Accounting For Taste

Film Comment 2016

Intro

The following films appeared in the Film Comment best of 2016 poll. The poll is divided between films that received US theatrical distribution in 2016 and those that did not (including self-distributed films).

Sources: Best Films of 2016, Best Undistributed Films of 2016

Films

1. Toni Erdmann

Germany
Maren Ade

Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2016) | New York Times (2 - Dargis / 3 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (1, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

2. Moonlight

USA
Barry Jenkins

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | New York Times (3 - Dargis / 1 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (2, 2016 / 19, 2017)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Black Rebels, 2017) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Platform, 2016)

3. Elle

France, Germany
Paul Verhoeven

Lists: Cinema Scope (4, 2016) | New York Times (10 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (3, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

4. Cemetery of Splendor

Rak Ti Khon Kaen
Thailand, UK, France, Germany, Malaysia
Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Lists: Cinema Scope (1, 2015) | Sight & Sound (5, 2015)

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2016) | Sundance (Spotlight, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2015)

5. Certain Women

USA
Kelly Reichardt

Lists: Cinema Scope (6, 2016) | Sight & Sound (4, 2016)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)

6. Paterson

USA
Jim Jarmusch

Lists: Sight & Sound (9, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

7. Manchester by the Sea

USA
Kenneth Lonergan

Lists: Sight & Sound (7, 2016)

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

8. Aquarius

Brazil, France
Kleber Mendonça Filho

Lists: Cinema Scope (9, 2016) | New York Times (7 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (19, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2016)

9. Things to Come

L’Avenir
France, Germany
Mia Hansen-Løve

Lists: New York Times (10 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (8, 2016)

Festivals: Berlin (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

10. No Home Movie

Belgium, France
Chantal Akerman

Lists: Cinema Scope (8, 2015) | New York Times (1 - Dargis, 2016) | Sight & Sound (6, 2015)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2015)

11. The Lobster

Ireland, UK, France, Greece, Netherlands
Yorgos Lanthimos

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2015)

12. Right Now, Wrong Then

Jigeumeun matgo geuttaeneun tteullida
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo

Lists: Cinema Scope (5, 2015)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | New York (Main Slate, 2015) | Rotterdam (Critics' Choice, 2016) | Toronto (Masters, 2015)

13. Love & Friendship

Ireland, France, Netherlands
Whit Stillman

Lists: Sight & Sound (18, 2016)

Festivals: Rotterdam (Voices, 2016) | Sundance (Premieres, 2016)

14. Cameraperson

USA
Kirsten Johnson

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016) | New York Times (4 - Scott, 2016) | Sight & Sound (16, 2016)

Festivals: Sundance (New Frontier, 2016)

15. Kaili Blues

Lu bian ye can
China
Bi Gan

Lists: Cinema Scope (10, 2015)

Festivals: Locarno (Filmmakers of the Present, 2015) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016)

16. The Handmaiden

Ah-ga-ssi
South Korea
Park Chan-wook

Lists: New York Times (8 - Dargis, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

17. Everybody Wants Some!!

USA
Richard Linklater

Lists: Sight & Sound (21, 2016)

18. The Fits

USA
Anna Rose Holmer

Festivals: Sundance (Next, 2016) | Venice (Biennale College - Cinema, 2015)

19. Neruda

Chile, Argentina, France, Spain
Pablo Larraín

Lists: Sight & Sound (26, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Directors' Fortnight, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Telluride (2016) | Toronto (Special Presentations, 2016)

20. The Other Side

France, Italy
Roberto Minervini

Festivals: Cannes (Un Certain Regard, 2015) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2016) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2015)

Undistributed

1. Sieranevada

Romania
Cristi Puiu

Lists: Cinema Scope (2, 2016) | Sight & Sound (11, 2016)

Festivals: Cannes (Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Limelight, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)

2. Hermia & Helena

USA, Argentina
Matías Piñeiro

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Voices, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)

3. Nocturama

France
Bertrand Bonello

Lists: Cinema Scope (3, 2016) | Sight & Sound (13, 2016)

Festivals: Rotterdam (A Band Apart, 2017) | Toronto (Platform, 2016)

4. The Dreamed Path

Der traumhafte weg
Germany
Angela Schanelec

Lists: Cinema Scope (7, 2016)

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)

5. Yourself and Yours

Dangsinjasingwa dangsinui geot
South Korea
Hong Sang-soo

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016)

6. Kékszakállú

Argentina
Gastón Solnicki

Festivals: New York (Explorations, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (Horizons, 2016)

7. By the Time It Gets Dark

Dao khanong
Thailand, Netherlands, France, Qatar
Anocha Suwichakornpong

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016)

8. Scarred Hearts

Inimi cicatrizate
Romania, Germany
Radu Jude

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2016)

9. The Woman Who Left

Ang babaeng humayo
Philippines
Lav Diaz

Festivals: Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (In Competition, 2016)

10. Austerlitz

Germany
Sergei Loznitsa

Festivals: Berlin (LOLA at Berlinale, 2017) | Toronto (Wavelengths, 2016) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2016)

11. Tempestad

Mexico
Tatiana Huezo

Festivals: Berlin (Forum, 2016)

12. The Rehearsal

New Zealand
Alison Maclean

Festivals: New York (Main Slate, 2016) | Toronto (Contemporary World Cinema, 2016)

13. Safari

Austria, Denmark
Ulrich Seidl

Festivals: Rotterdam (Signatures, 2017) | Toronto (Masters, 2016) | Venice (Out of Competition, 2016)

14. Everything Else

Todo lo demás
Mexico
Natalia Almada

Festivals: New York (Explorations, 2016)

15. All the Cities of the North

Svi severni gradovi
Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro
Dane Komljen

Lists: Cinema Scope (Special Mention, 2016)

Festivals: Locarno (Signs of Life, 2016) | New York (Projections, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017)

16. Happy Times Will Come Soon

I tempi felici verranno presto
Italy, France
Alessandro Comodin

Festivals: Cannes (Critics' Week, 2016) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2017)

17. Dawson City: Frozen Time

USA
Bill Morrison

Festivals: New York (Spotlight on Documentary, 2016) | Rotterdam (Regained, 2017) | Venice (Horizons, 2016)

18. Suite Armoricaine

France
Pascale Breton

Festivals: Locarno (International Competition, 2015) | Rotterdam (Bright Future, 2016)

19. Women Who Kill

USA
Ingrid Jungermann

20. The Park

Le Parc
France
Damien Manivel

Festivals: Cannes (ACID, 2016)