.  It allows us to experience her realization of disaster as it unfolds in its fullest and to see the dire situation that she’s in.

The screenplay by Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell, and David Branson Smith, which is based on Tami Oldham Ashcraft and Susea McGearhart’s book, “Red Sky in Mourning: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea,” does well in building the two main characters and their relationship to help us learn about them and their passion for adventure, while the scenes after the storm provide us with many scenes that let us see Tami and Richard’s survival skills when their adventure becomes life-threatening.  Although this is a type of narrative that we’ve seen before, the character-building makes up for that.  And, the back-and-forth between the past and present helps to reinforce the film’s theme of memory and how what we experience in the past can provide us with the fortitude to get through challenging times.

While there’s nothing surrounding our main characters but miles of water throughout half of the movie, Kormákur makes the most out of their surroundings by showing the beauty of the ocean on the clearest of days, as well as the dangers during the tense storm sequence.  He’s also able to capture the romance between Tami and Richard in such a way that makes it feel natural and avoids the abundance of schmaltz that you’d find in a movie that’s based on a Nicholas Sparks book. 

While “Adrift” sometimes doesn’t go beyond more than what’s on the exterior, it still has enough talent that’s present to encourage you to see this film, a testament to the perseverance of which people are capable when facing an unimaginable challenge.

Final grade: B+

Top Five Movies of 2018, So Far

"American Animals"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

5) American Animals - A movie with a story that’s too crazy to be true is an enticing offer, and writer-director Bart Layton’s crime drama will provide it for you.  It follows four Kentucky college students (Evan Peters, Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, and Jared Abrahamson) who decide to steal a collection of rare books from their school’s library.  While that might not seem like much, it’s a lot more thrilling than it sounds.  Although the four main performances are great, Peters and Keoghan are the standouts, with the two of them displaying the excitement and apprehension of the heist, respectively.  Layton does well in building up the characters as the film leads up to the heist, allowing you to see how this event will impact them.  And, the use of interview segments throughout the film with the four real-life perpetrators offer multiple perspectives as they tell you what was going on in their minds during this life-changing period.  This is an in-depth look at an unusual crime that shows you the characters’ plans that were made, the regrets that were felt, and the lessons that were learned.

"Hereditary"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

4) Hereditary - I don't think there’s been a horror movie that had the physical impact on me that was accomplished by writer-director Ari Astor's supernatural-horror drama.  The film tells the story of Annie Graham (Toni Collette) and her family as their lives begin to fall apart when she discover unsettling family secrets after the death of her mother.  "Intense" isn't even the best word to describe Collette's performance.  What she does in this movie is something that's much more raw, something that goes to the darkest of places in order to bring out the grief, frustration, and confusion that plagues her character, and her work is the main reason why this movie's the emotional and grueling experience that it is.  Although this is Astor’s directorial debut, he proves to have a masterful command of cinematography, set design, and music, using it all to create unique and unforgettable atmospherics.  With a story that mixes these elements to examine a family that’s disintegrating, Astor gives you a horror film whose effects will be engraved in your bones by the time that it's over.

"You Were Never Really Here"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

3) You Were Never Really Here - One of the most-visceral experiences that I've had the movies this year was with writer-director Lynne Ramsay's thriller.  The story follows a veteran named Joe (Joaquin Phoenix) who works as a hired gun in New York City.  He's soon recruited by a senator to help rescue his daughter from a trafficking ring, and Joe soon realizes that there’s a larger conspiracy at play.  Based on the novella by Jonathan Ames, Ramsay offers a disturbing view into the life of a man whose existence seems to have been taken over by violence, and you see how it has impacted his mentality, reducing Joe to a shell of his former self.  However, you don’t get to see who that former self was.  The heartbreak is that it’s lost to him, so it’s lost to you, as well.  However, Ramsay manages to offer some glimpses of light here and there to get you through the events of the movie, allowing you to believe that Joe might come out all right.  This is a dark journey to take, but it’s one worth taking. 

"Annihilation"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

2) Annihilation - After sci-fi screenwriter Alex Garland made his directorial debut in 2015 with "Ex Machina,” he became a new visionary in sci-fi filmmaking.  He continued to win us over with his latest film, which focuses on a group of scientists who set out to investigate a biological anomaly known as "the shimmer."  Natalie Portman provides a low-key, yet deep-cutting lead performance, while the rest of supporting cast (Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, and Tuva Novotny) all provide fine work as the other members of the team.  Based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer, Garland provides a screenplay that’s mysterious and ripe for discussion, and it's all enhanced by beautiful and haunting imagery of the environment within "the shimmer."  This is a film that immerses you in its setting and encourages you to absorb every detail as you wonder what the team will find on their journey.  Let me tell you, it leads to an ending that will leave you wide-eyed and speculating.

"First Reformed"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

1) First Reformed - I don't think that any other movie so far this year has surprised me more than writer-director Paul Schrader's drama thriller, which is about a reverend (Ethan Hawke) who begins experiencing a crisis of faith after a young woman in his parish (Amanda Seyfried) asks him to consult her husband (Philip Ettinger), a radical environmentalist whom she believes could be a danger to himself and others.  Hawke provides the best performance of his career, a searing portrait of a man who's uncertainty of his life is on heartbreaking display.  Schrader's screenplay keeps you engrossed throughout as you're given a deep insight into the reverend's thoughts as he pours them into his journal, letting you see the world through his eyes as it begins to break apart around him.  The sharp turn that the story takes at the start of the third act doesn't feel jarring at all, but is rather a natural progression of the main character's arc, all of which leads to a finale that will keep you rigid with anxiety.  If you want a film that subverts your expectations at every turn, here it is.