Top 15 Films of 2015 – Allen’s Picks

January 13th, 2016 | POSTED BY Allen Almachar

13) The Duke of Burgundy

What does it mean to be in love? What does it mean to surrender one’s self to another? How much sacrifice and compromise does one give for the happiness of their partner? These are just a few of the questions in Peter Strickland’s strange and beautiful The Duke of Burgundy. Chiara D’Anna and Sidse Babett Knudsen are two lovers whose “unique” relationship tests their bond in ways neither one expected. Strickland fills the narrative with nuance – the emotional journey the characters take feels appropriate despite the nature of their actions. Admittedly, this may not be for everyone, as the lengths the two go to solidify their connection could put off the average viewer. But for those with more of an open mind, this is one of the more thought-provoking examples of “love” in recent memory. I was captivated the whole way through.

12) Phoenix

Writer/director Christian Petzold has done a rare thing with Phoenix – he has told a post-WWII story unlike any we’ve yet seen. This is a remarkable tale of identity, love, and betrayal. Petzold takes bits and pieces of Vertigo (1958), mixes it with the intrigue of The Third Man (1949) and molds the final product into something unique. Nina Hoss gives a magnificent performance as Nelly Lenz, a severely disfigured concentration camp survivor whose facial reconstruction surgery renders her unrecognizable from her previous self. Nelly uses this to her advantage as she begins to suspect her husband (Ronald Zehrfield) may have been responsible for her capture. The pacing takes its time, as Nelly’s love for her husband battles with the realization that things may not be what they seem. This all builds up to what is – hands down – the best ending scene of 2015. I was completely wrecked by this moment, and what it meant to be both characters.

11) Room

Lenny Abrahamson’s Room is anchored by two incredible performances, one by Brie Larson (who continues her streak of solid work) and by the young Jacob Tremblay. Larson plays a mother to Tremblay’s five year old boy, the two living out their days inside of a small room. The mother does what she can to make her son feel safe and secure, but early on we can sense that something is amiss. The circumstance of their situation is too horrible to comprehend, but what works is the perseverance the two have amidst the surrounding darkness. Their battle for survival harks to the very nature of humanity, what it means to be human, and what it means to be alive. Although there is much evil in this narrative, the strength of Larson and Tremblay’s performances, combined with the deft writing by Emma Donogue and Abrahamson’s confident direction, leaves us walking away uplifted and inspired.

10) Brooklyn

Sometimes life isn’t about cruelty or cynicism; sometimes there is joy and happiness to be found in the simplest things. Growing up, meeting new people, experiencing new adventures, these are what make life worth living. There’s a saying that “they don’t make movies like they used to,” but then Brooklyn comes along and sweeps us into its story without even trying. Director John Crowley and screenwriter Nick Hornby adapt Colm Toibin’s novel about a young Irish girl who immigrates to New York in the 1950s. Saoirse Ronan’s work as the lead character is so good because she appears at home in this time and place. She navigates her past and present with hesitation and then acceptance, and in the end comes out a newly formed person. Brooklyn is sweet and lovely without pretension, and embraces its earnestness with open arms.

9) Carol

Forgotten dreams, hidden desires, lost loves. These are the stories that strike the heart the purest. Todd Haynes, who explored these ideas before in Far from Heaven (2002), returns to the social structures of the 1950s in Carol. Like the best work of Douglas Sirk or Wong Kar Wai, Haynes tells the tale of two lovers forced into cultural roles assigned to them by society. The relationship between the shop girl (Rooney Mara) and housewife (Cate Blanchett) are relegated to small glances, hushed voices, and subtle gestures. But the longing to live their own lives seeps through the screen with amazing potency. These feelings are further amplified by the lush cinematography (Edward Lachman) and mesmerizing score (Carter Burwell). This is a romance burdened by the moral conceits of the time, proof of how far we have come and how much further we still need to go.

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3 1/2 Minutes Ten Bullets, Alex Garland, Alicia Vikander, All the President's Men, Amy Poehler, Beasts of No Nation, Benicio Del Toro, Best of Enemies, Bill Hader, Bridge of Spies, Brie Larson, Brooklyn, Carol, Carter Burwell, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron, Chiara D'Anna, Christian Petzold, Cinderella, Clouds of Sils Maria, Colin Gibson, Colm Tóibín, Creed, Crimson Peak, Denis Villeneuve, Django Unchained, Domhnall Gleeson, Dope, Douglas Sirk, Edward Lachman, Emily Blunt, Emma Donogue, Enemy, Ennio Morricone, Ex Machina, Far from Heaven, Far from the Madding Crowd, Fifty Shades of Grey, George Miller, Going Clear, Goodnight Mommy, Guillermo del Toro, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Inglorious Basterds, Inside Out, It Follows, Jacob Tremblay, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Jóhann Jóhannsson, John Carpenter, John Crowley, John Seale, Jonathan Glazer, Joshua Oppenheimer, Juliette Binoche, Junkie XL, Kaitlyn Dias, Kristen Stewart, Lawrence of Arabia, Lenny Abrahamson, Lewis Black, Mad Max, Mad Max: Fury Road, Margaret Sixel, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Michael Keaton, Mindy Kaling, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation, Nicholas Hoult, Nick Hornby, Nina Hoss, Oliver Assayas, Oscar Isaac, Peace Officer, Peter Strickland, Phoenix, Phyllis Smith, Pixar, Predestination, Prisoners, Quentin Tarantino, Rachel McAdams, Rebecca Hall, Roger Deakins, Ronald Zehrfield, Room, Rooney Mara, Samuel L. Jackson, Saoirse Ronan, Shaun of the Sheep, Sicario, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Slow West, Spotlight, Steve Jobs, Tangerine, The Act of Killing, The Duke of Burgundy, The Gift, The Hateful Eight, The Look of Silence, The Peanuts Movie, The Thing, The Third Man, The Wolfpack, Todd Haynes, Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Holkenborg, Tom McCarthy, Top 15 of 2015, Under the Skin, Vertigo, Walton Goggins, We Are Still Here, What We Do in the Shadows, When Marnie Was There, White God, Wong Kar Wai