"One of the most emotionally overwhelming scenes in any new movie this year takes place at a New Year's Eve party. Partway through Julia Loktev's enthralling documentary, "My Undesirable Friends: Part I-Last Air in Moscow," we find ourselves at a gathering of several Russian independent journalists, toasting the end of a truly hellish 2021 ("To a new year without Putin!")."
"2022, of course, does not turn out to be a year without Putin. In February, Russia's invasion of Ukraine will begin, forcing Loktev's journalist-subjects, who have already been stigmatized by the government for doing their jobs, to flee the country altogether-a crisis that registers onscreen with an almost unbearable suspense. Movies have a curious ability to not only build and amplify tension"
Film critics watched a broad slate of movies during the year, including international standouts, festival favorites, and studio blockbusters. One documentary, Julia Loktev's My Undesirable Friends: Part I—Last Air in Moscow, captures a New Year's Eve gathering of Russian independent journalists who exchange urgent, hopeful messages amid repression. The scenes of solidarity and survival intensify when Russia invades Ukraine in February, forcing journalist-subjects to flee and creating on-screen suspense. Movies demonstrate a capacity to build and amplify tension while illuminating the stakes of real-world political crises. Critics rank the year's best films across varied genres and styles.
Read at The New Yorker
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