I don't have a best of list. I didn't see that many new releases in movie theaters. In my household, we're trying to see a bunch of the Oscar films before that actual awards show (which is funny because I've grown steadily more skeptical of awards shows each and every year. Why do we care so much about crazy-rich people winning awards for work they love and are overpaid for? But, of course, we will tune in. ). However, there are a bunch of Oscar films that I don't want to see, because I don't think I could take it--either due to extreme violence done to the human body or wretched sadness. Maybe it's not that I don't want to see them, but that I just can't do it. . . (I'm looking at you, Amour, Django Unchained, and The Impossible).
But each year, there's a movie or two that stands out for me. This year that spot is held by both an Oscar-contender and a small indie film that has gone pretty unnoticed: Silver Lining Playbook and Safety Not Guaranteed. Both movies are about love and loss and mental illness and joy. That last one is the biggie--joy.
There aren't many American movies made about joy. Spectacle? Check. Deeply conflicted and brooding main characters? Check. Political Intrigue? Check. Suffering? Yup. Mean spirited humor? Sure thing. Revenge? You bet. But joy? Not so much.
So when a movie ends in a place of totally surprising happiness--and I don't mean just a happy ending, I mean something that actually shocks my system with a burst of happiness that makes me laugh and cry at the same time--I'm hooked.
SLP and SNG are the films that did that to me this year. See them. You not only won't be disappointed by them, you'll be happier for having done so. And right now? Who doesn't need a little happy.
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