7. 35 Shots of Rum
Claire Denis
FRA

The sole entry from 2009, a year which from afar looks rather tame, but in fact boasted many great pictures. Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler is the most memorable flick from the first half of the year, with the likes of District 9, Star Trek and Moon providing a resurgence for science fiction that Avatar couldn’t maintain. 35 Shots of Rum makes this list simply because it provided the single most wonderful screening of the year, with it’s tale of family making up for in emotion what it lacks in complexity. The film presents a very modern, very real Paris, eschewing the charm and whimsy that the dawn of the decade and the likes of Amelie and Moulin Rouge brought with it. Its a look at the city that is reminiscent of the work of Franju or Bresson, and one that struck an immediate chord with a genuine lover of the city.

Oh, and the Nightshift sequence is still the most engaging scene I’ve seen in a motion picture all year!