_edited.png){kind=logo}
In my former life before I was a weirdo astrologer and witch, I worked as a film publicist and was obsessed with movies. So, apparently that is why you should care about my movie recommendations.
But really I think I just wanted to have an official list somewhere of all of my favorites films in one place. Living in San Francisco there are so many amazing film festival and theatres and I feel so fortunate to get to enjoy them to its fullest. If movies are our modern day myth, these are the ones I want to remember.
The past few years I’ve seen some of the best in my life, and while they may not be everyone’s cup of tea…to me they are the most memorable. Some of them won awards (Moonlight, Capernaum) and others slid under the radar (Thelma). A few of the films have emotional plots (okay, well that could be all of them for a crier like myself), others walk the line of thriller and psychological depth (The Untamed), and some are those too difficult to explain with a genre (The Lure).
My astrology brain reminds me that with the Sun and Mercury in Pisces, it’s an ideal time to experience and talk about the imaginal and flow realm…such as film.;) And also perhaps time to catch up on some of the good ones you haven’t seen yet? Here’s a rundown of the my most memorable films I’ve seen in the past few years and why I love them so much.
Obvi would love to hear yours, I'm always looking for recommendations.
1) Thelma :: Joachim Trier, Norway, 2017 Perhaps one of my favorite films of all time--a perfect witch’s hero’s journey—sexy, magical, powerful female lead. A few scenes in this film took my breath away, after watching it the first time I sat there stunned at its beauty and numinousity. Just thinking about this movie makes my whole body tingle…
2) The Untamed :: Amat Escalante, Mexico, 2016 Um, not entirely sure what to say about this alien thriller as the movie is slow moving at first with a lot of mystery. There is one shot in the entire film that makes it so good…it too has a sexy slant filled with oddity. At the end I wasn’t sure if I was turned on or just had been abducted by aliens.
3) The Border :: Ali Abbasi, Sweden, 2018 From the preview I knew this was about the realm of elementals, and I was right. The Swedish countryside images and beautiful colors made this dreamy AF. And of course like most of my favorites it includes a memorable sex scene as well as a difficulty between good and evil in its many forms.
4) Capernaum :: Nadine Labaki, Lebanon, 2018 Still not sure I’ve recovered from this movie, it is the one I have seen most recently and the aftermath is one of both sadness and relief. I have never seen a film speak more clearly to the myriad forms of difficulty experienced by immigrants and refugees.
5) The Lure :: Agnieszka Smoczynska, Poland, 2017 After seeing this movie with my friend we had a dance party in an empty bar, there weren’t many things to do after being in a Polish, mermaid musician movie. It is one of the most magical films I have ever seen, and one of the strangest—though that is what made me love it.
6) The Trouble with Wolves :: Collin Monda, United States, 2018 I just realized this is the only United States film on my list so far…I saw it during a DocuFest in San Francisco by myself. The topic was just too juicy to pass up and I couldn’t find anyone else interested. After seeing this movie I felt more educated and clear on the many possibilities of how humans can coexist with wolves in a new way.
7) Human Flow :: Ai Weiwei, German, 2017 Few films have devasted me the way this did, but it still felt important to see. It follows the displacement process and incredible scale of people who have left their homes. I’m not sure I have ever cried more than while watching this, and yet I think it is necessary education for all of us—in particular those in the United States.
8) Moonlight :: Barry Jenkins, USA, 2016 Barry Jenkins was one of the first people I met when I first moved to San Francisco in 2010 when I thought I would continue my path in film. Anyone who has seen this knows they are forever changed, and I wrote an entire post about it in attempts to dive deeper into the Chiron archetype and appreciate the myth taking form so powerfully with a character I couldn’t identify with other than to feel his pain.
9) Kusama: Infinity :: Heather Lenz, Russian, 2018
This documentary about Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was mind boggling, I've loved her art...though hearing and seeing her story changed everything. Her brilliance and struggle with mental health was all on full view with shots of her beautiful artwork and the deeper appreciation of her journey as an artist. I recommend this for anyone who has seen her art or hasn't and wants a more intimate view of this stunning woman.
10) Only Lovers Left Alive :: Jim Jarmusch, USA, 2013
I struggled with the last one on this list as I wanted to leave it at 9 movies and then keep one option open, but I just love this movie. And I'm not sure one can have a movie list without at least one about vampires because they are sexy and wise. Because it is the oldest on this it may get replaced, but in the meantime I still love bathing in its dark glow.