Admittedly, this list is going to contain some end of 2022 films, but the bulk were watched in those first two days of 2023. Pretty decent choices if I do say so myself!
The Whale – I have been dying to see this film ever since its debut during the Venice International Film Festival, and now I finally got my chance! Of course, I think it’s safe to say right away I knew this film was going to be emotional. Charlie, a morbidly obese man, is suffering from congestive heart failure and doesn’t plan on doing anything to fix it. It’s clear he’s suffering from long-term heartbreak, but I just loved seeing him trying to connect to everyone who came into his life, or back into it, in that last week. Get your tissues ready (and the trophies!).
Run Sweetheart Run – I’m not sure that going into this film that I was expecting the supernatural elements that ended up presenting themselves. Back before the pandemic, I saw this trailer a number of times, but it only somewhat recently got quietly released on Amazon Prime. Never during those trailer views did I get the idea that this was nothing more than a thriller about a woman literally running for her life from an abusive man. The same theme still applies, but there’s an added supernatural horror element added to it. Made it interesting and a little fun, despite the heavy undertones.
Funny Pages – Looking back, I’m not sure how to feel about this dark comedy film, that also seems to cover coming-of-age. Robert is a high schooler with tremendous cartooning skills, but after witnessing his art teacher’s death, makes a series of large and somewhat life altering life decisions! He gets his GED, moves into a disgusting and creepy basement apartment with two older men in Trenton, New Jersey, and takes up two part-time jobs to start gaining some independence. In one of those jobs, he meets a former comic colorist, who’s clearly got his own problems, but that doesn’t stop Robert from constantly intervening. I’d love to maybe see what happens to Robert after all of this, but still. An interesting story.
Causeway – Ultimately, this was a story of two people’s trauma, and somehow, they found friendship in each other. Lynsey has just moved back home with her mother in New Orleans after spending time in a facility helping her recover from a traumatic brain injury she suffered in an IED attack in Afghanistan. Soon after getting home, she meets mechanic, James, who later we learn suffered the lose of his nephew in a car accident. As the film progresses, we learn more tragedy went into James’ initially story, and we also learn that Lynsey faced her own trauma well before the accident overseas. Both performances are subtle yet powerful, a quiet tale that demands to be watched.
Raymond and Ray – Seeing Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor play brothers, even half brothers, didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t going to watch it! I love those guys! They are both summoned to their father’s funeral and reluctantly attend. It’s clear that these brothers who grew up close together and shared the same abuse doled out by their father both ended up living very different lives. I do think Hawke’s character got the short end of the stick at the end, but I loved seeing the two be there for each other. A bit slow and a few scenes seemed out of place, but overall it was enjoyable.
End of the Road – Can I just say that this was NOT my choice. But when you get together with friends, compromises must be made. To be fair, this was on my Netflix watch-list, but I had added it without doing too much research earlier this year. I feel I can’t be blamed for the somewhat comical outcome of this car-chase thriller. A family is moving to Texas after the death of the patriarch and everyone is having a hard time with it. It doesn’t help that during the first night of the drive down they find a dead guy in a motel room. And it definitely doesn’t help that the brother takes the money found in the bathroom. It had promise at the start, but started losing its wheels as it got closer to the end. Pass.
Matthias & Maxime – Although I am familiar with a lot of Xavier Dolan’s work, I have not actually seen many of his films. That needs to change. Especially after watching this beautiful drama over the weekend. Matthis and Maxime have been friends since they were kids, but a kiss between the two in a friend’s short film changes everything just as Maxime gets ready to move to Australia. Dolan (who wrote, directs, and stars as Maxime) described it best when he said this a story of two people that have always loved each other but never felt any attraction. Then suddenly with this kiss, there is, and then there’s immense confusion because of all of this time spent without this desire to be lovers. It’s in French, so it’s not for everyone, but I personally loved it.