100 Unmissable Film4 Movies
81. Disobedience (2018)
Directed by A Fantastic Woman (2017) director Sebastián Lelio, this all-female love affair between two Jewish Britons simply radiates affection, touching you on the shoulder as it questions the widely accepted concepts of morality, heteronormative lifestyles, acceptance and love, in a surprisingly progressive and incredibly beautiful love story to remember. Though the screenplay may at times rely too heavily upon cliché and melodrama, every element of the picture comes together so beautifully that it is a truly moving experience.
Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams are all-in on their vulnerable and moving character portraits, each drastically overlooked during awards season, while Alessandro Nivola’s detached husband figure is a standout supporting act who brings the film’s themes of repressed emotions, gendered oppression, and the inherent trouble with polite society to the fore.
Disobedience was a 5-time British Independent Film Awards nominee – British Independent Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Supporting Actress, Supporting Actor – with Alessandro Nivola winning for Supporting Actor. It was also a nominee for Outstanding Film at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards. JW
82. Cold War (2018)
Pawel Pawlikowski’s modern masterpiece is an unflinching portrait of romance in the midst of war. Starring Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig as amalgamations of the writer-director’s Polish parents brought together by tragedy and pulled apart by war, Cold War is one of the most beautifully shot black and white films of the 21st century and one of the most moving films of recent years.
The repeating motif of the Polish-language song “Dwa serduszka” (“Two Hearts”) is magnetic and haunting, and it welds itself to the nostalgic photography of cinematographer Łukasz Żal (I’m Thinking of Ending Things; The Zone of Interest) to create a film that seems timeless, thus emphasising the timeless tragedy and romance at the centre of its narrative.
Cold War was nominated for Foreign Language Film, Achievement in Directing and Achievement in Cinematography at the Oscars in 2019, was a 6-time European Film Awards nominee, a 4-time BAFTA nominee, and earned a nomination for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2018, with Pawel Pawlikowski being awarded Best Director at the same festival. JW
83. The Favourite (2019)
Loosely based on true historical events, The Favourite is set during the reign of Queen Anne at the close of the Stuart dynasty in 18th century England. The nation is at war with France (again), but Anne in her middle age is often afflicted by her many ailments and is incapable of making the essential and daily decisions required to run the country and its wars. Thus, Anne often relies on the counsel of her closest and oldest friend Lady Marlborough – Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) – who fully endorses the war, much to the frustration of Robert Harley (Nicholas Hoult), the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. It is at this time that Abigail (Emma Stone) arrives at the palace. Instead of establishing her as a woman of court, Sarah lets Abigail work as a scullery maid, not fully realising that Abigail will do anything to become a lady again. What seems to start as a sweet story of compassion for the tragic life of Queen Anne becomes a wicked story of cruel ambition between political heavyweights – Sarah and Abigail will stop at nothing to win the Queen’s favour and therefore hold the most important position of power in the country. Neither are left unscathed as plots involve accusations of fraud, blackmail, beatings, and even poisonings, but with the mercurial nature of Queen Anne, the race to become her favourite is neck and neck to the bitter end.
The Favourite had a sweeping victory during the 2018/19 awards season: nominated for a staggering 10 Academy Awards, Oliva Colman’s Best Actress in a Leading Role victory is the classic Hollywood rags to riches story with her humble starts in British television comedies. In both the 2019 BAFTA Awards and 2018 British Independent Film Awards, The Favourite won a combined 17 awards, winning the Best Film category on both occasions. It also notably won awards for Best Costume Design – there is notoriously little records of fashion from this period – and Best Cinematography, as natural lighting was primarily used in most of the production. As of today, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone and Olivia Coleman have all won Oscars for their acting achievements, a testament to the high calibre of film production in The Favourite (and to the intrigue of its story) by attracting only the very best talent.
The electrifying power of the tale found within The Favourite can be attributed to the quality of Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara’s thoroughly researched script. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill, a direct descendant of Sarah, had written a biography on the first Duke of Marlborough, Sarah’s husband. Davis states that, in this four-part biography, the relationship triangle between Sarah, Anne and Abigail is well covered. There was also the memoir by Sarah Churchill herself, in which she bemoans her replacement in the Queen’s favour by Abigail. The rich use of historical sources bestows the film with authenticity, allowing for such overt representation that often isn’t achieved without criticism. A strong female character is one that is allowed to be as complex as a man, and damn, these ladies are complex.
In a period setting that would often focus on the political struggle of male figures, each of the three main characters have their own unique drives and motivations which lead to their different schemes. They are openly jealous, conniving, sadistic, needy and neurotic. Despite her physical weakness, Anne is unequivocally a despot. The pathetic male members of parliament must vie for Sarah or Abigail’s favour to even suggest an agenda to the Queen. KD
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84. Fighting with My Family (2019)
Fighting with My Family Review
Fighting with My Family, the Stephen Merchant adaptation of the Channel 4 documentary of the same name about the famous East Anglian wrestling family that former WWE wrestler and current AEW wrestler Saraya (AKA Paige) grew up in, is a rightly popular film known for its charm and its almost unparalleled insight into the colourful world of professional wrestling.
Chronicling the rise of Saraya Bevis from her family’s wrestling training camps to the WWE training centres and onto the globally broadcasted WWE television shows, Fighting with My Family illuminates the struggles and triumphs that all wrestlers must go through to make it, offering a Rocky-like story for a new generation. With Florence Pugh leading the cast, and a supporting ensemble that includes Vince Vaughn, Jack Lowden, Nick Frost and Lena Headey, and with an inspirational central narrative to latch on to, there’s a bit of something for everyone in Fighting with My Family.
Merchant’s film earned $41million globally from a production budget of $11million, and rising star Florence Pugh earned the award for British/Irish Actress of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards. JW
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85. Wild Rose (2019)
Glaswegian single mum Rose-Lynn (Jessie Buckley) is released from prison and is faced with raising her two young children who hardly know her, all the while dreaming of making it as a country music star.
Wild Rose is a fairly gritty, funny and grounded modern musical featuring some killer covers of country classics belted out by an electrifying Buckley with Julie Walters in awards-worthy form as her increasingly exhausted mother. Who’d have thought that an imaginary band appearing midway through a cleaning montage could be such an uplifting sight?
BAFTA Scotland awarded Wild Rose with Best Feature Film and Best Actress, and the soundtrack was recognised at the BIFAs. SSP
86. Saint Maud (2019)
Homecare nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark), convinced she is being talked to by God, takes a new position looking after an atheist former dancer with terminal cancer, Amanda (Jennifer Ehle). But a battle of faith vs scepticism takes a much darker turn as Maud completely loses her grip on reality.
As feature debuts go, few indie directors in recent years have made such an instant impact as Rose Glass. Saint Maud is one twisted and disturbing religious horror film that examines faith as addiction and the more morally dubious side of attempting to heal your soul through spreading your beliefs to those who are unreceptive.
Saint Maud won the Douglas Hickox Award for Rose Glass and Best Cinematography for Ben Fordesman at the BIFAs, and Morfydd Clark received Best Actress at the BAFTA Cymru Awards. SSP
87. Calm with Horses (2019)
Boxer-turned mob enforcer “Arm” (Cosmo Jarvis) tries to get out of his life of crime for the sake of his young family, but his bosses aren’t ready to let go of their blunt instrument just yet.
A gritty and beautifully crafted crime drama released during the Covid Lockdown and featuring a pre-megastardom Barry Keoghan, Calm with Horses has enough low-key power to leave you shaken. Director Nick Rowland makes an impressive debut with serene rural Irish beauty juxtaposed against horrible, visceral violence, unexpected plot turns, and strong performances from Jarvis, Keoghan and particularly Niamh Algar that enliven an unusually grounded and human gangster story.
Calm with Horses received 4 BAFTA nominations and a Best Supporting Actress win for Algar at the IFTAs. SSP
88. Limbo (2019)
Ben Sharrock’s sophomore feature film (following Pikadero in 2016) presents his home nation of Scotland as a surreal dreamscape to the Syrian refugee (Omar, played by Amir El-Masry) at the heart of his piece. The harsh but life-giving landscape of the Scottish highlands acts as both a point of contention and as comedic juxtaposition to the lives of those we follow in this film, while the UK’s institutionalised and culturally-appropriated opposition towards refugees is encapsulated in everything from daily interactions to government-ordered cultural awareness classes.
Limbo is a film with a heart, that takes an empathy-first approach to its subject and puts us in the shoes of these people stuck like fish out of water. Presented in an appropriately boxed-in 4:3 format, the film is also exceptionally beautiful to look at (especially given its relatively miniscule budget).
Limbo was nominated for Outstanding British Film at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, while Sharrock was nominated for Outstanding Debut. BAFTA Scotland awarded Limbo with 4 awards – Director, Writer, Actor (El-Masry) and Feature Film – while earning a further nomination in the actor category for Vikash Bhai. It was also a 4-time British Independent Film Awards nominee, with Irune Gurtubai being awarded as Breakthrough Producer. JW
89. Rocks (2019)
After her mum walks out on them, Hackney schoolgirl “Rocks” (Bukky Bakray) attempts to maintain her status in her peer group whilst struggling to look after her kid brother in secret to avoid social services becoming involved.
Sarah Gavron’s decision to film in a real school and form an ensemble out of its pupils pays dividends: rarely have we ever seen such a convincing portrayal of this age group and the ups and downs of girls’ friendship during their formative years. Bakray is sensational and the film refreshingly avoids tying up this none-more-real story too neatly.
Rocks deservedly won Best Casting at both the BAFTAs and the BIFAs, as well as supporting performance prizes for D’angelou Osei Kissiedu and Kosar Ali at the BIFAs. SSP
90. The Father (2020)
Playing out like something akin to a horror film taking place within your own mind, The Father plays with perspective, an unease settling deep into the heart of the piece as we are misdirected by a screen magician performing a series of magic tricks, each reveal being jaw-dropping not only in construction and presentation but in wider thematic meaning to the story being told. Writer-director Florian Zeller, adapting from his own theatre production, is intent on breaking apart the fabric of linear cinema to best represent his protagonist’s journey through dementia. Entire sets are redecorated and conversations break off, only for both to circle back in much later scenes – it leaves you just as off-balance as the protagonist is. Zeller understands that we as an audience have an inherent trust in the filmmaker to guide us through the story, and he pointedly and emphatically breaks that bond to offer something that lifts the entire form.
Anthony Hopkins is remarkable in the lead role, his performance being arguably the great performance of his long-heralded career. He is vicious, vulnerable, charming and difficult. Not a single line is out of place, the delivery of every piece of dialogue so outstanding that you can’t help but to be swept away into the character. Physically, he is just as impressive, revisiting some of his most famous antagonists in brief moments of volatility and becoming a shell of himself to offer his character vulnerability. His is one of the performances of the 2020s, and a deserving counterpart to the excellence on offer elsewhere in the film.
The Father was nominated for 6 Academy Awards at the 2021 Oscars, including Best Picture. Anthony Hopkins became the oldest actor in history to win the Actor in a Leading Role Oscar, aged 83. The film also won Best Foreign Film at France’s César Awards, earned director Florian Zeller the Outstanding Debut trophy at the Directors Guild of America awards, was a 4-time nominee at the European Film Awards, and a 6-time nominee at the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards, winning for Adapted Screenplay and Best Leading Actor. JW
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