Endless Poetry (2017) and Wind River (2017)

Two of my favorite films from last year were not nominated for any Oscars this year, but to me they really had a impact. 

Endless Poetry (2017, French-Chilean) was released last year and is the latest film from Alejandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, Santa Sangre). I absolutely loved this film because it struck me in a very personal way. It is partially an autobiographical film about Jodorowsky, and stars his son, Adan Jodorowsky.. The film begins with the young Alejandro learning about life and his passions - he loves poetry and art, but his father wants him to be a doctor. Throughout the film Adam meets some very interesting people - other artists, poets, performers, puppeteers - and he develops his creative talents. The ending moved me tremendously, as the son makes peace with his father and tells him that if it weren't for him, he would have never discovered his true calling. It reminded of my recent reconnection with my own birth father after 27 years in 2016.

Here is a review of this film from the blog Surrender the Void.

I also was really moved by the film Wind River (2017). It's a murder mystery done very effectively and is very engaging, with great scenery and a music score co-composed by Nick Cave.

The Rotten Tomatoes capsule summary of the film -

Wind River is a chilling thriller that follows a rookie FBI agent (Elizabeth Olsen) who teams up with a local game tracker with deep community ties and a haunted past (Jeremy Renner) to investigate the murder of a local girl on a remote Native American Reservation in the hopes of solving her mysterious death.

It was written and directed by Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote Sicario, if you enjoyed that film, you may also enjoy this one as well, and I recommend it.