2018 left audiences with moments that will never be forgotten. Though this is the case most years, this one, in particular, left me with a swarming amount of images, sounds, and pieces of dialogue that have struck a chord within me unlike any other time before.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2018
From scenes that made my spine tingle and my skin crawl to those that made my heart float and my eyes swell with tears, there were so many striking moments to choose from, but not enough room to write. Thankfully, that’s what Honorable Mentions are for! That being said, the final list below contains moments that left me utterly shocked, devastated, and even downright pissed off. These are the most striking moments of 2018.
Oh, and if it’s not already apparent – **Spoiler Warning**
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Annie loses her mind after Charlie loses her head – “Hereditary”
There are many—maybe too many— scenes and images in “Hereditary” that I have not been able unsee and unhear. With an unrelenting reel of sinister moments to choose from, the one that pried my jaw agape the widest was not Annie (Toni Colette) popping out of the shadows from the ceiling (though it made more than one person on The Playlist staff shriek in horror), Gabriele Byrne’s body engulfed in flames, nor was it Charlie’s (Milly Shapiro) shocking decapitation—but rather, it was the heartrending sequence that followed Charlie’s death. As surprised as viewers were, Peter (Alex Wolff) in his own disbelief drives home with his sister’s body in the back seat and leaves it in the car when he arrives. Lying in bed, incapable of processing what just happened, the camera locks onto Peter’s face as night turns into day, in an instant. With the camera still fixated on his horrified glare, you can hear his mother exit the house with apparent glee, but that glee turns to gloom and devastation once she discovers her daughter’s headless body. Instead of showing Annie’s reaction—director Ari Aster forces you to sit and listen the blood-curdling yell of a mother who had just involuntarily entertained the image of her child’s mutilated body. It is a sound that’s near impossible to endure and one that will ring in your ears long after experiencing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-wZKtKUoSI
Nick proposes to Rachel with his mother’s ring – “Crazy Rich Asians”
Nick Young’s (Henry Golding) second and successful proposal to Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) with his mother’s precious emerald ring was the one scene that sent shock waves throughout the entirety of the summer movie season. Though the ‘mahjong sequence’ would have been a good choice to go with here as well, ‘the proposal’ is the cake-topper to one of the most monumental movies of the year. Not only did Nick’s proposal inside a cramped airplane settle the film’s main conflict—that being Nick’s mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) hesitating to accept Rachel as a part of the family, but it unraveled on screen without ever being predictable. Though the proposal itself at the climax is a well-established and almost necessary cliché within the rom-com genre, the very presence of Eleanor’s dazzling emerald ring in front of Rachel’s shocked face spoke louder than any “will you?” or “I do” possibly could. Considering the hell Nick’s mother put Rachel through in order to gain her favor, the sheer image of green magnificence and deep family heritage presented to her was just too beautiful and thoughtful to leave off this list.
Rev. Toller wraps himself in barbed wire with a glass of Drano to boot – “First Reformed”
When considering moments that best characterize Paul Schrader’s heady “First Reformed,” many would point to Mary (Amanda Seyfried) taking Reverend Toller (Ethan Hawke) on the Magical Mystery Tour through ecological disaster. However, the image that struck me the most came near the very end of Schrader’s masterpiece. With Mary’s unplanned arrival at the reconsecration of First Reformed Church, Toller’s intentions of detonating a suicide vest at his church’s service fell through. Though Toller’s suicidal intentions were aimed against Balq (Michael Gaston), First Reformed’s largest donor and the scummy CEO of a major environmental polluter, the horrific choices Toller makes in place of bombing the church, indicates that there may have been a deeper disdain toward himself more than anyone or anything else. Disgruntled by usurped plans, the Reverend immediately grabs for barbed wire he had collected from the garden early on. Toller then agonizingly wraps his torso with the wire. As he tightens his bloody body with numerous roundabouts, each prong cuts deeper and deeper until there is no turning back. Gazing into the mirror with an excruciating expression of physical pain and emotional futility, this profound moment leaves viewers with an unwanted yet everlasting image in their head. Juxtaposed by a rendition of “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” the film’s climax becomes increasingly shrouded in eeriness once the embattled reverend pours himself a thick glass of Drano with hopes of finishing off the suicidal attempt. It’s a tormenting spectacle near impossible to bear without veering your eyes at least once or twice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2baXdKV34tU
Karaoke at mom’s funeral – “Thunder Road”
If a movie can bring you to tears through the very first scene or scenes, chances are you are in for a bumpy ride. This is exactly what we get with the opening minutes of “Thunder Road,” where officer Jimmy Arnaud played by the film’s director, writer and lead Jim Cummings, pays homage to his mother through song and dance at her funeral. The track in question is the famed Bruce Springsteen number Cummings named his movie after. Standing at the podium, buried neck deep in grief and anxiety, Jim’s mental state gradually turns into an unsettling sight. Pushing onward with his eulogy, he tries to perform “his mother’s favorite song” through a pink, malfunctioning stereo he probably stole from his daughter. As the portable cassette player fails to play the song, Jim stumbles, fumbles and improvises his way through a cringy but endearing performance. Overwhelmingly aware that he is making a fool of himself, the emotionally unkempt officer eventually falls apart, breaks down crying and reaches for his embarrassed daughter for comfort. Not only does this 10-minute sequence coax uproarious laughter, but Jimmy’s display of vulnerability also serves up one of the most touching cinematic moments of 2018.
Thunder Road from Jim Cummings on Vimeo.
The puppet – “Possum”
It’s been nearly three months and still—I cannot get that damn puppet out of my head. This is not your ordinary puppet. Instead of resembling some rickety human or animal figure, this ‘puppet’ is something completely offensive to the human eye. Half human, half spider, this is not your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man—no, this puppet is a visible abomination by definition, and ‘Possum’ is its name. In what was the most underrated horror film of 2018, a rejected puppeteer named Philip (Sean Harris) carries with him, the visually twisted Possum. Phillip tries tirelessly to rid himself of the benign creature, but his efforts are to no avail. Even when he burns it, Possum cryptically returns to Phillip when he awakes. With a ghostly face disturbingly resemblant of Harris’, the camera rarely focuses on Possum’s head, but when it finally does, you will understand why poor Philip breaks his back to shed himself of the monstrous…thing. Though Possum never truly comes alive, it is a conduit of repressed trauma and a family secret far more sinister than the puppet itself.
