1. Herb and Dorothy
This documentary was a source of sweet inspiration to me. Its heroes are a postal worker and a librarian who managed to build one of the most important collections of contemporary art in history with their very modest means. It is a reminder that a passion for art can be cultivated by anyone, unlimited by status or economic background.
2. That Evening Sun
An elderly man who has had enough of the nursing home life returns to his house in rural Tennessee, only to discover that it is now occupied by a family determined to make it their own. One might guess what will happen: a battle of wits until compassion smoothes over and brings the two parties together in a magical human moment. Not in this tale. It is dark and tense, demonstrating the conflict that occurs when the pursuit of ones deepest aspirations clashes with that of another person, and the emotional destruction that can occur because of the inability to let go of what is already gone.
3. A Serious Man
"The Uncertainty Principle. It proves that we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the midterm." So speaks the hero of the new Coen Brothers' film, Professor Larry Gopnik, a physics professor in the midwest who eats his own words as he indeed tries to figure it all out as blow after ridiculous blow impales his life. Not even we of the religious bent are exempt from the confusion of uncertainty, as demonstrated by Larry's religious traditions as they fail, if not make it harder, to spell things out.
4. Everlasting Moments
This was one of my early favorites of the year, and is a lovely story, set in early 19th century Sweden, of a mother who escapes from the harshness of her life into the creative world of photography. The images you discover with her are beautiful, and the film provides an interesting history of photography in its early days. What I found most touching, however, was the very human conflict the mother experiences in deciding whether to choose her individual freedom or stay with her family despite the abuse and tragedy that occurs.
5. Avatar
I assume that, unless you live in a hole, you've heard about this film. Believe the hype - it's one of the best films of the year for its stunning beauty, great story-telling, and some more than subtle comments on the way we view our natural resources and those that may seem "different."
6. Bright Star
"Bright Star" was a big surprise for me, as my reaction to it was probably the most personal of any of the other films described here. The film is based on the letters written between poet John Keats and his love Fanny Brawne before he died at the young age of 25. Not my usual fare, I was drawn to it for two reasons, the first being its interesting look at the psychology of attachment and the inability these two people have to be separated from each other without severe emotional reactions. The more personal reason I was drawn to this film is my own inability to believe in this kind of love. I am a rational person that would tend to dismiss a relationship like the one in this story as overly emotional, immature and unrealistic. But rather than being turned off by this film, I found it to be a good slap in the face - that maybe I am the one refusing to be realistic and should give more credit to the power of love. As Keast says in the film, "There is a holiness to the heart's affections."
7. Fantastic Mr. Fox
I was disappointed by director Wes Anderson's last film, "The Darjeeling Limited," and thus was dearly hoping to have him back in full stride for this animated adventure. Sure enough, this film brought back the witty humor, visual excellence and brilliant characters that made me fall in love with his work years ago.
8. Adventureland
Recent college grad James Brennan enters the real world, which obviously entails having all of his plans fall apart and eventually settling for a crappy job at the local amusement park. But there he meets the beautiful Em and a host of quirky characters that make for the best summer of his life. It's sweet and fun, but is also surprisingly poignant in its intimate portrayal of young love. It's been said that the film thrives on capturing "ordinary moments," and it is that realism that takes it above the normal "quirky-comedy" fare.
9. The Windmill Movie
Filmmaker Richard Rogers's greatest challenge was trying to make a documentary about his own life. He died of cancer before he was able to finish t - over twenty years after starting the project. Richard's partner asked one of his students and long-time friends to help her dig through the boxes upon boxes of footage he left behind, trying to piece together the story Richard could never tell. The resulting film shares a landscape of sumptuous images he captured during his life, but the story that is told is really about his insecurity and the tormenting question of whether or not his life's work had any real meaning or value - that most human of internal conflicts.
