After a lot of deliberating and discussing, we compiled this list of the Best 50 Movies that came out between 2010 and 2014. These are films we love, cherish, and suspect we will remember years and years from now. A lot has changed with film in the last 5 years, but the quality of the creative output only seems to keep getting better. Here’s to an amazing first half of the decade, and let’s hope the next five years lead to even bigger and better things.

Every day this week we will release ten films from our list, here is #40 through #31.

Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far
(#40 – #31)

Spring Breakers

Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers is a diabolically delicious assault of bleached-out colors, alcohol, and synthesized sounds. All of which makes for a ferociously dazzling watch. From its mesmerizing opening depicting hundreds of young adults participating in grossly outrageous spring break shenanigans,—while sounds of robotic vomiting (courtesy of dub-master Skrillex) discharge on the audio track—up until the final scene, a gun fight eruption (lit up with bright neon tints) at a South Floridian Oceanside manor, the film grabs hold tightly. So seldom are films released that are this audacious. The film follows four young college girls who will stop at nothing (and I mean nothing) to have the greatest spring break ever. The film is essentially a terrifying, unrelenting montage; we see the girls go from parties to robberies to gunfights and back again. James Franco owns every inch of the film while he’s on screen as cornrow-flowin’, gold teeth-showin’ drug lord/rapper Alien. He is on fire here in a career best performance that should’ve gotten him an Oscar nomination. While stars Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Rachel Greene are all excellent, the real star here is Harmony Korine, who has found a way to sell his weird, subverted look at humanity to the masses. Spring Breakers is an instant classic. [Blake]

All is Lost

A spellbinding exercise in visual storytelling, J.C. Chandor’s All is Lost is a tale of survival at sea and a fascinating study in male ego. Robert Redford stars as the nearly-wordless film’s unnamed subject, a man alone on a boat in the middle of the ocean whose will to survive is immovable. Despite the elements threatening to rip his precious vessel to shreds, he fights tooth and nail to keep the boat (and his spirits) afloat. While his dogged refusal to perish at first looks a lot like bravery, as it becomes clear his efforts are futile, heroism turns into stubbornness. At what point does giving up become a virtuous act? Redford has enough experience to keep his performance reality-based, maintaining a deadpan expression in moments where lesser actors would look to the heavens with a face that screams, “Why me!?” He’s simply behaving, letting his body do the talking rather than relying on high drama and facial flourishes. The film’s presentation is as stunning and engrossing as Gravity’s, a similar film that came out in 2013 as well. (I prefer All is Lost’s grit and realism to Gravity’s sometimes maudlin tendencies.) If you haven’t seen this one, find it and make sure you watch it on a big screen with a muscly sound system. [Bernard]

The Wolf of Wall Street

Even in his 70’s, Martin Scorsese proves he’s intrinsically capable of capturing the enticing aspects of capitalism within the context of a searing indictment of greedy stock brokers. The Wolf of Wall Street may feel like an ode to opulence and apathy for those Wall Street bankers who allegedly cheered for the film’s characters in their most despicable moments, but for those in the audience with an understanding for the real world implications of Wolf, Jordan Belfort & Co. look like the band that played while the Titanic sank. Worse, they feel like the band’s onlookers. Among the most telling anecdotes from the film is one in which Belfort reminisces in voiceover about a ménage à trois he and Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) shared with the future wife of their co-worker. Belfort recounts with glee the lurid aspects of their tryst only to end the anecdote by mentioning that his co-worker later slit his wrists in a bathtub, before Belfort sighs and moves on to his next deplorable indulgence. That juxtaposition allows Scorsese’s film to serve as a criticism without coming across as preaching. The Wolf of Wall Street creates an engaging experience without neglecting substance. [Zach]

Melancholia

Leave it to Lars Von Trier to make one of the best films ever made about depression. The titular planet at the center of Melancholia, which winds up annihilating Earth by smashing into it, isn’t exactly the most subtle allegory, but Von Trier makes it work. He understands how depression can be such a large, destructive, all-encompassing force, and by equating it with the end of existence he finds the perfect way to evoke the true power of despondency. With jaw-dropping visuals and sound (it’s hard to get tired of hearing Wagner), as well as two astounding performances from Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lars Von Trier wound up making one of his best works with Melancholia. [CJ]

Midnight in Paris

Not reading anything about Woody Allen’s fantastical and joyous comedy Midnight in Paris was the best choice I could have made. Admittedly, I didn’t do this on purpose; it was more by happenstance than anything. I say I didn’t know anything about the film, but actually knew that it stared Owen Wilson and it took place in Paris. If you’ve never been to Paris (like myself) the opening 5 minutes is a basically a montage of everything you’ve always dreamed about experiencing in the sprawling French capital. The food. The music. The people. The museums. If you have been to Paris, it’ll have you pining to go back. The film’s plot centers on Wilson (never better) as he peruses Paris and discovers a magical world that awakens at night, one that makes his wildest dreams come true. Allen’s film is a nostalgic fever dream aimed at those who wish to have lived and experienced an era unbeknownst to them. The Wilson character fantasizes about the wild nights in which Picasso, Hemingway and Fitzgerald drank alcohol and told old, grand stories about love lost. Allen has essentially made a film a year since the late ’60s; this is easily in his top five. Romantics and old souls will revel in Allen’s glorious world. [Blake]

Shame

Before Steve McQueen earned a Best Picture Oscar for 12 Years A Slave (which also made our list) and became a household name, he made a grueling, yet exquisite film about sex-addiction called Shame. Despite all the acclamation for Michael Fassbender’s flattering full-frontal scenes, the film itself offers little else to cheer for. McQueen presents a depressing look into the life of Brandon (Fassbender), a man who’s constantly in search of his next orgasm, though he never finds any kind of meaningful pleasure in them. He’s completely lost his ability to connect with people on an emotional level. The only emotions he experiences are dissatisfaction and shame (hence the title). As you’d probably expect, watching a man slip deeper and deeper into sexual addiction is emotionally exhausting, but Shame remains a profoundly powerful experience thanks to McQueen’s fearless filmmaking and brilliant vision. Shame is not an easy watch, but the discomfort is absolutely worth it. [Dustin]

The Place Beyond the Pines

A perfect example of the idea that a story isn’t nearly as important as how it’s told, The Place Beyond the Pines strives in its every moment to defy categorisation. Its three acts are entirely unlike one another in genre, and yet are harmoniously strung together in their aesthetic and thematic content. What begins as an honest insight into the lives of the working class ends as an introspective on the notion of how our lives eventually come to affect those of our children, in ways we don’t expect. What truly stands out about this film, however, is how bold every choice is, from the opening shot to a 15 year jump in the plot. Directed by Derek Cianfrance, who also co-wrote the script, the film allows its characters to develop as authentic people by providing foundations upon which the actors can build highly convincing emotions. Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes are all unforgettable in their own ways, and yet the film handles melodrama with the lightest touch, keeping emphasis firmly on the humanity behind its events. [Pavi]

Gravity

Gravity does two things extraordinarily well. In fact, it does one of those things so well it’s worth overlooking the film’s flaws. The out-of-this-world photography, aided by a partnership of special effects and star Sandra Bullock’s physicality, is the reason the film belongs on this list and will be remembered for a long, long time. There isn’t a film that looks like Gravity, and there honestly may never be another. Looks aside, the film’s ability to create intense emotional stakes is also remarkable. If our connection with astronaut Ryan Stone (Bullock) throughout her crazy journey was missing, it wouldn’t matter how amazing everything looked. But we do connect, thanks to Bullock, who gives a remarkable (I’d even argue underrated) performance, as well as the success of its excellent (though much-derided) script. Screenwriters Alfonso and Jonás Cuarón trade in big sci-fi mythology for a streamlined, simple approach, and it works. Not all of the dialogue plays well, but there is a beating heart at the center of Gravity that makes it more than just a pretty face. Additionally, the film’s achievements in 3D filmmaking are groundbreaking. Gravity wonderfully melds forward-thinking technological concepts in filmmaking with an old-fashioned, emotionally charged story—an uncommon balance pulled off extremely well. [Aaron]

13 Assassins

13 Assassins, despite being a remake of a different film, could easily be summed up as Seven Samurai for the 21st century, a leaner, meaner take on Akira Kurosawa’s classic. The film’s first hour briskly sets up the situation: a samurai gathers 12 other assassins to take out the Shogun’s tyrannical half-brother. Once all the pieces get put into place, 13 Assassins spends its second hour unleashing one of the great action sequences of this century, an epic battle between an army of hundreds and the small group of samurai. Takashi Miike, one of the most prolific and versatile directors working today, directs 13 Assassins with a level of classicism and efficiency that’s a complete breath of fresh air compared to today’s action films. 13 Assassins is near-flawless genre filmmaking of the highest order. [CJ]

Stories We Tell

There is a common misconception that documentaries must be concerned with the truth, and with facts. Stories We Tell is a documentary film that seems to be uncovering truth at its surface, but in reality is examining something much more human. Director Sarah Polley’s goal may at first seem to be uncovering the truth about her mother, but as the film progresses, we can see that it is specifically her family’s memories of her mother that she is actually interested in. This ties together the essence of family itself, highlighting the way in which her family continues to remain supportive of each other and place their relationships above all else. Taking an unusual but effective approach to her discoveries, Polley focuses not on creating an accurate narrative of her mother’s life, but on displaying the complexities inherently involved in storytelling. It is through this portrayal that a film about her family becomes much more universal, allowing us to partake in the shared memories even if only through our own nostalgia. After all, the past is only as significant as the story it tells. [Pavi]

See the rest of our Best Movies Of The Decade lists!

View Other Lists of this Feature:
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#50 – #41)
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#30 – #21)
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#20 – #11)
Best 50 Movies Of The Decade So Far (#10 – #1)

For this monthly staff feature we came to the conclusion that because not everyone on the staff has been to the same festivals, thus having the opportunities to see the same films, that each writer from the staff would list their own individual Top 5 Films of 2013 (So Far). You can tell just by looking at our lists that there is a wide range of quality films that have been released at the halfway mark of 2013. While we wait to see what upcoming gems 2013 will bring us, here are the best films of the year so far.

Blake’s Top 5

2013, what a year you’ve been so far for us film going folk. You’ve made me cry (A Haunted House, Aftershock), you’ve made me laugh (Warm Bodies in a good way, A Good Day to Die Hard in a bad way) and you’ve had me cheering from the rafters (Gareth Evan’s Safe Haven, Fast and Furious 6). You were better than the first half of 2012 so keep up the good work. Picking my favorite 5 films of the year so far has proven to be a malicious act. I’ve seen some great films. There are easily more than five and since I can only have that amount, I shall list what barely misses here. These are my, as Roger Ebert would call them, Special Jury winners: Graceland, The Silence, The Act of Killing, The Place Beyond the Pines, and Side Effects.

#1  Spring Breakers

#2  Reality

#3  The Hunt

#4  Upstream Color

#5  The Lords of Salem

Bernard’s Top 5

My top two films of the year so far are interchangeable, as they’re both brilliant, but in different ways. Before Midnight is nearly flawless—I was floored by every facet of it. Sarah Polley’s documentary/family-drama/soap-opera/whodunit, Stories We Tell, is a Frankenstein’s monster of personal filmmaking goodness that exists outside any genre. These two films are absolute beasts, and there are miles between them and the rest of the movies I saw this year. That said, it would be amazing if a film in the last half of 2013 can top them somehow. Fingers crossed!

#1  Before Midnight

#2  Stories We Tell

#3  Simon Killer

#4  You’re Next

#5  Like Someone In Love

Amy’s Top 5

I had the opportunity to see so many great films at this year’s Sundance London Film Festival, but only a few have so far have had confirmed releases, In a World will be heading to the UK this September. It was a tremendous comedy written, directed and performed by Lake Bell – I would recommend anyone to go see it when it hits cinemas! I also had the chance to see Mud at the festival and loved every minute of it. Stoker, (directed by Chan-wook Park, Oldboy) was a phenomenal film – its stunning visuals and intense storyline had me utterly gripped throughout, sincerely recommend for those who like Park’s style. Warm Bodies was a great film that turned our expectations of a zombie film upside down, making the dead come alive and love again. I really did not think I would take to Sightseers as much as I did, most of the film I was thinking – “what the hell is going on” – but the last few scenes had me in stitches. Looking forward to seeing: This is the End, The East, and Before Midnight.

#1  In a World

#2  Mud

#3  Stoker

#4  Warm Bodies

#5  Sightseers

CJ’s Top 5

I’ve never seen a year where my two favourite films (at this time) are documentaries, let alone ones that push the capabilities of documentary filmmaking and cinema itself into new directions. I had an internal debate about my placement of both films on this list. Do I give the #1 spot to the film with the most societal and moral impact, or the film with the most cinematic impact? In the end I couldn’t choose, so I let them both share the top spot. The other three are all terrific, and Bernard has explained enough why Before Midnight is great, but these first two shook me to the core. Other films that barely made the cut: Spring Breakers, Side Effects, The Place Beyond The Pines, Valentine Road.

#1 (tie)  Leviathan and The Act of Killing

#3  Before Midnight

#4  Beyond The Hills

#5  Hors Satan

Ananda’s Top 5

Perhaps it’s the celebration of the end of a long recession, but of 2013’s film offerings thus far, the ones that have seemed strongest to me are all of a lighter fare. Granted I haven’t seen A Hijacking, Mud, or The Stories We Tell (which would probably make this list because I have a huge girl-crush on Sarah Polley). I can wait for the fall to indulge in the heavier stuff, including all those festival films not yet released (Blue is the Warmest Color, holler). But sometimes lighter is better. From the bottom, This is the End is the best buddies-in-a-crises film I’ve seen since Shaun of the Dead and had my abs hurting for days. A three-quel on my list? I’m just as shocked, but when Hollywood’s wittiest writer, Shane Black, unites with the world’s wittiest superhero, Iron Man (played by the man Black was born to write for, Robert Downey Jr.) it’s a match made in Marvel heaven. Upstream Color isn’t easier to follow than Shane Carruth’s first film Primer, but was much easier to accept and had a lovely hum to it. It’s no secret I’m a sucker for films of the dark and twisty variety, and Stoker manages to be elegant with its seductive spookiness. Frances Ha, at the top of my list, stroke some realistic chords with this urban-dwelling 20-something, and Greta Gerwig shines as she makes what could be an aimless hipster, a relatable heroine. All in all, 2013 has me feeling rather positive thus far. Honorable Mentions: Side Effects (The twists and pacing of Ocean’s 11 with the gravitas of Contagion) and since we’re keeping it light with my list Warm Bodies successfully paired young love and zombies to my great delight.

#1  Frances Ha

#2  Stoker

#3  Upstream Color

#4  Iron Man 3

#5  This is the End

Dustin’s Top 5

It is not all that surprising that three of the top five films I have seen so far in 2013 had played at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. But only one of those (Nebraska) is allowed to be on this list as the other two (Like Father, Like Son and The Great Beauty) do not meet our prerequisite of having a hard 2013 U.S. release date yet. But because 2013 has been a solid year for films so far, it was not difficult to find two other films to take their place. And it will only get better during the fall festival circuit and awards season. Though I saw Ulrich Seidl’s hard-to-watch yet stimulating Paradise: Love last year, it is still the top film for me with a 2013 release date. A few films that just missed the cut for me were: To The Wonder, 28 Hotel Rooms, and The Act of Killing. I should also include a few films that I have not seen yet: Mud, Fruitvale Station, Before Midnight, and Post Tenebras Lux.

#1  Paradise: Love

#2  The Place Beyond the Pines

#3  Upstream Color

#4  Frances Ha

#5  Nebraska

“Every family has a story.” Canadian actor and director Sarah Polley (Away From Her, Take This Waltz) lost her mom, Diane, to cancer in 1990. In Stories We Tell, her quietly spectacular documentary, she sits with her family and friends and asks them to “tell the whole story [about Diane], from start to finish.” The stories that result are lovingly nostalgic, but gradually, fascinatingly, they begin to clash and contradict one another. Polley’s goal isn’t to piece together a definitive portrait of her mother.“…the truth about the past is often ephemeral and difficult to pin down” says Polley in the film. Stories We Tell isn’t concerned with the truth—its focus is on exploring the phenomenon of storytelling. Why do we tell stories? Why do we need them? Most importantly, how does our perspective on events affect our memory of them?

Polley plays detective in the film, interrogating and cajoling clues out of her subjects about the ‘true’ history of Diane and her family, though no one’s story stands out as definitive (Polley played it fair in the editing room). Through the process of interrogation, a dark family secret is uncovered that turns the entire film—and the family—on its head. This is where the film gets really good. It’s like watching a hybrid documentary/soap opera—there are surprises, mysteries, revelations, and even a twist or two (one of the most shocking moments comes after the credits start rolling). It’s thrilling, with emotional highs and lows that are intensified by the fact that we’re watching real people—a real family—have their world shaken and turned upside-down.

Of all the voices we hear, the most dominant belongs to Polley’s British-born father, Michael, who narrates the film, telling his version of Diane’s story by reciting his eloquently written memoirs. His voice is enchanting, richly textured with classic English charm, and lends a surprising sense of magic to the film. Polley makes the brilliant decision to film Michael recording the voice-overs in a sound studio as she directs him from behind a mixing board “Dad, can you just go back over that one line?” These segments are touching and feel distinct, as Michael isn’t being questioned like the other subjects. Seeing Polley gaze at her father with gentle love and adoration is guaranteed to elicit fuzzy feelings.

The talking heads are filmed á la the standard documentary style, sat on a couch or chair. Polley constantly reminds us that there’s a production going on, showing her siblings asking her how they look on camera (“Is this a good angle for me?”), and allowing them to break the fourth wall. “Who cares about our stupid family?” says Polley’s sister. Beautifully staged Super 8 reenactments of key events in her family’s history add warm nostalgia to the equation.

Diane’s memory permeates every minute of the film, and the family speaks in great detail about the woman that she was, but I’ll let you discover all that on your own. This act of discovery is crucial to the experience—peeling back the multiple layers of Stories We Tell is exhilarating. The surprises hidden within are jaw-droppers, which is why I danced around nearly every plot point in this review—the less you know about the story going into it, the further your jaw will drop. Reflecting on Stories We Tell, I think of my family and our stories. I can’t put my finger on exactly why we tell them or why we love them so much, but after experiencing Polley’s film, I’m sure of two things—stories are important, and every one of us is an unreliable narrator.

Director Sarah Polley took time to sit with us at the San Francisco International Film Festival to talk about her critically acclaimed, hyper-personal documentary, Stories We Tell, in which she excavates her late mother, Diane’s life story by interviewing friends and family.

When the film first screened, I remember you being hesitant to do interviews, wanting the film to speak for itself. It must have been nerve-racking putting your family’s history out there for the world to see. How scared were you to share the film with people?
It was terrifying. I can’t say I’ve ever been that stressed out by sharing anything. I was exposing not only myself, but my family, and you don’t know what kind of criticisms are going to fall down on people and what you’ll expose them to.

It’s now been half a year since you’ve shared the film—how has the experience been?
It’s been great, actually. It’s been the richest experience I’ve ever had in terms of promoting a film, which usually…you kind of end up with your roster of answers and you’re basically being asked the same questions. With this film, I find I’m constantly surprised by people’s responses and the questions I’m getting. Everyone seems to have seen a different film. It’s a real privilege to get to open up a story like this, look at the idea of storytelling, and hear [people’s] various responses and the stories that come out of that.

One of the subjects in the film talks about different circles of stories centered on your mother, emanating out—second hand stories, third hand, fourth. Now that people have seen the film, there’s this gigantic fifth circle that have their own stories to tell. What have the responses been like?
That’s what’s been really interesting—there seem to be so many people who have stories like this in their own lives or know people who have stories. For me it’s strange because, in a way, the audience, the critics, the people who write or talk about the film become this strange extension of the film because the story is still changing and getting mutated and misinterpreted and getting analyzed differently by everyone. It’s sort of a continuation of the project of the film to look at the noise of all those voices.

Your father, Michael Polley, narrates the film, reading his memoirs. He has an amazing voice!
A big part of me wanting to make the film was wanting to record him reading his writing and the stories he was creating out of [the events in the film] having happened and the fact that this information having crashed on most people would have created a lot of negative feelings ended up giving him this sort of opening to look very candidly and eloquently at his own life.

You film your dad reading his memoirs in a sound studio, and you also have a camera on yourself behind the mixing board, directing him. Where did the idea come from to show this interaction?
I didn’t even think I was going to use that footage, but it became really important all of a sudden that I be in the film as a character of a filmmaker and we see the construction of the film. Because the film is about storytelling and the way stories come out of a particular set of events, to show the construction of this story from the filmmaker’s perspective seemed to be really important.

The film revolves around your mother, but by its conclusion, she remains an enigmatic figure.
I learned a ton about my mom, but the truth is, she’s not here to speak for herself—she will remain enigmatic to an extent. We’re never going to really know the way she would phrase her thoughts and feelings about these events, she does remain elusive. I definitely wanted to paint a clear picture of her based on everybody’s recollections, but I think I knew going in I was never going to ‘get her’ [or] get some accurate sense of who exactly she was.

Everybody in the film gets a fair say.
That was the idea, that everybody would have their chance to have their voice included, even if it wasn’t their full version. Everybody’s version would be respected.

The film touches on delicate subjects. Were there times where you thought that a certain element of the story would make the film flow better, but you didn’t want to include it because it was too personal?
There [were a lot] of situations like that, but it was helpful that I have relationships with everybody in the film because I had a very strong internal barometer for what would be ok and what wouldn’t be ok. I don’t think I lied about anybody and I tried not to manipulate, but certainly some things were kept in and other things were not kept in, based on wanting to make sure I was as humane as possible in the process, which I think is something we shouldn’t ignore as filmmakers.

Would you ever consider making another film like this one?
I’d love to make another documentary at some point. I obviously wouldn’t make another one about my family. I think it would be hard for me to make a documentary now because it would be hard to make a straight-ahead film, but I don’t think I could make a film as complicated as this either (laughs). But, I would love to make another documentary because I respect the medium so much.

The thing I’ll remember most about this year’s San Francisco International Film Festival were the amazing conversations I had with some of the talented filmmakers in attendance during the festival’s two-week stretch. Everybody was open and willing to share their enthusiasm about film and filmmaking, and all of the good vibes were fueled by the festival’s exceedingly strong program. Film after film, I was thoroughly entertained and excited.

The list below is my top 5 films from the festival, but only spots 1 and 2 were a lock for me. The other three spots could have easily gone to a number of other films at the festival. John Vogt-Roberts’ The Kings of Summer showcases three of the most promising young actors in the game right now standing toe to toe with some of the funniest people on earth. Morgan Neville’s Twenty Feet From Stardom was a sleeper for me, packing more emotional punch than I expected from a documentary about backup singers. Atiq Rahimi’s achingly gorgeous The Patience Stone is a force of nature that grows on me more and more as I sit with it. Prince Avalanche is flat-out one of David Gordon Green’s best films. And the list goes on.

I encountered a few clunkers at the festival, but there were too many excellent films for the bad ones to sour the experience. Overall, SFIFF 2013 was an excellent two weeks at the movies, and I highly recommend you make the trip out here next year. It’s a big festival with a lot of buzz and fantastic guests, but with none of the stressful chaos or hectic energy of other, more popular festivals. It was a complete blast, and I look forward to next year.

Though the festival is over, make sure to stay tuned to Way Too Indie in the coming weeks for tons of amazing content coming out of the festival. We’ve got a FLOOD of great interviews from SFIFF coming your way in the coming weeks—

Michael Cera & Sebastian Silva—Crystal Fairy
Richard Linklater & Julie Delpy—Before Midnight
Sarah Polley—Stories We Tell
David Gordon Green—Prince Avalanche
Alexis Denisof & Amy Acker—Much Ado About Nothing
Nick Robinson, Gabriel Bassos & Moises Arias—The Kings of Summer
Onata Aprile, David Siegel & Scott McGehee—What Maisie Knew
Atiq Rahimi—The Patience Stone
Jeremy Teicher—Tall as the Baobab Tree
PJ Raval & Dennis—Before You Know It

Way Too Indie’s Top 5 Films at the San Francisco International Film Festival

#5 – Much Ado About Nothing

What I found impressive about Joss Whedon’s Shakespeare adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing was that it felt more ‘Joss’ than ‘William’. Whedon and his merry band of thespians do what they do best—tell a story with uncanny wit, sass, silliness, and humanity. Shakespeare’s play is timeless, and Whedon respects this. Modernity plays no role here, and the focus is squared solely on the ever-shuffling relationships of the marvelously acted characters.

I hesitate to say that there is a standout in the cast—everyone has moments of greatness. The film’s leads, Alexis Denisof and Amy Acker, are prime examples of how Whedon extracts every bit of potential out of his actors. They transition from brutally disdainful to drunkenly flirtatious on a dime, effortlessly, and they pull off hilarious slapstick gags that would be cringe-worthy in the hands of most. These physical bits are Chaplin-funny. By the end of the film, I felt great—completely satisfied and wholly content. I hope this isn’t the last we see of Mr. Whedon on the independent scene.

#4 – Tall as the Baobab Tree

Jeremy Teicher’s Tall as the Baobab Tree explores the transitional social climate of a small village in Senegal where the recent introduction of education into the village by way of a newly constructed school has shaken up old traditions. Previously, girls had commonly been forced into early marriage, but with education now accessible to them, the prospect of early marriage has become far less appealing. A new, fortuitous future is now within their grasp, but the old ways of the village can’t be undone so easily.

Teicher, only 24, depicts Senegal and Africa in a refreshingly optimistic and respectful light in his narrative feature debut, eschewing the heart-wrenching, pitying depictions seen in most films about the community. He shows his characters happily sitting and sharing a meal with one another, laughing and teasing, making plans for the future and enjoying the present. This is universal stuff, a family story. Few things excite me more than when a young filmmaker finds his voice early, and Teicher’s staggering potential shines bright like the sun in Baobab.

#3 – You’re Next

Festivals like SFIFF are often inundated with weighty films that can leave you mentally and emotionally exhausted, so it’s an absolute treat when a film can leave you physically exhausted—You’re Next had everybody who watched it at the festival breathing heavy, jumping, screaming, and occasionally running. Seriously. The guy sitting next to me literally leaped over his seat and darted for the exit. It was hands down the most fun I had at the festival.

Adam Wingard’s gorefest—in which a rich white family taking a vacation is terrorized by crossbow-wielding freaks—deserves its spot on the list because it’s the best example of the genre in years. Not only does Wingard instill fear with style and cinematic inventiveness, he does it with a sharp intellect—nothing is dumbed down here. None of the kills in You’re Next are revolutionary, but they feel revolutionary because they’re filmed so freakin’ well. The when you see an axe kill, it feels like your first time seeing an axe kill—brutal, brutal, brutal. Also, the hero that emerges from the group of victims is one of the baddest butt-kickers since Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley. Ladies, prepare to feel empowered.

#2 – Before Midnight

One of the first films I saw at SFIFF this year was Richard Linklater’s third installment in his wonderfully improbable ‘Before’ romance series, Before Midnight. It set the bar sky high for the rest of the festival, enchanting me with stars Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy’s effortless, impassioned performances and Linklater’s silently spectacular direction.

Set (and filmed) 18 years after Jesse (Hawke) and Celine (Delpy) met on a train in Vienna in Before Sunrise, and 9 years after their fateful reunion in Before Sunset, Before Midnight follows the duo, now parents of twin girls, as they find their youthful affection for each other battered by the stresses of reality. Hawke, Delpy, and Linklater have all upped their game to unbelievable heights here—an almost 15-minute-long shot of Jesse and Celine driving down a winding road while having an immaculately acted conversation is simply breathtaking. It’s the best film in the series, and I’m completely aware of how bold that statement is. Just watch it—you’ll understand.

#1 – Stories We Tell

Though I find Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight to be virtually flawless, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell feels just a hair more special to me right now, in this moment. Linklater’s romance saga has been moving me for nearly two decades, but Polley’s film touched me deeply and swiftly, in a way that no other film did. For this festival, in these two weeks filled with dozens of films, Stories We Tell was my favorite film.

In an intrepidly naked and personal documentary, Polley skillfully weaves together a tapestry of memories of her late mother Diane, contributed by members of her family and old friends. We walk beside Polley as she doubles back on her family’s history, uncovering life-altering secrets as she conducts breathtaking—and sometimes heartbreaking—interviews with her subjects.

The immediacy of the film is what makes it so engaging—there wasn’t a single moment where I wasn’t completely glued to the screen. I hung on every word, every image, and marched to every single beat of Polley’s drum. You can’t ask for much more from a film or a director. It’s got everything—suspense, laughter, tears, betrayal, heartache, and one of the most richly textured voice-overs I’ve ever heard, provided by Polley’s father, Michael. I wouldn’t dare to delve into what makes this film truly special, as I’d be robbing you of one of the most thrilling movie experiences of the year. It was a close race between spots one and two on the list, but Polley’s willingness to graciously invite us deep into her personal life solidified her top spot.

One of my favorite things about film festivals is being able to interact with and pick the brains of the talented filmmakers behind great films you’ve just discovered. Yesterday, I got to do just that, with two incredible filmmakers. Stories We Tell (Sarah Polley) and The Patience Stone (Atiq Rahimi) are such fascinating, brilliant films that it was an honor and privilege to mine knowledge from the artists behind them. Both films are intensely personal works that shouldn’t be missed by anyone.

Stay tuned to Way Too Indie for the interviews, which we’ll be posting as the films’ release dates approach. In the meantime, here are my impressions of the films from SFIFF.

Stories We Tell

One of the beauties of Stories We Tell is uncovering its secrets as the film unfolds. I could reveal the secrets that await in Polley’s documentary, but that would be cruel. It’s integral that you go into the film cold, knowing little to nothing of the journey Polley has plotted out for us—it will all be worth it, trust me. All you need to know is this—so far, this is hands down my favorite film at SFIFF, which is already one of the best festivals I’ve attended. Now, mark your calendars for May 17th and go see the film.

If you need more convincing…read on. But let me be clear—my recommendation is that you experience the film in the moment, free of expectations.

Stories We Tell is a collection of recollections—stories—about Polley’s late mother, Diane. She interviews her colorful family and people who were close to Diane, and asks them to detail the family’s history, with the late matriarch as the focal point. Polley takes us on a journey to find the ‘true’ Diane, through multiple, unique memories. The families’ stories vary wildly and make you wonder—whose story is correct?

What makes Stories We Tell so special is that most documentaries are on an obsessive search for the truth while Polley instead poses the question—does the truth really exist? One thing is for sure—stories don’t exist until we create them. They’re born from an individual with a unique perspective. Polley’s mother was a different person to everyone she met—she was Mom to some, a friend to some, a lover to others. Which is the true Diane?

There are huge revelations to discover once you dive deep into the film that completely flip things upside down. Stories We Tell is a touching, one-of-a-kind work of art that is as universal as it is personal.

In the coming weeks we will have our full review plus an interview with director Sarah Polley here on Way Too Indie.

The Patience Stone

In an adaptation of director Atiq Rahimi’s novel of the same title, the beautiful Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies) plays an Afghani wife and mother whose husband has been left in a vegetable state after a bullet wound to the neck. She is on the brink of exhaustion, struggling to care for her family without the aid of her husband. As she buckles under the stresses of poverty, female oppression, and a war-torn Afghanistan, she begins to express her inner thoughts to her comatose husband, thoughts that she’d never dared vocalize before.

The Patience Stone’s title refers to a well-known Persian folktale, Syngue Sabour, about a stone into which you dump your frustrations, secrets, and woes until it eventually shatters. As Farahani’s expressions of agony to her husband slowly transform into expressions of desire and sexual frustration, she begins to free herself of the constraints imposed on her by Muslim culture.

Rahimi’s camera is weightless and adaptable, always placed strategically to convey the emotion of the scene. DP Thierry Arborgast uses color and light in almost magical ways, creating a lush atmosphere that sinks deep into your mind instantly. The scenes that take place outside of the husband’s room aren’t as effective as the powerful moments that transpire inside it. This is an important, beautiful story of liberation and individuality that may be too plodding for some, but rewards those who wait.