I’ve seen quite a few films lately that I’ve enjoyed. Like I did early last year with this post, I’ve decided to combine my thoughts on all of them in a single post with shorter paragraphs emphasizing the elements that stood out to me about each. Let’s go!
A Man Called Otto (2022)
Redone from a Swedish film and book of a slightly different name (A Man Called Ove), the film follows Otto as he struggles with the death of his wife, a job loss and a general life crisis. It features Tom Hanks as an over-controlling curmudgeon, but given this is Hanks we’re talking about it also includes all of the coziest elements that Hanks films usually bring, despite the somewhat darker tone the film takes. This was an overall enjoyable movie with a lot of dark humour and a cast that brought the film to life. A Man Called Otto grapples with concepts of aging, mortality, grief and why we do the subtle and benign things we do in life, that seem to come out of no where, but offer us a sense of control.
Suzume (2022/2023)
Suzume is an anime that came out this year in Canada. It features a high school student who stumbles across a man named Souta Munakata. Souta spends his time closing portals that giant tentacle monsters seem to come out of. I expected to like this one more, but I think it says more about me than the film. I don’t much care for stories of high school kids, especially the kind featured in anime (innocent and clueless girls in uniforms who run around making screamy sounds). It was pretty at points and I did enjoy the film’s general premise, just not the characters and execution so much.
Reality (2023)
I rarely know what I’m getting into with what I watch, it seems. It’s like I’m perpetually living in the 90s where you wandered into movie rental places, read the back of the DVD/cassette case briefly and then took the film home based on what you read. I also wasn’t aware of this being based on a true story. That said, Reality was excellent. It hit me harder than anything has in a long time. Part of it is the way the film is directed. And of course, the acting is amazing. There is so much I could say about this one, because it is pretty layered. I would suggest to go in blind if you’re unfamiliar with this story, as it helps immensely with immersion. Sydney Sweeney is about to take you on a wild ride, and if you’re like me you might sob uncontrollably at the end.
Paris, Texas (1984)
Paris, Texas features a man named Travis who wanders through the desert lost and unaware of who he is or where he comes from. This film is weird (in a good way) up until the very end when the turn makes you question all the feelings and thoughts you had prior to then. That’s probably an effective film strategy, overall, but it felt quite potent in this, because of the character’s perceived deficits and… I guess, trauma. If you’ve yet to see this one, I recommend it for the music, ambience, slowburn and odd characters. I feel like this film influenced Buffalo ’66 in some subtle ways, too.
Nimona (2023)
Nimona is another heart wrenching trauma-filled sob-fest, but I guarantee you it’s worth it. The animation is lovely and the writing is even better. The film starts when Ballister Boldhearts sets off a weapon (while being knighted) that murders the queen of their nation. He goes into hiding afterwards and soon meets Nimona, who suggests allyship. It’s a sweet science-fantasy story with some really beautiful character writing and artwork that elevates the medium. If you’re into animation or genre films, I do highly suggest this one.
Past Lives (2023)
Past Lives is a Korean/English language film made by A24 that highlights the trajectory of childhood friends Hae Sung and Na Young/Nora. This is a heart-aching drama that is beautifully told. I think what makes this film so good to me is how much I relate with this story (on multiple fronts). There are many surprises and unexpected occurrences in this film. And what appears to keep the film interesting is less the bond that these two people share and more the way the bond is protected against. If you have yet to see it, definitely make the effort to go check it out at your nearest indie theatre.
Wild (2014)
Wild is one of those movies I go to when I need a certain kind of relationship to a character. I first saw this in the movie theatres when it came out in 2014 and I quite strongly loved the drama, character and much of the premise. After I saw it the first time I went ahead and got the book from my local library and read it in like a week or something (which means I liked it a lot!)
Overall, this might be my third or fourth watch. Sadly I feel like I was more aware of the film editing, direction and “cheesiness” this time around. It’s still inspiring, because it just inherently tends to do that for me. However, I definitely didn’t enjoy it the way I have in the past. That said, if you’ve never heard of or seen this film and you like sad yet inspiring characters, definitely give this one a go.
Barbie (2023)
The summer’s blockbuster hit Barbie is all anyone’s talking about film-wise right now. Though rivalled with Oppenheimer, it seems Barbie is getting more watches! This movie is a lot of fun, a lot of feminism, societal critique and it’s also generally funny. It’s nice to see the blatant call-outs going on in Barbie. It’s such a huge cultural hit that hopefully people are willing to sit down and think about stuff like misogyny more often (if they don’t already).
Final Thoughts
If you got through all of that, good job! I’d love to discuss any of the above movies if y’all like. My contact info is in the contacts page or you can leave a comment below here. You can also find me on Instagram, linked on the sidebar / bottom of the page for those on mobile.
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Wild also made a big impression to me, and now I want to do the same as her.
That would be amazing! I’d love to do something like that someday