Dominik Moll’s “The Night of the 12th”
Grounded police procedural subverts the genre brilliantly in this unnerving fictionalisation of a true crime which touches on misogyny, racism and unanswerable questions
Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight”
Sublime and surprising coming-of-age, romance and social commentary masterpiece with pitch perfect performances, sumptuous visuals and a haunting soundtrack
Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin”
A wholly cinematic experience of the highest calibre fuses visuals, narrative and performance into a cohesive, compelling and sublime piece of visual storytelling
Robbie Banfitch’s “The Outwaters”
Tedious horror with some nice Jodorowsky-style desert aesthetics is an incoherent, frightless b-movie in an arthouse skin
Miwa Nishikawa’s “Under the Open Sky”
This story of an ex-Yakuza trying to go straight after spending much of his life in prison deals effectively with specific social commentary on the Japanese system while never quite feeling completely authentic or fully realised
Pawo Choyning Dorji’s “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
Charming parable of a young Bhutanese man faced with the choice of pursuing his dreams or staying where he’s needed is sentimental though tempered by an ending which leaves just enough unresolved to dull the edge of preachiness
Elegance Bratton’s “The Inspection”
A low key but compelling, fresh and sincere take on the boot camp story telling the true life experience of a gay man hoping to turn his life around by joining the US Marines
Elizabeth Banks’ “Cocaine Bear”
Entertaining set pieces only just hold the film together under the weight of ropey CGI and missed opportunities at suspense and horror
Yôji Yamada’s “What a Wonderful Family!”
Rabidly conservative family “comedy” that is at best bland and predictable and at worst offensive and patronising
Maya Duverdier & Amílie Van Elmbt’s “Dreaming Walls”
The passing of time and the ghosts of brick and mortar are explored in this wistful documentary on New York’s Chelsea Hotel
Mohammad Reza Aslani’s “Chess of the Wind”
Released just prior to Iran’s revolution and lost until now, this is a subversive, modern parable of corruption, greed and patriarchy told with Kubrick level detail and mise-en-scene
Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s “Tori and Lokita”
Engaging crime drama with captivating leads which rushes some of its most dramatic scenes and though sympathetic sometimes veers towards uncomfortable tropes
Lukas Dhont’s “Close”
Toxic masculinity poisons the well of childhood in this rich and moving melacholic masterpiece that is ultimately cathartic
Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi Tehran”
Joyful and ingenious, this view of a cross section of people in Tehran by way of a shared taxi turns a series of seemingly disparate stories into a coherent and potent whole
Götz Spielmann’s “Revanche”
Absorbing and naturalistic story built around a bank robbery at its centre which quietly discusses ethics, freedom, guilt, revenge and redemption to great effect in this daylight noir
Alexandre Koberidze’s “What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?”
Poetic, naturalistic romance with magical realist elements is a love letter to the Georgian town of Kutaisi as much as it’s a philosophical fairytale
Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking”
Thoughtful dialogue-led drama based on Miriam Toews’ epynonymous novel based on events that occurred in Bolivia is an intriguing parable on forgiveness, perspective and misogyny
Roger Michell’s “Enduring Love”
Discomforting psychological drama of existential horror is a bitter but effective work more akin to Yorgos Lanthimos than Michell’s own “Notting Hill”
Georgia Oakley’s “Blue Jean”
Solid directorial debut with compelling performances from Rosy McEwen, Kerrie Hayes and Lucy Halliday tells a story of love, discrimination, and integrity with conviction
Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York”
Fellini’s 8½ as a temporal, impressionistic representation of life, death and regret which weaves moments of tenderness and melancholy into a tenuous whole