“You Were Never Really Here” (2017)

Joaquin Phoenix gives the performance of a lifetime in this dark, brutal, bone-chilling vigilante drama. Director/Writer Lynne Ramsay manages to construct a film that feels both like an arthouse film, and a more familiar and conventional film simultaneously. She keeps the film’s focus as it should on the main lead, diving very deep into his character, often with little or no dialogue, and does a masterful job of telling the story visually, using the medium of film to her fullest advantage. There’s not a second wasted in this taut, brisk thriller, and it easily ranks as one of the very best films of the year and one that was severely overlooked in 2018.

Rating: 5/5