7. “Lost in Translation”
Set literally and expressively during the hazy hours before dawn, Sofia Coppola‘s wistful, low-lit contemplation of cultural and emotional dislocation is a dreamy evocation of longing. Featuring lost, somnambulant characters (Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray) suffering from insomnia, crumbling relationships and foreign alienation, the beautiful ambiguousness of their softly-charged connection simmers with forbidden sexual potential, yet is artfully offset by the romantic backdrop of Tokyo and the protective fuzziness of a father-daughter give and take. The lonely and forlorn atmosphere is gorgeously realized by Lance Acord’s dimly-lensed cinematography, plus the coup de maître — a reflective and drone-blurry score from the (then) long dormant Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine. Swaying with a slow-motion cadence, even the ending of the movie, where the audience is kept at bay from an unheard secret whisper, reaffirms the idea that connections in life, even the most briefly incandescent ones, can be sadly fleeting.
6.”The Station Agent”
The directorial debut by longtime character actor Thomas McCarthy is a genuinely sweet and charming sleeper indie without the quirks and knowing hipness that generally pervade the genre. The film, also written by McCarthy, is a quietly unassuming story about the friendship that grows between a lonely dwarf (Peter Dinklage), an overly-chatty food vendor (a hilarious Bobby Cannavale) and a mysterious woman (Patricia Clarkson) in rural New Jersey. McCarthy’s patient script doesn’t force its hand, allowing these characters to organically grow closer, and in time, learn the secrets that have brought them to this place, and the fragile strands that hold them together.
5. “Irreversible”
Tilted just south of madness, French provocateur Gaspar Noé keeps you on the edge in “Irreversible,” sparsely rolling out details of the beginning as we watch the horrible aftereffects in a narrative told backwards. Chronologically, we come face to face with the emotional and personal devastation of a trio of friends and lovers before we learn the depths of their own humanity. Dismissed as a sardonic, sick joke by Noe’s detractors, the film’s notorious reputation ignores the human warmth and devastating romantic power of its final breathtaking moments, particularly a closing half hour of swooning, intoxicating seduction between Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci, both rarely as good as they are here.
4. “Elephant”
Just as Gus Van Sant‘s “Last Days” skews facts surrounding Kurt Cobain‘s demise, favoring a more impressionistic portrait of its suicidal rock star, “Elephant” is less a recreation of the Columbine shootings than an echo of the tragedy, a symbol of the ripple effect in which one act of violence leads to another. Teens roam the halls of their pristine high school as if lost in a maze as Van Sant’s camera unearths the eeriness of traversing the school grounds, evoking Béla Tarr‘s trademark tracking shots, a filmmaker Van Sant also paid homage with “Gerry.” And the hypnotic, visual poetry finds the director walking a fine line between identifying with the eventual assailants and stressing that their behavior is not only reprehensible, but ultimately without explanation. He presents innumerable motives — bullying, saturation of media violence, depression — but grounds his commentary in a universal sense of unknowing. What could invoke such hostility? Van Sant’s answer to this complex question is painfully, but appropriately, inconclusive.
Vincent Gallo\’sThe Brown Bunny, BEST OF 2003 for sure
Vincent Gallo\’s THE BROWN BUNNY is the best film of 2003.
Regardless of the misguided 2003 Cannes crowd and Roger Ebert. I put Vincent Gallo\’s THE BROWN BUNNY at the top of the list. It\’s completely original and holds up as pure art.
Oliver Lyttelton\’s pick are obvious and so it makes sense that Vincent Gallo\’s The Brown Bunny went over his head to the point of him throwing it under the bus in this silly article. However, readers should know the film was not re-cut but instead was shown at Cannes unfinished and then released when it was finished. The final cuts had nothing to do with Roger Ebert or the fuss at Cannes. I know this because I worked for Mr. Gallo during 2002-2005. He was wonderful to work for and is an incredible smart funny and beautiful person. And there are many who believe The Brown Bunny is not only the best film of 2003 but one of the best in many years
Mmm…no love for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Peter Weir\’s tour de force? Tragic.
Got this one right. City Of God was the best! An incredible cinematic experience. I also preferred Gerry to Elephant. And All The Real Girls is my favorite David Gordon Green film.
Surprised you guys didn\’t mention any of the epics like Master and Commander, Cold Mountain, Last Samurai etc.
I love that you have 21 Grams near the top. It was my number 1 that year. Followed by Master and Commander, Last Samurai, Cold Mountain, Seabiscuit, Pirates of the Caribbean, School of Rock, 28 Days Later, Old School, Laurel Canyon.
Les Triplettes de Belleville
chastain \’Jolene\’ + gaspar noe Enter The Void = Millennium Mambo
Only saw 5 of these, great lists these. I thought, City of God was 2002. My favourites –
1. The Fog of War
2. Lost In Translation
3. Elephant
4. Kill Bill vol. 1
5. Capturing the Friedman’s
6. End of the Century
7. Finding Nemo
8. Pirates of the Carribbean
9. 21 Grams
10. School of Rock
Mystic River was definitely my favorite of the year, but City of God is definitely an excellent choice as number 1. It is an outstanding film. 21 Grams, Lost in Translation, In America are also excellent films. It\’s a pity Sofia Coppola has never been able to make anything as remotely good or compelling as her first two films: Virgin Suicides & Translation. As for Mystic River, I\’m surprised not to see it here; not even an honorable mention. Regardless, I\’m loving these lists.
Lost in Translation, Triplets of Belleville, Elephant, Mystic River, Capturing the Friedmans, Kill Bill Vol 1, Saraband, Coffee & Cigarettes, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, and… Spring, and Fog of War.
Sooooooo….where is The Brown Bunny on this list? Roger Ebert changed his review for it and it was featured on Cahiers Du Cinema\’s Top 10 list of 2003.
Paddy Considine\’s performance in In America is really something special. That movie floored me on first viewing and has done the same several times since. That being said, 21 Grams and Lost in Translation are damn near perfect and I\’ve loved every second of those films since the first viewings.
Millenium mambo is 2001 and The Son is 2002!
I liked Ang Lee\’s Hulk.
I would have had \’Dogville\’ in there too, but it was a 2004 release in the U.S.
Master And Commander is definitely superior to most of the films on that list, especially The Station Agent and Irreversible.
No Dogville, seriously?
I would have Kill Bill at or near the top…some titles you neglected to mention that I was very fond of were Capturing the Friedmans, Magdalene Sisters, Dirty Pretty Things, Master and Commander, Fog of War, and I know people like to slag it off but for the Merovingian alone I will always love Matrix Reloaded
Agree, Mystic River should have definitely been in this list, best film of 2003 in my opinion.
Oh yeah, and also great were: The Son and Memories of Murder.
Favorites of 2003: Mystic River, City of God, Lost in Translation, Elephant, Kill Bill Vol. I, American Splendor, In America, Monster, 28 Days Later. And two movies I didn\’t think got enough respect that year were "Big Fish" and "Northfork."
Too bad Triplets of Belleville didn’t get an honorable mention. A lot more creativity went into the making of that film than Elephant.
Good bye, Lenin!