Motifs in Cinema, 2011: The Dichotomy Between Fantasy and Reality

Perhaps because it’s one of the youngest artistic forms, cinema is often assessed in much different manner that literature, or the visual arts. We discuss it in terms of genre, not in terms of thematic offering. Comparing, for example, Corpse Bride and Up because they’re both animated leads to some dubious discussion especially when – like any art form – thematic elements examined in cinema and the way different filmmaker address them make for some stimulating discussion. Motifs in Cinema is a discourse, across nine film blogs, assessing the way in which various thematic elements have been used in the 2011 cinematic landscape. How does a common theme vary in use from a comedy to a drama? Are filmmakers working from a similar canvas when they assess the issue of the artist or the family dynamic? Like everything else, a film begins with an idea - Motifs in Cinema assesses how the use of a single idea changes when utilised by varying artists.

- Andrew K.

Accidentally or otherwise, every year we get several films that deal with the same themes. Often, similarities between these films are so many and so clear that a narrative starts to build around one of these themes. Everyone spoke about the omnipresence of nostalgia in 2011’s films, for instance. Most of these motifs give way to different ones once everybody stops talking about one year and moves on to the next. One theme that never really disappears from the conversation is the dichotomy between fantasy and reality, which is why I chose to write about it as soon as Andrew introduced his Motifs in Cinema mini-blogathon to me.

Fantasy, in the strictest sense of the word, is inseparable from the cinema. What are fictional films if not the fantasy of those who imagine them, write them and act them? What is fantasy if not the imaginary world we immerse ourselves in for a few hours in the dark? Here, I want to write about filmmakers who, aware of the power they hold over their audience and making the most of their psychological advantage, presented an image of fantasy that changed the way we think of reality. Needless to say, different directors had different approaches, they worked in different genres and affected us in distinct ways.

Oscar Predictions: December

With a majority of the precursor nominations now behind us, we have a clearer image of how the Oscar race will pan out. There are some potential nominees whom I’d assumed had faded but are back in the race. Then there are films and individuals who just cemented their status. And, of course, there are some who just failed to make any impact.

Nominees?

Best Picture

1. The Artist

2. Hugo

3. The Descendants

4. The Help

5. War Horse

6. Midnight in Paris

7. Moneyball

8. Tree of Life

Potential Additions

9. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Alternate

Drive

I’ve predicted eight nominees though Tree of Life missed on both Globe and SAG nominations. I have a hunch that the film’s fervent supporters will help it slide in probably even ahead of Midnight in Paris or Moneyball but I don’t know how many of them there is in the academy. Furthermore, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close has received an extremely quiet and incredibly tepid reaction response from the critics. That didn’t stop The Reader from getting a nomination but holocaust and 9/11 are incomparable properties when it comes to the Oscar race. Finally, Drive has done well with the critics, which makes me wonder if more people will put it at their number one spot ahead of the likes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

Best Director

1. Martin Scorsese (Hugo)

2. Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist)

3. Alexander Payne (The Descendants)

4. Terrence Malick (Tree of Life)

5. Steven Spielberg (War Horse)

Alternate

Woody Allen (Midnight in Paris)

The top three are set. The directors’ branch will get behind Malick’s grand vision, leading me to think that the fifth spot will a battle between the other two veteran American masters. Refn has been embraced by the critics but I don’t think academy members will put him on their ballots ahead of his more well-known competitors. Daldry, who has been nominated for a 100% of his films so far, will probably have to suffer a blow to his perfect record this year.

Acting, technical and foreign categories after the jump:

Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn. She won the lion's share of the critics' awards.

Thoughts on Martha Marcy May Marlene

 

My Grade: A-

- This film certainly has the most interesting title of anything in 2011. Having now seen the film and understanding the reasoning behind this selection, I’m all the more impressed. They really could have settled for any generic horror flick title but they chose Martha Marcy May Marlene. Whether this works for the film in terms of advertising and box office, I don’t know, but they’ll definitely pique everyone’s curiosity.

- This is one of those films that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. From the opening frame to the final cut, there’s an eeriness about the atmosphere that creeps under our skin and a repressed tension that totally hooks us. Though this tension keeps building up and is never quite relieved, the film surprisingly never buckles under its own pressure. It remains intense throughout and keeps a steady tone. Also, with almost no depiction of violence, gore or really, anything gross at all, Martha Marcy May Marlene scared the crap out of me.

- Elizabeth Olsen is going to be a major film star. There have been quite a few “it” girls in recent years, boasting a combination of acting chops and beauty, and vying for attention on the account of their newcomer status. None of them have proved quite as talented as Olsen (at least on their first try) and surely not as beautiful either. I mean, this girl’s physique is made for the big screen. This face can really belong to any character and it’ll me feel like to one else can take on that role. In Martha Marcy May Marlene, she’s the mirrored image of her troubled soul, her wide and bright face masking her anxiety but her eyes letting out her haunted innocence.

As the younger sister of the noisy twins, it was always going to be difficult for Elizabeth to make a name for herself, but with this nuanced and mesmerizing performance, and all the buzz she’s been making, I have a feeling we might refer to those two as Elizabeth's older sisters in a little while.

- And while I’m on the subject of newcomers, how about that Sean Durkin? How does anyone keep so much control over their audience in their first film?
Durkin has a grip over every element of this movie. With careful framings, seamless transitions between the past and the present, and lots of mileage from the architecture (and the juxtaposition of the confined spaces of the cult house and the open spaces of Lucy’s) he shows that he understands compositions and the formal development of the medium. But equally important are the subtleties that make the film truly outstanding. A touch here, a glance there, just how a floor creaks, or how the characters utter a certain word; it all comes together perfectly.

- We’ve come to expect John Hawkes to be regularly amazing in everything he does and because of his consistent quality, it's easy to take him for granted. He finally got noticed last year with an Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone. As the cult leader in Martha Marcy May Marlene, he’s every bit as impressive and even more frightening as he was there. I’m definitely curious to see what he’s got in the bag next. Also, the man's a terrific singer.

TIFF Coverage on The Film Experience

The title of the post is pretty self-explanatory. Nathaniel Rogers of The Film Experience was kind enough to give me space to cover the Toronto Internationl Film Festival on his site. Here's the first column on Aki Kaurismaki's Le Havre and Jafar Panahi's This is not a Film.
And check back again as the festival moves forward.

Senna

Grade: A

Directed by Asif Kapadia and written by Manish Pandey, Senna tells the story of the eponymous Brazilian Formula One driver who rose to fame in the 1980s and became known as one of the greatest racers of all time, only to have his career abruptly and tragically ended in 1994 because of an accident. Although the material is ripe for a "Greatest Hits" documentary -- one that reviews the milestones in the hero's life chronologically, without engaging with his personality on a deeper level -- Kapadia paints a picture that is energetic, inventive and transcendent.


The filmmaker's approach is a curious one, but it is immensely rewarding. He hasn’t shot any new material for the film. There are no talking heads. Nothing we see here is what we usually get in documentaries of this type. The only new material is the voice-over commentary given by Senna’s contemporaries and his family members. Instead, Kapadia focuses on archival footage of Senna’s life, stretching all the way back to his introduction to Formula One. These images, sometimes even taken from intimate family home videos, serve to familiarize the audience with Senna with more authenticity than any interview could. Building on this close relationship between the audience and the hero, Kapadia breaks a barrier that could have existed for those not interested in racing (myself included).

This is not to say that there’s a shortage of racing footage or that they aren’t riveting enough to give everyone goosebumps. The intense competitive relationship between Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost that is revisited several times and the final encounter between Senna and Michael Schumacher are such a thrill to watch on the big screen. But Kapadia reaches for something beyond these sensational auto-racing thrills. His comprehensive study of Senna’s life allows for an in-depth look into the politics of Formula One and better yet, an emotionally resonant narrative about Senna as a human being, not just a champion. Our familiarity with Senna makes the heartbreaking finale all the more perplexing.

The film’s real ace, in my opinion, is Chris King’s editing. I’m not at all surprised at how masterful he is at creating a coherent narrative from pre-existing footage given that I considered him one of the best editors of 2010 for Exit through the Gift Shop. Here, the task at hand is even grander since there is no Banksy or Shepard Fairey to lead the way. But King nails it again. He knows exactly what order to set the sequences in to control our heartbeat just as easily as our tear glands. He’s smart in gradually cueing us toward the ending without explicitly opening it from the beginning as well.

Sports documentaries rarely aim so high as Senna does. What Kapadia and his team do here is more than a documentary about a champion. Even though they leave the darker details of Senna’s life out of the film, they never fall into sentimentality. They bring Senna’s larger-than-life story to the screen without losing the essence of his life, how important he was to the world of racing and more importantly, to Brazilians. Simply put, Senna is one of the great biographies ever made.

I'm an short-tempered impatient son of a bitch!

I'm a little late to the party with this news, but better late than never, I guess. Last week we saw two new pieces of promotional material for one of my most anticipated films of the year, Polish maestro Roman Polanski's Carnage. It is adapted from Yasmina Reza's play titled God of Carnage and stars Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly. 

Carnage is about two couples who get together to discuss a fight that broke out between their children at school. I really like the poster as I think it does neat job with the characters, giving them all equal space, and I really like the color scheme and the facial expressions, especially those of Kate Winslet. The trailer does an even better job of conveying both the dramatic and comedic aspects of the film and gives a glimpse of these great actors in action. 

I could hardly be more impatient for this film, but if the trailer and the poster don't do anything for you, let me remind you that the man behind the camera has given us films like Knife in the Water, Chinatown, The Pianist and The Ghost Writer before and Yasmina Reza is the playwright behind Art, one of the greatest modern plays. Throw in those actors and ...

*Carnage will be released in Canadian cinemas on November 25th, 2011 through Mongrel Media. 

2011's Halfway Report

I admit that I haven’t been the most active filmgoer this year. In all honesty though, there’s no specific film that I regret missing. I’ve watched a lot of the oldies I wanted to catch up on, and with the exception of Winnie the Pooh, I’ve seen all the “important” releases of 2011 as well.

Winnie the Pooh, the only film I really regret not seeing yet, mostly for nostalgia reasons.

If you’re a regular reader of the blog, you know that I consider February the beginning of the film year since a lot of the prestige December releases make their way to Toronto a couple of weeks late. So, hitting my release schedule’s halfway mark, let’s take a look at what’s been and gone so far.

Unsurprisingly, I’ve only seen one of the top ten films at the box office, that being X-Men: First Class which sits on the 10th spot. I say unsurprising because 1) I knew almost exactly which ten films would be in this top ten and 2) I have no desire to see sequels to films I hated the first time around and there’s no shortage of those sequels on this list (Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, Hangover, Fast Five). Harry Potter is still calling me from the multiplex but I’ve been too busy with other stuff recently.

Putting all this behind, let’s get to the movies that I did watch. Tree of Life, Terrence Malick’s long awaited new film was released (my review here) and was definitely the most talked about film of the year. It won the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and from cinephiles to theologians, everyone’s been talking about it. Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen’s not-long-awaited new feature proved to be a surprising delight and was warmly received by critics and audiences alike. It also broke all of Woody’s box office records (not adjusted for inflation) and is still going pretty strong. I enjoyed it very much; I thought it was really funny and the bit players from Paris’ golden age were fantastic. But I don’t think it lives up to the standard Mr. Allen set for himself in the 70s. Then again, he hasn’t made a film that good since Bullets over Broadway, so I’m pretty content. Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig’s vehicle, was also an unexpected hit at the box office and has also convinced some pundits that it might not leave Oscar nomination morning empty-handed. I thought it was funny enough to justify its ticket sales and Wiig definitely deserves more lead roles, but I’d be surprised if it was recognized anywhere outside the Globes’ comedy categories.

Project NIM

While I did like all three of these films to different degrees – particularly Tree of Life, which is a unique experience and I can’t wait to dive into one more time – for my money, the year has so far produced only two truly great films. There really has to be a miracle for these two films to miss out on my Top Dozen Favourites List at the end of year. The first one is Project NIM, the new documentary from the man behind the Oscar-winning Man on Wire, and the second one is a festival leftover from last year, Xavier Beauvois’ Of Gods and Men.

Project NIM is about an experiment performed in the 70s on a chimpanzee called NIM to analyze whether it was possible to actually teach the species to communicate in sentences. James Marsh’s approach to the story is completely impartial. He gets all the people involved in the experiment to sit there and talk for themselves and in there he finds the most poignant and heartbreaking story I’ve seen in a long, long time. Using a combination of archival footage, old photographs and new interviews, we live NIM’s life with him through 26 years, most of which was spent under the cruelty and abuse of humans. As the film goes, we shift our opinion on all the parties involved. It’s sometimes hard to tell who actually cares about NIM and who doesn’t, but the only thing that’s for certain is that intentionally or otherwise, they all hurt him somehow. But painstaking as it may be to watch the extent of their arrogance (and ignorance), Project NIM is superbly cut and its intimate moments are so electrifying that they make for a well-paced and fascinating film.

Equally exquisite is Beauvois’ film about a group of Christian monks who live their lives in peace with Muslim villagers in Algeria in the midst of a civil war. Of Gods and Men isn’t the first film that makes me scratch my head over the excruciating Uncle Boonmee’s win at Cannes 2010, but I certainly wasn’t expecting to enjoy it this much. You may think that a film about old monks is going to be a slow-moving drag and I won’t blame you, but in Beauvois’ hands, this deliberately paced film becomes a compelling study of human relations and an intense close-up of the fragile situation under which these men lived. Of Gods and Men takes its time to grow on the audience with a really patient approach, but it all culminates in a captivating finale. And while there are quite a few people who took issue with the Last Supper reincarnation in the film, I found those Tchaikovsky-laced minutes to be the film’s most mesmerizing sequence. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see the entire cast of this film winning Cannes’ best actor prize either, given their harmonic work as an ensemble and their impressive individual characterizations.

Win Win

Last but not least, there’s one movie I feel obligated to write about and that’s Win Win. I could have sworn I reviewed that film here, but as it turns out, I forgot to post it up. It was a marvellous and charming film and it has the best cast of any film this year in my opinion, led by the ever dependable Paul Giamatti. Based on a smartly written screenplay that avoids all the possible traps for a dramedy of its type, Win Win is a story about the members of a family whose lives are affected by the introduction of an estranged kid and by their own financial difficulties. It’s a character-driven story that spends a fair amount of time fleshing out personalities and building relationships, but it will also make you laugh out loud. Hopefully some awards bodies will remember this little film when they list their nominees at the end of the year.

Anyway, I don’t want to make category-type lists at this point in the year, but if I were to highlight the greatest achievements so far, here’s what I’d have to point to:

Favourite Films
Of Gods and Men
Project NIM
Runner-up: Tree of Life

Directors
Terrence Malick
Runner-up: Xavier Beauvois

Writers
Win Win
Of Gods and Men
Runner-up: Midnight in Paris

Actors
Paul Giamatti (Win Win)
Elio Germano (La Nostra Vita)
Javier Bardem (Biutiful)
Runners-up: Mia Wasikowska (Jane Eyre)

Technical Categories
Emmanuel Lubezki (Tree of Life, Cinematography)
Peter Zeitlinger (Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Cinematography)

Runners-up:
Will Hughes-Jones, Tina Jones (Jane Eyre, Production Design)
Adriano Goldman (Jane Eyre, Cinematography)
Mark McCreery, John Bell(Rango, Production Design)

*I only mention Cinematography, Editing and Art Direction in my “awards” at the end of the year – these are the only technical categories I think I can understand enough to make comments on, as opposed to say, music – so I’m sticking with that here as well. But Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ soundtrack, Tree of Life’s VFX and Jane Eyre’s Costume Design are all noteworthy works.

Tree of Life

Grade: A-

Where to begin with a film like this? Terrence Malick’s fifth feature requires much more contemplation than a screening allows. Malick has been the subject of more discourse than any other director with such a sparse career. He is hailed, correctly, as a visionary and visually innovative storyteller. Tree of Life is, in many ways, his most Malickian film to date, whatever that means, and as a film that is already being deemed his magnum opus, it will surely remain in the cinephile conversation for years to come. 

Tree of Life tells the story of Jack, the eldest son of Mr. And Mrs. O’Brien (played by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain) from his birth to his early adolescence and then with a huge leap, his middle aged life (played by Sean Penn). That’s actually quite an understatement. Malick tells Jack’s story not from his own birth, but from the birth of the universe. In an already iconic and widely discussed sequence -- quite an indulgently long one, at that -- Malick uses the wizardry of the craftsmen behind the camera to bring his vision to the screen in the most elaborate, awe-inspiring manner. Partly to the credit of Emmanuel Lubezki and partly to that of the visual effects supervisors, the sequence plays like a majestic beginning to the film’s main narrative, which is essentially about Jack’s personal and emotional complications with his family.

He is a lost soul, confused about his past, his family, his wife, and the world around him. In his adolescence, he manifests his anger against his father in different ways. He drifts apart from his family when we see him accompany his friends on their tirade on an abandoned house in the neighbourhood. We see this in his eyes when he looks at his father fixing the car or when he runs along the river with his mother’s clothes in hand. And in these eyes and their expressiveness lies one of the film’s greatest strengths; that dialogue or conventional exposition has been rendered unnecessary with Malick’s expressionist direction and his actors’ immersive performances.

Tree of Life is the modern embodiment of what critics often -- generously in other films' cases -- call visual poetry. The lyricism in Malick's narration of this story conveys sensations that eliminate the need for traditional plot developments. Explanations are only offered sporadically and in passing. We are told early on that Jack’s brother died when he was nineteen and, although this particular twist matters greatly in the story, Malick doesn’t concern himself with it too much as a plot point. Instead, the focus is turned on to the reaction of the family to this tragedy. It’s the collective heartbreak the audience experiences from watching the O’Brien's in their grief that matter most. WInstinctively, we understand Mrs. O'Brien's need for solitude in grief. The agitation she feels with her relatives comes through in the subtlety of the motion of her body. We don’t need to be told explicitly that Mr. O’Brien always thought he could be a great musician; looking at him play the instrument with such spirit and passion in evident in his gestures, through the fluid movements of Malick’s camera, we feel the sensations he does.

Aiding Malick in materializing his ambitious vision are his actors who all deliver praiseworthy work. Brad Pitt, who is slowly working his way up my list of favourite actors, creates the perfect balance between the harsh demeanour of a stern 50s Texan father and his love for his family. Jessica Chastain, whom I admit I had not seen before, completely immerses herself in Mrs. O’Brien and despite having less material to work with than Pitt, avoids the pitfalls of the “supportive mother” role while capturing the angelic beauty of her character. No less impressive is newcomer Hunter McCracken whose career now seems to have the dreamiest start any actor could wish for. Having the task of portraying the internal dilemmas of his awkward age, McCracken lives up to the expectations of the role and becomes a pitch perfect picture of the angst of preadolescent boys and the transition from childhood innocence to a more mature compassion.

Whether Jack or the family as a whole has any connection to Malick’s own history is unknown to me, but if setting the film in his hometown of Waco, Texas is any indication, then the answer might be a yes. Despite Tree of Life’s massive scale and the grandiosity of some of its elements, particularly the aforementioned “creation of the universe sequence”, this is Malick’s most personal film to date. The picture he paints on the screen is the result of his philosophical questions and his long search for the meaning behind the universe and its creator; Concerns that he’s mulled over for so many years and finally brings to the screen now; Questions that he doesn’t answer so much as he proposes. And there lies another one of the film’s strong points. That Malick never force feeds his ideas. He asks us to think differently. He makes us look at simple quotidian things differently, but never makes emphatic assertions. Even the ubiquitous religious motifs don’t seem aggressive at all. The film might be a personal one, but anyone who’s willing to delve into Malick’s dazzling vision can connect with it.

Ultimately, if anything stops me from hailing Tree of Life as a true masterpiece, it’s the scar left on the face of the film by its very long editing process. Not exactly noticeable during the film’s exploration of Jack’s earlier years – mostly due to the free-spirited and arc-free storytelling – these editing inconsistencies and Malick’s obsession with finessing his work to perfection almost fail the film in the surreal beach sequence at the end. I don’t dislike that sequence per se. I think it does work thematically, but it feels more rumpled than nuanced stylistically and unfortunately ends the film on a less than perfect note.

My Top Dozen Most Anticipated Films of 2011

12. Tintin
If Steve Spielberg's doing two movies in a year, one of them has to show up on this list. Between Tintin and War Horse, I'd pick this one because: 1- Tintin is a childhood obsession; Those are the only comic books I've read in my life. 2- The promotional material looked interesting. 3- His chapter is probably going to be better than Peter Jackson's, given Jackson's post Rings career so I'm putting my hope in this part of the series.

11. On the Road
I'm a big fan of the original novel by Jack Kerouac and Walter Salles has proven himself with road films before, but the actors worry me. None of the three leads in this film are in the calibre that the characters deserve, in my opinion. To be honest, I'm not as excited for this particular film as much as I am for On the Road getting a cinematic treatment, I just hope it turns out fine. Regardless of that, the purpose of the list is to talk about the films I'm most definitely going to watch. On the Road is one of them.

10. Winnie the Pooh
I know, I know. "How does anyone rank this film so high on a most anticipated list?" I hear you ask with your eyebrow raised. Well, first of all, films that open on my brithday weekend are always important to me. (Last year's Inception was such a treat.) More importantly, like Tintin, Winnie is something of a childhood obsession and the trailer made me oh so nostalgic. Not to mention that Craig Ferguson, one of my most favourite people will lend his voice to Owl, and his last voice work in How to Train your Dragon was funtastic.

9. Crazy, Stupid, Love
As funny and cheerful as I Love You Phillip Morris was, I'm not familiar enough with the work of this pair of directors to consider them the biggest factor for my interest in this film, but they certainly showed chops at making comedy. Crazy, Stupid, Love gives them the opportunity to work with the funniest TV actor of our times (Steve Carrel), the promising starlet of Easy A (Emma Stone), and two of the finest actors of their respective generations and my personal favourites (Julianne Moore and Ryan Gosling). Carrel and Moore cast as a couple may be quite an awkward match, but the story sounds intriguing and I especially want to see what Gosling can do with comedy after his exceptional work in Lars and the Real Girl.

8. Hugo Cabret
My feelings about the Scorsese films that I've watched range somewhere between "enjoyed", "liked", "loved" and "can't get over how amazing it was, I don't think it can be any better". His last film Shutter Island wasn't his best, but it was an enjoyable venture into genre filmmaking. Hugo Cabret's story is the type of fantasy I usually like and the cast is terrific (Moretz notwithstanding). It also brings Michael Stuhlbarg back to the screen after his incredibly underrated work in A Serious Man. I'm not sure how big the role is but it's nice to see him in a Scorsese film nonetheless.

7. Take This Waltz
My fascination with Sarah Polley will lead me to the theatre to see ANYTHING she does, let alone her second directorial feature with a pairing of Michelle Williams and Seth Rogen.
The premise sounds like something she'll do well with, and the title of the film is taken from one of Leonard Cohen's best songs (cause you know, that's usually an indicator of how good the film is!) I really don't see this one going wrong, so I'll be first in line.

6. A Dangerous Method
Honestly, everything about this film screams perfection. It was about damn time for a top-notch director to take over a project about Freud, or Jung, or better yet, Freud AND Jung. Cronenberg's recent run of films have been brilliant and he's teaming up with his two-time collaborator Viggo Mortensen here. If that's not enough, add Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightley to the equation. If this film doesn't excite you, I'm really not sure what will.

5. The Grandmasters
I'm a sucker for visually rich cinema and of today's working auteurs, no one does that better than Wong Kar Wai. In The Grandmasters, he returns to Martial Arts cinema, from which he's been away for almost 17 years now. On top of that, he's reuniting with Tony Leung and we all know how that collaboration turned out before. (In the Mood for Love is in my top 5 favourites of the last decade.) Let's hope for an early North American release.

4. The Skin that I Inhabit
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver.
Case Closed!

3. Nader and Simin, A Separation
The Iranian film community and I seem to agree that Farhadi is getting better film by film. This Iranian auteur was largely unknown outside of his native country until his last feature, About Elly won best director at Berlinale and best picture at Tribeca. Separation will also premiere in Berlin this month. Aside from Farhadi himself, there are other factors at play that make me all the more excited for this. The film's production was stopped halfway through by the government, which is Iranian code for "this film is gonna be great." Also, some of Iran's biggest stars are in this film, including three actors from the stellar cast of his previous feature. Whether I'll get to see this film in 2011 depends on how much the TIFF programmers love me, but here's hoping.

2. Shame
Steve McQueen's second effort behind the camera would top my list had it been scheduled for release in any other year. Hunger is one of the most powerful films I've seen in my life and Michael Fassbender gives his best performance there. (That's no small compliment given how great he is on a regular basis.) Here they are reuniting and teaming up with Carey Mulligan for a modern day story set in NYC about a man who has to deal with his sister in the middle of his sexcapades. Interesting premise, amazing cast, promising director and already strong promotional material.

1. Tree of Life
If you remember my list from last year, you probably saw this one coming. Back then, I wrote that the name Terrence Malick alone guarantees a number one spot on a list of this sort for me. As if that wasn't enough, a whole other year of anticipation and a trailer that promises another epic of the scope of Malick's last features have only made me more impatient. June 10th really can't come soon enough.