While our year-end coverage will arrive at… well, the end of the year, other outlets are getting the jump early. One of the first is the estimable Sight & Sound, who have culled together 20 of the year’s best films from 168 of their contributors and colleagues. Topping the list is Hou Hsiao-hsien‘s magnificent The Assassin.
Some may be surprised at the inclusion of Inherent Vice, but that hit U.K. theaters this year, while Arabian Nights, 45 Years, Son of Saul, Cemetery of Splendour, Amy, and Chantal Akerman‘s final film, No Home Movie, all cracked the top 10. Also rounding out the top 20 are two animated films: Charlie Kaufman‘s Anomalisa and Pixar’s Inside Out.
While some have yet to be released in the states, if you’ve missed a few during their theatrical run, we’re keeping tabs on where you can stream them here. In the meantime, make sure to remember all of these excellent titles as they arrive in your area and one can check out the full list below, including our reviews.
1. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao-Hsien)
2. Carol (Todd Haynes)
3. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller)
4. Arabian Nights (Miguel Gomes)
5. Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
6. No Home Movie (Chantal Akerman)
7. 45 Years (Andrew Haigh)
8. Son of Saul (Laszlo Nemes)
=9. Amy (Asif Kapadia)
=9. Inherent Vice (Paul Thomas Anderson)
=11. Anomalisa (Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson)
=11. It Follows (David Robert Mitchell)
13. Phoenix (Christian Petzold)
=14. Girlhood (Céline Sciamma)
=14. Hard to Be a God (Aleksei German)
=14. Inside Out (Pete Docter)
=14. Tangerine (Sean Baker)
=14. Taxi Tehran (Jafar Pahani)
=19. Horse Money (Pedro Costa)
=19. The Look of Silence (Joshua Oppenheimer)
Are your favorites among the top 20? What deserved a spot?