The 50 Best Movies of 2019

35. Deadwood: The Movie

Thirteen years after his beloved series was cut short, David Milch gave fans the end Deadwood deserved, and then some. Instead of taking a narrative victory lap around the titular lawless town (now incorporated years in the future), Milch writes a new, ever so generous story that doubles as a meditation on mortality, humanity, and the tenuous connections that keep us grounded in an often too-cold world. A stellar cast including Timothy Olyphant, Ian Mcshane, John Hawkes, Robin Weigart, and Paula Malcomson put in better work than ever to bring us an ending that’s ripe with poetry and Western pathos. (Valerie Ettenhofer)

34. Ford v Ferrari

In general, prestige movies like Ford v Ferrari are on their way out, much like the award-contending prestige pictures of the 80s and 90s were after exhausting their styles. Originally, it was fresh and invigorating, but now it’s mostly overworn. In the case of Ford v Ferrari, an exception must be made. The DNA is recognizable, but there’s much more depth and heart at play. James Mangold’s retelling of the iconic 1966 Twenty-four Hours of Le Mans race dazzles and roars. Mangold simultaneously critiques the increasing corporatization of sport and pinches the nerves of old school tradition. And he does it all through growling motors, grimy paws, southern drawls, and one metric shit ton of masculinity. Matt Damon and Christian Bale act their asses off and it’s an absolute thrill to witness. It’s a miracle that Mangold, Damon, and Bale managed to paint said masculinity in such a playful, affectionate light without ever letting it decompose into overindulgent man den muck, but it’s a delightfully warm surprise. Just guys being guys without being too obnoxious about it. Every vroom, grunt, and man-ism lands with a jolting thud, proving that Mangold is remarkably capable of originality within the studio system. (Luke Hicks)

33. Honeyland

Tamara Kotevska and Ljubo Stefanov’s documentary might not have had the biggest profile going into the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, but it left with the three awards and strong buzz (excuse the pun). Honeyland is a character study, an ode to tradition, and a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions. It follows Hatidze Muratova — a Turkish-Macedonian beekeeper who works and lives with her mother in a rural village — as she navigates the bittersweet presence of new neighbors. Although she grows fond of them quickly, they soon become competitors in the local honey market.

Shot with an invigorating sense of movement, immediacy, and anxiety in verité style, cinematographers Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma invite the viewer into Hatidze’s world and proceed to demonstrate the beauty, danger, and unpredictability of her livelihood. For a documentary, it has just as much of a dramatic arc as any narrative feature. What bolsters the film’s (already compelling) story is Hatidze Muratova’s natural charisma on camera and her dynamic with her mother. The two of them are strikingly reminiscent of Big Edie and Little Edie from Grey Gardens, bickering with pointed yet loving words. It’s a modest epic that carries universal implications and tremendous relatability. Even if the story of a beekeeper in rural Macedonia doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, trust that Honeyland is that and so much more. (Cyrus Cohen)

32. Pain and Glory

Pain and Glory, the latest from irreverent and prolific Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar, is a tender and obsessive emotional wallop; a deftly meta account of the boundary between artistic impulse and mortality. The film follows Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), a winking dead ringer for Almodóvar himself. Banderas puts in a career-best, radiant and broken as the meta-fictional cult director riddled with aches, pains, and an unshakable sense of creative stagnancy. Pain and Glory is an odyssey of a heart film; a warm and introspective portrait of a director taking stock of the agonies and ecstasies of his life and the role art has played in both. As far as autobiographical love letters to cinema, Pain and Glory side-steps self-aggrandizement and saccharine sentiments about the “power of art” to deliver something more intimate. Its warm, quiet, and powerful, and not to be missed. (Meg Shields)

31. Atlantics

Atlantics is Mati Diop’s feature directorial debut and is an urgent, stunning, and deeply-felt announcement of a major filmmaker. Secretly containing one of the best twisting plots of the year, Diop crafted her script around Ada, performed brilliantly by Mama Sane. Ada is a young woman in Senegal torn between an expected marriage and her true love, Souleiman (Ibrahima Traoré), and Sane plays her with hushed intensity and naturalism. Weaving themes of love and youth with prescient ideas of globalization, Diop infused Atlantics with gorgeous ghostliness and longing. A highpoint in this film full of highpoints is the performance of Amadou Mbow as Issa, a detective investigating an arson case with mysterious underpinnings. Mbow is wonderfully serious and enthralling and anchors much of the film’s more spectral elements. To add to the top-tier debut, Atlantics was shot by Claire Mathon, who also shot Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Mathon’s controlled and peering gaze produces unforgettable compositions that fuel the thematic embers of the film. Atlantics is a stunning first effort from Diop, who’s voice is an exciting and bright addition to the landscape of filmmaking. (Margaret Pereira)

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