Looking Back : Best of 2000

Both the Times of London and Daily Telegraph have come up with lists about the best films of 00’s. Several blogs started compiling lists too and I thought I’d join in the fray. This entry started as a comment on awardsdaily.com.

My take is a little different. I am writing about the movies that both touched me the most at the time and stayed with me throughout the years.

You Can Count on Me is the movie I return to time and again from 2000. A finely calibrated drama between brother and sister, it touches and breaks my heart every time I see it.

At the time Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was the most amazing thing I've seen on the silver screen. I whopped with joy at the fantastical sword fighting scenes, but the story and the performances got me too. It was the movie that made me realize Ang Lee was one of the best directors working in contemporary cinema.

Billy Elliot was the best movie for 2000 for me at the time. What a beautifully told story about the things that matter to all of us: family, identity and wanting to take charge of our lives. I must have it at least 5 times in the theatre. I was so moved by how it handled the sexual identity of Billy's friend Michael. So subtle and moving. As I was coming out to my family that year it resonated the most with me.

And then there is In the Mood for Love. I lived in North Carolina at the time and I don’t think it played in theatres there. But I read so much about it that I bought the DVD when it came out. Wow. Lovely, heartbreaking and such a moody unique piece of cinema. In its non-linear and unconventional way, it must be one of the best loves stories on film.

I will update year by year.

Looking back at 2000, what are some of your favorite movies? As a reminder here is a partial list, noted the 5 best picture Oscar nominees:

Almost Famous

Amores Perros
Before Night Falls

Billy Elliott

Best in Show

Chocolat (Oscar Nominee)
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (Oscar Nominee)
Croupier

Dancer in the Dark

Erin Brockovich (Oscar Nominee)

Gladiator (Oscar Winner)

High Fidelity

Memento
Quills

Requiem for a Dream

Sunshine

Traffic (Oscar Nominee)

Wonder Boys

You Can Count on Me