Happy New Year, dear reader! How it got to be 2025 is anyone’s guess, so let’s ease in by taking a step back.
Judging by my Letterboxd diary, I watched 140 films in 2024. What follows are my favorites from last year.
As you know, I am quite partial to movies that paint human portraits of fascinating people I would not otherwise know. Most but not all of these are documentaries, which hold great appeal to me.
The 10 films below have all nestled deep inside my head as well as my heart. I hope you enjoy each one as much as I have.
1. “Film is Dead. Long Live Film!” directed by Peter Flynn. Totally fascinating sneak peek into the “vanishing world of private film collecting … inhabited by passionate cineastes devoted to the rescue and preservation of photochemical film.”
Flynn holds a Ph.D. from UMass, Amherst and teaches courses in media production and film history at Emerson College. How much do you love this poster?!
2. “The Wild Robot,” directed by Chris Sanders. The story of a shipwrecked robot who must adapt to her new surroundings. Roz gets to know some native animals and forms a close bond with a gosling. No, not Ryan. This film could nab a Golden Globe Award this weekend. It is pure delight.
3. “Flow,” directed by Gilts Zilbalodis, is also competing for Best Animated Motion Picture at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. “Flow” follows Cat in the wake of a catastrophic flood. Because this film contains sound but no dialogue, it offers a unique sensory experience.
4. “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story,” directed by Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee. Check out the trailer:
5. “Blue Road: The Edna O’Brien Story,” directed by Sinéad O’Shea. I could listen to Jessie Buckley read the phone book, but hearing her narrate O’Brien’s diaries is so much better! Making its U.S. premiere at DOC NYC’s opening night in November, “Blue Road” came just months after O’Brien’s death in July.
6. “What’s Next?,” directed by Taylor Taglianetti, tells the inspiring story of Dr. Howard Tucker, the world’s oldest practicing doctor at 102. I cannot express how cool this guy is. Book a screening already!
7. “We All Bleed Red,” directed by Josephine Links. Featuring New York City-based photographer Martin Schoeller, this doc shows the artist up close and personal as he gets up close and personal with everyday people. He invites us to open our eyes and see some of the most marginalized members of society.
8. “Yacht Rock: A DOCKumentary,” directed by Garrett Price. Available on Max, this one is like the gentlest shot in the arm. Mellow and energizing at once.
9. “Vanish: Disappearing Icons of a Rural America,” directed by Jim Westphalen. I wrote about this gorgeous film earlier in September, hoping it lands a community screening in the Berkshires.
10. “A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole,” directed by Dori Berinstein. The well-known fashion leader whose catchy, edgy activist impulses became a global brand is also a kind and caring human being doing good in the world.
