THE FILMS OF 2019

The lovely new film Little Women explicitly references Louisa May Alcott’s adage that having many troubles justifies writing jolly stories – though it would be cynical to see Little Women as frothy and superficial. It’s obvious that so many of us are living through an era of struggle and concern, so a little jolliness — married to authenticity in depiction of life’s difficulties — goes a long way. In 2019, a good handful of movies left me feeling elevated; better still, the most joyful films of the year were also among the wisest.

Joy and even a bit of wisdom appeared in Long Shot, a political satire about what it takes to get elected, and how honesty about vulnerability might actually attract voters now that we’ve had three years of uncensored id from the top. Terminator: Dark Fate, unsurprisingly, relied on over-the-top violence to drive its action, but also rooted itself in a real world of pro-women, pro-immigrant politics. Spiderman: Far From Home married the sensibilities of a John Hughes high school comedy with a post-millennial sensitivities of gender diversity, tolerance, and a keenness to find less lethal solutions to defeating bad guys. And Ford v Ferrari excited and nourished audiences looking for fast cars and the joy of living rather than the need to win. It was an action film in which relationships mattered. But for cinematic action that towered above them all there was the documentary reconstruction Apollo 11, a genuinely astonishing use of the big screen to reveal the sheer doggedness of the moon landing mission.

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