Harriet Warman

Comments

Interstellar

It's just epic. It's probably very controversial to say that it might be better than 2001: A Space Odyssey but honestly, I'm fine not watching that particular Kubrick film again, and yet I keep returning to Interstellar. It's aurally haunting, I think and think about the sound of it, the feel of it, the tragedy of it. And that it allows room for hope too. Everything about it feels huge in a deeply satisfying way.

Us

Thinking about the ideas in this film combined with the artistry and dark comedy is a pleasure that makes me want to watch it again and again.

Singin' in the Rain

I grew up watching this and I've already shown it to my toddler. I can't think of a better film to endure in its ability to inspire joy from generation to generation. Musicals are so brilliant because they showcase the literal best of every department of the film's production, and there is simply no better musical than this.

Before Sunset

A perfect 80 minutes spent with one of the most charismatic screen couples, performing, writing and giving us a capsule moment of all the complexities of relationships – passion, longing, regret, loss, joy, it's all here.

GUE MOOL

Parasite might be the better film technically but, for me, The Host has more heart, and that's what sways me. It's a fantastic creature feature, which shows us the enduring love of a family.

20th Century Women

These characters are so real, so beautifully realised, I just want to keep spending time with them.

Cléo from 5 to 7

Varda had the keenest eye, she was the smartest, most perceptive filmmaker, perhaps because she always looked for the humanity in people, the best of them. Her curiosity was her superpower, and here it created a window into the life of a woman grappling with uncertainty and trying to find meaning in life. It still has the power to provoke surprise and delight, as well as being deeply moving.

Phantom Thread

Sometimes my love for this film will seem to fade – I'll remember appreciating the tension and the humour, but I'll start to think maybe it's just a pretty good film, and that's it. And then I'll play it again, and as soon as Jonny Greenwood's score starts I am in love with it all over again. I am helpless in the face of its charms.

Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles

A hypnotic, enduring masterpiece.

My Neighbour Totoro

Laughing loudly when we're scared works at any age, and that is only one of the many gifts this film has given us.

Further remarks

This task is way too hard, but I decided my approach would be to select films that I have watched and will watch repeatedly. For me, this is important. I've had many transformative experiences watching works of cinematic art that can never be repeated, but for my list, each film is one I love and think about again and again. Spending time thinking about a film and its meaning, its beauty, its challenges is one of the great pleasures of cinema, and the greatest films are ones I hold dearest to my heart and mind.