One of Britain’s leading film critics has named three of her favourite films of all time. Anna Smith is an English film reporter, she was the former chair of the London Film Critics’ Circlea and is the host of the Girls on Film podcast. Smith has contributed to the BBC, Sky News, Time Out, The Guardian, and The Film Review. Now, the critic has named three of her favourite films, and each of them offers something different. Here are Anna Smith’s top three films of all time.
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a science fiction film, released in 1985 and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The film was written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and it stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. The film’s synopsis reads: “In this 1980s sci-fi classic, small-town California teen Marty McFly (Fox) is thrown back into the ’50s when an experiment by his eccentric scientist friend Doc Brown (Lloyd) goes awry. Traveling through time in a modified DeLorean car, Marty encounters young versions of his parents (Glover, Thompson), and must make sure that they fall in love or he’ll cease to exist. Even more dauntingly, Marty has to return to his own time and save the life of Doc Brown.”
Smith described the film as “so slick and beautifully formed, the benchmark for mainstream, crowd-pleasing adventure”.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a 2019 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma. It stars Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel and is set in France in the late 18th century. The film’s synopsis reads: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire tells the story of a forbidden romance between a young painter and the woman she is commissioned to paint in 18th-century France. Marianne, the painter, is secretly tasked with creating a wedding portrait of Héloïse, who is resistant to marriage and has refused to pose. As Marianne observes and paints Héloïse, they fall in love, leading to a passionate and clandestine affair.”
On Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Smith said it was “a groundbreaking film from the female gaze that represents so much of what we discuss on the podcast”.
Secrets & Lies
Secrets & Lies is a 1996 comedy-drama film written and directed by Mike Leigh. Led by an ensemble cast consisting of many Leigh regulars, it focuses on a dysfunctional family whose relations are thrown into chaos. Its cast includes Brenda Blethyn, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Timothy Spall, Phyllis Logan, and Claire Rushbrook. The film’s plot reads: “Secrets & Lies is a British drama film about Hortense, a young black optometrist, who, after the death of her adoptive mother, seeks out her birth mother. She discovers her birth mother is Cynthia, a white, working-class woman with whom she forms a complex relationship.”
Smith describes the film as “wonderfully observed characters, often underrepresented on screen”.