The big story in movie distribution over the past decade is how Netflix, Showmax, and other streaming services have made it easier for us to watch, rewatch, discover, and scrutinise many more movies, sooner and more frequently. Not only have they been buying and streaming various independent movies that we would not otherwise have seen in South Africa, but they’re producing their own independent content and showing us that as well, and, as with productions made by any studio or independent house, there’s the chance of great works coming out of this as well.
Each year, I split my list into movies that were distributed theatrically in South Africa and those that weren’t. Every year, some of the best movies are ones that most moviegoers have never heard of because they weren’t bought by Ster Kinekor or NuMetro and weren’t shown at shopping mall cinema complexes, and South African media outlets focus nearly exclusively — with a few notable exceptions — on movies that are theatrically distributed. This is where Netflix and Showmax (and a few more sources, some of less reliable legitimacy) fill in important gaps. Steven Soderbergh hit the point exactly when he said that he wanted his new film High Flying Bird to be seen by everyone everywhere, at the same time. High Flying Bird — one of the best movies not just of 2019, but of this entire decade — was indeed available to all of South Africa early in the year on Netflix, but most people never heard of it, because no newspaper or major website reviewed it. Movie theatres are already feeling the adverse effects of audiences that stay home to stream movies, and soon media outlets will too, for ignoring or marginalising a growing and vital part of the common moviegoing experience.
For the first time, my list of undistributed movies is longer than my list of distributed movies — a partly dismaying, partly exciting, wholly surprising fact that reflects the thinning of substance at the wealthiest and loudest levels of Hollywood, and an affirmation of the astonishing and inspiring work put out by so many independent artists around the world. Some of these movies aren’t available in South Africa by any legal means that I know of (all the more dismaying), but I suspect that that won’t trouble too many of you...
Each of these movies was a rich pleasure for me to watch. I hope many of you reading this look for the ones you haven’t seen and enjoy them as well. Each has a wealth of delights and insights, and most have withstood repeat viewings by me. I did miss a number of important theatrical releases during the year, which is another explanation for why my first list is so much shorter. I only regret not having written about more of my choices during the year (and not making more of an effort to obtain other movies that were not made available to us through the legal channels). Do comment with your own choices, and your thoughts on mine.
The Best Movies Distributed Theatrically in South Africa
Us (Jordan Peele)
Ad Astra (James Gray)
The Mule (Clint Eastwood)
The Old Man and the Gun (David Lowery)
The Best Movies Not Distributed Theatrically in South Africa
High Flying Bird (Steven Soderbergh)
Marriage Story (Noah Baumbach)
Sword of Trust (Lynn Shelton)
Harriet (Kasi Lemmons)
The Dead Don’t Die (Jim Jarmusch)
Birds of Passage (Ciro Guerra, Cristina Gallego)
Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley)
American Factory (Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar)
Ghosts of Sugar Land (Bassam Tariq)
The Laundromat (Steven Soderbergh)
Period. End of Sentence. (Rayka Zehtabchi)
Best Actress:
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Best Actor:
Brad Pitt, Ad Astra
Robert Redford, The Old Man and the Gun
Clint Eastwood, The Mule
André Holland, High Flying Bird
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Lakeith Stanfield, Sorry to Bother You
Best Supporting Actress:
Sissy Spacek, The Old Man and the Gun
Dianne Wiest, The Mule
Elisabeth Moss, Us
Tessa Thompson, Sorry to Bother You
Sonja Sohn, High Flying Bird
Best Supporting Actor:
Casey Affleck, The Old Man and the Gun
Bradley Cooper, The Mule
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Best Adapted Screenplay:
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
David Lowery, The Old Man and the Gun
Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Nick Schenk, The Mule
Best Original Screenplay:
Tarell Alvin McCraney, High Flying Bird
Jordan Peele, Us
Lynn Shelton, Mike O’Brien, Sword of Trust
Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
Boots Riley, Sorry to Bother You
Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don’t Die
Best Cinematography:
Joe Anderson, The Old Man and the Gun
Hoyte Van Hoytema, Ad Astra
Mike Gioulakis, Us
James Laxton, If Beale Street Could Talk
Steven Soderbergh, High Flying Bird
Yves Bélanger, The Mule
David Gallego, Birds of Passage
Best Editing:
Lisa Zeno Churgin, The Old Man and the Gun
John Axelrad, Lee Haugen, Ad Astra
Steven Soderbergh, High Flying Bird
Nicholas Monsour, Us
Terel Gibson, Sorry to Bother You
Joel Cox, The Mule
Miguel Schverdfinger, Birds of Passage
Best Score:
Nicholas Britell, If Beale Street Could Talk
Max Richter, Ad Astra
Michael Abels, Us
Other end-of-year lists
BTG Lifestyle (Stephen Nagel)
Channel24 (Ilan Preskovsky, Gabi Zietsman, Herman Eloff, Alex Isaacs, Leandra Engelbrecht)
City Press (Grethe Kemp)
Litnet (Floris Groenewald)
Litnet (Suzette Kotzé-Myburgh)
Litnet (Reney Warrington)
RSG (Leon van Nierop)
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