The onslaught of best-of-the-year lists from guilds and critics groups have only just begun, but one of the few of genuine interest each year comes from a single person: the wonderfully eccentric director John Waters, whose eclectic tastes always includes a mix of the unexpected and underseen.
Topping his list this year is Bruno Dumont’s singular metal take on an iconic figure with Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc. Also on his list are the Sundance stand-outs Blindspotting and American Animals, as well as Xavier Legrand’s intense Venice winner Custody and Guy Maddin’s formally inventive The Green Fog. There’s also room for a Nicolas Cage flick, but perhaps not the one you might expect.
Check out the list below courtesy of Art Forum, who also share Waters’ comments on each pick at their site.
1. Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (Bruno Dumont)
2. American Animals (Bart Layton)
3. Nico, 1988 (Susanna Nicchiarelli)
4. Mom and Dad (Brian Taylor)
5. Blindspotting (Carlos López Estrada)
6. The Green Fog (Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson)
7. Custody (Xavier Legrand)
8. Sollers Point (Matthew Porterfield)
9. Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982–1992 (John Ridley)
10. Permanent Green Light (Dennis Cooper, Zac Farley)