It’s rather mind-boggling that the midway point of 2016 has already arrived. This year has been a particularly harrowing one, filled with tragic deaths (David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Prince, Anton Yelchin, the list depressingly going on and on) and tragic attacks both on our soil and abroad. It’s been a tough year for humanity in a lot of ways, from a not-exactly-inspiring Presidential race to the preponderance of terrorist attacks breeding a particularly odorous brand of xenophobic nationalism, a wave crested by the likes of Donald Trump and all those Brexit folks over in the UK.

To put it simply, 2016 is a drag, man.

But, it is drags like 2016 that make escapist entertainment like the movies such a vital part of our cultural identity. We watch feel good movies to remind ourselves of a life better than our own, a life worth striving for. We watch feel bad movies to remind ourselves that no matter how bad things are, it’s not as bad as it could be. The excitement of sitting in a movie theater full of strangers and having a unique shared experience never really diminishes, whether it’s a packed multiplex for the latest Marvel movie, a packed art house for the newest festival darling or anything in between.

This year’s been a bit of an odd one for movies, skating on giant tentpole sequels and remakes like Captain America: Civil War, Finding Dory, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and The Jungle Book. I personally haven’t seen nearly as many films as I should, a mix of professional and personal obligations getting in the way, but I’ve still managed to check out more than a couple releases both in theaters and at home. And there have been quite a few gems hiding beneath the dirt. Here’s my five favorite from the first half of the year.