By Steven Snyder
Some have labeled 2003 a good year for movies. Have our standards lowered that far?

I am typically an optimist about my cherished art form, but 2003 was an awful time to be a film critic. Look beyond the brilliant “Lord of the Rings” and there is a vast ocean of lost opportunities and glaring mistakes.

For the first time ever, my year-end top-ten list includes a film that only received 3.5 stars. There were no more four-star films to choose from. Four of the titles you have likely never heard of. One will not be available for rental any time soon. Only one would count as a “mainstream” release.

Those are all sad facts.

The truth is that 2003 was the year of the nearly-great, self-destructing film; films that were strong through their majority, but then fell short in their final act. So many titles could fall in this category: “Cold Mountain,” “Seabiscuit,” “21 Grams,” “American Splendor,” “Mystic River” and “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” are only the most obvious and memorable.
But not all films fell short, and there was still greatness to be found. If you, like me, were desperately disappointed last year, consider this list your prescription to clear up those 2003 blues.

Note:

Prominent films not seen by deadline: “The Cooler,” “The Company,” “Monster,” “The Statement”

1.
LOST IN TRANSLATION
(105 minutes, Rated R)

In twenty years, long after the likes of “Cold Mountain” are forgotten, “Lost In Translation” will be remembered by those it has touched. With a story about two lonely Americans in Tokyo, an actor (Bill Murray) endorsing alcohol and the wife (Scarlett Johansson) of a photographer away on a photo shoot, writer and director Sofia Coppola has a made a masterpiece of intricate emotions, intangible connections and the human spirit on an everyday scale.

This is not a movie which accepts itself as a far-fetched and implausible spectacle, but is instead a film that strives endlessly to be real. Murray, in the performance of his career, is the man who has, in essence, given up until this spark of life drifts into view. Johansson is the embodiment of that daunting fear we have all felt at one time – is this all there is? And their chance meeting, discussions, friendship and connection breaks through that layer of isolation that seems to separate so much of humanity.

There are two kinds of moviegoers in this world: Those who want films to pose questions and those who want films to answer questions. “Lost In Translation” is one of the former; a collaboration of screenwriting, acting, visuals and music that asks us to take a closer look, consider these real people and their situation, and ultimately learn something more about ourselves.

2.
LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
(200 minutes, Rated PG-13)

“There is a sight I have never seen before,” says a peaceful, quiet hobbit at the end of “The Return of the King,” and I can not help but think that we have never seen before, nor are we likely to ever see again, a trilogy such as this. It is a triumph of one director, Peter Jackson, bringing his vision to fruition, and a seminal fusing of special effects, adventure, characters and morals into an adventure that satisfies the eyes, the mind and the heart. There are those who have not given these films a chance, who have become lost among the mythology and the landscape, wondering how a movie about elves could possibly be worthy art. But in “The Return of the King,” look at the strategy these warriors devise to give young Frodo (Elijah Wood) a chance to destroy the Ring of Power, the friendship between Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin) that rivals any relationship in the movies this year, the gripping battles which test every character of the trilogy, the love stories working in the background, and the almost biblical battles between evil and righteousness that elevate almost every scene. This is gutsy, brazen, sophisticated, entertaining and awe-inspiring filmmaking. It should be Lord of the Oscars this year.

3.
RAISING VICTOR VARGAS
(88 minutes, Rated R)

A little-known, heart-warming story about teenage love and a boy’s first moment of intimacy, “Raising Victor Vargas” is another 2003 romance exploding with honesty. Its greatest attribute for some, and weakness for others, is that it defies all standards for a Hollywood romance. Victor (Victor Rasuk) and Judy (Judy Marte) do not fall in love at first sight, but rather use each other out of immature selfishness. Their relationship is not picture-perfect, but rocky. This is not something that consumes their lives, but Victor must restore his fracturing family. They are not eloquent, but confused. And there is no happily-ever-after, but rather a quiet celebration of the individual, subtle moments that shape us forever. “Raising Victor Vargas” does not capture the sight of a kiss, the look of an eye, or the sound of sweet words, but that indescribable euphoria of newly-discovered love.

4.
THIRTEEN
(95 minutes, Rated R)

Movies have been made before about drugs, teenage sex, and teenage pain, but none has ever before captured the steady fall down the slippery slope quite like “Thirteen.” Written by teenager Nikki Reed, who also stars in the film, this is a haunting work that every parent should see. In it we witness Tracy’s (Evan Rachel Wood) desperate need for attention, her unconnected parents, her steady manipulation by a supposed friend (Reed) and her inevitable decline into the world of sex, drugs and self-mutilation. It is a shocking film, far too shocking for some in the audience when I saw it, yet its messages are palpable and beautifully realized. Underlying it all is the cynical damning of a society that says look right, talk right, act right and that’s all that matters. Tracy is the true modern teenager with the hip clothes, the censored speech and the perfect image. “Thirteen” helps us to see how inside she is screaming out for help, and how we are all guilty of turning our backs, partly out of apathy and partly out of ignorance.

5.
THE HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG
(126 minutes, Rated R)

Cursed by a vague title and inept marketing, “The House of Sand and Fog” is a riveting drama about two desperate people, each equally real and dimensional. In so many movies there is an obvious tilt as to who is right or who is wrong. Here, the very lack of judgment or decisiveness makes the film an unpredictable journey into the depths of the human soul. Kathy (Jennifer Connelly) has lost a house due to unpaid taxes. Her husband has left her and the house represents all she has left. Massoud (Ben Kingsley), an Iranian immigrant, has bought this house at a public auction. It represents his only tool in rebuilding a life of happiness for his family. And so the stage is set for a simple battle of desperation and loyalty. The law says one person is right, our hearts tell us another, but as the situation becomes bleaker for Kathy and brighter for Massoud, the film builds toward a confrontation that ends vastly different than we expect. It is here where “The House of Sand and Fog” breaks away from the other films of this year, becoming less interested in cheap thrills and more intrigued by the human capacity for compassion, the inevitable link between money and happiness and the inescapable consequences of our actions.

6.
CITY OF GOD
(135 minutes, Rated R)

An intense examination of gang life in Rio de Janeiro and the younger generations who are either indoctrinated or obliterated by these gun-wielding packs, “City of God” is in fact a 2002 film that appallingly failed to receive an Oscar nomination for best foreign film last year. The good news is that after a short run in U.S. theaters, it will soon be available for rental. Reminiscent of Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” “City of God” creates an epic story arc for a few intimate characters, watching as they grow from innocent children to one-time criminals, only out to help their desperate families, to gang members and leaders, one generation replacing the next as the bodies pile up all around them. Filmed by Fernando Meirelles with a dynamic, exciting style, it is an engaging film to watch, always moving and alive. Yet Meirelles knows when to back off and let the true horrors of this lost city soak in. This is a land of hopelessness and death, a world of kill or be killed. “City of God” is simply a heart wrenching account of how two friends get chewed up by this system.

7.
MAN ON THE TRAIN
(90 minutes, Rated R)

Some complain that characters do not talk enough in movies any more. In “Man On The Train” one finds the very best dialogue of the year. All Manesquier (Jean Rochefort) and Milan (Johnny Hallyday) do is talk. Milan is a criminal, in town to rob a bank, who has accepted the hospitality of Manesquier to stay at his home. Manesquier is a teacher, a quiet man who seems to enjoy the little things about life. Together, they talk about missed opportunities and the uncertain future, and become the deepest of friends. They both realize they have the life the other has always wished for, and in an extraordinary final montage, director Patrice Leconte helps them finally cross paths. It is a work of words and thoughts and, above all, unforgettable acting. Rochefort, as the quiet, observing teacher and Hallyday, as the gruff, hesitant thief, give their characters the depth required so that we care about what they have to say and are intrigued when fate finally steps in.

8.
BIG FISH
(125 minutes, Rated PG-13)

Tim Burton’s “Big Fish” is a film with a sentimental streak a mile long, about sons and fathers, unending hope, larger-than-life fables and even about filmmaking itself. Its literal story jumps between times and places, in essence recreating the tall tales told by the dying Edward (Albert Finney), and contrasting that with the cynicism of a son (Billy Crudup) who is tired of his dad’s exaggerations. But in exploring Edward’s stories, a strange thing starts to happen: “Big Fish” becomes the kind of innovative, unpredictable, unapologetic movie that sparks our imagination as few films have. In these tales, Burton asks us to think about life, about leaving home, the struggles we endure for those we love, the power of love itself, and the magic of achieving the impossible. There is a giddiness here of a filmmaker who will not compromise, of a story that needs to be told. We are in many ways like the son, skeptical at first, but later enchanted by a story that wants to take us places we have never been, show us things we have never seen, and remind us of the days when we were open to such adventures.

9.
CHARLOTTE SOMETIMES
(88 minutes, NR)

An endlessly complex and emotional film about hidden truths and repressed desires, “Charlotte Sometimes” only came to national attention thanks to Roger Ebert, who discovered the work at the Hawaii Film Festival and showed it at his Overlooked Film Festival last April. It is a story about Michael (Michael Idemoto), a quiet, meditative man and Lori (Eugenia Yuan), the woman who lives next door. Michael loves Lori, although it is never clear how much. At times it is plutonic, at other times it is something more. But Lori has a boyfriend and while she often comes over to watch TV, talk and fall asleep in Michael’s arms, she always goes back to her other life in the morning. More than any film on this list, “Charlotte Sometimes” requires a personal connection to make its mark. Those who married their high school sweethearts may not understand it. It is those who have been scarred in the past, who have watched a great thing slip by, or who have never had the guts to tell that one person how they feel who will see something in Michael’s intensity, heartache and desperation that no other movie ever has found a way to capture or convey.

10.
RIVERS & TIDES: ANDY GOLDSWORTHY WORKING WITH TIME
(90 minutes, NR)

“Rivers & Tides” has a special place in my heart. It is a documentary about an artist, Andy Goldsworthy, and his work with, for the lack of a better term, impermanence. He builds a cone out of stones, only to let the tide come in, consume in, and then recede. He lies on the ground during the first drops of rain. He throws snow up into the air on a windy day and watches the mist trickle down. He builds a stone fence through a forest, attempting to bring out the flow and ebb of nature. “Rivers & Tides” is a meditation, exposing and recreating the very aspects of Goldsworthy’s work that fascinate him. As kids, we were amazed by such things as falling leaves, flowers and icicles. Somehow this documentary cuts through the cell phone rings and traffic jams and reconnects us to that harmony in nature that we have forgotten to seek out any more.

THE SECOND TIER

No year should be condensed to ten titles. Here is the next tier of great films from 2003 (in alphabetical order):

“21 Grams,” “28 Days Later,” “Dirty Pretty Things,” “In America,” “The Magdalene Sisters,” “The Man Without A Past,” “Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “The Matrix Reloaded,” “Mystic River,” “Seabiscuit”

Steven Snyder welcomes feedback at steven@zertinet.com

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