Written by Harris
As we enter the dawn of 2020, we were left with so many amazing films in the last decade, especially in 2019. From Parasite starting a fire in the Asian movement in Hollywood, to the much anticipated return of Martin Scorcese with gangster-thriller film, The Irishman. On top of that, there is so much more great films that came out last year but was overshadowed by those bigger ones. Here is a list of great underrated films from 2019 that should get the attention they deserve.
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Fly by Night
I’ll start off the list with a local film that didn’t get enough love from the public when it came out about a year ago; Fly by Night directed by a first-time director Zahir Omar. The film tells a tale of a family of taxi drivers uses the service as a front for an extortion racket as they target wealthy passengers that they picked up from the airport. Tai Lo (Sunny Pang) and Sai Lo (Fabian Loo) are brothers that commit crimes in order to pay off their debts. Things get too hot when one of them decides to cooperate with one of the victims into blackmailing, while a corrupted policeman Inspector Kamal (Bront Palarae!) and his goons are desperately trying to capture Tai Lo’s dirty job until he realizes that there are more into it for himself. I feel like this movie got outshined by One Two Jaga, since both of these movies duel with the same subject matter. In my opinion, Fly by Night worth the time to watch and is one of the best local made neo-crime thrillers of all time!
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The Farewell
As much as how Parasite created a buzz in Hollywood as being one of the finest Asian films that has ever came to surface, The Farewell is another that might have the same impact depending on what you’re looking for. Directed by Lulu Wang, this film is about how in Chinese culture, it is not appropriate to tell your elders that they’re dying; Instead they make a big family gathering in respect of celebrating their lives. Awkwafina showcased a ground-breaking performance in the film as she had to lie to Nai Nai, her beloved grandmother about her health condition. This film is packed with love, sadness, frustration; It’s definitely a rollercoaster of emotions that fits the tone of the whole story. In my opinion, The ending was a bit dense in terms of what the characters’ future holds, but it will go down in the list of memorable films from the last decade.
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Booksmart
Booksmart is one of those films that you don’t see as much often anymore these days. The story of two high school girls who are about to graduate as they planned out to have the craziest time of their lives during the final days of class. Directed by the incredible Olivia Wilde and starring two of the upcoming stars in Hollywood; Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein. The way this coming-of-age comedy film was structured is pretty interesting and very rare to see it being produced well ever since other coming-of-age films that came out in the last ten years were commonly mediocre. It precisely captures the essence of being free and innocent before adulthood comes to haunt, which is fairly relatable with everyone. Despite having at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, this film didn’t get much into conversations of the greatest films of 2019 and it fits to be in this list.
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Jojo Rabbit
It’s a criminal this Jojo Rabbit didn’t get into the mainstream conversation despite it was directed by the talented Taika Waititi, fresh off the Marvel’s razzmatazz. The plot of the story is a bit weirdly convoluted but bear with me; Jojo is an insecure German boy who then later discovers that his single mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their attic. To add more to the weirdness of the story, he has an imaginary friend that hypes him up and guides him in making decisions, and that friend is Adolf Hitler (also played by Taika Waititi!). The story moves forward as Jojo must confront his blind nationalism as World War II proceeds to rage on. The story is jam-packed with witty jokes, love lessons and the importance of bravery to finally be the best version of yourself.
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The Last Black Man in San Francisco
I’ll finish off the list with the most overlooked in the bunch, A24’s The Last Black Man in San Francisco. This film debuted at 2019’s Sundance Film Festival and since then have been receiving a lot of positive reactions from the audience. The plot revolves around an African-American named Jimmie and his best friend Mont attempt to salvage a house built by Jimmie’s grandfather. Later on, the story propelled them on a heart-breaking journey that relates them to their past, as it might put their friendship into a clutter and sense of belonging in the place they call home. The mix between the use of visual poetry and realism makes the film feel like a surreal experience that orbits the idea of being an ordinary person who deserves the best for himself. A lot of people can relate well with the characters in this film, and the narrative is not as complex as you might expect despite the subject matter.
