I would like to see Debut Film added to the Oscars – if only because I
think it would be a great way to give a leg up to new voices in cinema. This
year, we saw any number of fine debut films – and, of course, some not so great
debuts. So below, I start with the worst, and move to the best. Just a quick
word – I typically don’t include docs here – and won’t count a doc made as a
debut for a fiction filmmaker (the only time it’s confusing is with someone
like Casey Affleck who made I’m Still Here, which is kind of a doc, but kind of
not. But otherwise, it’s pretty simple.
In terms of just down right bad debuts there was: Dark Phoenix (Simon Kinberg) the
longtime screenwriter who stepped into the director’s chair, only to kill X-Men
at Fox forever with the worst film in this series by far. Greener Grass (Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe) is a film I admire
since the directors surely stuck to their “vision” – but boy did I not like
said vision. The Kitchen (Andrea
Berloff) is a fine screenwriter – and I like to think there is a 4-hour
version of this movie that makes sense, but in what we did see, it’s pretty
damn bad. Lucy in the Sky (Noah Hawley) proved
that being a great TV showrunner (Fargo, Legion) doesn’t mean you’ll make a
great film the first time out.
For debuts that aren’t great, but show at least some promise there was: Gwen (William McGregor) which was a horror
film, long on atmosphere and short on anything else. The Parts You Lose (Christopher Cantwell) is a chilly thriller,
with some good performances and atmosphere, that never quite goes anywhere. Possum (Matthew Holness) looks quite
good, but the story goes absolutely nowhere. State Like Sleep (Meredith Danluck) has a couple of fine
performances by Katherine Waterson and Michael Shannon, and a good, dreamlike
look – but has a story that goes nowhere. Teen
Spirit (Max Minghella) feels like a fairly mediocre debut from 2003 –
elevated by a couple of great musical numbers, and a good performance by Elle
Fanning.
Always Be My Maybe
(Nahnatchka Khan) is a charming, if forgettable romantic comedy that
coasts along on some wonderful performances. Between Two Ferns: The Movie (Scott Auckerman) is very funny, but
very thin – but precisely the film it wants to be. Brittany Runs a Marathon (Paul Down Colazzio) is a charming and
inspirational comedy – with a little more to it as well. The Changeover (Miranda Harcourt & Stuart McKenzie) has the
atmosphere of Heavenly Creatures – but a story that doesn’t go that far. Diamantino (Gabriel Abrantes & Daniel
Schmidt) is so strange and original that I want to see what they do next –
but it really doesn’t come together. I
Trapped the Devil (Josh Lobo) shows what Lobo can do on almost no money – I
want to see what he can do with more. The
Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Bigfoot (Robert D. Krzykowski) is a
complete original – but isn’t the off the wall cult film you would think it
would be with that name. The Peanut
Butter Falcon (Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz) is a charming,
feel-good film that is impossible to resist, whatever its flaws.
Even better than those were: Annabelle
Comes Home (Gary Dauberman) has the horror screenwriter showing that he
knows what to do behind the camera to make a fun little film. Body at Brighton Rock (Roxanne Benjamin) shows
that Benjamin should make an all-out 1980s homage – here, the visual look is
perfect, the content doesn’t quite much.
Good Boys (Gene Stupnitsky) shows that maybe mainstream Hollywood comedy
can survive, with this charming, sweet, gross, hilarious film. Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse (Lukas
Feigelfeld) looks great, and expertly builds tension – even its perhaps a
little too slow burn of a horror film. The
Hole in the Ground (Lee Cronin) is a stylish horror movie, with a great
lead performance – but perhaps is a little too on the nose. Hotel Mumbai (Anthony Maras) is
incredibly intense and disturbing, even if it leaves a slightly bad aftertaste
in your mouth. The Standoff at Sparrow
Creek (Henry Dunham) really wants to be a Reservoir Dogs for the militia
set – and isn’t quite that, but is still very good.
Finally, some other fine debuts that just didn’t have space in the top
15. A Colony Genevieve Delude-De Celles)
is a sensitive, subtle Quebecois coming of age movie, that may bite off
more than it can chew, but still shows immense promise. Firecrackers (Jasmin Mozaffari) kind of plays like a Canadian
version of an Andrea Arnold film – about two teenage girls in a dead-end town,
dreaming of getting out. Ladyworld
(Amanda Kramer) was an odd little film, part Sofia Coppola, part genre, and
all strange – but I look forward to seeing what Kramer does next. I’m not sure
if Light of My Life (Casey Affleck) should
count, since his previous film – I’m Still Here – was only kind of a
documentary – but either way, it is a strong debut for the actor turned
director. The Mustang (Laure de
Clermont-Tonnerre) is a good character study of a damaged man getting
better in prison through the help of a prison horse program. Queen & Slim (Melina Matsoukas) looked
amazing – but had some storytelling issues, etc. – that makes me cannot wait to
see what Matsoukas does next, without quite loving the film she made first. Them That Follow (Britt Poulton & Dan
Madison Savage) is an interesting, sympathetic drama about a fundamentalist
Christian sect – and a young woman struggling with her faith. Tigers Are Not Afraid (Issa Lopez) has
some great horror movie moments in it, and is an ambitious mix of horror and
social commentary, even if it doesn’t quite come together.
15. Little Woods (Nia
DaCosta)
Part modern noir, part modern Western, Nia DaCosta’s Little Woods is an
acting showcase for Tessa Thompson and Lily James, playing half-sisters
struggling to get by in rural America at the height of the opioid epidemic, one
of whom decides to get back into dealing to get ahead – it’s the only way to
survive. The performances are great – Thompson in particular is wonderful – and
the film looks great – a dull grey hangs over the winter settings, which
extends to the lives of the characters as well. I kind of kept waiting for the
film to do something unexpected, and it never quite does – but it’s a fine
little genre film – and shows DaCosta’s very obvious talent – making it very
obvious why Jordan Peele tapped her to direct the Candyman remake.
14. Braid (Mitzi
Peirone)
As a film, I’m not quite sure that Braid is as good as some of the films
below – but as a filmmaker, I cannot wait to see what Mitzi Peirone does next,
because Braid is such a strange, unique film. It’s about two women on the run
from the law, who go to the large, if dilapidated, house of an old friend –
another woman – and the strange games that the trio play with each, eventually
drawing in a male detective who finds them there. The film is heavily inspired
by David Lynch – and Peirone gets a lot of stuff right about her what makes
Lynch such a brilliant filmmaker, but she doesn’t quite manage to make you love
the characters as well. If she figures that out, she’ll make a masterpiece. As
it stands, Braid is an odd experiment from a very promising filmmaker.
13. Burning Cane
(Phillip Youmans)
Philip Youmans was only 19 when he wrote and directed this film. Set in
the deep South, the film is about the cycles of abuse and alcoholism that
plague the small, African American church going community. Wendell Pierce is
typically great as the local preacher – a flawed man, who becomes more so when
his wife died. But the main character is probably Helen Wayne (Karen Kaia
Livers) – one of Pierce’s flock – who struggles with her own son, now an adult,
now an alcoholic, and raising his own son in a bad way, and not treating his
wife well. You can tell that Youmans is a little young – the ending is designed
to shock, and doesn’t really work – but you can also tell that he has a better
eye for camera placement and pacing than most directors twice his age do. This
is a promising film, that draws from a lot of inspirations, but is completely
its own thing.
12. Luz (Tilman Singer)
Tilman Singer’s Luz marks him as one of the most promising filmmakers in
horror coming up. At just over an hour, the film is basically a three act film
with an absolutely stunning first third, cutting back and forth between a
strange conversation in bar, and a woman going into a police station. The film
never quite reaches that level again, but the second act is a rather daring
stylistic choice, and it all leads to a haunting conclusion. Singer isn’t
afraid to take chances throughout the film – and they all pay off. He clearly
didn’t have much money, but what he is able to pull off is stunning. The total
is probably less than the sum of its parts – but rest assured, whatever Singer
does next, I cannot wait to see what he does.
11. A Vigilante (Sarah
Daggar-Nickson)
Sarah Daggar-Nickson’s A Vigilante came and went very quickly –
seemingly few saw it, and those who did, underrated it. But it was a powerful
film about domestic abuse and PTSD, and featured a great performance by Olivia
Wilde as a woman who has escaped an abusive marriage, and now has extremes ways
to help others do the same. As the film progresses, you find out more about
what happened, and why she is so wounded – and you know there will be a
confrontation with her ex. It is a wonderful film – showing the two sides of
Wilde’s character, who is a mess when she is by herself, but puts on a mask of
confidence when she heads out into the world. Wilde certainly got credit for
proving she is a great director (her film is coming up) – but here, she proved
just what a great actress she is as well. And Sarah Daggar-Nickson directed a
powerful film at the same time.
10.The Chambermaid
(Lila Aviles)
Lila Aviles’ debut film takes place entirely within the walls of a
luxury hotel in Mexico – and focuses on a chambermaid, Eve, as she goes about
her day-to-day routine. The film never lets her out of that hotel – one day
bleeds into the next, into next – as she has to go about her work with
dedication and diligence, while also staying out of sight from the guests – who
don’t want to see the staff too much. The film is about these workers who many
simply look through as if they are not there – and sees its main character
clearly. She has such small dreams – but that doesn’t make them hurt any less
when they get crushed. A good companion piece to Roma – and perhaps a slightly clearer
eyed one.
9. The Wind (Emma Tami)
The Wind is a horror/Western hybrid with a feminist twist. The film is
about two couples who live in isolation on the Western plains – a younger
couple moves into an abandoned house, and that sparks a descent into jealously
and paranoia for the slightly older couple – as both women start to believe
that something may be out there on the plains during the dark and windy nights.
The film is brilliantly constructed on atmosphere – as the low budget film does
a lot with not very much money. The film is spooky and haunting, and twists and
turns throughout – making you wonder just who may be the crazy one, and perhaps
it’s the isolation, and woman’s place in the world at this point in time, where
perhaps going crazy is the only sane thing to do. A great debut for Emma Tammi,
who I really want to see continue in this horror movie vein.
8. Starfish (A.T.
White)
One of the strangest debuts of the year, A.T. White’s film is about
grief and loss with a young woman returning to home to attend the funeral of a
friend, ends up staying in her apartment on the night where it just so happens
the world ends. The film is spooky and creepy – more horror adjacent than
horror itself – but it’s really a film about loss, and the power of music. The
film is endlessly inventive – it looks great, and the sound design is among the
best I have seen in a low budget film in a long time. White, best known for his
music career, should continue to direct films – this is one of those debuts
that seems like the entire worldview and style come out in the first film fully
formed.
7. Aniara (Pella
Kagerman & Hugo Lilja)
What Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja doe in their
debut film Aniara is quite astounding, considering they didn’t really have a
huge budget. The film is about a large space ship – basically the equivalent to
a cruise ship – heading to Mars when humanity destroys the world. They are
supposed to be out in space for a few months, but they are knocked off course,
and end up drifting endlessly through space for years and years after. The film
is based on an epic poem from a Nobel Laureate – and I’ve always thought we
need more movies based on epic poems – and is really about humanity in a
microcosm. Where are, after all, all drifting through space for years on end,
trying to find meaning in our lives. The film gets darker and darker as it goes
along – and becomes endlessly complex. I wish there was slightly more emotional
connection to some of the characters – but when the film does this much, it
kind of feels like nitpicking to complain about that as well.
6.
Honey Boy (Alma Har’el)
Har’el has made some prize winning docs over the
years, but this is her first feature. Teaming up with Shia LaBeouf, who she has
worked with over the years, to tell LaBeaouf’s own, very personal story of
growing up a child star with an angry, sometimes abusive recovering alcoholic
father – and how that led to his own issues. Har’el gets great performances out
her cast – Noah Jupe as the young LaBeouf is great, Lucas Hedges is typically
greater as the older version – all coiled rage – and LaBeouf himself delivers
one of the year’s best performances as a version of his own father. The films
visual looks capture both the beauty, and the ugliness of L.A. – from the
golden sunsets, to the rundown places where the pair live. A wonderful,
heartfelt film – that Har’el elevates from what could have a lot of self-pity.
5.
Atlantics (Mati Diop)
Mati Diop’s haunting, beautiful ghost love story is
one of the most distinctive debut films of the year. Set in Senegal, the film
is a love story between a young woman from a conservative family and the
migrant worker who leaves her behind to find Europe – with tragic results. From
there, the movie takes some very strange twists and turns – but even with some
genre elements, it’s not really a genre film. It is a coming of age film, a
love story, a ghost story – and all combined. It is also one of the most stunning
beautiful films of the year – with Clare Mathon’s stunning cinematography
aiding the movie greatly. Diop won one of the top prizes at Cannes this year –
and it was deserved. I cannot wait to see what she does next.
4. Booksmart (Olivia
Wilde)
Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart is one of the best comedies of the year – a whip
smart tale of high school female friendship in 2019, in ways that it makes
complex throughout. It was called a female Superbad – but that isn’t quite
right here, in part because the supporting cast is so good and build some nice
little characters. It is a subtle portrait of class, a portrait of woke culture
and at its heart has wonderful performances by Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie
Feldstein, which is a far more complex and heartfelt portrait of this
friendship. As a director, Wilde goes for absolute broke here, channeling
Scorsese at times (and not in an obvious, Joker like way) and keeps the film
just going at its breakneck pace throughout, taking stylistic chances
throughout. Wilde has always been a fine actress – but now I really want to see
her next film as a director.
3.
Diane (Kent Jones)
The oldest filmmaker on this list, former critic Kent Jones has spent a
while directing docs – first with Martin Scorsese, and then by himself, all about
famous directors (A Letter to Elia, Hitchcock/Truffaut) before finally making
his feature debut. The film stars a remarkable Mary Kay Pace in the title role,
one of the great character actresses who has been working for decades now, who
never gets a chance for a lead role. At first, Diane seems to be a selfless
character – always doing everything for everyone else, visiting people in
hospitals, dropping off food for the housebound, never giving up on her drug
addicted son, etc. But the film gets more and more complex as it goes along –
and you get the sense that she doesn’t do what she does out of selflessness,
but out of guilt – and whether or not it matters. It also ends in an
understated but profound way. I really hope Jones keeps making films – because
Diane is a stunning debut.
2. The Last Black Man
in San Francisco (Joe Talbot)
No American directorial debut this year was better, more distinctive
than Joe Talbot’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco. It is a story of
gentrification – of a young black man who wants nothing more than to get his
old family home back from the white people who purchased it – and then when
they move out, but it isn’t sold, moves back in on the down low. The film is
lyrical and touching, a dreamlike film that addresses very real concerns about
modern city living and being black in America when the world is systematically
against you. It’s a beautiful and touching film and an announcement of a major
new talent in Talbot. Joins the ranks of the best debuts of the decade – and
hope for the future of American indie film.
1. An Elephant Sitting
Still (Bo Hu)
One of the saddest things in the film world this
year is that the single best debut film was made by a filmmaker who will never
make another film – as writer/director Bo Hu killed himself after finishing his
four hour cut of the film, while he was in the midst of fighting with producers
who wanted him to cut the film down to two hours. That wasn’t the only reason –
clearly – but a contributing factor. His one and only film is a testament to
his talent and his vision – it’s a long film about four interconnected
character in an industrial city in Northern China – all going through a
horrible day, where they are trapped in their own lives, and the oppressive
society. It is a deep film, a dark film – not the easiest city – but a
masterful one. It is incredibly sad that we will never see another film by Bo
Hu – because the one we got was masterful.
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