The penultimate chapter in our Top Five Films of 2011 sees ace critic and blogger Ashley Clark discuss his personal favourites this year. You can follow Ash on Twitter @PPlasticHelmet and @_Ash_Clark. Also check out his brilliant site here: permanentplastichelmet.com. And that’s not all! Read this superb dissection of William Friedkin’s controversial thriller Cruising right here: Re-Viewed/Re-Assessed: Crusing.
#1 Dreams Of A Life (dir: Carol Morley)
Carol Morley’s haunting, unclassifiable (OK well, it’s kind of a Rashomonumentstruction if I must) and frankly rather weird film is that rare beast: a true original. Ostensibly an attempt by the director to discover more about Londoner Joyce Vincent (who died in her Wood Green flat in 2003 at 38, and was found an incredible three years later), what emerges is a chilling, poetic and determinedly personal parable about how we as humans (fail to) connect with each other in our supposedly hyper-connected world. Featuring amazing use of music and a radiant performance from Zawe Ashton as a near-ghostly iteration of Vincent, it’s disturbing, ultra-contemporary stuff, which I suspect will be studied in film schools for years to come. It also boasts the most powerful final shot I can remember for years.
#2 Animal Kingdom (dir: David Michôd)
Although no thriller blew me quite as far away this year as Jacques Audiard’s A PROPHET did last, this Australian crime family saga was the one that ran closest. It stars Francis Jeffers lookalike James Frecheville as the deliberately blank canvas 17-year old J, who is swiftly drafted into a down-and-dirty family of robbers after his mother’s death from a heroin overdose. Following a measured start, it soon transforms into a gripping, often unbearably tense monster. Despite the plaudits and Oscar nomination for Jackie Weaver playing the family’s evil, manipulative granny*, Animal Kingdom is stolen by Ben Mendelsohn as the initially unassuming, but soon terrifying uncle Pope. Blood is supposed to be thicker than water, but this film tests that theory to the limit, and sheds lots of the claret stuff along the way.
*Sometimes I wish they wouldn’t give films like this one token nom, because when they do it just draws attention to the fact that they should have nominated it for many, many more.
#3 NEDS (dir: Peter Mullan)
The powerful Scottish actor Peter Mullan starred in one great film this year. Nope, it wasn’t the much vaunted Tyrannosaur, but rather his own directorial effort NEDS. While Paddy Considine’s beautifully acted debut often betrayed the signs of a novice (namely frequent recourse to crashing symbolism, and never quite knowing when to put the misery ladle back in the pain bowl), Mullan’s third film following Orphans and The Magdalene Sisters signalled the development of a singular talent; brave, compassionate, and ear-to-the-ground earthy. Rather oddly titled and marketed, NEDS (Non Educated Delinquents) unspools the tale of an intelligent young man’s descent into psychological hell in the bleak environs of 1970s Glasgow. If you were expecting a tearaway lads-on-the-town romp, you’d be sorely mistaken. Unusual and disturbing with a few nods toward magical realism (and in some cases full-on hallucinogenic mental-ness), NEDS is further distinguished by an excellent central performance from Conor McCarron.
#4 The Interrupters (dir: Steve James)
Steve James’ doc The Interrupters, which traces the movements of a group of hardy souls in Chicago who intervene in conflicts to stop violence, is the kind of engrossing, deeply-felt human story which makes us wonder why we even bother with fiction in the first place. Full of suspense, humour and unexpectedly galling moments, The Interrupters is marked by its bracing immediacy, memorable characters and the tangible bravery of the filmmaking team. It burrows deep under the surface of media hyperbole and music video posturing to remind us – tragically – that devastating violence is so frequently borne of insecurity, minor conflict and a fundamental lack of education. Utterly heartbreaking and totally essential, it’s a film for our troubled times. It’s no coincidence that a recent transmission of the film on the BBC was subtitled: How To Stop A Riot.
#5 Weekend (dir: Andrew Haigh)
To paraphrase – or completely misquote – the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith: “do not underestimate the power of the quiet film”. In a year full of bluster and would-be edginess at the box office, Andrew Haigh’s low-key, intimate gem told of a whirlwind Nottingham romance between Glen (Chris New) and Russell (Tom Cullen). It was fresh, beautifully shot and full of sparkling, honest dialogue which never crossed the line into verbosity or pretentiousness. Like a British Before Sunrise, Weekend was simply one of the most enjoyable, evocative and sensuous films of the year. Superbly acted, too.
Contributors Top Five Films of 2011 links:
Laurent de Alberti’s Top Five Films of 2011
Cheryl Carter’s Top Five Films of 2011
Mairéad Roche’s Top Five Films of 2011
Alan Simmons’ Top Five Films Of 2011
