So, this is it. 2016 is finally over, and I guess a lot of people must be relieved. It has been a crazy ride full of highs and lows (more lows than highs), with too much that defied belief and left us shocked. Among numerous barbarities, disasters and other baffling events, we saw Brexit; Aleppo; the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting; terrorist attacks in Brussels, Nice, Kabul and Berlin; the Minnesota mall stabbing; the Chibok schoolgirls abduction; the Battle for Mosul; the Yemen crisis; the continuation of the European migrant crisis; the crisis in Calais; protests in South Africa; a parliamentary coup in Brazil; a failed coup attempt in Turkey; deadly earthquakes in Italy; the Fort McMurray wildfire; Russia cyberattacks; and, of course, Donald Trump’s election as US President followed by more than 800 hate attacks since Election Day.
Not to mention how this murderous year robbed us of so many amazing people like David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Glenn Frey, Ettore Scola, Jacques Rivette, Andrzej Zulawski, Harper Lee, George Martin, Garry Shandling, Zaha Hadid, Merle Haggard, Doris Roberts, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Anton Yelchin, Bud Spencer, Elie Wiesel, Michael Cimino, Abbas Kiarostami, Hector Babenco, Garry Marshall, Kenny Baker, Gene Wilder, Alexis Arquette, Bill Nunn, Andrzej Wajda, Tonino Valerii, Leonard Cohen, Leon Russell, Sharon Jones, Florence Henderson, Ron Glass, Zsa Zsa Gabor, George Michael, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and so many more.
But 2016 was not only a year of tragedies. There were great things happening too, like UEFA Euro 2016; the Rio 2016 Olympics (with the victory of Rafaela Silva against all misogyny, homophobia and racism in Brazil); the Paris agreement on climate change; the number of tigers increasing for the first time in 100 years; breakthroughs in science and technology; the success of augmented reality; and many other amazing things that you can see here. Not to mention, of course, great films for those like me who can’t have enough of them.
And 2016 was also the year when media-streaming service Netflix expanded its reach to more than 130 new countries around the world (before breaking our hearts by blocking VPNs). Therefore, in my list of best movies this year I decided to include not only films released worldwide in movie theaters but on Netflix too. And since I feel like I have watched a lot more bad movies than I deserved, I also decided to start compiling a list of worst films. At the end, I leave a complete list of all films I watched throughout the year.
BEST MOVIES RELEASED WORLDWIDE IN 2016 (in order of preference):
- Arrival (USA, 2016)
- Hardcore Henry (Russia/USA, 2015)
- Neon Bull (Brazil/Uruguay/Netherlands, 2015)
- Toni Erdmann (Germany/Austria, 2016)
- The Big Short (USA, 2015)
- 13th (USA, 2016)
- Chatô: The King of Brazil (Brazil, 2015)
- Captain Fantastic (USA, 2016)
- Truth (Australia/USA, 2015)
- Arabian Nights: Volume 1 – The Restless One (Portugal, 2015)
Note: Cristi Puiu’s Sieranevada had a very limited release among festivals (including the Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or), so unfortunately, I didn’t include it. Otherwise, it would have been #4 in the list.
Honorable mention: The first season of HBO TV series Westworld, which was infinitely more ambitious and intelligent than the 1973 movie that inspired it, promoting brilliant discussions about human nature and with a glorious last episode.
40 OTHER FILMS THAT DESERVE MENTION (in alphabetic order):
10 Cloverfield Lane (USA, 2016)
Arabian Nights: Volume 2 – The Desolate One (Portugal, 2015)
Audrie & Daisy (USA, 2016)
Brooklyn (Ireland/UK/Canada, 2015)
Captain America: Civil War (USA, 2016)
The Conjuring 2 (USA, 2016)
Deepwater Horizon (Hong Kong/USA, 2016)
Divines (France/Qatar, 2016)
Eddie the Eagle (UK/USA/Germany, 2016)
Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina, 2015)
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (UK/USA, 2016)
Fire at Sea (Italy/France, 2016)
Ghostbusters (USA, 2016)
Hail, Caesar! (UK/USA, 2016)
The Handmaiden (South Korea, 2016)
The Hateful Eight (USA, 2015)
Holy Hell (USA, 2016)
I, Daniel Blake (UK/France/Belgium, 2016)
The Invitation (USA, 2015)
It’s Only the End of the World (Canada/France, 2016)
Janis: Little Girl Blue (USA, 2015)
The Lobster (Greece/Ireland/Netherlands/UK/France, 2015)
Love & Friendship (Ireland/France/Netherlands, 2016)
The Measure of a Man (France, 2015)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (USA/UK/Belgium, 2016)
My King (France, 2015)
The Nice Guys (USA, 2016)
Nocturnal Animals (USA, 2016)
Paterson (France/Germany/USA, 2016)
Remember (Canada/Germany, 2015)
Requiem for the American Dream (USA, 2015)
The Revenant (USA, 2015)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (USA, 2016)
Room (Ireland/Canada, 2015)
Sausage Party (USA, 2016)
Spotlight (USA, 2015)
A War (Denmark, 2015)
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (USA, 2016)
The Witch (USA/UK/Canada/Brazil, 2015)
Zootopia (USA, 2016)
WORST MOVIES RELEASED WORLDWIDE IN 2016 (in order of mediocrity):
- The BFG (UK/Canada/USA, 2016)
- Suicide Squad (USA, 2016)
- High-Rise (UK/Belgium, 2015)
- The Sea of Trees (USA, 2015)
- American Pastoral (USA/Hong Kong, 2016)
- The Light Between Oceans (UK/New Zealand/USA, 2016)
- The Neon Demon (France/Denmark/USA, 2016)
- The Lady in the Van (UK, 2015)
- Wiener-Dog (USA, 2016)
- Lolo (France, 2015)
Note: The Mexican-French co-production We Are the Flesh (Tenemos la Carne) had a very limited release in Europe among festivals, so I didn’t include it. Otherwise, it would have been #1 in the list — that’s right, worst of the year.
Dishonorable mention: The first season of Brazilian Netflix series 3%, which was terribly messy and confusing about its own thematic purposes and ideas, full of plot holes and inconsistencies, structured like a cheap rehash of Lost and with the aesthetics of The Hunger Games, had it been made as a Brazilian soap-opera of the worst type.
10 OTHER FILMS THAT DESERVE DISHONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetic order):
The Boy (USA/China/Canada, 2016)
Café Society (USA, 2016)
Inferno (USA/Hungary, 2016)
Julieta (Spain, 2016)
Kubo and the Two Strings (USA, 2016)
The Other Side of the Door (UK/USA/India, 2016)
The Purge: Election Year (USA/France, 2016)
Star Trek Beyond (USA, 2016)
Sully (USA, 2016)
Warcraft (USA, 2016)
COMPLETE LIST OF FILMS SEEN IN 2016 (in alphabetic order):
- Absentia (USA, 2011) — **
- The Accountant (USA, 2016) — ***
- Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (UK/USA, 2003) — ***
- Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (UK, 1992) — ****
- Aladdin (USA, 1992) — ***
- All Good Things (USA, 2010) — ****
- All Nudity Shall Be Punished, or Toda Nudez Será Castigada (Brazil, 1973) — **
- Almost Famous (USA, 2000) — *****
- Alone in the Dark (USA, 1982) — ***
- Alone in the Dark (Canada/Germany/USA, 2005) — *
- Amanda Knox (Denmark/USA, 2016) — ***
- Amarcord (Italy/France, 1973) — *****
- American Honey (UK/USA, 2016) — **
- American Pastoral (USA/Hong Kong, 2016) — **
- The Amityville Horror (USA, 2005) — **
- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (USA, 2004) — ****
- And The Oscar Goes To… (USA, 2014) — ***
- The Angel Was Born, or O Anjo Nasceu (Brazil, 1969) — ***
- The Animatrix (USA/Japan, 2003) — ***
- Anomalisa (USA, 2015) — ****
- Another Me (UK/Spain, 2013) — *
- Antonio das Mortes, or Dragão da Maldade Contra o Santo Guerreiro (France/Brazil/West Germany, 1969) — **
- Arabian Nights: Volume 1 – The Restless One, or As Mil e Uma Noites: Volume 1, O Inquieto (Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland, 2015) — *****
- Arabian Nights: Volume 2 – The Desolate One, or As Mil e Uma Noites: Volume 2, O Desolado (Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland, 2015) — ****
- Arabian Nights: Volume 3 – The Enchanted One, or As Mil e Uma Noites: Volume 3, O Encantado (Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland, 2015) — ****
- Army of Darkness (USA, 1992) — ***
- ARQ (USA, 2016) — ***
- Arrival (USA, 2016) — *****
- Aruanda (Brazil, 1960) — ****
- The Assassin, or Cìkè Niè Yǐnniáng (Taiwan/China/Hong Kong/France, 2015) — ***
- At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul, or À Meia Noite Levarei Sua Alma (Brazil, 1964) — ****
- At Play in the Fields of the Lord (USA/Brazil, 1991) — ****
- Audrie & Daisy (USA, 2016) — ****
- Australien Skies (Australia, 2015) — **
- Awakening of the Beast, or O Despertar da Besta, or Ritual de Sádicos (Brazil, 1970) — **
- Awakenings (USA, 1990) — *****
- The BFG (UK/Canada/USA, 2016) — *
- Babies, or Bébé(s) (France, 2010) — ***
- Bad Hair, or Pelo Malo (Venezuela/Peru/Argentina/Germany, 2013) — ***
- Bad Taste (New Zealand, 1987) — ***
- Bananas (USA, 1971) — *
- Bang Bang (Brazil, 1971) — **
- Barren Lives, or Vidas Secas (Brazil, 1963) — *****
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (USA, 2016) — ***
- The Battle of Chile: Part 1, or La Batalla de Chile: La Lucha de un Pueblo sin Armas — Primera Parte: La Insurreción de la Burguesía (Venezuela/France/Cuba, 1975) — *****
- The Battle of Chile: Part 2, or La Batalla de Chile: La Lucha de un Pueblo sin Armas — Segunda Parte: El Golpe de Estado (Cuba/Chile/France, 1976) — *****
- The Battle of Chile: Part 3, or La Batalla de Chile: La Lucha de un Pueblo sin Armas — Tercera Parte: El Poder Popular (Chile/Cuba/Venezuela, 1979) — ****
- Battlefield Earth (USA, 2000) — *
- The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years (UK/USA, 2016) — ***
- The Beautiful Person, or La Belle Personne (France, 2008) — *
- Beauty and the Beast (USA, 1991) — ****
- Before I Wake (USA, 2016) — **
- Being Ginger (UK, 2013) — **
- Below (USA, 2002) — ***
- Ben (USA, 1972) — **
- Best of Enemies (USA, 2015) — ****
- The Best Offer, or La Migliore Offerta (Italy, 2013) — *
- The Big Short (USA, 2015) — *****
- A Bigger Splash (Italy/France, 2015) — ****
- Birth/Mother, or Tarachime (Japan/France, 2006) — ***
- Blá Blá Blá, or Blablablá (Brazil, 1968) — ***
- Black Death (Germany/UK, 2010) — ****
- Black Venus, or Vénus Noire (France/Belgium, 2010) — ****
- Blair Witch (USA, 2016) — ***
- Blissfully Yours, or Sud Sanaeha (Thailand/France, 2002) — **
- Blood Ties (France/USA, 2013) — ***
- The Blue Light, or Das Blaue Licht (Germany, 1932) — **
- Bo Burnham: Make Happy (USA, 2016) — ****
- Body Double (USA, 1984) — ****
- The Bourne Identity (USA/Germany/Czech Republic, 2002) — ****
- The Bourne Supremacy (USA/Germany, 2004) — ****
- The Bourne Ultimatum (USA/Germany, 2007) — ****
- The Boy (USA, 2015) — **
- The Boy (USA/China/Canada, 2016) — **
- Boy & the World, or O Menino e o Mundo (Brazil, 2013) — ****
- Boyz n the Hood (USA, 1991) — ****
- Brainstorm, or Bicho de Sete Cabeças (Brazil, 2000) — ****
- Brancaleone at the Crusades, or Brancaleone alle Crociate (Italy/Algeria, 1970) — ****
- Bride of Re-Animator (USA, 1989) — ***
- Bridegroom (USA, 2013) — ***
- Bridget Jones’s Baby (Ireland/UK/France/USA, 2016) — **
- Brooklyn (Ireland/UK/Canada, 2015) — ****
- Bye Bye Brazil, or Bye Bye Brasil (France/Brazil/Argentina, 1980) — ****
- Cabin Fever (USA, 2002) — *
- Café de Flore (Canada/France, 2011) — ***
- Café Lumière, or Kōhī Jikō (Japan/Taiwan, 2003) — ***
- Café Society (USA, 2016) — **
- The Caller (UK/Puerto Rico, 2011) — *
- Cama de Gato (Brazil, 2002) — ***
- Captain America: Civil War (USA, 2016) — ****
- Captain Fantastic (USA, 2016) — *****
- Carandiru (Brazil/Argentina/Italy, 2003) — **
- Carlota Joaquina, Princess of Brazil, or Carlota Joaquina: Princesa do Brazil (Brazil, 1995) — **
- Central Station, or Central do Brasil (Brazil/France, 1998) — *****
- Chained (Canada, 2012) — **
- The Changeling (Canada, 1980) — ****
- Chariots of Fire (UK, 1981) — ***
- Chatô: The King of Brazil, or Chatô: O Rei do Brasil (Brazil, 2015) — *****
- Children of Heaven, or Bačče-hâ-ye âsemân (Iran, 1997) — *****
- The China Syndrome (USA, 1979) — ****
- Chloe (USA/Canada/France, 2009) — **
- Christine (USA, 1983) — ***
- Citizen Kane (USA, 1941) — *****
- A City of Sadness, or Bēiqíng chéngshì (Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1989) — ****
- The Clan, or El Clan (Argentina/Spain, 2015) — ***
- Cléo from 5 to 7, or Cléo de 5 à 7 (France/Italy, 1962) — ****
- Close-Up, or Nemā-ye Nazdīk (Iran, 1990) — *****
- Colonia Dignidad, or Colonia (Germany/Luxembourg/France, 2015) — ***
- The Company Men (UK/USA, 2010) — *****
- Conjugal Warfare, or Guerra Conjugal (Brazil, 1974) — **
- The Conjuring 2 (USA, 2016) — ****
- The Conspirators, or Os Inconfidentes (Brazil/Italy, 1972) — ***
- The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (UK/France, 1989) — ****
- Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (USA, 2014) — *
- Craft, or Riscado (Brazil, 2010) — **
- The Crazies (USA/United Arab Emirates, 2010) — **
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (USA, 1954) — ****
- Creed (USA, 2015) — ****
- Creep (UK/Germany, 2004) — *
- Cria Cuervos (Spain, 1976) — ****
- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (China/USA, 2016) — ***
- Cry-Baby (USA, 1990) — *
- The Cyclist, or Bicycleran (Iran, 1987) — ****
- Dan in Real Life (USA, 2007) — **
- The Danish Girl (UK/Germany/USA, 2015) — **
- Dans Paris (France/Portugal, 2006) — **
- The Dark Crystal (USA/UK, 1982) — **
- Day of the Woman, or I Spit on Your Grave (USA, 1978) — **
- Dazed and Confused (USA, 1993) — ****
- Dead Leaves, or Deddo Ribusu (Japan, 2004) — ***
- Deadpool (USA/Canada, 2015) — ****
- The Deceased, or A Falecida (Brazil, 1965) — ***
- Deepwater Horizon (Hong Kong/USA, 2016) — ****
- Demolition (USA, 2015) — ***
- Desire Will Set You Free (Germany, 2015) — **
- The Devil’s Rejects (USA/Germany, 2005) — ****
- Dheepan (France, 2015) — ****
- Di Cavalcanti (Brazil, 1977) — **
- Dial M for Murder (USA, 1954) — ****
- (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies (USA, 2015) — ***
- Divines (France/Qatar, 2016) — ****
- Django Unchained (USA, 2012) — *****
- Doctor Strange (USA, 2016) — ***
- A Dog’s Will, or O Auto da Compadecida (Brazil, 2000) — ****
- Don’t Breathe (USA, 2016) — ***
- Dracula (USA, 1931) — ***
- The Dreamt Animal, or O Animal Sonhado (Brazil, 2015) — **
- Eddie the Eagle (UK/USA/Germany, 2016) — ****
- The Eichmann Show (UK, 2015) — **
- Elizabeth (UK, 1998) — ***
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age (UK/France/Germany/USA, 2007) — **
- Embodiment of Evil, or Encarnação do Demônio (Brazil, 2008) — **
- Embrace of the Serpente, or El Abrazo de la Serpiente (Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina, 2015) — *****
- Embracing, or Ni Tsutsumarete (Japan, 1992) — **
- Everybody Wants Some!! (USA, 2016) — ****
- Experimenter (USA, 2015) — ****
- Face, or Visage (France/Taiwan/Belgium/Netherlands, 2009) — **
- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (UK/USA, 2016) — ****
- The Fear of 13 (UK, 2015) — ****
- Fellini — Satyricon (Italy, 1969) — **
- Fellini’s Casanova, or Il Casanova di Federico Fellini (Italy/USA, 1976) — ****
- Finding Dory (USA, 2016) — ***
- Fire at Sea, or Fuocoammare (Italy/France, 2016) — ****
- Fireproof (USA, 2008) — **
- Firestarter (USA, 1984) — **
- Flight of the Red Balloon, or Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (France/Taiwan, 2007) — ***
- Florence Foster Jenkins (UK, 2016) — ***
- Flowers of Shanghai, or Hǎi Shàng Huā (Taiwan/France, 1998) — ****
- Foolish Heart, or Corazón Iluminado (Argentina/Brazil/France, 1998) — *
- The Forbidden Room (Canada, 2015) — *
- Foreign Correspondent (USA, 1940) — ***
- Foreign Land, or Terra Estrangeira (Brazil/Portugal, 1995) — ***
- Forever (USA, 2015) — **
- The Fourth Man, or De Vierde Man (Netherlands, 1983) — ****
- Friday (USA, 1995) — *
- Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (USA, 1985) — *
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (USA, 1984) — **
- From Afar, or Desde Allá (Venezuela/Mexico, 2015) — ***
- From Here to Eternity (USA, 1953) — ***
- From the Land of the Moon, or Mal de Pierres (France/Belgium/Canada, 2016) — ****
- The Fundamentals of Caring (USA, 2016) — ***
- Gangs of Wasseypur (India, 2012) — ****
- Ghostbusters (USA, 1984) — ****
- Ghostbusters (USA, 2016) — ****
- The Gift (Australia/USA, 2015) — ****
- Gigli (USA, 2003) — **
- Ginger & Fred, or Ginger e Fred (Italy/France/West Germany, 1986) — ***
- Ginger Snaps (Canada/USA, 2000) — ***
- Give Up Tomorrow (USA/UK, 2011) — ****
- Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief (USA, 2015) — ****
- The Good Dinosaur (USA, 2015) — **
- Good Morning, Vietnam (USA, 1987) — ****
- Goodbye, Dragon Inn, or Bu San (Taiwan, 2003) — ****
- Grand Hotel (USA, 1932) — *****
- Grave Encounters (Canada, 2011) — ***
- The Green Inferno (USA/Chile/Canada, 2015) — ****
- Green Room (USA, 2015) — ****
- Hail, Caesar! (UK/USA, 2016) — ****
- Hair (USA/West Germany, 1979) — ***
- Hallelujah (USA, 1929) — ***
- The Hallow (UK/USA/Ireland, 2015) — ****
- Halloween (USA, 2007) — **
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (USA, 1982) — **
- The Handmaiden, or Ah-ga-ssi (South Korea, 2016) — ****
- Hardcore Henry (Russia/USA, 2015) — *****
- The Hateful Eight (USA, 2015) — ****
- The Haunting (UK/USA, 1963) — ****
- The Haunting in Connecticut (USA/Canada, 2009) — **
- Heaven Knows What (USA, 2014) — **
- Hidden (USA, 2015) — ***
- The Hidden Tiger, or A Vizinhança do Tigre (Brazil, 2014) — ****
- High-Rise (UK/Belgium, 2015) — *
- Holding the Man (Australia, 2015) — ****
- The Hole, or Dong (Taiwan/France, 1997) — ***
- Holy Hell (USA, 2016) — ****
- Home Care, or Domácí Péce (Czech Republic/Slovakia, 2015) — ***
- As Horas Vulgares (Brazil, 2011) — ***
- House of 1000 Corpses (USA, 2003) — *
- Housemaids, or Doméstica (Brazil, 2012) — ****
- The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) (USA, 2015) — 0/5
- The Hunter (Iran/Germany, 2010) — *
- The Hunting Ground (USA, 2015) — ****
- Hurricane Bianca (USA, 2016) — *
- Hush (USA, 2016) — ***
- I, Daniel Blake (UK/France/Belgium, 2016) — ****
- I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone, or Hēi yǎn quān (Malaysia/China/Taiwan/France/Austria, 2006) — ***
- The Ides of March (USA, 2011) — *****
- Imitation of Life (USA, 1959) — ****
- In the Shadow of Women, or L’Ombre des Femmes (France/Switzerland, 2015) — ***
- In Time (USA, 2011) — **
- Incendies (Canada/France, 2010) — *****
- Inferno (USA/Hungary, 2016) — **
- Inherit the Wind (USA, 1960) — ****
- The Innocents (USA/UK, 1961) — *****
- The Invitation (USA, 2015) — ****
- Ironweed (USA, 1987) — **
- Isle of Flowers, or Ilha das Flores (Brazil, 1989) — *****
- It’s Only the End of the World, or Juste la Fin du Monde (Canada/France, 2016) — ****
- Jane Got a Gun (USA, 2016) — ***
- Janis: Little Girl Blue (USA, 2015) — *****
- Jason Bourne (UK/China/USA, 2016) — ***
- Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (USA, 1986) — ***
- Je Suis Charlie, or L’Humour à Mort (France, 2015) — **
- Jerry Maguire (USA, 1996) — ****
- Jersey Girl (USA, 2004) — ***
- Jesus Camp (USA, 2006) — ****
- The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (USA, 2015) — *****
- Joy (USA, 2015) — ***
- The Judge and the Assassin, or Le Juge et l’Assassin (France, 1976) — **
- Juliet of the Spirits, or Giulietta degli Spiriti (Italy/France, 1965) — *****
- Julieta (Spain, 2016) — **
- The Jungle Book (USA, 2016) — ***
- Katatsumori (Japan, 1994) — **
- Keeper of Promises, or The Given Word, or O Pagador de Promessas (Brazil, 1962) — *****
- Khartoum (UK, 1966) — ****
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (UK, 1949) — ****
- Kiss of the Spider Woman (Brazil/USA, 1985) — *****
- Krampus (USA, 2015) — **
- Krisha (USA, 2015) — ****
- Kubo and the Two Strings (USA, 2016) — **
- Labyrinth of Lies, or Im Labyrinth des Schweigens (Germany, 2014) — ***
- The Lady in the Van (UK, 2015) — **
- The Lady Vanishes (UK, 1938) — ***
- The Last House on the Left (USA, 1972) — *
- Last Shift (USA, 2014) — ***
- Legend (UK/France, 2015) — ***
- Lemonade, or Beyoncé: Lemonade (USA, 2016) — ****
- Lifeboat (USA, 1944) — ***
- The Light Between Oceans (UK/New Zealand/USA, 2016) — **
- Lights Out (USA, 2016) — ***
- The Little Drummer Girl (USA, 1984) — ****
- The Lobster (Greece/Ireland/Netherlands/UK/France, 2015) — ****
- Lolo (France, 2015) — **
- Looking: The Movie (USA, 2016) — ****
- Louder Than Bombs (Norway/France/Denmark, 2015) — ***
- Love & Friendship (Ireland/France/Netherlands, 2016) — ****
- Love Songs, or Les Chansons d’Amour (France, 2007) — **
- Lucio Flavio, or Lúcio Flávio, o Passageiro da Agonia (Brazil, 1977) — ****
- Ma Mère (France/Portugal/Austria/Spain, 2004) — ****
- Macunaíma (Brazil, 1969) — ***
- Madame Satã (Brazil/France, 2002) — ***
- Maggie’s Plan (USA, 2015) — ***
- The Magnificent Seven (USA, 2016) — ****
- Mais do Que Eu Possa Me Reconhecer (Brazil, 2015) — **
- Making a Murderer (USA, 2015) — ****
- Mallrats (USA, 1995) — **
- The Man in the Wall, or Haish Shebakir (Israel, 2015) — **
- Man of Tai Chi (USA/China/Hong Kong, 2013) — **
- Marshland, or La Isla Mínima (Spain, 2014) — *****
- The Matrix (USA/Australia, 1999) — *****
- The Matrix Reloaded (USA/Australia, 2003) — ***
- The Matrix Revolutions (USA/Australia, 2003) — **
- The Measure of a Man, or La Loi du Marché (France, 2015) — ****
- Mekong Hotel (Thailand/UK, 2012) — **
- The Message (Lebanon/Libya/Kuwait/Morocco/UK, 1976) — ***
- Midnight Special (USA, 2016) — ***
- Mildred Pierce (USA, 1945) — ****
- Millennium Mambo, or Qiānxī Mànbō (Taiwan/France, 2001) — ****
- Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants, or Minuscule — La Vallée des Fourmis Perdues (France/Belgium, 2013) — ***
- The Miracle Worker (USA, 1962) — *****
- Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (USA/UK/Belgium, 2016) — ****
- Moolaadé (Senegal/Burkina Faso/Morocco/Tunisia/Cameroon/France, 2004) — ****
- Money Monster (USA, 2016) — ****
- Most Likely to Die (USA, 2015) — **
- The Mother and the Whore, or La Maman et la Putain (France, 1973) — ****
- The Moving Creatures, or O Que Se Move (Brazil, 2013) — ***
- The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble (USA, 2015) — ***
- Mustang (France/Germany/Turkey/Qatar, 2015) — ***
- My Hindu Friend (Brazil, 2015) — *
- My King, or Mon Roi (France, 2015) — ****
- My Sweet Orange Tree, or Meu Pé de Laranja Lima (Brazil, 2012) — *
- Nas: Time Is Illmatic (USA, 2014) — ****
- Neon Bull, or Boi Neon (Brazil/Uruguay/Netherlands, 2015) — *****
- The Neon Demon (France/Denmark/USA, 2016) — **
- New World, or Sinsegye (South Korea, 2013) — **
- The Nice Guys (USA, 2016) — ****
- Night and Fog, or Nuit et Brouillard (France, 1955) — *****
- The Night Flier (USA/Italy, 1997) — ***
- Nocturnal Animals (USA, 2016) — ****
- Nothing in Return, or A Cambio de Nada (Spain, 2015) — ***
- Notorious (USA, 1946) — ****
- Observe and Report (USA, 2009) — ***
- Office Space (USA, 1999) — ****
- The Olive Tree, or El Olivo (Spain, 2016) — ****
- Olmo & the Seagull (Denmark/Brazil/France/Portugal/Sweden) — *****
- On the Waterfront (USA, 1954) — *****
- One from the Heart (USA, 1981) — **
- The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared, or Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (Sweden/Russia/UK/France/Spain) — *
- Open Your Eyes, or Abre Los Ojos (Spain/France/Italy, 1997) — ****
- The Opposite of Sex (USA, 1998) — ****
- Orchestra Rehearsal, or Prova d’Orchestra (Italy/West Germany, 1978) — ****
- Oriented (Israel/UK, 2015) — ***
- The Other Side of the Door (UK/USA/India, 2016) — **
- Our Kind of Traitor (UK/France, 2016) — **
- Our Last Tango, or Un Tango Más (Argentina/Germany, 2015) — ***
- Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (USA, 1996) — *****
- Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (USA, 2000) — ****
- Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory (USA, 2011) — ****
- Paris 05:59, or Théo et Hugo dans le Même Bateau (France, 2016) — **
- El Pasado (Argentina/Brazil, 2007) — ***
- Paterson (France/Germany/USA, 2016) — ****
- Pawn Sacrifice (USA/Canada, 2014) — **
- Peeping Tom (UK, 1960) — *****
- Petting Zoo (Germany/Greece/USA, 2015) — ****
- Pixote, or Pixote: a Lei do Mais Fraco (Brazil, 1981) — *****
- The Poseidon Adventure (USA, 1972) — ****
- The Priest and the Girl, or O Padre e a Moça (Brazil, 1966) — ***
- Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (USA, 2010) — **
- Prozac Nation (Germany/USA/Canada, 2001) — ****
- Pulse, or Kairo (Japan, 2001) — **
- The Purge: Election Year (USA/France, 2016) — **
- Queen of Earth (USA, 2015) — ****
- Raintree County (USA, 1957) — **
- Raise the Red Lantern, or Dà Hóng Dēnglong Gāogāo Guà (China/Hong Kong/Taiwan, 1991) — **
- Raving Iran (Switzerland, 2016) — ***
- Rebecca (USA, 1940) — ****
- Rebels of the Neon God, or Qingshaonian Nezha (Taiwan, 1992) — ****
- The Red Balloon, or Le Ballon Rouge (France, 1956) — *****
- The Red Light Bandit, or O Bandido da Luz Vermelha (Brazil, 1968) — ****
- Remainder (UK/Germany, 2015) — ****
- Remember (Canada/Germany, 2015) — ****
- Requiem for the American Dream (USA, 2015) — ****
- Reservoir Dogs (USA, 1992) — ****
- The Revenant (USA, 2015) — ****
- Revenge of the Nerds (USA, 1984) — **
- Ring, or Ringu (Japan, 1998) — ****
- Rio, I Love You, or Rio, Eu Te Amo (Brazil/USA, 2014) — *
- Rio 100 Degrees F., or Rio 40 Graus (Brazil, 1955) — ****
- Rio Zona Norte (Brazil, 1957) — ****
- The River, or He liu (Taiwan, 1997) — ***
- Road to Ythaca, or Estrada para Ythaca (Brazil, 2010) — *
- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (USA, 1991) — **
- Rogue One, or Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (USA, 2016) — ****
- Roma, or Fellini’s Roma (Italy/France, 1972) — *****
- Rome Adventure (USA, 1962) — **
- The Room (USA, 2003) — *
- Room (Ireland/Canada, 2015) — ****
- Rope (USA, 1948) — ****
- Rosa Morena (Denmark/Brazil, 2010) — ****
- Run All Night (USA, 2015) — ***
- The Russia House (USA, 1990) — **
- Sabotage (UK, 1936) — ***
- Saboteur (USA, 1942) — ***
- Salaam Cinema (Iran, 1995) — ****
- Salem’s Lot (USA, 1979) — ***
- Os Saltimbancos Trapalhões (Brazil, 1981) — ***
- Sand Storm, or Sufat Chol (Israel, 2016) — ***
- Santiago (Brazil, 2007) — *****
- São Bernardo (Brazil, 1972) — ****
- São Paulo in Hi-Fi, or São Paulo em Hi-Fi (Brazil, 2013) — ****
- São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima (Brazil, 1965) — ****
- Sausage Party (USA, 2016) — ****
- The Sea of Trees (USA, 2015) — *
- The Search (USA, 1948) — ***
- The Secret Life of Pets (Japan/USA, 2016) — **
- Sense8: A Christmas Special (USA, 2016) — ***
- Senseless (USA, 1998) — *
- A Separation, or Jodaeiye Nader az Simin (Iran, 2011) — *****
- Shadow of a Doubt (USA, 1943) — ****
- The Shallows (USA, 2016) — ****
- Shara, or Sharasōju (Japan, 2003) — ***
- She Comes Back on Thursday, or Ela Volta na Quinta (Brazil, 2015) — **
- The Ship Sails On, or E la Nave Va (Italy/France, 1983) — ****
- Sieranevada (Romania/France/Bosnia and Herzegovina/Croatia/Republic of Macedonia, 2016) — *****
- 7 Años (Spain, 2016) — ****
- The Signal (USA, 2014) — *
- The Silver Cliff, or O Abismo Prateado (Brazil, 2011) — ***
- Sinfonia da Necrópole (Brazil, 2014) — ***
- Sing Street (Ireland/UK/USA, 2016) — ****
- Sisters (USA, 2015) — ***
- Sky, Wind, Fire, Water, Earth, or Kya ka ra ba a (Japan, 2001) — ***
- Snowden (France/Germany/USA, 2016) — ****
- Somm (USA, 2012) — ****
- SOMM: Into the Bottle (USA, 2015) — ***
- Son of Saul, or Saul Fia (Hungary, 2015) — ***
- Southside with You (USA, 2016) — ***
- Soy Nero (Germany/France/Mexico/USA, 2016) — **
- The Spectacular Now (USA, 2013) — ****
- Spectral (USA, 2016) — **
- Spellbound (USA, 1945) — **
- Spotlight (USA, 2015) — ****
- The Spirit of the Beehive, or El Espíritu de la Colmena (Spain, 1973) — ****
- Spring Breakers (USA, 2012) — ****
- Star Trek Beyond (USA, 2016) — **
- Stereo (Canada, 1969) — **
- Strangers on a Train (USA, 1951) — ***
- Stray Dogs, or Jiao you (Taiwan/France, 2013) — **
- Streets of Fire (USA, 1984) — **
- Sromboli (Italy/USA, 1950) — ****
- The Student and Mister Henri, or L’Étudiante et Monsieur Henri (France, 2015) — ***
- Sufragette (UK, 2015) — ***
- Suicide Squad (USA, 2016) — *
- Sully (USA, 2016) — **
- Summertime, or La Belle Saison (France/Belgium, 2015) — ****
- Suspicion (USA, 1941) — ***
- Suzaku, or Moe no Suzaku (Japan, 1997) — ****
- The Swimming Pool, or La Piscine (Italy/France, 1969) — ****
- Swimming Pool (France/UK, 2003) — ***
- Swiss Army Man (USA, 2016) — ***
- Synchronicity (USA, 2015) — **
- Syndromes and a Century, or Sang Sattawat (Thailand/France/Austria, 2006) — **
- The Tailor of Panama (USA/Ireland, 2001) — ***
- Take the Money and Run (USA, 1969) — **
- Tangerine (USA, 2015) — ****
- 10 Cloverfield Lane (USA, 2016) — ****
- The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, or Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (Germany, 1933) — ****
- That Man from Rio, or L’Homme de Rio (France/Italy, 1964) — **
- Theeb (Jordan/United Arab Emirates/Qatar/UK, 2014) — ****
- They Don’t Wear Black Tie, or Eles Não Usam Black-Tie (Brazil, 1981) — ****
- They Look Like People (USA, 2015) — ***
- Things to Come, or L’Avenir (France/Germany, 2016) — ***
- 13th (USA, 2016) — *****
- The 39 Steps (UK, 1935) — ***
- 36 (Thailand, 2012) — ***
- The 33 (USA/Chile, 2015) — ***
- This Film Is Not Yet Rated (UK/USA, 2006) — ****
- This Is Not a Film, or In Film Nist (Iran, 2011) — *****
- This Love That Consumes, or Esse Amor Que Nos Consome (Brazil, 2012) — ****
- This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse, or Esta Noite Encarnarei no Teu Cadáver (Brazil, 1967) — **
- Three Times, or Zuìhǎo de shíguāng (Taiwan/France, 2005) — ***
- Tongues Untied (USA, 1989) — *****
- Toni Erdmann (Germany/Austria, 2016) — *****
- Tremors (USA, 1990) — ****
- Triumph of the Will, or Triumph des Willens (Germany, 1935) — ****
- Trophy Kids (USA, 2013) — ***
- Tropical Malady, or Sud Pralad (Thailand/France/Germany/Italy, 2004) — **
- Trumbo (USA, 2015) — **
- Truth (Australia/USA, 2015) — *****
- Tschick (Germany, 2016) — ****
- Tucker and Dale vs Evil (Canada/USA/India/UK, 2010) — ***
- Tulpan (Kazakhstan/Russia/Germany/Poland/Switzerland/Italy, 2008) — *****
- Turkish Delight, or Turks Fruit (Netherlands, 1973) — ***
- Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (USA/France, 1992) — **
- Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces (USA/France, 2014) — *
- Under the Hawthorn Tree, or Shan zha shu zhi lian (China, 2010) — *****
- The Unknown Girl, or La Fille Inconue (Belgium/France, 2016) — ***
- Vanilla Sky (USA/Spain, 2001) — ***
- The Victory of Faith, or Der Sieg des Glaubens (Germany, 1933) — ***
- Viva Maria! (France/Italy, 1965) — ***
- Vive L’Amour, or Aiqing wansui (Taiwan, 1994) — *****
- Vou Rifar Meu Coração (Brazil, 2011) — ****
- W. (USA/Australia/Hong Kong/Switzerland/China, 2008) — ***
- The Wages of Fear, or La Salaire de la Peur (France/Italy, 1953) — *****
- A War, or Krigen (Denmark, 2015) — ****
- Warcraft (USA, 2016) — **
- The Wayward Cloud, or Tiānbiān yī duǒ yún (Taiwan/France, 2005) — ***
- We Are Not Angels, or Mi Nismo Andjeli (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1992) — ***
- We Are Still Here (USA, 2015) — **
- We Are the Flesh, or Tenemos la Carne (Mexico/France, 2016) — *
- Westworld (USA, 1973) — ***
- What Time Is It There?, or Ni na bian ji dian (Taiwan/France, 2001) — ***
- When Harry Met Sally… (USA, 1989) — ****
- When Marnie Was There, or Omoide no Mānī (Japan, 2014) — ***
- Where to Invade Next (USA, 2015) — ****
- Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (USA, 2016) — ****
- White Girl (USA, 2016) — ****
- White Out, Black In, or Branco Sai, Preto Fica (Brazil, 2014) — ***
- The Wicker Man (UK, 1973) — ****
- Wiener-Dog (USA, 2016) — **
- Willard (USA, 1971) — **
- Willow Creek (USA, 2011) — ****
- Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (UK/Ukraine/USA, 2015) — ****
- The Witch, or The VVitch: A New-England Folktale (USA/UK/Canada/Brazil, 2015) — ****
- The Woman Who Left, or Ang Babaeng Humayo (Philippines, 2016) — ***
- The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl, or Die Macht der Bilder: Leni Riefenstahl (France/UK/Germany/Belgium, 1993) — ***
- X‑Men: Apocalypse (USA, 2016) — ***
- Xica da Silva (Brazil, 1976) — ****
- Zeitgeist (USA, 2007) — **
- Zeitgeist: Addendum (USA, 2008) — **
- Zelig (USA, 1983) — ****
- Zombi 2 (Italy, 1979) — *
- Zootopia (USA, 2016) — ****
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