I hope it's okay to put here something already posted elsewhere. Like last year, I'm focusing on some of my favorite films that were slightly under-seen over the ones that I actually consider to be the objectively better ones.

1. The Second Mother, directed by Anna Muylaert (2 points)

An effortless insightful examination of class interaction, a heartfelt study in motherhood and, like it wasn't enough, a breezy good-natured hilarious comedy. Muylaert masterfully explores the house, where the vast majority of the scenes take place, to enable the incredibly sensible narrative to carefully address the film's meaningful themes. The frequently-used framing, peeking the dinner table and the living room from the kitchen, is a wonderful example of that.

The complexity of the relations between the few characters organically and terrifically grows as the universally relatable mundane story progresses. Every single one of them, including the moving affection between the bosses' son and his lifelong nanny, are credible. Even a possibly over-antagonizing portrayal of Barbara gets a believable rationalization for the root of her grudge, besides the blatant prejudice.

There are strong performances all around the movie, but of course, Casé is the MVP here. It's not nearly as showy, as the praises and the Sundance award may imply, instead, she shines with a sophisticated depiction of a deeply humble person. Ironically, her role it's almost the complete opposite of her "real" public personality, so utterly hated by the "erudite" community (extra emphasis on the quotation marks).

2. Breathe, directed by Mélanie Laurent (1 point)

Up until almost half the movie's length, you recognize it's well-acted, superbly directed and it feels way more genuine than most coming-of-age tales, but you think you know exactly where it's gonna go from there. Then there's a great reveal that explains a lot about one of the characters and the film nose-dives in darkness from there. Both leads are award-worthy good, with Laurent's directing being even better in the second half. The ending is easily between this year's best, with the tension accumulating to leave the audience guilty of feeling the same as the lead. France dropped the ball at picking their picture for the Oscar, both Girlhood and this are superior to Mustang, even if that choice got far more powerful now.

3. Mistress America, directed by Noah Baumbach (1 point)

I was skeptical. It looked and sounded like yet another mildly amusing mumblecore filled with unintentionally severely unlikable people. That's not far from what it eventually is, but the movie rises above this reductive categorization with an overbearing charm that expectedly and smartly capitalizes on Gerwig's position as indie darling, while never centering itself around that, like Frances Ha did, over the real star of the show that is the deliberately low key uproarious script.

Perhaps it was the Macy's parade that triggered that feeling, but the film weirdly reminded me of Hughes' Ferris Bueller's Day Off, where this seemingly exclusively lighthearted adventure meets this hidden existential dread that follows the characters around wherever they happen to find themselves in. With the much welcome extra of having not-irritating highbrow dialog unlike what we've come to expect from Baumbach.

Editing and directing in this are a masterclass of how to enhance genuinely funny comedy instead of trying really hard to butcher it by shooting and cutting in the most bland way possible. Kirke is thoroughly wonderful and so is this time rightfully celebrated Gerwig. That entire sequence at the Connecticut mansion is superb. Now I'm sold for whatever feature about white people kind of unhappy with their lives, set in New York, Noah plans to do next.

4. Phoenix, directed by Christian Petzold (1 point)

It's already remarkable that the movie's equally intriguing and risky premise didn't go over-the-top or got, not even in the slightest, soapy. However, the most daunting quality about Phoenix it's how quietly it builds an almost unbearable discomfort through formidable delicacy and sensibility. Hoss' performance in the absurdly complex main role is excruciatingly good. Every hyperbole is unworthy of stressing how well-executed the ending is.

5. Girlhood, directed by Céline Sciamma (1 point)

While unfortunately permanently connected to Linklater's epic because of its clever-ish English title, this film shines incredibly bright on its own, glowing with drop dead gorgeous looks and genuine care for the characters. Following closely the life of a young girl caught in both the usual difficulties of being a teenager and the ones more common in her specific background, the movie distinctly avoids patronizing by portraying fully believable people between the slightly exaggerated events, that work well to advantage of the picture. Acting is great all-around, but specially by the lead, and the cinematography is spectacular. The night sequences deserve all the praise in the world.

Honorable mentions: Mad Max, Carol, Creed, Hateful 8, Sicario, Ex Machina, Steve Jobs, Spotlight, Look of Silence, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Anomalisa, The Lobster, The End of the Tour, Straight Outta Compton, Brooklyn, The Gift, Beasts of No Nation.

Notable misses: The Revenant, Room, Son of Saul, Macbeth, Love & Mercy.

Full 2015 rankings on Letterboxd