A personal selection

Our resident film critic picks the finest films she saw in 2016 – and no, there aren’t any blockbusters in the list.

- Maithili Rao

Picking the best films I saw in 2016 is easy this year. I resisted the lure of the 300-crore-critic-proof blockbusters by cajoling film-viewing companions to limit my visits to the cinema, because of frequent travel. You do become choosy over time, and those ubiquitous promos make you even more cynical. I discovered — unsurprisingly — that the impact of the best films has been more lasting, and I can recall scenes, lines and images with clarity in my uncluttered mind. I would not have missed the latest masterwork from Ken Loach even if it meant standing in long lines at MAMI. I, Daniel Blake is easily not only the best film I saw this year, but also in the last two decades. Loach proves that a simple story about ordinary people, told with affection, insight and layered with multiple meanings, wins every time and everywhere.