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Karma, they say, is a bitch. Yet it must be down to some cosmic law of balance that as terrible as things have been on a daily basis in other spheres of life, 2018 has been among the most remarkable years for cinema in recent memory. Maybe it’s that the instability and uncertainty of the zeitgeist has ignited channels of creative expression that might have remained dormant in more complacent times; maybe it’s that 2-hour breaks from the constant blithering nonsense that is being alive in 2018 are precious even if you’re watching the “Overboard” remake. Or maybe it’s simply that when the world seems intent on dividing us, cinema unites us: Welcome to the rundown of the films that most united The Playlist in 2018.

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2019

Each year this list, arrived at when over 30 of our regular contributors give us their top tens, and we calculate an overall score for each film mentioned, is a source of some pride. But this year that pride is off the charts, not only because of the breadth of quality reflected, but because there are two films in our top five alone that were released early in the year and seem to have been unjustly overlooked by many other organizations. And we can be especially proud of our number one, which was as definitive a poll-winner as we’ve ever had, accruing almost twice as many points as the second-placed movie. As dark as many of our choices are, as troubled a collective consciousness as they reveal, they feel like evidence of a rising cultural tide, that lifts all the ships. Which is heartening when it often feels like we’re on the Titanic.

Click here for our complete coverage of the best and worst of 2018.

25. “Black Panther”

“Black Panther,” Ryan Coogler’s transcendent entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, begins and ends with images of African-American boys playing basketball. It’s a poetic touch that announces that this is not another flashy Marvel epic about gods and monsters; It is a story about black characters taking control of cinematic myths that, for too long, have focused mainly on white men. The title hero of the tale (Chadwick Boseman), also known by the name T’Challa, is both king and protector of the futuristic African utopia, Wakanda. His claim to the throne challenged by his cousin Erik Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), a former U.S. Special Forces soldier who was raised in Oakland and vows to use Wakanda’s military might to combat the oppression of black people worldwide. The peaceful and pragmatic T’Challa opposes Erik’s plan meaning their battle contains echoes of the “X-Men” films in being another war between between defiant idealism and wounded cynicism. Yet “Black Panther” is something new—a meditation on a colonialist past, a mirror for a fractious present and a dream of a future that looks less like America in 2018 and more like the wondrous, loving world that is Wakanda. – Bennett Campbell Ferguson [our review]

24. “The Rider”

The filmmaking on display in “The Rider” is as soft-spoken as its cowboy protagonist (Brady Jandreau, playing a variation of himself). After his latest concussion, Brady must choose between his health and following his passion for horsemanship. Director Chloé Zhao—on the threshold of her big-budget breakthrough—is at the height of her docu-fiction powers here, shining a light on a small South Dakota reservation and the microcosm of the rodeo circuit. For all of the realist gestures on display in “The Rider,” particularly the non-professional performers and sensitive, lived-in portraiture of the community, Zhao also taps into the mythological dimension of her subject. DP Joshua James Richard’s pictorial sensibility (his proven strength, after “God’s Own Country” and Zhao’s debut, “Songs My Brothers Taught Me”) pays homage to the classical Hollywood Western just as Brady’s agonized journey quietly upends the John Ford blueprint of masculinity. More remarkably, “The Rider” cements a place in the Western canon via its nuance and dignity, unlike its contemporaries’ revisionism and queasy violence. – Bradley Warren [our review]

23. “BlacKkKlansman”

Few films have managed to craft such an astute narrative tying some of America’s most shameful historical events to the current rise of overt, alt-right sentiment as “BlacKkKlansman.” As Terence Blanchard’s soulful score echoes, director Spike Lee proclaims in an opening title, “Dis joint is based on some fo’ real, fo’ real s—,” — an unbelievably true disclaimer. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington, son of Denzel in a star-making performance), an African American police officer working undercover for the Colorado Springs police department, infiltrates the Ku Klux Klan, by using a white detective, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) as the face of the operation, while he acts as the vocal liaison through all communications over the phone. Zimmerman’s fictional, Jewish character underscores Lee’s message of unity against hatred, to provide this otherwise prismatic melding of black humor, dizzyingly rousing montage, biting social commentary and miniature, modern American history lesson with its single-minded, angry, lively intent. – Alex Arabian [our review]

22. “A Star Is Born”

“It’s the same story told over and over, forever,” muses Bobby Maine in the most self-referential moment of “A Star Is Born” Version 4, but the joy and tragedy of Bradley Cooper’s immersive remake lies in how its characters don’t know what story they’re in until it’s over. Though the drama hits its high notes with aplomb (who among us didn’t get chills from the “Shallow” number?), it’s the many little humanizing details conveyed by two of the year’s most endearing leads that grant this familiar tale its spontaneity, flooding the opposite yet entangled trajectories of Jackson and Ally with messy emotion and intimacy. Much is made of the importance of ‘the moment,’ from Jackson’s advice to Ally to “take it in,” to Lady Gaga’s show-stopping rendition of the tellingly titled “Always Remember Us This Way,” but the moment is always in flux as the couple navigate a haze of fame and booze while their bond remains the one constant element in their lives. Though their story was written many years ago, “A Star Is Born” gives its characters a will of their own, so when those big, weepy moments arrive, you buy them hook, line, and sinker. – David Pountain [our review]

21. “Private Life”

Over a decade after her celebrated “The Savages,” director Tamara Jenkins partners with Netflix for the beautifully intimate and honest “Private Life.” Richard and Rachel are a couple undergoing various forms of fertility treatment, as well as pursuing adoption, in order to have a child. It becomes the focus of their marriage, but with the couple willing to go to ever greater lengths, it also puts a severe strain on their relationship. When Richard’s doted on but directionless step-niece, Sadie, offers to help them by donating her eggs, in turn finding a meaningful purpose for herself, the problems grow deeper as Richard and Rachel’s private life becomes a stressful subject of curiosity for their extended family. Balancing melancholy and comedy, Jenkins’ script and her assembled cast are the highlights of an emotionally revealing story, with Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, and Kayli Carter all turning in outstanding performances. Wickedly entertaining and reflexive, Jenkins’ film is all about the efforts it takes to conceive, and so it’s tempting to suggest that it must have been gestating ever since “Savages” to arrive so perfectly articulated. In any case, it was worth the wait. – Julia Teti [our review]