This Supercut of 2016's Top Movies Has A Message

Indiewire film critic David Ehrlich started putting together supercuts of the year's best films back in 2011. Since then, film buffs have looked forward to his year-end montages, which recap some of cinema's finest annual moments. You'll be happy to hear (or see) that Ehrlich's 2016 supercut of the 25 best films does not disappoint. Set against a backdrop of music that's taken from this year's bevy of film soundtracks (including a smart pairing of Never Stop Never Stopping's "Humble" with Weiner), the montage walks you through (most of) 2016's cinematic highlights. It should be noted, however, that, for this year's countdown, Ehrlich went outside of the previously set confines. As in, the supercut of this year's "best films" include two non-films: Beyoncé's visual album Lemonade and the TV documentary series, O.J.: Made in America.

The first few minutes of the video include all types of movies from 2016, and the countdown to Ehrlich's top 25 doesn't start until the 2:45 mark. Fittingly enough, the transition starts with excerpts of Jimmy Carter's 1979 "Crisis of Confidence" speech. He says, "Often you see paralysis, stagnation, and drift. What can we do?" Well, here's Ehrlich's answer, I guess. In a political climate that has some people on edge — and at times in paralysis, stagnation, and drift — at least we can watch films. That's one thing we can do.

See the complete list of Ehrlich's choices, below, but, if you're a movie buff, I highly suggest taking the 13 minutes and 17 seconds out of your day to watch the supercut in full. As he suggests, it's best when paired with headphones. (And, as I suggest, in full screen mode.)

Here's the full film inventory: 25. Weiner, 24. High Rise, 23. Lemonade, 22. Kate Plays Christine, 21. Things to Come, 20. Always Shine, 19. Manchester by the Sea, 18. Swiss Army Man, 17. Silence, 16. Hail, Caesar!, 15. The Witch, 14. American Honey, 13. Indignation, 12. Toni Erdmann, 11. The Handmaiden, 10. The Love Witch, 9. The Lobster, 8. La La Land, 7. The Fits, 6. Kubo and the Two Strings, 5. A Bigger Splash, 4. O.J.: Made in America, 3. Jackie, 2. Sunset Song, and 1. Moonlight.

The video ends with an apt snippet from Carter's earlier speech. "Working together with our common faith, we cannot fail. Thank you and goodnight." Though the montage only addresses movies, that ending clip seems all too fitting for 2016 in general. But, if there's anything that can unite us in this time of political and cultural change, it's film. These 25 are as good a place to start as any.

Images: DavidEhrlich/Vemo