Kjetil Lismoen

Comments

There are some changes on my list since the last poll in 2012: I have substituted Wajda's Ashes and Diamonds with another great Pole, Pawlikowski's Ida. Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke had to go in order for Spirited Away to get its due. I have also found a place for both Claire Denis and Céline Sciamma. Some greats had to be sacrificed, but that’s the name of the game. It’s a little risky to canonise such a recent film as Petite Maman. One should normally give it more time. But like Ida, I’ve seen it again and again and can’t find anything wrong with it. It’s simply the most perfectly rounded pearl.

And as I wrote in the last poll: This is obviously an impossible task. I’ve tried to balance certain concerns – the films’ place in film history and so on – but had in the end to give into my own, very personal preferences. Why films make such an impact on us and stay with us is a complex and often mysterious process.