The Focus Pull Film Journal The Focus Pull Film Journal
The Focus Pull Film Journal The Focus Pull Film Journal
  • Full Issues 
  • Reviews 
  • Features 
  • OUR TEAM
  • Info.
    • OUR TEAM
  • Content
    • Full Issues 
      • Issue #01
      • Issue #02
      • Issue #03
      • Issue #04
      • Issue #05
      • Issue #06
      • Issue #07
      • Issue #08
      • Issue #09
      • Issue #10
      • Issue #11
      • Issue #12
      • Issue #13
      • Issue #14
      • Issue #15
      • Issue #16
      • Issue #17
      • Issue #18
      • Issue #19
      • Issue #20
      • Issue #21
      • Issue #22
      • Issue #23
      • Issue #24
      • Issue #25 - Horror Week
      • Issue #26
      • Issue #27
      • Issue #28
      • Issue #29
      • Issue #30
      • Issue #31
      • Issue #32
      • Issue #33
      • Issue #34
      • Issue #35
      • Issue #36
      • Issue #37
      • Issue #38
      • Issue #39
      • Issue #40
    • Reviews 
      • (All Reviews)
      • Action Adventure
      • Animation
      • Biography/History
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Foreign
      • Horror
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Thriller
    • Features 
      • (All Features)
      • Bonding with Bond
      • Double Exposures
      • Essays
      • Event Coverage
      • Lists
      • New to Netflix
      • News
      • Retrospectives
    • OUR TEAM
REGISTER
@
LOGIN
Features
2
0
previous article
CIFF 2014: The President Review
next article
CIFF 2014: Fair Play Review

CIFF 2014: Best of the Fest!

by Taylor Sinople on October 27, 2014

With the 50th Chicago International Film Festival coming to a close, we’ve ran out of chances to catch the films from around the world that will define the next year of cinema. Here’s our favorites from this year’s CIFF:

10. The Babadook

Directed by Jennifer Kent
Australia
See it: November 28, 2014

From the sound design that enlivens every object with a deep thumping or high-pitched buzzing, to the wonderfully creative cinematography, to young Wiseman’s truly disturbing performance, “The Babadook” is the year’s must-see horror film.

Read the full review >

9. National Gallery

Directed by Frederick Wiseman
United States of America
See it: TBA, late 2014-early 2015

Frederick Wiseman’s long-form, observational style of documentary filmmaking may appear to be an assemblage of footage with no traditional “story,” but, like the great works of art living in London’s National Gallery, Wiseman’s work is full of intent, structure, and drama waiting to be unlocked by the willing viewer.

Read the full review >

8. Two Days, One Night

Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Belgium, France
See it: December 24, 2014

This enormously satisfying neorealist domestic drama exposes working class hardship without sentimentality and is The Dardenne Brothers’ most compelling film since 2005’s Palme d’Or winner “L’enfant.”

Read the full review >

7. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem

Directed by Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz
Israel
See it: Early 2015

Earnest performances from veteran actors make this a compelling, immersive experience that will leave you reeling against traditionalism.

Read the full review >

6. Black Coal, Thin Ice

Directed by Yi’nan Diao
China
See it: Early 2015

Neon-lit streets, an eerie ice-skating rink, and the “Daytime Fireworks Club” are among the locales in which the threads of this measured and complex Chinese thriller are wound. Director Yi’nan Diao (“Night Train”) uses classic noir elements and a splash of pulp to craft an irresistible mystery, and won the top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival for his efforts.

Read the full review >

5. The Way He Looks

Directed by Daniel Ribeiro
Brazil
See it: November 7, 2014

A046_C002_0101D2

At the Chicago International Film Festival, I overheard a few volunteers mention that “The Way He Looks” had received a rare, nearly unanimous “5 out of 5” from the audience. As a critic, this film is such easy work: I’ll take it exactly as it is. “The Way He Looks” is Brazil’s submission to the 87th Academy Awards, and a near perfect romance.

Read the full review >

4. Force Majeure

Directed by Ruben Östlund
Sweden
See it: November 21, 2014

ForceMajeure

Östlund’s film is raising questions on masculinity and moral responsibility that audiences can’t stop arguing about – a wonderful bright spot for anyone disillusioned by binge-and-forget TV culture. Östlund is committed to our entertainment and delivers on every level – providing comedy and drama that actively invites the audience to contribute their point of view. It’s both slickly presented and deeply considered.

Read the full review >

3. Echo of the Mountain

Directed by Nicolás Echevarría
Mexico
See it: TBA

EchoOfTheMountain

This penetrating, lyrical documentary by Nicolás Echevarría (“Cabeza de Vaca”) follows the great Huichol artist Santos de la Torre while he participates in spiritual rituals in preparation for a new piece. Echevarría becomes part filmmaker part anthropologist with this beautiful portrait piece that’s as ethnographic as it is an artistic achievement in its own right.

Read the full review >

2. Winter Sleep

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Turkey
See it: December 19, 2014

WinterSleep

Is there a more brazen act of pure artistic achievement this year than “Winter Sleep” winning the Palme d’Or? After all, Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”) didn’t end up with a 196-minute character study by thinking about box office figures and public approval. No, Ceylan was going to make “Winter Sleep” whether anyone liked it or not. But while an audience is always to be found at the intersection of artistic integrity and technical brilliance, it’s a special relief to see “Winter Sleep” take the top prize at Cannes, guaranteeing its success in the cinephile community and jump-starting its campaign representing Turkey at the Academy Awards in February of 2015.

Read the full review >

1. Stations of the Cross

Directed by Dietrich Brüggemann
Germany
See it: TBA, late 2014 – early 2015

StationsOfTheCross

“Stations of the Cross” is one of the most arresting pieces of work, of any medium, I’ve ever seen. It’s a powerful indictment of religious extremism that’s as provocative as it is deeply upsetting. Brüggemann isn’t condemning religion altogether here, making this a must-see discussion piece for viewers of all faiths. Just don’t bring a fundamentalist – by the end they’ll have big problems with the film and you’ll have big problems with them.

Read the full review >

To view all of our reviews from the 50th Chicago International Film Festival, including the ones that weren’t so great, return to the archive at the link below. Thanks for reading!

Return to CIFF 2014 Coverage
(All Features), Chicago International Film Festival 2014, Event Coverage, Features, Issue #26
best of the festBlack Coal Thin IceEcho of the MountainForce MajeureGettgreat filmsNational GalleryStations of the Crossthe babadookThe Way He Lookstwo days one nightWinter Sleep
best of the fest, Black Coal Thin Ice, Echo of the Mountain, Force Majeure, Gett, great films, National Gallery, Stations of the Cross, the babadook, The Way He Looks, two days one night, Winter Sleep
About the Author
Taylor Sinople
Taylor Sinople
Taylor is a Chicago-based writer and aspiring film historian. He is the editor here at TFP, and has contributed to a number of international publications such as Cinema Scandinavia, PopMatters, and Room 101 Magazine. He can also be found listening to podcasts, researching topics he has little use for, or running after a city bus.
You might also like
best of the festBlack Coal Thin IceEcho of the MountainForce Majeure
 
Panahi Taxi

Berlinale 2015: Best of the Fest!

by Maximilien Luc Proctor on February 14, 2015
Berlinale 2015 had an incredible amount of screenings to offer. As such, I wasn’t able to begin to see everything, or even everything I’d hoped to see, but I was very lucky to get to see as much as I did. Three of the big winning films were ones I didn’t manage to see (45 […]
Comments
Leave a reply
Add Comment Register



Leave a Response
Cancel reply

The Focus Pull in your inbox!

Subscribe to this list, and we'll send you each week's new issue directly to your inbox. One email a week, packed with essential film writing!

Latest Reviews

View All
 
Taylor Sinople Picks: The 16 Best Films of 2016
 
Form and Function in Alex Ross Perry’s “Queen of Earth&...
 
Digging for Fire and Unexpected: Husband and Wife Process Parenthoo...
 
Every Thing Will Be Fine 3D Review

Latest Features

View All
 
Taylor Sinople Picks – The 17 Best Films of 2017
 
Taylor Sinople Picks: The 16 Best Films of 2016
 
Taylor Sinople’s Top 10 Films of 2015: “The Duke of Bur...
 
8 Films to See at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival

Our Partners

Advertisement

FESTIVAL COVERAGE

View All
 
8 Films to See at the 51st Chicago International Film Festival
 
Every Thing Will Be Fine 3D Review
 
Berlinale 2015: Eisenstein in Guanajuato
 
Berlinale 2015: Sworn Virgin
 
Berlinale 2015: Under Electric Clouds

LISTS

View All
 
Taylor Sinople Picks – The 17 Best Films of 2017
 
SNL40: A Look Back at 40 Years of SNL in Film
 
Six Must-See British Films Opening in 2015
 
Oscars 2015: Ranking the Best Picture Nominees
 
Our 26 Most Anticipated Films of 2015
Tweets by @thefocuspull
  • "Popcorn - check. Soda - check...I have a date with Netflix on Friday night." - Sherry
  • "[…] nails it.” I disagree, and frankly wonder what movies John is talking about. The original G..." - Dear Godzilla Fans: Please Stop Defending that ...
  • "[…] www.thefocuspull.com […]" - Annie Hall
  • "[…] more vibrant monologue or confrontation, like the dinner scene that comes at just the right time ..." - Taylor Sinople's Top 10 Films of 2015
  • "[…] of the year is also the stuff of a best picture winner. With Michael Keaton, hot off praise from ..." - Taylor Sinople's Top 10 Films of 2015
TRENDING ON TFP
   
Try a different filter
© 2014 THE FOCUS PULL FILM JOURNAL
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.