The favourite films of 2009
In no particular order:
The Hurt Locker
Frozen River
Looking For Eric
Let The Right One In
All four left me sitting at the end pondering some fairly fundamental stuff. The Hurt Locker is up there with the very best war movies, ever! Frozen River I found physically difficult to watch, such was the tension from beginning to end and is all about getting wonderful performances from lesser known talent (and just getting it made!) Looking For Eric I found joyous which is an odd word to use in connection with a Ken Loach film and he sacrifices nothing of his art to get there. Let The Right One just looks so fresh and totally original and the performances from child actors are moving and convincing. In addition, all the stories have real substance and craft. I suspect what they all have in common is that the wrietrs and directors were allowed creative license and therefore the projects are all fresh and find new territory because of their ability to enter the unknown without fear of focus groups and development reigning them in. Original content is by its very nature untried...but so enormously satisfying.
Photo: Superman sleeps, London 2004