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SYDNEY FILM FESTIVAL 2023
FORTY-FIVE FILMS RANKED FROM BEST TO HO-HUM

Well, the Sydney Film Festival 2023 just swept through last June 7-18 during the start of our winter season as it now celebrates the King's Birthday long weekend.

And like a true cinephile, I watched 45 (yes, forty-five!!!) films during its eleven-day reign. I arrived in Sydney from New York on June 10 (missing the festival’s first three days!!!) and went straight from the airport to the State Theatre for my first SFF movie on that chilly Saturday late morning. Thanks to the encore screenings, I saw four more films and, added to that, the two SFF films available during my in-flight entertainment back to Oz.
 
Now, I will do the unimaginable and rank these films from best to you-said-it, not so best, although with the high quality of movies I chose to watch at the festival, even the bottom list have their own merits. They were just outranked with the greatness of others, the others that I recommend you to watch if you see them streaming or in your nearby Palace or Dendy or Ritz or Orpheum and maybe Hoyts or Event.
 
TOP SPOT
01 – World War III
This dark Iranian tragic drama is well-acted and well-scripted, with an ending that will shock you. I left the cinema numbed and reflected on the impact of the film. Simply made, but what a fantastic storyline idea as only the Iranian filmmakers can achieve. They are really masterful in the craft of storytelling in filmmaking. The best one of the lot!
TOP TWO
02 – I Like Movies

For cineastes and movie aficionados, this dark Canadian comedy about a wannabe filmmaker with personality and emotional issues will keep you laughing even with its darkest moments. Excellent performances, especially from the lead. If you love movies, go watch this!

TOP THREE
03 – Anatomy of A Fall

Now this Cannes Palme d’Or 2023 winner is a perfect murder mystery that just goes beyond its psychological drama genre. This will keep you on the edge of your seat as it is perfectly executed from start to end. As with the first two, this one is marvellously performed and with that subtle story treatment that the French are known for.

THE REST OF THE TOP TEN
 
04 – Shortcomings – Asian American characters with more wry wit and humour than most ordinary Americans.
05 – Past Lives – A very original love story that takes you to the realm of what could have been in a life that should have been.
06 – Angel Applicant – A riveting exploration of one man’s disability and the artistic expression of his existential angst.
07 – The Wrath of Becky – Blood-gore revenge feminist thriller in the form of young, innocent-looking Becky.
08 – Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman – Haruki Murakami’s short stories are told in their full surreal, thought-provoking glory in this perfectly-rendered animation.
09 – Beyond Utopia – A shattering look at the North Koreans who attempt to escape their country and the jaw-dropping discovery they experience after their escape.
10 – Subject – Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a documentary subject? Well, this one explores the travails of those who’ve been one.
 
 

THE REST OF THE FILMS RANKED

11 – A Storm Foretold
12 – Art College 1994
13 – Perfect Days
14 – May December
15 – Reality
16 – Little Richard: I Am Everything
17 – Lost In the Night
18 – Cannes Uncut
19 – The Delinquents
20 – A Thousand and One
21 – The Eternal Memory
22 – Fallen Leaves
23 – No Bears
24 – Afire
25 – Raging Grace
26 – Blue Jean
27 – L’Immensita
28 – On the Adamant
29 – Heroic
30 – Snow and the Bear
31 – Cobweb
32 – A Cooler Climate
33 – The Echo
34 – How to Blow Up A Pipeline
35 – Bad Behaviour
36 – The Mother of All Lies
37 – Passages
38 – Paradise
39 – Carmen
40 – When the Waves Are Gone
41 – Monster
42 – Four Daughters
43 – Joram
44 – Sand
45 – A Gaza Weekend
 
I also watched the Dendy Shorts and my top pick for drama is The Dancing Girl and the Balloon Man and Teacups for animation.
 
Until the next Sydney Film Festival and maybe I can even top this list!!!

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Picture of Rolmar Baldonado

Rolmar Baldonado

Films for the cineaste. Were you moved, transported? Did you laugh, cry? Was it cathartic? Were you disturbed, affected, riveted? Did it make you think? Freelance film editor, cineaste and cinephile Twitter: @film_critik Twitter: @rolmar Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/filmcritik/

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