By Nia Edwards-Behi
I feel like my end of year list this year’s going to be a little bit of a weird mix. Finishing off my PhD (and working full time and doing that whole film festival thing) has somewhat limited my ability to watch many films this year. If there are some cracking films missing from my list, chances are I just haven’t seen them yet. For once, I’m not just being contrary! Anyway, that also means there’s a couple of obscure-ish titles on here which I really hope see the light of day outside festival screeners. Don’t worry though, I’ve not gone full hipster – there are also some glaringly mainstream additions to the list too. There seems to be two clear ‘types’ of film on my list, though – high-energy, fast-paced, mostly action-led films, and quiet, slow, fairly meditative films, usually about women. I am nothing if not predictable.
Enough preambling. This final ten is presented in no particular order, and because – despite the lack of films I’ve watched this year – I still found it painfully difficult to whittle this list to just ten, there are a few special mentions at the end.
MISS ZOMBIE (SABU, 2013)
I dove straight into Miss Zombie with zero expectations, or if anything, somewhat dubious, and I found a moving, precise film of subtle horrors. In the very near future, wealthy families can buy domesticated zombies on the black market as servants. The film offers a portrait of the exploitation of one particular zombie servant. The trailer implies a certain level of action in the film, but it’s no such beast, and instead the film is an incredibly subdued affair. There are so many real-world issues and ideas that are tied up in the film’s narrative (exploitation of the domestic workers? Subjugation of women? Medical ethics?) that the film becomes an incredibly rich experience. Ultimately, it’s the stunning direction and editing of the film that makes the film really moving, as I found myself completely captivated by the relatively straight-forward story. Similar shots are used again and again to hammer home the repetitive nature of the servant’s work, often combined with an incessant use of sound. However, there is a subtle escalation of the servant’s woes woven into these repetitive tasks which provide a wonderful sense of dread – something terrible is going to happen. Ayaka Komatsu’s central, restrained performance as Sara, the zombie, is an astonishing feat. Only in compiling this list did I realise I’ve seen another recent horror film in which she takes the lead role, and although that film, Talk to the Dead, is significantly more prosaic, she ensures the film is nonetheless quite enjoyable. Here she has a much meatier role to play with, and she fulfils the part wonderfully. I’m hoping Miss Zombie gets an English-subbed DVD release, because it’s a film that deserves to be seen widely.
ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE (JIM JARMUSCH, 2013)
I reviewed Only Lovers Left Alive earlier this year, and covered more or less everything I had to say about this wonderful film. However, I failed completely to mention a really crucial aspect of the film’s lushness, which is its soundtrack. Quite how I managed this oversight is beyond me, as music is an integral part of the film’s narrative. Jarmusch takes charge of the soundtrack, with his band Sqürl providing most of the languid and sultry soundscape. Yasmin Hamdan’s performs her song Hal in the film itself, in a scene which crystalises Jarmusch’s love for music in a beautiful way. Back when I reviewed the film in February, I accused the film of gazing at its own navel a bit too much, probably my only criticism of it. Having watched it a couple more times since then, I realise actually, that’s just what you want from a film which is very much about individuals. It’s a lush and indulgent film that manages to be quite subtly sad. However, the film is one that ends in hope, and in such a way that reminds us why vampires really are fabulous monsters.
GUN WOMAN (KURANDO MITSUTAKE, 2014)
Gun Woman is perhaps overall something of an imperfect, messy film, its framing device which sees two hit men discuss the story of the ‘gun woman’ almost endearingly sloppy, however, I’m not here for the framing device. I’m not really here for the plot. I’m not here for anything except for Asami being a goddamn badass. The film felt like it might have been made decades ago, its grimy, thoroughly problematic plot left me feeling a little bit dirty for having enjoyed it so much. Asami is the titular gun woman, a suicidal drug addict bought by a vengeful doctor, determined to have his revenge on the maniac who killed his wife. The doctor puts his subject through cold turkey and generally mistreats her in the name of ‘training’, as he transforms her into a killing machine. The final gambit, though, in which she truly becomes the gun woman, is so luridly and unashamedly bonkers that any problems with the finer points of the story-telling are long forgotten. The end of the film left me screaming out for sequels, and I honestly hope this might be the start of a franchise. It’s frankly amazed me that Gun Woman was passed by the BBFC with such minimal cuts, given Asami spends most of the film naked and in great peril, and yet, for example, The Bunny Game was outright banned for much the same content, albeit a very different tone. Regardless, I’m just glad I’ll be able to buy the film and watch it again and again and again, because it’s bloody brilliant.
OVER YOUR DEAD BODY (‘KUIME’, TAKASHII MIIKE, 2014)
Inexplicably, this wonderful film received the lowest audience score of everything we screened at this year’s Abertoir. However, I like to think that being the lowest scorer with a hefty 3/5 says more about the quality of our line-up this year than is does about Miike’s wonderful film. When I had the good fortune of a screener for this film falling into my inbox earlier this year, I knew I would immediately watch it. I’m incredibly proud that we were able to premiere the film at Abertoir last month, as it’s a quiet, creepy and unnerving film that’s a nice meld of Miike’s recent samurai films and his more horrific output. The film is a meta-adaptation of the famous kabuki play Yotsuda Kwaidan, and sees life imitate art for two actors taking on the lead roles. Much of the film is dedicated to the staging of the play, and the leads Ko Shibasaki and Ebizô Ichikawa give mesmerising performances on-stage and off it. When the gore comes it’s unnerving and effective, as one might expect, and there’s one particularly squirm-inducing scene which is as disturbing as it is fun to watch with a crowd.
THE EDITOR (MATTHEW KENNEDY & ADAM BROOKS, 2014)
I have swooned over this film previously, but it bears repeating that The Editor is a bloody great film that is smart and affectionate as well as truly very silly. At once a joyous love letter to Italian genre cinema and a prime slice of Astron 6 inanity, if you’re not yelling ‘wizard!’ at people or saying things are ‘really veird’ after seeing it, then, well, you probably have better restraint than me. It bears repeating that the chaps from Astron 6 who make the film also star in it, and manage to steal the show from even the impressive cameos. I will never cease to find Conor Sweeney hilarious (I don’t think anybody does ‘bad acting’ better), and if I learned nothing else from the film, it’s that I’d quite like to see polo-necked jumpers for men make a serious comeback.
THE RAID 2 (GARETH EVANS, 2014)
The Raid 2 was one of the few mainstream(ish) cinema releases that I caught at the actual cinema this year, and I would have kicked myself (heh) had I not. I’d seen the odd complaint that the film was too long, too plot-driven, too talky beforehand, so I tried to approach it level-headedly and not just excited about watching a bunch of dudes kicking a bunch of other dudes. Personally, I thought The Raid 2 was as good as, if not better than its predecessor, a well-paced cops-‘n’-gangs thriller with truly spectacular fights. For every scene in which characters talk plot, there’s an assured and entertaining fight that follows. Though we don’t learn that much more about Iko Uwais’s Rama, we care a lot for his character, trapped again in a situation in which he doesn’t necessarily want to be. Dizzying sequences such as the prison mud fight, or the kitchen showdown, really cement Uwais as an action star. This time round we have an expanded cast, and predictably, Julie Estelle’s Hammer Girl was a highlight for me, as was Arifin Putra’s Uco.
KEPT (‘RA’, MAKI MIZUI, 2014)
I consider myself really quite privileged to have seen this unusual little film from Japan. It’s quite flawed, demonstrating many weaknesses that might befall a first-time director, but the raw power behind it is something else. Maki Mizui has frequently worked behind the scenes with some of Japan’s most familiar filmmakers, including Sion Sono and Yoshihiro Nishimura, who is producer on Kept. Kept is Mizui’s directorial debut, and it’s a personal tale of assault, guilt and redemption, based on her own experiences. That it’s stayed with me as long as it has is testament to how powerful the film is, despite its flaws. I can see this film getting lazily repackaged as a ‘rape-revenge’ film. It’s nothing of the sort. This is a film about trauma, about survivor’s guilt, and about moving on with life. Elements of fantasy are used to convey these things, alongside some horrifically realistic sequences, and I’m not sure to what extent everyone might buy into the fantasy sequences. It’s a difficult film to digest, that’s for sure, but it’s one that truly left me reeling. It’s also an incredibly refreshing take on the depiction of sexual assault and its aftermath, and in a market increasingly saturated with faux-feminist revenge fantasies, a film as honest and as painful as this one feels all the more important and pronounced. The film is bleak, yet it wears its hopefulness on its sleeve, as the tagline reads: ‘You are not to blame.’
A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT (ANA LILY AMANPOUR, 2014)
A Girl Walk Home Alone at Night has got a lot of things I like going on – a female lead, vampirism, interesting visuals, a cool soundtrack, an impressive acting turn from a cat…it’s hard for me not to include the film on my final top ten of the year, despite perhaps not loving it quite as much as some people have. However, that I almost immediately wanted to see the film again once it ended says something for it. It’s quite a sparse film, filled with intense and surprisingly funny performances, and I desperately want to see it again. At its core is a relatively conventional story (boy meets girl), but it’s testament to Amanpour’s vision that she’s taken a risk on many aspects of that story’s telling – its setting, its language, its form. Films such as this and the aforementioned Only Lovers Left Alive seem to indicate that vampires have grown-up a bit, and long may that trend continue.
HOUSEBOUND (GERARD JOHNSTONE, 2014)
Housebound surpassed all my expectations of just another ‘horror comedy’. I am really not generally a fan of horror comedies. Housebound a very funny film, but it’s also a film that skilfully balances several different genres, which is no mean feat, but perhaps most importantly of all it’s a wonderfully character-driven piece. At its core is wayward Kylie, an impressively likeable miscreant who drives and grounds the twisting, incredible plot. Morgana O’Reilly displays some impressive acting chops, particularly in some of the funniest scenes. Writer-director Gerard Johnstone has sensitively written some lovely characters, and managed to throw them in at the deep end of a complicated plot without letting them drown. As a result, Housebound is an incredibly nuanced and assured debut feature.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (ANTHONY AND JOE RUSSO, 2014)
I am very much an obsessee of those there Marvel films that everyone either loves, or loves to belittle, but even so I never thought I’d include one on my end of year list for Brutal as Hell. And yet, here we are, witness to a dizzyingly brilliant paranoid espionage thriller with excellent fight choreography and a sense of humour and, phew, more please, Marvel. It’s a film which satisfies both fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and is accessible enough to stand on its own two feet. The usual suspects amongst the cast are excellent, and there’s a real star in the making with Anthony Mackie. The Russo Brothers have recently been announced as directors for Avengers 3, and on the strength of this film, I think the universe is in very safe hands.
Special mentions: Tetsuya Nakashima’s The World of Kanako (manic), Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla (ROAR), Noboru Iguchi’s Gothic Lolita Battle Bear (adorable), Noboru Iguchi’s Live (bonkers), Shinya Tsukamoto’s Fires on the Plain (grim), Riley Stearns’ Faults (intense), Jaume Balaguero’s REC4 (satisfying), Oliver Frampton’s The Forgotten (creepy), Aaron Moorhead & Justin Benson’s Spring (charismatic), James Ward Byrkit’s Coherence (smart), and Richard Bates Jr’s Suburban Gothic (surprising).