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Call Me By Your Name >> I know I said no particular order, but this might be my favourite film of the year. I can't quite put my finger on what I loved so much, but I found myself captivated the whole way through. This is a love story without any stakes - you're just watching two people fall in love and witnessing how pure this teen's desire is. You can really feel the heat of the summer, and the sexual tension is so tantalising and weirdly had me on edge. It also explores the notion of knowing a love will end, which really resonated and stuck with me. Yet, it is so gentle and beautiful at the same time. There is an excellent parenting speech at the end, and I couldn't take my eyes off Timothee Chalamet. Mostly because of his gorgeous acting, but also because he's, well, gorgeous.
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Dunkirk >> In terms of storytelling, I do think Dunkirk wins for me. Three stories are closely knit together and told simultaneously even though the timelines differ, which adds to that chaotic feeling of war which all the characters are experiencing. It's also highly emotional, and every time I watched Mark Rylance on screen I had tears in my eyes because he's just so damn good. Even the characters who you disagree with, you don't hate - their fear, anger, or distrust is a product of their experience. And while it doesn't glorify war in the slightest, it still manages to make you feel patriotic. I have genuinely never been so tense while watching a film, it's so captivating in a horrendous way.
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Wonder Woman >> I'm a bit disenfranchised with the whole superhero genre these days, but I really did love Wonder Woman. Diana is such a fierce character and the No Man's Land scene gave me chills, brought tears to my eyes, and made me smile so wide, all at once. I also liked that the love story didn't feel forced into the plot, and Chris Pine's character was the perfect way for Diana to learn about humanity's strength which is of course, love. Patty Jenkins' direction portrayed all the Amazons as powerful women. Even though there is a focus on their bodies, it is not sexualised - it portrays their pure strength. I really really dislike Batman vs Superman and Justice League, and the villain here isn't the best it could be, but I do love Wonder Woman.
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La La Land >> (It came out in 2017 for the UK don't @ me) It's hard for me to sum up my feelings for La La Land, because it truly did steal my heart. I love that it is soaked in nostalgia, with references to musicals I already love, and that the love story is so real. I was lucky enough to see it with a live orchestra a few months ago too, and it was even more moving then. People have criticised that Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone weren't the world's best singers or dancers, but that's what made me adore it even more - these are real characters who are expressing their emotions through musical numbers, they don't claim to be perfect! And I don't see any flaws in their performances anyway. This is definitely a musical I can watch again and again, if of course I'm prepared to cry.
Aaaand some final shout-outs because I can't help myself. Baby Driver is my No. 6, I adore the clever use of music (I listen to the soundtrack all the time too) and was so surprised how much I loved a film about car chases! Get Out was pretty groundbreaking and such a powerful watch, Blade Runner 2049 wasn't my favourite in plot but was stunning, Spider-Man: Homecoming was all kinds of fun and actually made me love the character. Oh and of course I adored Star Wars: The Last Jedi and The Greatest Showman but it felt wrong to include them in my top five as they had only just been released at the end of the year!