Staff Inquiry: Top 10 Films Of 2018

2018 has come to a close, and after a year of horror highs and box office blowouts, we here at Film Inquiry have the insane task of picking the top films of the year. We’ve combed through the releases and given ourselves time to catch up on anything we missed, and as always, each writer came up with their own unique picks. That’s how taste works, I suppose, and with a year as chock full of great stuff as 2018, it’s hardly surprising to see a wide array of films being singled out.

The only parameter for our writers was that the films had to be released in their country in 2018, so all theatrical and VOD/streaming releases were eligible. They singled out their top film and gave a simple list of the other nine in their personal top ten. Without further ado, here’s what our staff loved from 2018.

Stephanie Archer – Annihilation

As I continue to catch up with all the films released in 2018, I find my top film of the year constantly shifting. Originally standing as my number one was A Quiet Place, which hit every element of horror filmmaking to perfection. This past weekend, however, it was finally knocked out of the top spot by the humorous and ingenious story of The Favourite. Less than 24 hours later, though, Annihilation would bring a new love and one I am still left thinking about days later.

Annihilation is mind-blowing. From its exceptional visual effects to its brilliant adaptation and sharply executed story, it is my top film of 2018. An adaptation from the book of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, Annihilation follows a team of fearless females as they venture into the unknown. Following the collision of a meteor 3 years earlier, a luminescent shimmer has been growing from its place of impact, and all who have ventured into it are never seen again – that is, until Sergeant Kane mysteriously returns, giving hope to the next team and changing the life of his wife, Lena.

It was not just the female cast – as awesome as it was, especially since it was not a remake with replaced gender representation – that made Annihilation stand out. The visuals are hypnotizing, sometimes beautiful, other times horrific, delivering brilliant visuals of the ideas that the book had tried to convey to the imagination. Beyond the visuals, the adaption is solid with a strong cast to encompass each psychological aspect their character represented. Natalie Portman is a standout as Lena, journeying through the unknown as audiences witness the visual representations of suicide, self-destruction, evolution, and sacrifice.

Annihilation is a film that will get you thinking, and not just while the film is running. The ending may leave some scratching their heads, but embrace it. Let the film settle in by pieces and as a whole. If you have not had a chance to see this film yet, do. The experience is worth it.

Rest of Stephanie’s top ten: Crazy Rich Asians, Dead Women Walking, Roma, The Favourite, Bohemian Rhapsody, Ready Player One, A Quiet Place, Isle of Dogs, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Jo Bradley – A Quiet Place

As a filmgoer who has actively avoided horror my entire life, when I heard about A Quiet Place, I was apprehensive. Years of hiding under my doona as my boarding school roommates watched The Exorcist and every Paranormal Activity movie taught me that: Horror? Not my thing. But the excellent reviews kept pouring in and after seeing the 95% Rotten Tomatoes score, I was finally persuaded.

Accompanied by my closest friends for moral support, I braved A Quiet Place in the cinema. And boy was it worth it.

In a post-apocalyptic world overrun with man-eating aliens that hunt through sound, one family is surviving in an isolated rural farmhouse.

Not since Coppola’s The Conversation have I seen a film with such an interesting use of sound. Sitting in a room full of silent cinema-goers holding their breath, I was struck with the realisation of what a distinctly theatrical experience this was. Like Avatar or a Christopher Nolan film, this was one you had to see in a cinema.

On a technical level, the sound mixing and editing are excellent, and do so much to build suspense. The writing excellently builds the stakes and tension from the very first, shocking scene.

Something as simple as a poorly placed nail sends the audience into grips of terror. Emily Blunt, continuing to prove herself as one of the most versatile actors working today, is utterly compelling as a pregnant wife playing opposite real life husband, actor and director John Krasinski. Millicent Simmonds (hearing impaired in real life), steals the show as the couple’s deaf daughter, a character trait that adds a lot of depth and tension to this story.

A Quiet Place was so good, it made me break my 20-year long ban on horror movies. Without spoiling any more, I’ll say that you do NOT want to miss it.

Rest of Jo’s top ten: Black Panther, Searching, Ocean’s 8, The Death of Stalin, The Favourite, Widows, Set It Up, Avengers: Infinity War, The Kindergarten Teacher

Michael Colbert – Eighth Grade

Few are the films as visceral as Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade. For one, Elsie Fisher had me hooked in the first thirty seconds of the film. Her speech, darting eyes, and quick smiles perfectly capture what it’s like to be an eighth grader.

When I saw the trailers, I was nervous. Would it be voyeuristic? Would it revel in the awkwardness? Though in watching the film we add ourselves to the list of people looking at Kayla, the film ensures we never judge her like others may. Fisher’s breakout performance commands our sympathy. We remember what it’s like to want what she wants and to feel so uncomfortable. The film’s editing too captures the noise of eighth grade – rubber bands snapping in braces, boys flipping their eyelids inside out, or blowing weird noises into their palms.

Kayla records YouTube videos throughout the film and gives advice on friendships and stepping outside of your comfort zone. These videos contrast with her own struggles and compassionately convey how at odds our internal and external realities may be, and how we struggle to reconcile this. The film is funny, but the audience isn’t meant to laugh at Kayla’s expense. Perhaps most charming about the film is its embodiment of laughing alongside somebody, of remembering those dark days confined by middle school walls.

rest of Michael’s top ten: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, The Favourite, Leave No Trace, First Reformed, A Quiet Place, Isle of Dogs, Hereditary, Bird Box, Suspiria

Zoe Crombie – Hereditary

On a personal level, this film brings together three of my favourite cinematic elements: unabashed horror elements, intense atmosphere, and an exploration of women’s stories. Arguably other films such as A Quiet Place and Halloween fulfilled these criteria in 2018 as well, but for me, Hereditary executed them so fantastically that nothing else can fill my top spot.

As it follows the disintegration of a nuclear family, Hereditary also explores notions of mental illness and unconditional love, deconstructing the figure of the self-sacrificing mother in particular. Toni Colette lends much to this theme with the best performance of her career as she travels through an intense array of emotions in the hopeless pursuit of her dwindling sanity and patience.

In terms of an actual body count, other horrors this year are ahead by miles, but they don’t come close in scale to the impact and brutality of the deaths. You can count the main characters that die in the film on one hand, but the shock you’ll feel isn’t to be underestimated, nor is the accompanying grief that Hereditary spends much of its runtime dissecting. Some may call it ‘elevated horror’, but I see it as yet another example of why the genre should be taken seriously, despite the inevitable Oscars snub.

Through sinister sound design, a meticulously established mise-en-scene, and alarmingly confrontational cinematography, director Ari Aster has crafted a feature debut worthy of Best Picture.

Rest of Zoe’s top ten: Roma, Widows, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, BlacKkKlansman, Nae Pasaran, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, A Star Is Born, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Us and Them

Patrick Crossen – Blindspotting

For my number one this year, I had to go with my gut. I had to yield to the film that hasn’t left me alone since I walked out of the theater. Because that’s just what Blindspotting does. It sticks with you for days, or in my case, months after you’ve seen it.

Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal won my heart over in this domestic drama about two friends and their lives in Oakland. The film is a harshly realistic commentary on how two people growing up in the same place can have completely different experiences. It’s an essential film for 2018, tackling race, gentrification, and police brutality in such a haunting and sometimes charismatic way that you feel as though you’ve gained a glimpse, however brief, into the lives of the marginalized.

Leaning on their freestyling skills, Diggs and Casal find time within the film to allow their talents to shine with raps that, with any other cast, might seem corny but with these two seem natural. Diggs and Casal give what I hope will be breakout performances in this film with their abilities to find the perfect balance between anger and fear. This is a film about how terrifying the world is, even when you’re right at home. For these characters, home is equal parts comforting and threatening in a way that few films dare to explore.

What happens when your haven is also your prison? Blindspotting wants to find out.

Rest of Patrick’s top ten: The Favourite, Annihilation, Widows, A Star Is Born, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Leave No Trace, You Were Never Really Here, Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Dave Fontana – The Rider

Of the many good films that came out last year, few, if any, were as soulful as Chloé Zhao‘s The Rider. Working not only as a firm character study, it also shines a sympathetic light on an often-overlooked area of modern America: that of the small-town Midwest. The characters within, led by Brady Jandreau, are all played by non-actors, many of which are playing a fictionalized version of themselves, lending even more to the film’s authenticity.

Jandreau gives one of the finest performances of the year, playing a story influenced by his own life. The story focuses on his love for rodeos and horseback riding, in addition to caring for his family and friends, and, ultimately, the acceptance of his fate due to his unfortunate injury. It’s a story made even more poignant by Jandreau‘s expressive performance, impressive given that he had never acted before.

With only two films under her belt, Chloé Zhao has a remarkable grasp of American cinema. Her carefully structured film consists of brief snapshots of these characters’ lives, utilizing closeups, wide landscape shots, and natural lighting to emphasize their inner thoughts. It’s a prime example of how a camera can tell a story, without the film’s dialogue walking you through its themes. 2018 was a standout year for film, and though The Rider is unlikely to be recognized due to its independent nature, it stands, to me, as the finest of the year.

Rest of Dave’s top ten: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, If Beale Street Could Talk, Eighth Grade, BlacKkKlansman, The Favourite, Mission Impossible: Fallout, The Night Comes For Us, Sweet Country, Private Life

Arlin Golden – Hale County This Morning, This Evening

The best film of the year was one of contradictions. It was the result of 5 years and thousands of hours of footage but clocked in at just 76 minutes. Its structure is free-form yet meticulously constructed. It spoke to a host of contemporary sociopolitical topics without explicitly addressing them. Its concerns were non-narrative, yet it featured some of the hardest hitting story beats of the year, at turns devastating and hilarious.

Hale County This Morning, This Evening is a landmark film, one that I believe will be cited as a demarcation point for non-fiction cinema going forward. Ostensibly a film about a couple of families and their social circle in rural Alabama, its interests are far broader in scope, tackling issues of identity and representation with which documentarians have been wrestling throughout the history of the form.

It can be seen as a heady movie, but it’s also completely engrossing in its formal elements. Every shot is thoughtfully composed and beautifully realized, with a score whose subtlety is largely foreign to documentaries. But the aesthetic emphasis never feels pretentious or overwrought, rather it feels wholly necessary, inviting the viewer into the world of the film to participate in the construction of meaning; another contradiction in a year where many of the higher-grossing docs bordered on spoon-feeding their audiences.

There is so much to be said about Hale County, and I’m sure it will be revisited and cited often in years to come, but words can only fail in imparting the unique majesty of a film with its own language. See it, and then tell all your friends to do the same.

Rest of Arlin’s top ten: Minding the Gap, Eighth Grade, Bisbee ’17, The Pain of Others, On Her Shoulders, If Beale Street Could Talk, First Reformed, Madeline’s Madeline, Hereditary

Zac Hestand – Mandy

Earlier this year, I watched a preview for Mandy, and something happened that rarely occurs for me these days: goosebumps. The music and images on display gave me goosebumps. When the preview ended, I knew I had to see this. What I did not expect was that I would watch the best and certainly most memorable movie of 2018.

The plot in a nutshell is that Red Miller (Nicolas Cage), a lumberjack in rural Oregon, is terrorized one night by a cult led by Jeremiah Sand (Linus Roache, channeling a bit of Charles Manson) who kidnaps Miller’s girlfriend, Mandy. SPOILER: the cult murders Mandy in front of Red and he goes on a path of revenge. This simple plot turned into something more in the hands of director Panos Cosmatos.

Taking cues from noted filmmakers John Carpenter and David Lynch, Cosmatos creates a nightmarish vision of the depths of human rage (Nic Cage is in Nic Rage mode) and just how far you would go to avenge the one you love. The synth score by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson and opening song by King Crimson further helps the otherworldliness.

The movie mixes animation, heavy use of the color red, a chainsaw fight paying homage to Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and the Cheddar Goblin (a fake TV ad made by the creator of the short Too Many Cooks). Mandy is a feast for the eyes and an attack on the senses. I watched it in September and still think about it. It’s a visceral cinematic experience that leaves you wanting more.

The rest of Zac’s top ten: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Sorry to Bother You, Roma, Game Night, BlacKkKlansman, Summer of 84, Searching, Upgrade, Black Panther

Lee Jutton – Roma

In a year where Hollywood focused more than ever on pumping out new installments of proven franchises or mediocre reboots of old favorites, it’s no surprise that the majority of the best films I saw in 2018 hailed from other countries. Whether it be the touching saga of a family of Japanese grifters in Shoplifters, the intense glimpse into the slums of Lebanon provided by Capernaum, the passionate romance set against the backdrop of mid-century Poland and Paris in Cold War, or the taut thriller taking place entirely inside in a Danish police station in The Guilty, there was so much to enthrall moviegoers this year if one was only willing to read a few subtitles.

But my favorite was Alfonso Cuarón’s beautiful ode to the women who raised him, Roma. Shot in deliciously crisp black-and-white by Cuarón himself, the film chronicles the life of Cleo (newcomer Yalitza Aparicio, giving a bravura performance), an indigenous woman who works as a live-in housekeeper for a well-to-do family in 1970’s Mexico City. One day, the family patriarch disappears on what is purportedly a business trip, yet as the days go by, whispered snippets of conversation reveal that his absence is due to altogether different circumstances.

Cleo must juggle her own personal struggles, including an unexpected pregnancy, with her efforts to help matriarch Sofia (a marvelous Marina de Tavira) hold the family together. One of the final sequences in the film, in which Cleo fights her way through the waves to rescue two of the children from drowning even though she cannot swim, is shot in one long anxiety-inducing take, culminating in a revelation from Cleo that will break your heart. Roma is a sprawling epic that still manages to be surprisingly intimate, showcasing the power inherent in women even when the men in their lives abandon them.

Rest of Lee’s top ten: Shoplifters, Capernaum, First Reformed, Cold War, The Guilty, Black Panther, Revenge, A Star Is Born, Eighth Grade

Kevin L. Lee – Shoplifters

The Palme d’Or winner at Cannes this year, Shoplifters is pure authentic cinema. It doesn’t even feel like a film at times. We are given a precious opportunity to just sit and spend time with these characters. It’s as if director Kore-eda just found them there.

It’s a film with no real plot, more like a series of quiet, “trivial” moments of domestic life in a family that relies on shoplifting to survive. The emotion doesn’t fully register until the end, when secrets are slowly unraveled.

The performances contain little to no theatricality to them. They are in-the-moment and easily overlooked. It’s not until you look back at the film that you remember the characters were all fictional – created and brought to life by actors. Sakura Ando gives one of the best female performances this year, and at least four to five moments in this film made my heart sob quietly. The camerawork, on the surface, does not seem to be as expressive as other modern films. But a sharp eye would know that they are deceptively well-framed and full of thematic detail and meaning.

In terms of story, nothing really happens, and yet, by the time the film ends, so much has happened. You know you went on a journey. This is a moving, warm, and devastating film from start to finish – one that my heart could not quite recover from when it was over.

Rest of Kevin’s top ten: Roma, The Favourite, Burning, Blindspotting, You Were Never Really Here, Leave No Trace, Support the Girls, Thunder Road, Paddington 2

Asher Luberto – Roma

What can I say about Roma that hasn’t already been said? That it is the best movie of the year? That it is one of the best films ever? That you need to see it now and not on Netflix? You have heard it all, and you’re hearing it again. This bona fide masterpiece takes flight from its soaring opening frame until its paralleled, spellbinding conclusion.

Rest of Asher’s top ten: Happy as Lazzaro, Leave No Trace, The Rider, Cold War, Hereditary, If Beale Street Could Talk, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Green Book, Minding the Gap

Frazer MacDonald – You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay’s latest film is like a puzzle that reinvents itself each time you open the box. The mark of a truly great filmmaker is someone who has a body of work that’s so individually their own that you can tell it was made by them with no more than a still, and Lynne Ramsay should be listed alongside the Stanley Kubricks and David Lynches of the world. She’s continued her winning streak with You Were Never Really Here, an experimental and mind-bending character study of a hitman.

It strikes the perfect balance between emotional content and symbolism, and although the film has a very short run time (around 90 minutes), Lynne Ramsay packs it with more meaning than most directors do in over two hours. The film has very little dialogue, especially towards the end, but it doesn’t need it. Through gesture and cinematography, you can understand exactly what it means.

You Were Never Really Here is a crime thriller that completely turns the genre on its head, and it’s most likely my favourite in the genre since David Fincher’s Zodiac. After finishing it, I was reminded exactly why I fell in love with cinema to begin with. If this one fell under your radar, seek it out.

Rest of Frazer’s top ten: Leave No Trace, Loveless, BlacKkKlansman, Hereditary, A Star Is Born, Widows, First Reformed, Sorry to Bother You, Annihilation

George Nash – American Animals

There is something beautifully ironic about American Animals.

In a film recounting a botched heist that took place at the start of the 21^st century, the true deception of director Bart Layton’s sophomore feature – after 2012’s captivating The Imposter – lies in his crafty ability to successfully pickpocket our own expectations. Utilising conventional documentary and crime drama tropes but blending them together to concoct one innovative, audacious mash-up, American Animals is far from the slick, stylish heist movie we might expect. Instead, this is a film that quickly positions itself as a multifaceted, motif-heavy cautionary tale about adolescent exuberance, blind ambition, self-destruction, and unreliability.

Underpinned by an engrossing visual style and brilliant central performances, the film tells the story of four plucky college students – including Evan Peters and Barry Keoghan – who plot to steal a number of priceless publications from the Transylvania University library.

Youthful naivety naturally leads the quartet to base the logistics of their entire operation around the heists of classic cinema – Heat, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and Rififi all offer inspiration – while Layton peppers his film with a vault full of stylistic nods to such movie giants. But in paying such homage, Layton creates an entirely original strand of genre movie that firmly cements himself as one of the most imaginative and exciting filmmakers in the game today.

As the opening preface attests to, this isn’t based on a true story. This is a true story. And an utterly compelling, riveting, and tense one at that. If you have any fingernails left after watching American Animals, are you even human?

Rest of George’s top ten: Annihilation; First Man; You Were Never Really Here; Hostiles; Leave No Trace; They Shall Not Grow Old; Roma; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; Three Identical Strangers

Amanda Nix – Happy As Lazzaro

It’s been over a month and I can still hear the name “Lazzaro” being whispered. Whether it’s shots of Lazzaro’s innocent face sweetly looking out of the frame or the heartbreakingly satisfying ending, I will always think about this movie.

Going into watching Lazzaro Felice (Happy As Lazzaro), I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew about it was that it was an Italian film that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. I also heard that it would be added to Netflix, which I have to admit I was a little skeptical about. Man was I wrong.

The Italian movie Lazzaro Felice, directed by Alice Rohrwacher, follows purehearted laborer Lazzaro as he helps orchestrate an aristocrat’s kidnapping. Or at least that’s the very minimal description I’m going to give you before you inevitably force yourself to watch it.

Now I understand that foreign movies may not be everyone’s forte because of the necessity of reading subtitles, but, and maybe I’m biased because I love foreign movies, this film is WORTH it. From what I understand from having watched many foreign films is that this one is relatively easy to follow, and most of the important scenes are nonverbal. Lazzaro’s face is extremely expressive, and the audience is able to pick up on subtle cues that don’t necessarily require you to be acquainted with Italian farm life.

Lazzaro is genuinely one of the sweetest characters I have ever seen portrayed on film. However, his kind heart and unwavering obedience causes him to be taken advantage of by the people he trusts. His misfortunes will literally make you want to punch characters that are mean to him in the face, and his triumphs will leave you with a warm feeling of pride.

Rest of Amanda’s top ten: Minding the Gap, The Favourite, First Reformed, Shirkers, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, You Were Never Really Here, The House That Jack Built, Annihilation, Madeline’s Madeline

Nathan Osborne – The Shape of Water

“If I tried I still couldn’t hide my love for you” Renee Fleming sings over the credits of Guillermo del Toro’s wondrous, Best Picture-winning film The Shape of Water, and how apt that is. A remarkable theatrical accomplishment, both emotionally and intellectually deep, this ‘dark fairytale for adults’ is a love letter to cinema: a beautifully filmic achievement that captures pure magic in a teal-tinted bottle.

Writer-director del Toro continues to assert himself as the world’s most visionary director with a beautifully textured and profound story of outsiders breaking the boundaries of love, crafting – and most crucially balancing – a feature-length that could have so easily, erm, drowned in its ambition. Instead, with such confidence, del Toro assembles an exceptional team of talent to tell his luscious tale: the cast, led by Sally Hawkins’ almost wordless, endlessly mesmerising turn as Eliza, which I will happily boast as my favourite female performance of all time, is extraordinary; the art department have delighted on a comparatively limited production budget, with eye-watering detail and imagination poured into every costume, set and frame; while Alexandre Desplat’s immersive score enriches the atmosphere so pertinent to the film’s success. It is like a fine symphony, where every component operates in impeccable, note-perfect harmony.

The Shape of Water is utterly glorious filmmaking, an enduring cinematic accomplishment that will be remembered for years to come. Films like The Shape of Water are the reason I so adore cinema.

Rest of Nathan’s top ten: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again; Love, Simon; Hereditary; Lady Bird; Phantom Thread; Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri; BlacKkKlansman; First Man; Mission: Impossible – Fallout

Alistair Ryder – You Were Never Really Here

Lynne Ramsay is the most exciting British filmmaker working today, and You Were Never Really Here has finally seen her get the cinephile recognition she deserves. Her fourth feature in just shy of 20 years transforms a Jonathan Ames’ novella into a bleak and utterly singular take on the hitman thriller; a work of narrative simplicity bent into stylistic abstraction, which manages to make even the most obvious of genre conventions thrilling once again.

After all, You Were Never Really Here is a story we’ve heard countless times before, offering echoes of Taxi Driver (in a modern New York where the seediness has been chased back to the grim underbelly) and Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional. But it’s never exactly been told like this, where the simplistic mechanics of hitman storytelling conventions are complimented with an overwhelming delve into a psyche punctured by PTSD from both childhood traumas and the guilt caused by previous contract killings.

Ames’ novella clears up some of the elements of Joe’s past that remain ambiguous, but Ramsay’s approach proves far more effective – any innocuous moment could give way to a traumatic flashback, and the audience (like the anti-hero at the centre) has nowhere to escape to. For a film that skilfully skirts around much of the bloody violence, it remains a punishing watch nonetheless. Ramsay’s distinctive sense of style makes it impossible to look away from any of the brutality – after all, if it’s as effectively staged as it is here, why would you want to?

After significant gaps between each of her previous films, Ramsay’s rejuvenation of a familiar genre has made me hope that we get her fifth feature sooner rather than later. Cinema is a lot less exciting without her.

Rest of Alistair’s Top 10; First Reformed, Burning, Widows, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Disobedience, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Eighth Grade, The Favourite, BlackKKlansman

Emily Wheeler – Lean on Pete

Lean on Pete is the kind of film that catches you off guard. Its narrative sleight of hand is seamless, setting you up for a small, personal journey that slowly unfolds into an odyssey through American values, and not an altogether kind one at that. It’s a classic case of an outsider, in this case British writer and director Andrew Haigh, coming in and seeing things more clearly than an insider possibly could, and his portrait of America is a complex mixture of generosity and reprisal.

By following a teenager named Charlie, the film would appear to be a straightforward boy and his horse story, but Lean on Pete takes the Kelly Reichardt approach to the modern western. The individual is caught in the expanse, and the contrasting scale is both beautiful and terrifying. The approach makes vulnerability acute, and Charlie is a quintessentially vulnerable person.

The film is unafraid to look at that vulnerability dead on, and Haigh uses the fear you feel for the goodhearted boy to admonish American culture for how easily he falls through the cracks. It is not a film without hope, though, as Haigh is just as willing to celebrate moments of triumph as he is to wallow in moments of defeat. Lean on Pete isn’t here to lecture you or tell you all is lost; instead, it’s a plea to do better.

Rest of Emily’s top ten: Paddington 2, The Rider, The Sisters Brothers, On Body and Soul, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Hearts Beat Loud, Suspiria, The Favourite, Eighth Grade

Bethany Wilson – Eighth Grade

Eighth Grade is a film that I now hold very close to my heart. It’s the only coming-of-age film I’ve ever seen about adolescent culture in the digital age that actually gets it right. Many people have come to a certain realization this year: we all needed this film when we were in middle school. Much like our main protagonist Kayla (Elsie Fisher), I had no idea the feelings I was getting back in middle school were anxiety.

“I’m really like nervous all the time. … It’s like I’m waiting in line for like a roller coaster and that stupid like, butterflies-in-your-stomach feeling you get. I get that all the time. And then I never get the feeling after you ride the roller coaster.”

This quote spoke volumes to me because that is exactly how I used to feel; it’s so comforting to know that at that age, I wasn’t alone. Bo Burnham’s directorial debut unfolds over Kayla’s final days of eighth grade, meanwhile she is coaching her near non-existent YouTube subscribers giving pointers on things such as being yourself and trying to put yourself out there. Early on in the film, Kayla’s soon to be graduating class opens time capsules that they made in sixth grade. When she opens her time capsule, Kayla seems embarrassed and disappointed. Near the end of the film, she burns the box in her backyard.

As the film comes to a beautiful close, Kayla starts making a new time capsule that she’ll open 4 years later at her high school graduation. She starts to make a video to her future self while talking about moving forward and realizing change is inevitable. She ends the video by saying to her future self: “Stay cool. I can’t wait to be you.”

Bo Burnham has so incredibly torn into into the minds and anxiousness of preteens and their crazy, digital world. For an uncomfortably funny and heartwrenching 94 minutes, Eighth Grade will make you feel like you’re 13 again.

Rest of Bethany’s top ten: BlacKkKlansman, Skate Kitchen, A Star Is Born, The House That Jack Built, Hereditary, A Quiet Place, Beautiful Boy, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Tynan Yanaga – Shoplifters

Despite being one of Japan’s finest modern filmmakers, Hirokazu Kore-eda is also one of the most quietly prodigious, all but flying under the radar. Shoplifters is another fitting testament to his understated brilliance. He offers such a simple conceit – a Tokyo family that survives by means of petty larceny – only to lace it with his astute humanity and equally benevolent commentary.

He has arguably the most outstanding ensemble of the year at his disposal, boasting the venerable Kiki Kirin and the youthful grace of Mayu Matsuoka, both ably supporting the overwhelmingly affable nucleus established around Lily Franky and Sakura Ando.

Within this context, one cannot help but think of the old Bicycle Thieves conundrum. Are people who steal in order to provide for their families in the wrong? The law says they are. Whereas those who abide by the accepted rules, even while remaining aloof toward their own children, are considered model citizens. These are the fractures hidden behind conflicting dichotomies, where people are dying on the inside as families slowly fall apart.

But Kore-eda takes it a step further. Even amid their dubious activities, this ragtag clan is a beacon of radical love in an inordinately orderly society, somehow still starving for affection. So, he allows for a smidgen of hope even as their ragged oasis begins to break down. What we remember most are the moments of warmth.

Above all else, Shoplifters is a stunning reminder. Where we attribute our wealth is imperative. We can store up riches in the reservoirs society deems important only to be morally bankrupt or starved of all true forms of joy, because conventional wealth often pales in comparison to relational capital. Shoplifters is a film willing to contest this status quo but thankfully it does so with the utmost grace.

Rest of Tynan’s top ten: Roma, First Reformed, Black Panther, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Summer 1993, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Leave No Trace, Crazy Rich Asians, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Brianna Zigler – An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn

Jim Hosking makes beautiful, horrible nightmare movies just for me. In his sophomore effort, after the deliciously disgusting The Greasy Strangler, Hosking returned to form with An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn, a tilted tale of lost love and friendship to the tune of absurdism and poop jokes.

It’s a wonderful bit of weird, surrealist delight that is only complemented by bizarre, awkward lead performances from Aubrey Plaza and Jemaine Clement, the former of whom is gifted with a retro-weird wardrobe that anyone would be crazy not to yearn for. The film follows Plaza’s character Lulu Danger, accompanied by her semi-hostage Colin (Clement), as she embarks on a journey to reconnect with the titular and enigmatic performer Beverly Luff Linn (Craig Robinson), who is appearing at the Moorehead Hotel for one magical night only.

The nonsense world of An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn will certainly not sate everyone’s cinematic desires, but for those who enjoy diving into a world that wholly rejects the rules of ours, you might find yourself having one magical night of your own.

Rest of Brianna’s top ten: Hereditary, Never Goin’ Back, The Endless, You Were Never Really Here, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Slice, The Death of Stalin, The Clovehitch Killer, Mandy

Those are our top films of 2018. Do you agree with our picks? Did we leave any off? Let us know in the comments!