4. Parasite
South Korea has been at the forefront of cInema for twenty years and writer/director Bong Joon-ho has been at the forefront of that country’s film scene for nearly as long. His elegant directing, off-kilter humor, earnestness and macabre Impulses make his films a powerful concoction unlike anything else in world cinema.
The past few years he has dabbled with international productions like SNOWPIERCER and the “Netflix original” OKJA and while those were successful films, Bong chose to return to his home country for his latest film PARASITE. The film tells the story of an impoverished family who gets the chance to masquerade as unrelated employees of an upper-class family in need of help. They seize the unusual opportunity to try and improve their own social and financial standing. Naturally, things don’t go as planned and before long- secrets are revealed and things spiral out of control in strange, unexpected ways that will disrupt all their lives.
PARASITE is very much a film about South Korean social dynamics, but it feels sadly relevant to America in 2019 and it’s rapidly disappearing middle class and wealth obsession. Bong has empathy for all of the characters in the film but he is not above putting them all through the wringer in one way or another to illustrate how ridiculous it is to put the pursuit and idolization of wealth and status above the welfare of others. PARASITE is a cynical film while at the same time being humorous and heartfelt- a rare combination from a one-of-a-kind filmmaker
More info about the film can be found here: IMDB
To find out where this film is available to stream, click here: Just Watch
3. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
What does it mean to belong? That is the central question behind THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO. The film, a semi-autobiographical take on the life of lead actor Jimmie Fails, finds him working to reclaim his family home, which is located in an expensive, heavily gentrified area of San Francisco. He works towards this goal by repairing it in secret with his best friend, wonderfully played by Jonathan Majors, while the actual owners are away.
What seems like a recipe for a typical “quirky” indie film is Strengthened by beautiful direction by first-time feature director Joe Talbot, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Fails, and remarkably honest performances from a cast of mostly unknowns. THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO succeeds because it doesn’t go the obvious route with its concept. It could be silly or even cynical but instead, it chooses to be earnest and open. It looks at the loss of culture and familial roots with hopeful defiance and urges lovingly embracing the bonds that remain.
Many films in 2019 brought tears to my eyes but few touched me as profoundly as this one.
More info about the film can be found here: IMDB
To find out where this film is available to stream, click here: Just Watch
2. Uncut Gems
The filmmakers behind UNCUT GEMS, Benny and Josh Safdie, have a fondness for stories about losers who think they’re actually winners. Characters like Howard Ratner. Howard is a New York diamond merchant with a serious gambling problem. He spends his time running between bookies making bets that he can’t afford with money and merchandise entrusted to him by unsuspecting clients. UNCUT GEMS gives the audience a look into Howard’s daily life as he scrambles from one high-pressure situation to another looking to avoid people he owes money to, run his business, keep his estranged family afloat, and all the while trying to nail that next big win.
The Safdie brothers have constructed a film that could only be described as the cinematic equivalent Of an anxiety attack. There is not a moment in the film that does not feel like the walls are seconds from caving in. It would be almost unbearable if it wasn’t simultaneously so entertaining. Yes, I said entertaining. It’s strangely thrilling, watching Howard maneuver his way out of one tense situation after another. Adam Sandler’s lead performance here is mesmerizing. He has never been more charismatic on-screen and despicable at the same time. Even when he has setbacks or outright failures, you can’t help but root for this truly scummy character to somehow turn it all around.
UNCUT GEMS is not for everyone, as the numerous walkouts by the elderly patrons of the Christmas Eve showing I attended would attest, but for those that love gritty cinema, there was no finer example in 2019.
More info about the film can be found here: IMDB
To find out where this film is available to stream, click here: Just Watch
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