good.film
a year ago
We’ve checked out a lot of cinema across 2023 (here’s the receipts!). And when we looked back, we were amazed all over again by the depth and quality of the films that made their way to our screens.
Most of 2023’s new releases have now found their way to streaming, giving you the chance to rewatch your faves, or discover the best for the very first time. So where should you start?
We scrolled through the good.film back catalogue to choose three stories that used the medium of film to speak to us in wholly original ways. Darn fine movies in their own right, they also contain messages that trade in that invisible quality that connects us all: what it means to be human.
From lost loves to nuclear threats, here’s our handy guide to three of the best impact films of the year - now available for you to stream.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Causes Explored: War & Peace, Science & Technology
Art has always functioned as a way of understanding our world. In the case of Oppenheimer, Oscar-nominated director Christopher Nolan unpacks a huge existential threat from our past to ask questions about what might lie ahead (if we’re not careful…).
Just as J. Robert Oppenheimer and his peers raced to harness the theoretical physics that led to a weapon of unimaginable power, so are today’s technologists grappling with the limits and consequences of a new frontier: artificial intelligence.
And once something so mighty has come into existence, well - you can’t squeeze that toothpaste back into the tube.
“This isn’t a movie you chuck on in the background while scrolling Insta,” we wrote back in August of 2023. “Nolan intentionally challenges us, playing with time, flashbacks and multiple perspectives to actively engage us in piecing the story together. We’re not just being told a story - we’re immersed in one. Oppenheimer asks, How far should humankind push our zeal for advancement? Who makes the call on morally questionable inventions that could have huge ramifications? By turning to the past, can we warn ourselves away from a dark future?”
Is Oppenheimer a shining example of how cinema can examine complex emotions, and twist the form anew to reassess the human experience? You bet your A-bomb it is.
Director: Celine Song
Causes Explored: Racial Equity, Religion & Spirituality
Sometimes in cinema, there can be more explosive power in one longing look than an atom bomb. At least, that’s the theory Korean-Canadian filmmaker Celine Song explores in her delicate and wondrous debut feature.
There’s a silken, poetic texture woven through Past Lives that seems to defy explanation. Somehow, Song manages to capture those indescribable emotions that we all recognise, but struggle to put into words. Pretty fitting for a story about long-lost lovers that no longer speak the same language day-to-day.
“Past Lives gives us a modern exploration of a woman’s emotions and desires that feels authentic to Nora and her choices,” we explained in our deep review. “They might be messy, confusing or contradictory - but they also feel real. This is wholly Nora’s story, told from her point of view; Hae Sung re-enters her life, but he doesn’t upend it. Their flirtatious, ultimately pragmatic decision might make Past Lives one of the most subtly feminist films of 2023.”
Loaded with subtext - and never quite unfolding the way you expect - Past Lives is a film that makes you feel as if golden lights are twinkling on your soul.
Directors: Michael Philippou, Danny Philippou
Causes Explored: Mental Health, Grief & Loss
Horror might not be your thing, but there’s no denying that thumping heart rate makes for a memorable time at the movies. Especially if there’s some substance beneath the scares. That’s where Talk To Me succeeds – it’s resolutely grounded in emotional reality.
The combo of superb casting and a genuine portrayal of how Gen Zs talk & behave means we believe in Mia from the get-go: she’s an empathetic teen who’s still processing the loss of her Mum, and coping with an emotionally distant Dad.
Tight and tense, this truly inventive thriller got tongues wagging here at home and overseas.
”Top level, Talk To Me is a supernatural seance scarefest,” we said after catching the Aussie horror hit late last year. “Scratch the surface though, and the Philippous use a disembodied hand and traumatised heroine as a gateway to explore grief and loss, issues of trust and the meaning of family. A common reaction of grieving teens is hearing their loved one’s voice, or “seeing” them out of the corner of their eye. The film plays on this trope, heightening our sense of Mia’s grief.”
You might watch some of it through your fingers, but Talk To Me isn’t a gratuitous gore-fest. The empathy we feel for Mia makes for a thrilling supernatural ride you’ll invest in.