Top 10 Films of 2016

10.

20th Century Women

You know the feeling when someone trusts you and opens up to you with all honesty? That's what I felt while watching 20th Century Women. It felt like reading a diary of Mike Mills and it's wonderful, and it made me emotional and nostalgic.

9.

Jackie

There's always a film that is elevated by the performances and this is one great example. Natalie Portman is the reason why I love this. Her Jackie reminded me of 

8.

Arrival

Thought-provoking and emotionally adept, Arrival is science fiction drama done right. I consider Denis Villeneuve our generation's master of twists and I suggest, if you haven't yet, to watch and be amazed by his filmography.

7.

The Nice Guys

We are used to films following the Hollywood formula to be a box office hit, but The Nice Guys felt like the opposite where it followed our local cinema's formula in action comedy. That's the reason why I love it! It's slapstick, campy, corny, stupid but hilarious.

6.

American Honey

For its almost three-hour running time, I never got bored watching this gem by Andrea Arnold. It doesn't have a solid plot and the story is kind of unfamiliar territory, but what it has is the captivating Sasha Lane that leaves you wanting for more.

5.

Demolition

Jean Marc-Vallee is proven and tested to squeeze the emotions out of you, and out of all his movies (Dallas Buyers Club, Wild), this one's probably the most emotional of all. Watching Jake Gyllenhaal's character Davis break down after holding his emotions for almost the entirety of the film was heartbreaking.

4.

Moonlight

The most admirable thing for me about this simple yet poetic film is Chiron, and how he remained to be pure and kind despite all the mishaps that happened to his life.

3.

Sing Street

It is impossible not to love this fun nostalgic movie that aims simply to make us feel young and hopeful and reminisce about the good old times. The songs, the quotes, the characters are oozing with nostalgia. I might hate the ending of this movie but that can't change the fact that I was thoroughly smitten by this film.

2.

Your Name

It's not news that I love movies that ignite sentimentality and out of all the 2016 movies, I think Your Name reached new heights of emotions, especially its climax which I extremely dug. Drama aside, this is also another effective scifi drama which tackles time travel in a fascinating fashion.

1.

The Handmaiden

While watching this, I thought 'wow! this movie is in a different league compared to other movies', and that's only after the first act. Then I was blown away by the rest of the movie. The characters, the actors, the story and the twists of The Handmaiden are unforgettable. Riot!