M is for Manchester by the Sea (2016) dir. Kenneth Lonergan
You need a magnifying glass to spot the minute variations in Casey Affleck’s ostensibly one-note depiction of grief, but in fleeting moments, it’s there. Naturalism is often hard to achieve in film and those that strive for it too hard often fail, but in Manchester by the Sea, Affleck, Michelle Williams and Lucas Hedges’ performances are a masterclass.
N is for No Country for Old Men (2007) dir. Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Completely eschewing a soundtrack to fully lay bare the chilling scariness of Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurgh, No Country for Old Men remains a movie of poetic proportions. With the roles of prey and predator constantly oscillating, the arid desert acts as a blank slate for these characters to live out their biggest fears and impulses.
O is for Oldboy (2003) dir. Park Chan-wook
Oldboy is a bloody, swaggering revenge epic that is big on plot and has a plot twist that will age you. Oh Dae-su is a businessman who, after a drunken bender, wakes up to find himself imprisoned, where he remains for fourteen years. Utterly squirm-inducing and stylish, this original masterpiece tests the audience’s limits and treats them to some awe-inspiring sequences
P is for The Piano (1993) dir. Jane Campion
The Piano is paralyzingly romantic, uniquely subversive of the male gaze and unapologetically sensory and lush. Brooding and erotic, it boasts cheek-flushing chemistry between Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel. Each frame of this sensory feast smells of petrichor and earth; you can taste the salty air, feel the mud underfoot. It’s a treatise on power and pleasure; a film about daring to journey beyond the shoreline. A virtuosic manifesto that, like the protagonist’s music, is “a sound that creeps into you.”
Q is for The Queen (2006) dir. Stephen Frears
Helen Mirren won the Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II at a time of turmoil for the British Royal Family. It also, though, features a marvellous Martin Sheen in yet another of his transformative roles, this time as Prime Minister Tony Blair.
R is for Rashomon (1950) dir. Akira Kurosawa
One of the first films to put Japanese cinema on the global consciousness, Rashomon treats the eyewitness testimony of four different characters to interrogate the philosophical tenets of justice. Creating a dreamlike atmosphere through its score and innovative cinematography, it’s deserving of its reputation as a classic.