15. Grizzly Man (US, 2005)
The thought of Timothy Treadwell as a real life entity makes me cringe. However, as the main subject of a documentary helmed by Werner Herzog, a director obsessed with the destructive nature of the relationship between nature and man, he is something of a Greek god, a fascinating focus for an unparalleled character study. Harping on the same themes that have existed throughout Herzog’s filmmaking career, Grizzly Man is great filmic mythmaking. Transforming hundreds of hours of raw footage into a coherent narrative, the director pays tribute to a fallen artist’s delusional vision while at the same time communicating with his own distinctive creative voice. The documentary isn’t just about a guy who spends his life living amongst bears. It’s about two filmmakers’ shared love affair with the power of the moving image.
Memorable Moment: During one of Timothy’s last recorded videos, he stands in front of the bear that might have ended up being the one that took his life. We get the sense that he feels the end is near.
Photo from the Guardian
14. Y Tu Mamá También (Mexico, 2001)
On the surface, Alfonso Cuarón’s beloved coming-of-age tale about a duo of sex obsessed teenage boys seems like an immature, pointless piece of soft-core pornography. In reality, that initial perception is a misguided one. The film is a hilariously honest portrayal of novice lovers and their slow progression from boyish, masturbatory runthood to a more introspective and adult take on sexuality and companionship. The journey, a free-spirited road trip with an experienced romantic, is unforgettable, filled with valuable, unflinching truths that will strike a poignant chord with anyone who remembers what it was like to explore these unknowns for the first time. Some pinned the film’s notorious openness to showcase its sexuality bluntly as overkill, but they’re missing the point. Openness is what makes the film uniquely honest, vibrant, and enthralling.
Memorable Moment: Julio and Tenoch reunite in a diner after years apart. They have since grown up, matured, and no longer have the same connection with each other. A narrator clues us in on the change between them.
Photo from Listal
13. Mulholland Drive (US, 2001)
I did a complete 180 degree turn with David Lynch’s widely lauded critical darling. My preliminary take on the film was that it was an ambitious mess, an elaborate yet flawed stroke of genius that proved the director was enormously talented but also compulsively deranged. Nothing about my initial perspective has changed, but my affection for the madness has continually grown on subsequent viewings. Aside from the core narrative of the film, a complete deconstruction of the Hollywood dream and the illusion of glamor and success, absolute clarity and cohesiveness take a backseat to aesthetics. No film of the past decade has proven to be more challenging a viewing experience. Yet as the film ages, its mysteries only become more engrossing and its self-indulgent tangents only become more endearing. Only David Lynch really knows what’s going on here, and that’s exactly where the audience should be positioned: In the dark, within the realm of someone else’s twisted imagination. It’s hard not to get lost in it.
Memorable Moment: Betty shows off her acting chops during an audition for a role in a soap opera.
Photo from Graeme Mitchell
12. Capturing the Friedmans (US, 2003)
Every family is at least a little dysfunctional, but no family can match the insanity of the Friedmans, the subjects of the decade’s most comprehensive and thought-provoking documentary. Interviewing immediate family members and using footage shot by the family during crucial moments in their many public controversies, the filmmakers are able to both shed light on one of the most infamous suburban tragedies in American history and complicate its mysterious gray areas. Just when you start to lean one way on a particular issue, a key interview or piece of new information forces you to question your original conclusion. The real life narrative behind Capturing the Friedmans is far too complex to allow you to draw your own conclusions. As with any strong observational piece, the art is in the questions , and this particular film asks meaningful ones.
Memorable Moment: In a home video, Jessie Freidman dances a jig outside a court house during his ongoing trial.
Photo from Documentary Review
11. In the Mood for Love (China, 2000)
Director Wong Kar Wai is modern cinema’s most lyrical auteur. The plot of his film, In the Mood for Love is so miniscule and irrelevant that it takes a backseat to its stunning aesthetic achievements. It’s the kind of film where sensuality is best expressed through the subtle sway of a crimson curtain or the sparkling pitter-patter of raindrops on a roof.
One might consider it to be a rather erotic film, although its overt sexuality is never acted upon since neither of its romantic leads remove a single article of clothing. The film’s romantic narrative is instead unfolded through various scripted diversions such as repeated scenes, alternative realities and tightly cut transitions. Not a single moment is wasted. As the title suggests, this one is all about the hypnotic tone it projects and nobody is more prepared to direct that romantic haze than Hong Kong’s native son.
Memorable Moment: So, the female lead, role-plays with Chow, practicing the process of confronting her husband after learning he is having an affair.
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