Accounting For Taste
Inherent Vice

2014

Intro

The following films appeared on year-end lists in Cinema Scope, Film Comment, The New York Times, and Sight & Sound. Selection for the Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, New York, Rotterdam, Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, and Venice film festivals is noted.

Films

American Sniper

USA
Clint Eastwood

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Amour Fou

Austria, Luxembourg, Germany
Jessica Hausner

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2014) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2014)

Approaching the Elephant

USA
Amanda Wilder

Lists: Film Comment (7 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2015)

August Winds

Ventos de Agosto
Brazil
Gabriel Mascaro

Lists: Film Comment (18 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2015)

The Babadook

Australia, Canada
Jennifer Kent

Lists: New York Times (10 - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Sundance (Park City at Midnight, 2014)

Beyond the Lights

USA
Gina Prince-Bythewood

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014 / Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014)

Bird People

France
Pascale Ferran

Lists: New York Times (Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2014) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2014)

Birdman

USA
Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Lists: Film Comment (8, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014) | Sight & Sound (16, 2014)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate - Closing Night, 2014) | Telluride (2014) | Venice (In Competition - Opening Film, 2014)

Boyhood

USA
Richard Linklater

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2014) | Film Comment (1, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014 / 1 - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (1, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2014) | Sundance (Premieres, 2014)

Citizenfour

USA
Laura Poitras

Lists: Film Comment (7, 2014) | New York Times (3 - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (18, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (LOLA at Berlinale, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2014)

The Dance of Reality

La danza de la realidad
France, Chile
Alejandro Jodorowsky

Lists: New York Times (Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2013)

Dear White People

USA
Justin Simien

Lists: New York Times (9 - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Sundance (US Dramatic Competition, 2014)

The Dog

USA
Allison Berg, Frank Keraudren

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Panorama, 2014) | New York (Motion Portraits [Documentary], 2013) | Toronto (Docs, 2013)

The Duke of Burgundy

UK
Peter Strickland

Lists: Sight & Sound (15, 2014)

Festivals: Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015) | Toronto (Vanguard, 2014)

Edge of Tomorrow

USA
Doug Liman

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Episode of the Sea

Netherlands
Lonnie van Brummelen; Siebren de Haan; the inhabitants of Urk, Netherlands

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2014)

Festivals: Toronto (Wavelengths, 2014)

For the Plasma

USA
Bingham Bryant, Kyle Molzan

Lists: Film Comment (17 - Undistributed, 2014)

Force Majeure

Turist
Sweden
Ruben Östlund

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2014) | Film Comment (14, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2014) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014)

Fort Buchanan

France, Tunisia
Benjamin Crotty

Lists: Film Comment (20 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Locarno (Signs of Life, 2014) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2015)

From What Is Before

Mula sa kung ano ang noon
Philippines
Lav Diaz

Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2014) | Film Comment (5 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2014) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2015) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2014)

A Girl at My Door

Dohee-ya
South Korea
July Jung

Lists: Film Comment (19 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2014) | Toronto (City to City, 2014)

Gloria

Chile, Spain
Sebastián Lelio

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2013) | Locarno (Piazza Grande, 2013) | New York (Main Slate, 2013) | Telluride (2013) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2013)

Goodbye to Language

Adieu au langage
France
Jean-Luc Godard

Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2014) | Film Comment (2, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014) | Sight & Sound (2, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2014) | Locarno (Out of Competition, 2014) | New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Toronto (Masters, 2014)

The Grand Budapest Hotel

USA, Germany, UK
Wes Anderson

Lists: Film Comment (3, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014 / Runner Up - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (6, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2014)

The Harvest

USA
John McNaughton

Lists: Film Comment (11 - Undistributed, 2014)

Hill of Freedom

Jayuui eondeok
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo

Lists: Film Comment (2 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Toronto (Masters, 2014) | Venice (Horizons, 2014)

History of Fear

Historia del miedo
Argentina
Benjamín Naishtat

Lists: Film Comment (16 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2014)

Ida

Poland
Pawel Pawlikowski

Lists: Film Comment (4, 2014) | New York Times (2 - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (9, 2014)

Festivals: Rotterdam (The State of Europe, 2014) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2014) | Telluride (2013) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2013)

The Immigrant

USA
James Gray

Lists: Film Comment (10, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2013) | New York (Main Slate, 2013)

Inherent Vice

USA
Paul Thomas Anderson

Lists: Cinema Scope (6, 2014) | Film Comment (9, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014) | Sight & Sound (9, 2015)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate - Centerpiece, 2014) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015)

Interstellar

USA, UK
Christopher Nolan

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

The Iron Ministry

USA, China
J.P. Sniadecki

Lists: Film Comment (4 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2014) | New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2014) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2015)

The Japanese Dog

Câinele Japonez
Romania
Tudor Cristian Jurgiu

Lists: Film Comment (15 - Undistributed, 2014)

Journey to the West

Xi You
France, Taiwan
Tsai Ming-liang

Lists: Cinema Scope (9, 2014) | Film Comment (12 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Panorama, 2014) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2014)

The Kindergarten Teacher

Haganenet
Israel, France
Nadav Lapid

Lists: Cinema Scope (7, 2014) | Film Comment (8 - Undistributed, 2014) | New York Times (7 - Dargis, 2015)

Festivals: Cannes (Critics' Week, 2014)

Leviathan

Leviafan
Russia
Andrey Zvyagintsev

Lists: New York Times (4 - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (3, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2014) | Telluride (2014) | Toronto (Masters, 2014)

Li'l Quinquin

P'tit Quinquin
France
Bruno Dumont

Lists: Cinema Scope (3, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2014) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2014)

Listen Up Philip

USA
Alex Ross Perry

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2014) | New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Sundance (Next, 2014)

Love Is Strange

USA
Ira Sachs

Lists: New York Times (6 - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Panorama, 2014) | Sundance (Premieres, 2014)

Maidan

Ukraine
Sergei Loznitsa

Lists: Cinema Scope (8, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Special Screenings, 2014) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2014)

Manakamana

USA, Nepal
Stephanie Spray, Pacho Velez

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2013) | Film Comment (19, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2013 / 2014)

Festivals: Locarno (Filmmakers of the Present, 2013) | New York (Motion Portraits [Documentary], 2013) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2014) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2013)

The Missing Picture

L'image manquante
Cambodia, France
Rithy Panh

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2013) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2013) | New York (Main Slate, 2013) | Telluride (2013) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2013)

A Most Violent Year

USA
J.C. Chandor

Lists: New York Times (Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015)

Mr. Turner

UK
Mike Leigh

Lists: Film Comment (13, 2014) | New York Times (8 - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (11, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2014) | New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Telluride (2014) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014)

National Gallery

USA, France
Frederick Wiseman

Lists: Film Comment (18, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014) | Sight & Sound (11, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2014) | New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2014) | Toronto (Docs, 2014)

Norte, the End of History

Norte, hangganan ng kasaysayan
Philippines
Lav Diaz

Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2013) | Film Comment (15, 2014) | Sight & Sound (9, 2013)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2013) | Locarno (Jury Films, 2013) | New York (Main Slate, 2013) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2014) | Toronto (Masters, 2013)

Only Lovers Left Alive

UK, Germany
Jim Jarmusch

Lists: Film Comment (12, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2013) | New York (Main Slate, 2013) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2014) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2014) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2013)

Particle Fever

USA
Mark Levinson

Lists: New York Times (Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: New York (Applied Science [Documentary], 2013) | Telluride (Backlot, 2013)

Pasolini

USA
Abel Ferrara

Lists: Film Comment (3 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014) | Venice (In Competition, 2014)

Selma

USA, UK
Ava DuVernay

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014 / 5 - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Berlinale Special, 2015)

Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait

Eau argentée, Syrie autoportrait
Syria, France
Wiam Bedirxan, Ossama Mohammed

Lists: Film Comment (6 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Special Screenings, 2014) | Locarno (Jury Films, 2014) | New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2014) | Toronto (Docs, 2014)

Snowpiercer

Seolgungnyeolcha
South Korea, Czech Republic, USA, France
Bong Joon-ho

Lists: Film Comment (20, 2014) | New York Times (Dargis, 2014 / Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Forum, 2014)

Socialism

Sosialismi
Finland
Peter von Bagh

Lists: Film Comment (10 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Locarno (Histoire(s) du Cinema, 2014) | Telluride (Backlot, 2014)

Stranger by the Lake

L'inconnu du lac
France
Alain Guiraudie

Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2013) | Film Comment (6, 2014) | Sight & Sound (9, 2013)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2013) | New York (Main Slate, 2013) | Rotterdam (Spectrum, 2014) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2014) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2013)

Stray Dog

USA
Debra Granik

Lists: Film Comment (9 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2014)

Stray Dogs

Jiao you
Taiwan
Tsai Ming-liang

Lists: Cinema Scope (6, 2013) | Film Comment (17, 2014 / 2 - Undistributed, 2013)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2013) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2013) | Venice (In Competition, 2013)

Top Five

USA
Chris Rock

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014 / Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014)

The Tribe

Plemya
Ukraine, Netherlands
Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy

Lists: Sight & Sound (8, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Critics' Week, 2014) | Locarno (Jury Films, 2014) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2015) | Toronto (Discovery, 2014)

Two Days, One Night

Deux jours, une nuit
Belgium, France, Italy
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2014) | Film Comment (11, 2014) | New York Times (Runner Up - Scott, 2014) | Sight & Sound (16, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2014) | New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Telluride (2014) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014)

Under the Skin

UK, USA
Jonathan Glazer

Lists: Film Comment (5, 2014) | Sight & Sound (5, 2014)

Festivals: Telluride (2013) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2013) | Venice (In Competition, 2013)

Violette

France, Belgium
Martin Provost

Lists: New York Times (Dargis, 2014)

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2013)

We Are the Best!

Vi är bäst!
Sweden, Denmark
Lukas Moodysson

Lists: New York Times (7 - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Toronto (Special Presentations, 2013) | Venice (Horizons, 2013)

We Come as Friends

Austria, France
Huber Sauper

Lists: Film Comment (14 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Berlin (Berlinale Special, 2014) | Sundance (World Cinema Documentary Competition, 2014)

Whiplash

USA
Damien Chazelle

Lists: Film Comment (16, 2014) | Sight & Sound (11, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2014) | New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Sundance (US Dramatic Competition, 2014) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2014)

Wild

USA
Jean-Marc Vallée

Lists: New York Times (Runner Up - Scott, 2014)

Festivals: Telluride (2014) | Toronto (Gala Presentations, 2014)

Winter Sleep

Kış Uykusu
Turkey, Germany, France
Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Lists: Sight & Sound (7, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2014) | Toronto (Masters, 2014)

The Wonders

Le meraviglie
Italy, Switzerland, Germany
Alice Rohrwacher

Lists: Film Comment (1 - Undistributed, 2014)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2014) | New York (Main Slate, 2014) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2015)

Young Bodies Heal Quickly

USA
Andrew T. Betzer

Lists: Film Comment (13 - Undistributed, 2014)