NGboo Presents: Top 80 Films 2016

The last months of 2016 have been quite busy for me, particularly in Taste of Cinema list-compiling department, with my latest article focusing on more or less obscure titles from the 90s. 

As for the annual list, I'm accustomed to including older films I haven't seen prior to the current year, but this time I shall not go back as far as 2014 (seven entries). The advantage is given to weird, exotic, eccentric, whimsical, atmospheric, experimental, visually stimulating and "Oh, what a surprise!" works, although there are some exceptions to this "rule". So, without further ado, I present my pick of top 80 cinematic treats of 2016.

(Letter "E" signifies that the linked review is written in English.)

1. The Forbidden Room (2015)

Guy Maddin & Evan Johnson / Canada

2. Endorphine (2015)

André Turpin / Canada
3. The Survivalist (2015)

Stephen Fingleton / UK
4. Grüße aus Fukushima / Greetings from Fukushima (2016)

Doris Dörrie / Germany
5. Elle (2016)

Paul Verhoeven / France | Germany | Belgium
6. La distancia / The Distance (2014) (E)

Sergio Caballero / Spain

7. Nōnai Poizun Berii / Poison Berry in My Brain (2015) 

Yūichi Satō / Japan

8. Kurīpī: Itsuwari no rinjin / Creepy (2016)

Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Japan
9. Love & Peace (2015)

Sion Sono / Japan
10. Bella e perduta / Lost and Beautiful (2015) (E)

Pietro Marcello / Italy | France

11. Risttuules / In the Crosswind (2014)

Martti Helde / Estonia
12. Menuju rembulan / Another Trip to the Moon (2015)

Ismail Basbeth / Indonesia
13. Zoom (2015) (E)

Pedro Morelli / Brazil | Canada
14. Knight of Cups (2015)

Terrence Malick / USA
15. Ah-ga-ssi / The Handmaiden (2016)

Chan-wook Park / South Korea
16. Cosmos (2015)

Andrzej Zulawski / France | Portugal
17. The VVitch: A New-England Folktale / The Witch (2015)

Robert Eggers / USA | UK | Canada | Brazil

18. The Neon Demon (2016)

Nicolas Winding Refn / USA | Denmark | France
19. Evolution (2015)

Lucile Hadžihalilović / France | Belgium | Spain
20. Zeit der Kannibalen / Age of Cannibals (2015)

Johannes Naber / Germany

21. Crumbs (2015) (E)

Miguel Llansó / Spain | Ethiopia | Finland
22. Umimachi Diary / Our Little Sister (2015)

Hirokazu Koreeda / Japan
23. True Love Ways (2015) (E)

Mathieu Seiler / Germany 

24. Kishibe no Tabi / Journey to the Shore (2015)

Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Japan | France
25. The Sky Trembles and the Earth Is Afraid

and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers (2015) (E)

Ben Rivers / UK
26. Kuime / Over Your Dead Body  (2014)

Takashi Miike / Japan | France | China
27. Girl Asleep (2015)

Rosemary Myers / Australia
28. John From (2015)

João Nicolau / Portugal | France (E)
29. The Childhood of a Leader (2015) (E)

Brady Corbet / UK | France | Hungary

30. Demon (2015)

Marcin Wrona / Poland | Israel

31. The Nice Guys (2016)

Shane Black / USA
32. Hrútar / Rams (2015)

Grímur Hákonarson / Iceland | Denmark | Norway | Poland
33. Dol-yeon-byeon-i / Collective Invention (2015)

Kwon Oh-kwang / South Korea
34. Notias / Mythopathy (2016)

Tassos Boulmetis / Greece
35. Collective: Unconscious (2016) (E)

Daniel Patrick Carbone, Lauren Wolkstein, Lily Baldwin,

Frances Bodomo & Josephine Decker / USA
36. Córki dancingu / The Lure (2015)

Agnieszka Smoczynska / Poland

37. Der Bunker / The Bunker (2015) (E)

Nikias Chryssos / Germany 

38. Disorder (2015)

Alice Winocour / France | Belgium
39. Simindis kundzuli / Corn Island (2014)

George Ovashvili / Georgia | Germany | France |

Czech Republic | Kazakhstan | Hungary
40. Já, Olga Hepnarová / I, Olga (2016)

Petr Kazda & Tomás Weinreb / Czech Republic |

Poland | Slovakia | France

41. Boi neon / Neon Bull (2015)

Gabriel Mascaro / Brazil | Uruguay | Netherlands
42. A Bigger Splash (2015)

Luca Guadagnino / Italy | France
43. Hide and Seek / Amorous (2014)

Joanna Coates / UK
44. Geomeun sajedeul / The Priests (2015) (E)

Jae-hyun Jang / South Korea (E)
45. Gesu no ai / Lowlife Love (2015)

Eiji Uchida / Japan
46. Pod elektricheskimi oblakami / Under Electric Clouds (2015) (E)

Aleksey German Jr, 2015 / Russia | Ukraine | Poland 

47. Die dunkle Seite des Mondes / The Dark Side of the Moon (2015)

Stephan Rick / Germany | Luxembourg
48. Goksung / The Wailing (2016)

Hong-Jin Na / South Korea
49. Busanhaeng / Train to Busan (2016)

Sang-ho Yeon / South Korea
50. Scare Campaign (2016)

Cameron Cairnes & Colin Cairnes / Australia

51. The Eyes of My Mother (2016) (E)

Nicolas Pesce / USA

52. Bridgend (2015)

Jeppe Rønde / Denmark

53. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Tim Burton / UK | Belgium | USA

54. Deo Pon / The Phone (2015)

Kim Bong-Joo / South Korea
55. Heart of a Dog (2015)

Laurie Anderson / USA | France
56. Zir-e Sayeh / Under the Shadow (2016)

Babak Anvari / UK | Qatar | Jordan | Iran
57. Saul fia / Son of Saul (2015)

László Nemes / Hungary
58. He Never Died (2015)

Jason Krawczyk / USA | Canada

59. 4 Könige / 4 Kings (2015)

Theresa von Eltz / Germany

60. The Invitation (2015)

Karyn Kusama / USA

61. El abrazo de la serpiente / Embrace of the Serpent (2015)

 Ciro Guerra / Colombia | Venezuela | Argentina

62. Southbound (2015)

 Roxanne Benjamin, David Bruckner,

Patrick Horvath & Radio Silence / USA
63. Demolition (2015)

Jean-Marc Vallée / USA
64. Aloys (2016)

Tobias Nölle / Switzerland | France
65. High-Rise (2015)

Ben Wheatley / UK | Belgium
66. Identicals (2015)

Simon Pummell / UK
67. Ham-jeong / Exchange (2015)

Hyeong-jin Kwon / South Korea
68. Polednice / The Noonday Witch (2016)

Jiří Sádek / Czech Republic
69. Tu dors Nicole / You're Sleeping Nicole (2014)

Stéphane Lafleur / Canada
70. Wild (2016) (E)

Nicolette Krebitz / Germany

71. Mi gran noche / My Big Night (2015)

Álex de la Iglesia / Spain
72. Deadpool (2016)

Tim Miller / USA
73. Swiss Army Man (2016)

Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert / USA
74. Der Nachtmahr / The Nightmare (2015)

Akiz / Germany
75. Nachthelle / Bright Night (2015)

Florian Gottschik / Germany
76. El vigilante / Night Guard (2016)

Diego Ros / Mexico
77. Sindrom Petrushki / The Puppet Syndrome (2015)

Elena Hazanov / Germany | Russia | Switzerland
78. Mot naturen / Out of Nature (2014)

Ole Giæver & Marte Vold / Norway
79. Shelley (2016)

Ali Abassi / Denmark | Sweden
80. Before I Wake (2016)

Mike Flanagan / USA