December is coming to an end and 2017 was a great year for film. With that in mind, here is an article dedicated to exploring some great movies from 2017 that should definitely be watched.
From an animation completely made with oil painting to a big homage to the fathers of cinema made by the director of one of the most acclaimed film festivals in the world, among amazing movies from countries like Cuba, Romania, Brazil, Finland, Italy and more, here is a selection of 10 great films from this year.
It is never too late to remember that many things interfere in the choice of the titles of an article like this, but as always, memory and personal preferences are the main factors. If you think any film from 2017 should be on this list, please leave it as a recommendation in the comments section below.
Also, some of the films that appear on this article might not have premiered yet in some countries or might even have been shown in other countries before, but the important part is that we are considering movies that premiered or were shown in festivals on 2017 here in São Paulo, Brazil, the place where this article is being written.
So, here are 10 great 2017 films you may have missed.
10. Loving Vincent (dir. Dorota Kobiela & Hugh Welchman)
“Loving Vincent” is the first film to be made entirely with oil painted animation, and is truly one of the best animated movies of the decade.
In this film, the story circles the last days of painter Vincent van Gogh. We follow Armand, a man who needs to deliver the final letter written by the artist, and when he arrives at Auvers-sur-Oise, he becomes interested in van Gogh’s story, and soon the audience will be able to understand his relationships with the people who lived in the village and how his life was as complex as his paintings.
Although it’s not nearly as impressive narratively as it is visually, “Loving Vincent” is imagistically fascinating and spellbinding for the way it approaches the life and the work of a genius who was years ahead of his time.
“Loving Vincent” is definitely a 2017 movie that is worth checking out.
9. Good Time (dir. Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie)
“Good Time” is a film that features great use of thriller elements, and features probably the best performance in Robert Pattinson’s career.
Written by Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, “Good Time” follows the story of a bank robber who, after a heist goes wrong, spends the next few hours trying everything to prevent his brother from going to prison, something that will lead to a very violent night.
With great cinematography by Sean Prince Williams and a very intriguing narrative and characters, though it has some problems during the development of the narrative, “Good Time” has one of the best movie endings of 2017. This film is a great example of how interesting a film can be when utilizing a crime story to explore complex characters and the relationships between them.
“Good Time” is a great film directed by Benny and Josh Safdie that should definitely be watched by any cinephile.
8. Il Colore Nascosto Delle Cose (dir. Silvio Soldini)
Though it plays with many clichés of the genre, one of the best romantic movies of the year, “Il Colore Nascosto Delle Cose,” is a very unique film.
Directed by Silvio Soldini and written by Doriana Leondeff, Davide Lantieri and Soldini, the movie follows the story of Teo (Adriano Giannini), an engaged man who works in advertising and is unable to make commitments in his personal life. One day he meets a blind woman, Emma (Valeria Golino), and develops a relationship with her. From that moment on, everything in his life is going to change.
Using many common traces of romantic movies and even having some comedic moments, “Il Colore Nascosto Delle Cose” is a 2017 film that should without a doubt be watched, and which has strong performances by Golino and Giannini.
7. Bingo: The King of the Mornings (dir. Daniel Rezende)
The directorial debut of acclaimed editor Daniel Rezende, who worked on movies such as “City of God” (2002), “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004) and “Elite Squad” (2007), is one of the most intriguing films of the year.
Based on a true story, the movie follows a man who is seeking fame and, after working in soft porn films and soap operas, gets a chance to host a morning show as the clown Bingo. His charisma and his talent soon make the show a big hit, even though he can’t reveal his true identity. Soon, this anonymity becomes a problem to his family and his troubled personal life, making everything way more complicated than it seemed at first.
With a great approach at Brazil’s pop culture during the 1980s, “Bingo: The King of the Mornings” is a portrait of this decade in Brazil that has great humour and an exquisite performance by Vladimir Brichta in the leading role.
Having a great script by Luiz Bolognesi and amazing directing by Rezende, the impressive long shots and especially the atmosphere created in this film are truly very unique.
“Bingo: The King of the Mornings” is an amazing movie from 2017 that you should definitely check out.
6. Last Days in Havana (dir. Fernando Pérez)
Written by Fernando Pérez and Abel Rodríguez, “Last Days in Havana” is one of the best written films of the year.
With great performances by Jorge Martínez and Patricio Wood, the movie follows the story of two friends who live together in the capital of Cuba. One of them, Diego (Martínez), is dying of AIDS and can’t get out of bed while Miguel (Wood), a man who dreams of leaving the country and has failed to exit the island once, takes care of him.
Approaching many social themes and exploring Cuban society while developing a great story with amazing dialogue, it is very fascinating how every single character, even the ones that have very little time on the screen, is developed very well and becomes essential to the narrative.
“Last Days in Havana” is one of the best Cuban movies of the decade and without a doubt is a 2017 movie you can’t miss.