Top Films of the Year

With most year-end movie lists bask in the glow of award-season contenders, Dana Stevens grudgingly runs through her unranked, alphabetized top 10 on Slate, despite being "allergic to hierarchies, lists, and ranking."

A Christmas Tale: A French film about a crazed family that's "a glorious feast of a movie, with the bitter served right next to the sweet."
The Class: A "whip-smart vérité film about a Parisian teacher" that is only for people who " happen to be interested in love, loyalty, race, class, language, or life."
The Edge of Heaven: It's "everything Crash and Babel should have been."
Encounters at the End of the World: Werner Herzog's take on the South Pole's McMurdo research station is "an invaluable tour of one of the weirdest spots on earth"
Man on Wire: The 1974 tightrope walk between the two World Trade Centers, "was simple and yet breathtaking—just like this documentary."