Top ten films released in the UK this year

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12 June 2003

Doing a top ten list about films is, in theory, easy-peasy: I can just look at my IMDb vote history. Despite the year not yet being half-way through, I had to leave out some cracking films. Films like Mies vailla menneisyyttä , Far from Heaven , and Love Liza , a film mostly unremarkable but for that performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The Matrix Reloaded isn’t even in my top twenty, in case you were wondering.

X2

Slick, punchy sequel to a decent first film. Massively enjoyable viewing.

Irréversible

Controversial, brutal, challenging, and ultimately slightly unsatisfactory. The nine-minute, single-shot rape scene is only the second worst; exploitation film at its toughest.

Hours, The

Like its characters, it slowly unravels into something of a mess, but by gum, the opening hour or so is fantastic. And it provides endless debate about Nicole Kidman really was better than Julianne Moore.

Good Girl, The

I first heard about this in December last year, and was thoroughly unconvinced. Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Catcher in the Rye connections did not an enticing mix make. But the supporting cast contains some fine actors, including John C. Reilly and Tim Blake Nelson. It’s surprisingly dark and treads the line between drama and comedy a little unsteadily at times, but that’s perhaps its strength.

Secretary

I have a soft spot for the genuinely quirky romantic comedy, and this is nothing if not not mainstream. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays a legal secretary who cuts herself when things get bad; James Spader’s her control-freak boss. Do I have to draw you a diagram?

The Pianist

It’s easy to become almost desensitised to films about World War II, and so skip The Pianist. And months after seeing it, I thought I had become desensitised to it, but then the memories came back, reminding just how gruelling it was, and of Adrien Brody’s exceptional performance.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

George Clooney’s directorial debut is sharp, stylish, and darkly comic. The better of the two films with screenplays written by Charlie Kaufman that used a monospaced font in the trailer and were released in the UK this year.

Lilja 4-ever

Quite possibly even less enjoyable to watch than Irréversible because of its unrelentingly bleak nature, Lilja 4-ever is Moodysson’s best film to date. Again he shows his talent for working with young actors, and also toys with images and the soundtrack to magnificently despairing effect.

Cidade de Deus

Exciting. Explosive. Energetic. Electrifying. So often it is the case that direction like this seems gimmicky (see Requiem for a Dream ) but not in this instance. The direction and editing are superb, the cast is strong, and unlike the over-rated Amores perros , which it’s often compared to, this is fresh, bright Latin American cinema.

Punch-Drunk Love

Barring an unlikely collaboration with Julio Medem, the Coen brothers, or a repeat of this one with Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam Sandler will never star in a better film. It’s definitely not the easiest film to watch, with the soundtrack turned up to eleven and the visuals sharply contrasting, but it’s just superb. See it whenever and wherever you can.