When I sat down to try and make this list of the top 10 movies of 2019, I was perplexed at just what would make the list. Not since 2013 have I struggled to craft a list of 10 movies I felt best represented a film year. I moved movies around on Letterboxd about 10 times before I settled on what I thought my top 10 movies of 2019 would be. It was such a rich year in film with lots of surprises. Looking at my top 10 on the surface, I honestly could not have expected how it would end up. I mean the 4 foreign language films and a documentary alone make this a list for the ages. How fitting to end the decade this way.

Top 10 Movies of 2019

10. Uncut Gems

One of the most kinetic films of the year, Uncut Gems never stops. You know how when you wring out a towel you just keep twisting until every drop of water is gone? This is the cinematic equivalent.

9. Giant Little Ones

There are many scripts that stayed with me, but the raw honesty and unflinching narrative of Giant Little Ones was something to behold. I keep going back to those uncomfortable moments and reveling in how the characters grew past them.

8. Pain & Glory

Pedro Almodovar sets you up with familiar faces of Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz, then slowly but surely pulls the rug out from under you and toys with your heart.

7. Ready or Not

The funniest movie of the year and just an all out blast, Ready or Not is the kind of go for broke movie we could use more of these days. Samara Weaving’s star is fully ascendant aft er kicking ass and taking names.

6. Sauvage

If you want to watch a movie where the lead makes increasingly terrible decisions due to their life circumstances and might find a glimmer of hope only to see it dashed away, this is the perfect movie for you. Felix Maritaud is something quite special.

5. Avengers: Endgame

Honestly after the dragging my spirit took during Infinity War, I was unsure how this movie would end up. The humor, the emotions, the brilliant performances, the spectacle…there are so many iconic moments in Avengers Endgame and the film will have you laughing, jumping out of your seat, and an emotional wreck, often in the same beats.

4. Apollo 11

Under the expert hand of Todd Douglas Miller, Apollo 11 reconstructs the Apollo 11 mission into an astonishing film with all the grandeur and astonishing visuals that makes cinema epic. The feat of getting to the moon is presented here via the images and voices of those who were involved, the astronauts and NASA mission control, lending a fresh, inventive perspective to one of the biggest events in human history. With a brilliant score and technical soundness, Apollo 11 has a kinetic energy from the second it opens, unfolding with grace and inspiring wonder in every frame. It is one of the landmark achievements in documentaries and among 2019’s best films.

3. Waves

Naturalism is the hardest effect to nail in movies. Cinema tends to live above the realm of how things appear in the real world with exaggerated dialogue and situations mean to manipulate the viewer. But to actually mimic what real life feels like is a tough challenge for any film. Waves is one of the few films that does that, channeling the brutality, joy, pain, laughter, and trials of life in a beautifully harrowing and ultimately uplifting mix.

2. Shadow

Zhang Yimou is a legend in his own right and Shadow sees him working at an incredibly high level. Known for brilliant colors, he uses muted greys and whites, no less dazzling, to tell the story of a wronged man, doubles, and showcases some brilliant fight choreography.

1. Parasite

Bong Joon-Ho has crafted one of the funniest comedies, most bristling class takedowns, creepiest thrillers, and contemplative films of the year; and often each of these is on display in a single scene. It really is a masterfully written and directed project, that will keep you cringing and on the edge of your seat.