Sight & Sound asked 180 critics to pick their top five films of the year, and the results are in. The UK mag announced the 20 films to receive the most votes, and six are helmed by women. The highest-placing woman-directed pic on the list is Lucrecia Martel’s long-awaited epic “Zama.” An adaptation of Antonio Di Benedetto’s 1956 novel of the same name, the drama is set in the 18th century and centers on a Spanish officer stationed in a remote South American town awaiting a transfer to Buenos Aires. Argentina’s foreign-language Oscar pick earned the fourth-highest amount of votes in the poll.
Just behind “Zama” is Valeska Grisebach’s “Western,” which scored fifth place. Set in rural Bulgaria, the pic follows a group of German construction workers who are installing a hydroelectric plant. “I grew up with the Western genre, sitting in front of a TV set in 1970s West Berlin. I had a desire to return to that genre; it captivated me in a profound way,” Grisebach told us. She explained, “I wanted to grapple with the lonely, melancholic heroes and male mythology as portrayed in the Western.”
“Faces Places,” co-directed by Agnès Varda, clocked in at no. 6 on the list. The doc sees Varda and collaborator JR traveling through rural France and meeting locals.
Lynne Ramsay’s Cannes winner “You Were Never Really Here” landed at no. 12. The Joaquin Phoenix-starrer centers on a veteran and former FBI agent turned hired vigilante trying to save a young woman from a sex trafficking ring.
Coming in at no. 16 — in a tie with four other films — is Claire Denis’ “Let the Sunshine In.” The dramedy stars Juliette Binoche as an artist and mother looking for romance.
Sharing the no. 16 spot is Dee Rees’ “Mudbound,” a story about two men— one white and one black — returning to Mississippi after serving in WWII.
Last year Maren Ade’s Oscar-nominated father-daughter comedy “Toni Erdmann” earned the no. 1 spot on the list, marking the first time that a female-directed film topped the prestigious poll.
See how many votes each film received below. List adapted from Sight & Sound.
4. Zama Lucrecia Martel 27
5. Western Valeska Grisebach 25
6. Faces Places Agnès Varda, JR 17
12. You Were Never Really Here Lynne Ramsay 12
16. Let the Sunshine In Claire Denis 10
16. Mudbound Dee Rees 10
