Women Talking (2022)

Women talking. Men listening. Polley does an excellent job of centering the women’s stories while also, graciously, giving us a glimpse of an ally. The writing and performances brim with nuance and power; the soundtrack is sublime. The women’s circular, gradual journey towards a decision is mesmerizing. No political bullshit, no power-hungry posturing, no patriarchal red tape. Just raw, unfiltered dialogue, with hands on shoulders, songs in the air, and everyone from young to old with a voice.

9

First Man (2018)

Immersive and boldly chosen visuals and sounds on the ships (blurry, claustrophobic, loud) are paralleled by more shaky-cam close-ups and tense drama on earth, leading to stunning physical and emotional release on the bleak, vast, and silent lunar landscape (Gosling is solid throughout). The blip on the radar is how the great “Whitey on the Moon” critique (“I can’t pay no doctor bill, but Whitey’s on the moon”) is only followed up with, well, more movie about white guys going to the moon.

8

Unsane (2018)

The low-budget-like style here is just so cool and unique: there’s the discomforting and claustrophobic wide-angle lens, the intense close-ups and other interesting angles, the deliberate and concise editing, the unnerving original score, the perfect A-lister cameo, the freeze-frame under rapid end credits. The story is a little wonkily constructed at points (see the puzzlingly early mystery reveal) but is always creepy and thrilling, carried by Foy’s strong central performance.

8