Often thought of as a dead zone for movies, January actually offers a wide array of choices.
By Noah Gittell
Often thought of as a dead zone for movies, January actually offers a wide array of choices. Those who favor high art will be catching up on the Oscar nominees at your local indie cinema, while genre fans get a good chunk of horror movies (“The Forest”) and war flicks (“13 Hours”). At the risk of being accused of triangulation, allow me to offer a third option. Some of the best movies of 2015 barely got a theatrical release at all, and many are currently streaming on your television or laptop. In January, who wants to go out, anyway? Tonight, put a log on the fire and curl up with one of the best movies of the year you’ve never heard of.
“Slow West”
Where to Watch it: DirecTV and Amazon Prime
In a year of high-profile, controversial westerns (“The Hateful Eight,” “The Revenant”) the one that got the least attention was the best. Instead of a bloated running time, debut director John MacLean’s story of a young Scottish boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who hires a brutish cowboy (Michael Fassbender) to help him traverse the plains and find his lady love is an efficient 80 minutes. Instead of incisive political subtext or self-indulgent musings, “Slow West” is just a ripping good yarn, full of humor, surprises, and a self-assured style. Don’t let the title fool you. It’s fast, fun, and unforgettable.
“The Look of Silence”
Where to Watch it: Amazon Video
Humbling and heartrending, “The Look of Silence” is a something of a sequel to Joshua Oppenheimer’s Oscar-nominated documentary “The Act of Killing.” It’s even better than the original because it looks at its subject — the 1965 Indonesian genocide — through a personal lens. A local optometrist, whose father was a victim, makes appointments with the killers themselves, many of whom are still in power. First, he checks their eyes (a salient metaphor). Then, carefully, he begins to interrogate them as to their role in the killings. Rarely has a film felt so daring and dangerous, and never has one earned such a cathartic ending.
“Mississippi Grind”
Where to Watch it: Amazon Prime
The best gambling movie Roger Altman never made, “Mississippi Grind” captures the ethos of the lifelong loser with a distinct focus on character. Ben Mendelsohn is Gerry, a down-on-his-luck poker player who strikes up a friendship with Curtis (Ryan Reynolds), who enjoys gambling but loves the liberated lifestyle that accompanies it. The two travel down the Mississippi River, stopping in every dirty gambling town they can, and inadvertently catching up with the pasts they have tried to forget. In the end, it is less about winning and losing, and more about the lessons learned along the way.
“Heaven Knows What”
Where to Watch it: Amazon Video
The most important thing a film can do is show us a world we’d rather ignore. That makes “Heaven Knows What” a major achievement. It delves into the sub-culture of semi-homeless heroin users in Manhattan, and the smartest move by directors Joshua and Ben Safdie is casting non-actors in key roles. It works fabulously, with newcomer Arielle Holmes, whose life the film is based on, giving a naturalistic performance that quietly takes your breath away.
“Mistress America”
Where to Watch it: Amazon Video
The collaboration between real-life couple Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig gets more fruitful with each film. 2012’s “Frances Ha” was a thoughtful homage to late ‘70s Woody Allen, but “Mistress America” is an entirely original creation. A sympathetic critique of millennial arrogance, the comedy features a lightning-quip script and a star turn by Gerwig as a 30-year-old Manhattanite forced to grapple with her life after she befriends a young college student. The highlight is its long, hilarious second act, a single scene with a dozen characters, staged with all the wit, timing, and style of Oscar Wilde.
“Welcome to Me”
Where to Watch it: Amazon Video
It’s a story so bizarre it had to be true: Unemployed, bipolar TV addict Alice Klieg (Wiig) wins the lottery and decides after little deliberation to use her winnings to produce a public access show about her life. It’s half talk show, half-confessional, and it’s more entertaining to watch a movie about it than it would be to watch the show itself. Wiig gives a winningly low-key performance that serves the director’s finely tuned tone; neither actor nor director ever judges Klieg or her mental illness. They respect her humanity enough to take her wishes at face value, and let us laugh both with and at her. It’s a complex, rewarding film.