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8. Blinded by Light
Blinded by Light was only shown at my local theater for about a week. Blinded by Light is a light hearted tale that follows Javed, a high school aged Pakastani immigrant in England . Javed finds his strength and solace through Bruce Springsteen’s music. Javed faces many adversities in school in the form of racism and at home. At home, he faces conflict between his religion and his free spiritedness. This movie is light-hearted in tone and at times cheesy but it the themes it tackles are heartfelt, especially if you’ve ever faced a similar hardships as Javed.
7. A Hidden Life
A Hidden Life is the latest film from the filmmaking maestra, Terrence Malick. A Hidden Life follows the life of Franz Jägerstätter, a real villager from the Austrian village of Radegund who refuses to fight for Hitler. Every single shot in this movie is filled with beauty. In typical Terrence Malick fashion, he refuses to shy away from showing off nature. Terrence Malick ostentatiously displays the deep green landscapes and mountainscapes of Austria. Watching this movie felt as if I was transported in time to the 1940’s. The grueling and primitive living of the inhabitants of Radegund seemed more real than ever. This movie spends most of it’s three hours becoming acquainted with Franz and each tribulation he faces is felt by the audience.
6. Diane
Diane is a more personal film than the rest of the movies on this list. Diane focuses on a middle class in her twilight years. This movie trudges through every theme that relates to the passage of time, self reflection, and the nurture and raising of an adult.
5. The Art of Self Defense
The Art of Self Defense stars Jesse Eisenberg as a socially awkward but lovable oaf who turns to karate classes after suffering an assault that nearly led to his death. There were times throughout this movie was I was laughing out loud. Despite being a comedy, the film gets dark at times but the humor persists which provides a nice contrast, almost like a peanut butter sandwich. This movie can offer you nothing but an enjoyable time. Jesse Eisenberg was born to play a character like this and it was fun watching him do so.
4. Waves
Waves is the latest film by independent filmmaker, Trey Edward Shultz. The film is very experimental in it’s camera work overall imagery. This movie is a breath of fresh air due to Trey Edward Shultz experimenting without restraint. The movie is a roller coaster of emotions and it is also one of the best movies in representing teenagers. The portrayal of teenagers today is so real it’s palpable.
3. Under The Silver Lake
Under the Silver Lake follows Sam, played by Andrew Garfield, who takes off on a mission to answer the disappearance of his gorgeous neighbor. The movie primarily takes place in Silver Lake within L.A and this movie does an excellent job at providing the essence of that part of the city. This movie is a deconstruction of the Noir genre and the movie parodies the tropes of noir movie to a tee. This movie is pure fun especially if you’re familiar with LA or Silver Lake then this movie is a must watch.
2. Dragged Across Concrete
Dragged Across Concrete is the third movie from one of my favorite up and coming directors, Craig Zahler. Dragged Across Concrete focuses on two cops who resort to acquiring money through crooked means after they’re suspended from committing police brutality. This movie is pure exploitation cinema. The pacing of the moving is slow but the action is kinetic and high octane despite being aligned with the pacing of the rest of the movie. This movie has a fun soundtrack, and it’s witty with it’s dialogue. This was one of the funnest movies to catch this year.
1. Transit
This movie already featured in my top 10 list but it deserves more recognition. For me, it was one of the best foreign films to come out in 2019. The screenplay is a master class in writing. The lead performance by Franz Rogowski is one to remember. I recommend going out of your way to see this movie.
Cinema Dive 