Unlike television, most film studios still operate by a byzantine system that favours releases in the so-called “Oscar season” – between November and December – in a bid to remain fresh in the memory of voters. For Hollywood viewers internationally, that usually means most of these films don’t make it our shores before February the next year at least, sometimes even later after they’ve picked up all possible awards.
For the purposes of this collection, we’re sticking to the films that our critics have had a chance to see one way or another, be it in wide-release, film festivals, or at home. Those that are yet to become available in India in any fashion – Lady Bird, and Phantom Thread to name a few – will be considered as part of our Oscar coverage in 2018.
Here are the best movies we’ve seen in 2017, in alphabetical order:
Blade Runner 2049
Arrival director Denis Villeneuve’s revisit to the dystopian futuristic world of Los Angeles, where disobedient bioengineered androids – outlawed for years in a blame-game – are hunted by future cops (including Ryan Gosling’s Officer K) who may or may not be human themselves. It is the kind of mind-boggling, contemplative tale[1] that doesn’t leave you for hours after you exit the dark hall.
It’s also meant to be seen on the biggest canvas you can find around you, for the enthralling visuals of Roger Deakins envelop you, drowning you in melancholy and isolation, while the film bides its time with an eerie tone. Blade Runner 2049 ruminates those same philosophical questions as its cult-favourite original, exploring what it means to be human: memory, agency, and free-will – with an added touch of family, authority, and love.
Dunkirk
Christopher...