Best of 2014 | Film Festival Finds

To share the riches, this year I have created 3 separate best films list: my personal best films, best of movies watched at film festivals, and best mainstream films.

I preach loud and long the joys of film festivals. I do not want to imagine a world without them. I just would not see half the films that shift my wiring if it weren't for film festivals. Below are the best films I caught at festivals in 2014. These are all, without exception, superlative. In fact I could not bring myself to trim down to 20 films, so there are 21 here, because why not.

1.            MARGARITA WITH A STRAW (Toronto International Film Festival: TIFF)

2.            FORCE MAJEURE (TIFF)

3.            NATURAL SCIENCES (CIENCIAS NATURALES, Los Angeles Film Festival: LAFF)

4.            FORT BLISS (San Diego Film Festival: SDFF)

5.            HUMAN CAPITAL (Tribeca Film Festival, TFF)

6.            STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS (San Diego Latino Film Festival: SDLFF)

7.            MEETING DR SUN (San Diego Asian Film Festival: SDAFF)

8.            5 TO 7 (Tribeca Film Festival)

9.            SOMBRAS DE AZUL (SDLFF)

10.          APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR (SDAFF)

11.          WALKING UNDER WATER (LAFF)

12.          X/Y (Tribeca)

13.          SOMETHING MUST BREAK (Tribeca)

14.          THE LAST FIVE YEARS (TIFF)

15.          FANDRY (Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles; IFFLA)

16.          ALEX OF VENICE (Tribeca)

17.          TOKYO FIANCE (TIFF)

18.          THE KINGDOM OF DREAMS AND IMAGINATION (SDAFF)

19.          UNCERTAIN TERMS (LAFF)

20.          MEET THE PATELS (LAFF)

21.          BAD HAIR (Tribeca)