Accounting For Taste

Film Comment 2012

Intro

The following films appeared in the Film Comment best of 2012 poll. The poll is divided between films that received US theatrical distribution in 2012 and those that did not (including self-distributed films). These are abridged versions of the lists as they appeared in the print edition of the magazine.

Sources: 50 Best Films of 2012, 50 Best Undistributed Films of 2012

Films

1. Holy Motors

France, Germany
Leos Carax

Lists: Cinema Scope (3, 2012) | New York Times (Dargis, 2012) | Sight & Sound (4, 2012)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2012) | Locarno (Leos Carax Tribute, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012)

2. The Master

USA
Paul Thomas Anderson

Lists: Cinema Scope (4, 2012) | New York Times (Dargis / 5 - Scott, 2012) | Sight & Sound (1, 2012)

Festivals: Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2013) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2012) | Venice (In Competition, 2012)

3. Moonrise Kingdom

USA
Wes Anderson

Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2012) | New York Times (Dargis, 2012) | Sight & Sound (7, 2012)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition - Opening Film, 2012)

4. This Is Not a Film

In film nist
Iran
Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb

Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2011) | New York Times (4 [Documentary] - Scott, 2012) | Sight & Sound (8, 2012 / 10, 2011)

Festivals: Cannes (Special Screenings, 2011) | New York (Main Slate, 2011) | Toronto (Masters, 2011)

5. Amour

France, Germany, Austria
Michael Haneke

Lists: New York Times (Dargis / 1 - Scott, 2012) | Sight & Sound (3, 2012)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012) | Telluride (2012) | Toronto (Masters, 2012)

6. The Turin Horse

A torinói ló
Hungary, France, Germany, Switzerland
Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky

Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2011) | Sight & Sound (6, 2011)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2011) | New York (Main Slate, 2011) | Telluride (2011) | Toronto (Masters, 2011)

7. The Kid with a Bike

Le gamin au vélo
Belgium, France, Italy
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2011) | Sight & Sound (3, 2011)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2011) | New York (Main Slate, 2011) | Telluride (2011) | Toronto (Masters, 2011)

8. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da
Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Lists: Cinema Scope (5, 2011) | New York Times (Dargis, 2012) | Sight & Sound (8, 2012 / 6, 2011)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2011) | New York (Main Slate, 2011) | Toronto (Masters, 2011)

9. Lincoln

USA
Steven Spielberg

Lists: New York Times (2 - Scott, 2012)

10. Zero Dark Thirty

USA
Kathryn Bigelow

Lists: New York Times (Dargis / 6 - Scott, 2012)

11. Tabu

Portugal, Germany, Brazil, France
Miguel Gomes

Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2012) | Sight & Sound (2, 2012)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2012)

12. The Deep Blue Sea

UK, USA
Terence Davies

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2012)

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2011)

13. Bernie

USA
Richard Linklater

14. Beasts of the Southern Wild

USA
Benh Zeitlin

Lists: New York Times (3 - Scott, 2012) | Sight & Sound (5, 2012)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2012) | Sundance (US Dramatic Competition, 2012)

15. Cosmopolis

Canada, France
David Cronenberg

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2012) | Sight & Sound (8, 2012)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2012)

16. Barbara

Germany
Christian Petzold

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2012)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012) | Telluride (2012) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2012)

17. The Loneliest Planet

USA, Germany
Julia Loktev

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2011) | New York (Main Slate, 2011) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2012) | Toronto (Visions, 2011)

18. Silver Linings Playbook

USA
David O. Russell

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2012)

Festivals: Toronto (Gala Presentations, 2012)

19. Oslo, August 31st

Oslo, 31. august
Norway
Joachim Trier

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2011) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2012) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2012) | Toronto (Vanguard, 2011)

20. Neighboring Sounds

O som ao redor
Brazil
Kleber Mendonça Filho

Lists: Cinema Scope (9, 2012) | New York Times (9 - Scott, 2012)

Festivals: Locarno (Jury Films, 2012) | Rotterdam (Tiger Awards Competition, 2012)

Undistributed

1. Our Children

À perdre la raison
Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland
Joachim Lafosse

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012)

2. Memories Look at Me

Ji yi wang zhe wo
China
Song Fang

Festivals: Locarno (Filmmakers of the Present, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2013)

3. First Cousin Once Removed

USA
Alan Berliner

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2012)

4. When Night Falls

Wo hai you hua yao shou
South Korea, China
Ying Liang

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2012) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2013) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2012)

5. Bwakaw

Philippines
Jun Robles Lana

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2012) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2012)

6. Gebo and the Shadow

Gebo et l'ombre
Portugal, France
Manoel de Oliveira

Festivals: Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2013) | Toronto (Masters, 2012) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2012)

7. differently, Molussia

autrement, la Molussie
France
Nicolas Rey

Lists: Cinema Scope (8, 2012)

Festivals: Berlin (Forum Expanded, 2012) | New York (Views From the Avant-Garde, 2012) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2012)

8. Perret in France and Algeria

Perret in Frankreich und Algerien
Germany
Heinz Emigholz

Festivals: Locarno (Out of Competition, 2012) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2012)

9. The Extravagant Shadows

USA
David Gatten

Festivals: New York (Views From the Avant-Garde, 2012)

10. Three Sisters

San zimei
Hong Kong, France
Wang Bing

Festivals: Toronto (Wavelengths, 2012) | Venice (Horizons, 2012)

11. Dormant Beauty

Bella addormentata
Italy, France
Marco Bellocchio

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2012) | Venice (In Competition, 2012)

12. Far From Afghanistan

USA
John Gianvito, Travis Wilkerson, Jon Jost, Minda Martin, Soon-mi Yoo

Festivals: Locarno (Out of Competition, 2012)

13. Camille Rewinds

Camille redouble
France
Noémie Lvovsky

Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2012) | Locarno (Piazza Grande, 2012) | New York (Main Slate, 2012)

14. Greatest Hits

Los mejores temas
Mexico, Canada, Netherlands
Nicolás Pereda

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2012)

15. small roads

USA
James Benning

Festivals: New York (Views From the Avant-Garde, 2012) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2012)

16. Everybody in Our Family

Toata lumea din familia noastra
Romania, Netherlands
Radu Jude

Festivals: Berlin (Forum, 2012)

17. Shepard & Dark

USA
Treva Wurmfeld

Festivals: Toronto (Docs, 2012)

18. Hannah Arendt

Germany
Margarethe von Trotta

Lists: New York Times (8 - Scott, 2013)

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2012)

19. Araf - Somewhere in Between

Araf
Turkey, France, Germany
Yeşim Ustaoğlu

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2012) | Venice (Horizons, 2012)

20. Thursday Till Sunday

De jueves a domingo
Chile, Netherlands
Dominga Sotomayor

Festivals: Rotterdam (Tiger Awards Competition, 2012)