The 10 best (new) films I saw in 2015

Unlike pro movie critics, I didn't manage to see every worthwhile movie over the past year and a # of the contemporary movies I saw probably came out in 2014 or even in 2013 but with that caveat in mind here is the list, in alphabetical order, of the top 10 (new) movies I saw in 2015:

Another Year. A tremendous family drama that unfolds over the course of four seasons by the under-appreciated British direct Mike Leigh.

Leviathon. A powerful film about political corruption and bullying in a small town in contemporary Russia; the film evokes sorrow for pity toward the most unlikely and initially unsympathetic of characters. Amazing that Putin didn't squash this film like a bug.

Norte, The End of History. This four-hour Philippine film is not for everyone, but watch it over 2 nights if you must - it's a powerful drama about a disturbed young man who commits a heinous crime, and it's loosely based on Crime and Punishment.

The Overnighters. The only documentary on the list - a harrowing and painfully honest account of migrant oil-workers in the northern Plains and a minister who tries against all odds to make the workers at home in his community - and with a disturbing twist near the end.

Spotlight. The only other American film on this list - a film that perfectly captures what it was like to work on a large urban newspaper (15 years ago, when newspapers still ruled) and tells a heroic story of investigative journalism as Globe reporters take on the Catholic hierarchy.

Stray Dogs. A Taiwanese film composed almost entirely of long, nearly still shots - each a moving image of unbearable pain and worthy of display in a museum; it provides a harrowing look at the lives of some homeless children in Taipei.

Tangerines. An Estonian-Georgian film with a small cast that tells a highly dramatic story of two soldiers on opposite sides of a civil war who face off in a life or death struggle and are forced to come to terms with one another, with the inevitable dire consequences.

Two Days, One Night. The Dardenne Brothers give us another great movie about working-class life in the industrial wastelands of Belgium, in this case a socio-drama about workers' rights (and wrongs) as bosses pit co-workers against one another in a struggling factory.

Wild Tales. An Argentine film that tells six (I think) stories in sequence, each better than the next, culminating in the most incredible wedding scene ever filmed.

Winter Sleep. A strong, engaging, highly literate drama about a semi-retired intellectual running a resort hotel in the mountains of Turkey and navigating complex disputes with his (much younger) wife, (demanding) sister, and (threatening and frightening) neighbor.