5. Happy New Year, Colin Burstead
We’ve all had those family/close friends gatherings filled with dramas that we can (maybe) laugh at years after. This 2018 British dramedy with a “stage play feel” by Ben Wheatley, is precisely about that and more. Happy New Year, Colin Burstead consists of a wonderful ensemble improvising part of the realistic story. And just like in real life, things get weird and escalate quickly when uninvited guests show up. But rest assured, it doesn’t escalate as extremely as it did in Wheatley’s previous project, High-Rise, a movie basically about a party gone wrong (but not “Project X type” of wrong; end of humanity kind of wrong!) Come to think of it, “party gone wrong,” and its variants might be Wheatley’s higher call.
6. Victoria
This 2015 stunning one-take by Sebastian Schipper is about another night of fun gone wrong. It opens with an immersive clubbing scene, then the party continues in the street, takes to the rooftop, and eventually, it becomes an excellent heist-thriller. But it never forgets that the characters are first here to party! This indie darling consists of two very distinct acts smoothly connected and is mostly incredibly improvised. This emotional rollercoaster must be seen for so many reasons, chiefly for the long take and the intimate, naturalistic approach, making you feel like you are right there with the characters. More importantly, Victoria is another great example that one does not need crazy funds or lighting, which is often terrible in similarly lower-budgeted movies, to make a memorable film.
7. Eden
Eden, is a sort of biography/coming-of-age movie set in the 1990s about the early years of House music French wave. It is directed by Mia Hansen-Løve and inspired by her brother’s life story as a young D.J. discovering the underground rave scene of the time in Paris. The movie spans years showing the evolution of the characters through highs and lows and how the scene took off and went global with bands like Daft Punk. Fun fact: somehow Greta Gerwig (who also parties and dances the night away in the street of Frances Ha) and Brady Corbet (behind Vox Lux and its diva-involved’s party) who, like Hansen-Løve used to be actors and are now directors, make an appearance in the film!
