2018: The Best Films Of The Year..We've Already Seen

We’ve done just about as much coverage of the 2017 year as we can and, while we’ve already managed to hit some bumps in the one week of 2018 we’ve plowed through, we’re ready to look ahead. Over the course of the year, we’re oftentimes lucky enough to attend film festivals all over the world and, while many of the of the films covered are ones that have a trajectory of sorts throughout the current year’s slate (awards buzz), there are plenty that fall by the wayside as they await distribution, release dates and more. As is the case, we’ve already racked up our fair share of 2018 films to be released, many of which are worth sharing (though there are also a few we’d recommend avoiding all together).

There’s an abundance of talent in this list, with possible Oscar nominees, prolific and exciting directors, fresh talent and a range of genres populating the rundown. It’s an assurance that, at the very least, 2018 will be eclectic year for film. With 2017 in the not-so-distant past, the Golden Globes over and done with for now and a long month or two of dreadful mainstream releases, assure yourselves that there are plenty of movies to come that will be more than worth the wait and the trip to the theater.

“Gemini”
Director: Aaron Katz
Cast: Lola Kirke, Zoë Kravitz, John Cho, Greta Lee, Michelle Forbes, James Ransone
Synopsis: A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss.
Verdict: Already a well-celebrated mumblecore director (“Quiet City,” “Cold Weather“) who delivered the more polished, mature, but also intimate and small-scaled “Land Ho!,” Katz has seemingly been fishing around for that big breakthrough film and oh, man, did he ever find it in this dazzling, murder mystery with yet another breakout turn from “Mozart In The Jungle” star Lola Kirke, who simply keeps impressing and impressing all over again. Simply put, in my review I called it “deliriously entertaining” and I stand by it. The head scratcher? No offense to SXSW, where the movie premiered, but it should have played at Sundance or Cannes.
Our Review: A- review from SXSW
Release Date: Neon is releasing the films with a TBD date, but we’d assume the spring is a good bet.

“Foxtrot”
Director: Samuel Maoz
Cast: Sarah Adler, Lior Ashkenazi, Yonaton Shiray
Synopsis: A man and his wife cope with grief after learning that their son died in the line of duty.
Verdict: After making a surprising and buzzed-about splash at the 2017 Venice Film Festival and its following win of the Grand Jury prize, “Foxtrot” has sustained that momentum as it landed on the December shortlist for the 2018 Oscar nominations. The reaction thus far has been rapturous, with people getting drawn into the three-part tone, the moderated surrealism and the influx of emotion from the film. His first major film in eight years following the acclaim he found with his film “Lebanon,” director Samuel Maoz has conjured up a picture that both gives validation to how long of a wait it was while perfectly finding the balance of absurdism and realism. Tackling anti-war themes while also examining the ways in which humans process grief and loss, the film finds immense power in its ability to juggle tones, mastering the shifts in the mood. Darkly comic, profoundly sad and giving the director a spotlight on his talent, “Foxtrot” won’t be the last stunner that Maoz comes up with.
Our Review: Oliver gave it an A at the BFI film festival
Release Date: March 2nd via Sony Pictures Classics

“Lean On Pete”
Director: Andrew Haigh (“Weekend,” “45 Years”)
Cast: Charlie Plummer, Steve Buscemi, Travis Fimmel
Synopsis: A homeless teen in Oregon whose best friend is a failing racehorse sets off on a difficult journey to find his only known relative, who once lived 1,000 miles away in Wyoming.
Verdict: Since his astonishing feature film debut “Weekend,” director Andrew Haigh has managed to find a way to create impossibly moving drama through pointed minimalism. Rather than busy the picture with extreme highs or extreme lows, he allows the gaps of silence and the moments where two people are just existing in one another’s space to speak volumes. With his latest film “Lean On Pete,” he continues that tradition with a film that’s as equally tragic as it is consumed with belief in human perseverance through troubled times. Warmer than “45 Years” but perhaps less profound than “Weekend,” the film is a play on the boy and his horse narrative that refuses to follow a typical trajectory of storytelling. Charlie Plummer (in what should be a breakout role) is terrific, managing to sell disarming vulnerability and a heavy-beyond-his-years world-weariness that hangs on his shoulders. Steve Buscemi is equally as strong in a role seemingly tailor-made for him. It’s a tough watch but a superb one that doubles down on Haigh being one of our finest working talents.
Our Review: Jessica gave it a B+ at Venice
Release Date: March 30th via A24

“The Rider”
Director: Chloé Zhao (“Songs My Brothers Taught Me”)
Cast: Brady Jandreau, Tim Jandreau, Lilly Jandreau
Synopsis: After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.
Verdict: With Chloé Zhao’s first feature length film “Songs My Brother Taught Me” she established herself as one of the most promising new voices in cinema. Assured, contemplative and beautifully shot, it was a confident debut. She further delivers on that promise with her latest film, “The Rider,” which played at 2017’a Cannes Film Festival and will be playing at this year’s Sundance under the Spotlight category. Similarly introspective as her first, “The Rider” is a spellbinding modern Western, with bountiful amounts of heart at its core. It tackles a weighty subject matter, one that quickly could spiral into something maudlin and dour, but there’s something inherently uplifting in how Zhao tackles the story. Whether it be telling a story in a genre too often associated with the ideals of masculinity or allowing the voices of the film be those of an indigenous community of the Pine Ridge reservation, the film doesn’t follow the rules of what we’ve come to expect from “the Western.” Granting the film a sense of authenticity because of it, the film further proves that directors like Zhao deserve to be celebrated and given the chance to inject their voices and souls into genres that used to hang a “boys only” sign.
Our Review: Bradley gave it an A at Cannes
Release Date: April 13th via Sony Picture Classics

“Claire’s Camera”
Director: Sang-soo Hong (“On the Beach At Night Alone”)
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Min-hee Kim, Shahira Fahmy
Synopsis: On a business trip to the Cannes Film Festival, Manhee is accused of being dishonest, and fired. A teacher named Claire goes around taking photos with a Polaroid camera. She gets to know Manhee and sympathizes with her.
Verdict: Director Sang-soo Hong has been on a roll as of late, with five films released in the last three years alone, continuing his delicate balance of catering to whimsy while also making films of substance. His upcoming film “Claire’s Camera” is a touch more playful and tongue-and-cheek, revolving around characters attending the Cannes Film Festival while premiering the film at that very festival last year. Isabelle Huppert and Min-hee Kim are both coming off of hot streaks, the former with 2016’s divisive “Elle” and underseen but excellent “Things to Come,” while the latter has gained critical acclaim with her two last films in “The Handmaiden” and “On the Beach At Night Alone.” Cinephiles will have a treat seeing the two together as well as the Kim and Hong reunion following their continued partnership. A rewarding picture and a mere 69 minutes (but certainly substantial in its storyline), the film played well against the director’s other film that play in the In Competition category at Cannes, “The Day After,”confirming that Hong is becoming (if he isn’t already) one of the most prolific directors in the business. Light on its feet and immensely charming, this is a film worth chasing down.
Our Review: Bradley gave it an A- at Cannes
Release Date: March 9th via The Cinema Guild

“Disobedience”
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Cast:Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams, Alessandro Nivola
Synopsis: Two passionate women are caught on either side of the line that divides the devout from the secular.
Verdict: Chilean cinema is enjoying its first real day in the international spotlight and leading that charge next to Pablo Larraín (“Jackie“) is Sebastián Lelio. Lelio had two films in festival competition last year and both of them will see the light of day in 2018. The director of the radiant “Gloria,” Lelio once again “shows a remarkable sensitivity to the challenges women face, particularly those who are marginalized by their age or identity.”
Our Review: Kevin Jagernauth gave it a B+ out of Toronto.
Release Date: April 27th via Bleecker Street