There are few finer publications for film criticism than Film Comment, so while there is already an onslaught of year-end coverage, it is with great pleasure we share their picks of the finest films to arrive in 2016. Topping the list is Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann, followed by Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, and Paul Verhoeven’s Elle. Also among the top 20 are the highly overlooked Kaili Blues and The Fits, while The Handmaiden, Certain Women, Everybody Wants Some!!, and more make an appearance.
Going a step further, they’ve also shared the best films without U.S. distribution, including some of our favorites: Cristi Puiu’s Sieranevada, Matías Piñeiro’s Hermia and Helena, and Bertrand Bonello’s Nocturama, Angela Schanelec‘s The Dreamed Path, and Hong Sang-soo‘s Yourself and Yours. With some having debuted as early as Cannes, hopefully they find a home soon thanks to the attention given here.
Check out their full lists below, followed by their podcast discussion which looks at list-making before discussing their favorites.
RELEASED IN 2016
1. Toni Erdmann, Maren Ade, Germany
2. Moonlight, Barry Jenkins, USA
3. Elle, Paul Verhoeven, France/Germany
4. Cemetery of Splendor, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Malaysia
5. Certain Women, Kelly Reichardt, USA
6. Paterson, Jim Jarmusch, USA
7. Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan, USA
8. Aquarius, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France
9. Things to Come, Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany
10. No Home Movie, Chantal Akerman, Belgium/France
11. The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, France/Netherlands/Greece/UK
12. Right Now, Wrong Then, Hong Sang-soo, South Korea
13. Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman, Ireland/Netherlands/France/USA
14. Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson, USA
15. Kaili Blues, Bi Gan, China Korea
16. The Handmaiden, Park Chan-wook, South
17. Everybody Wants Some!!, Richard Linklater, USA
18. The Fits, Anna Rose Holmer, USA
19. Neruda, Pablo Larraín, Chile/Argentina/France/Spain
20. The Other Side, Roberto Minervini, France/Italy
FILMS WITHOUT DISTRIBUTION IN 2016
1. Sieranevada, Cristi Puiu, Romania
2. Hermia and Helena, Matías Piñeiro, USA/Argentina
3. Nocturama, Bertrand Bonello, France/Belgium/Germany
4. The Dreamed Path, Angela Schanelec, Germany
5. Yourself and Yours, Hong Sang-soo, South Korea
6. Kékszakállú, Gastón Solnicki, Argentina
7. By the Time It Gets Dark, Anocha Suwichakornpong, Thailand/Netherlands/France/Qatar
8. Scarred Hearts, Radu Jude, Romania/Germany
9. The Woman Who Left, Lav Diaz, Philippines
10. Austerlitz, Sergei Loznitsa, Germany
11. Tempestad, Tatiana Huezo, Mexico
12. The Rehearsal, Alison Maclean, New Zealand
13. Safari, Ulrich Seidl, Austria/Denmark
14. Everything Else, Natalia Almada, Mexico
15. All the Cities of the North, Dane Komljen, Serbia/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Montenegro
16. Happy Times Will Come Soon, Alessandro Comodin, Italy
17. Dawson City: Frozen Time, Bill Morrison, USA
18. Suite Armoricaine, Pascale Breton, France
19. Women Who Kill, Ingrid Jungermann, USA
20. Le Parc, Damien Manivel, France