The best of 2012: film

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The Time Out film team reflect on the movies of the past 12 months

As 2012 draws to a close, Time Out’s film critics offer up their five favourite films of the year, plus their least favourite movie, a film hero, a favourite scene and a quick look ahead to 2013.

It’s been a very strong year for international cinema, and our critics’ lists reflect that, with the French-Austrian co-production ‘Amour’, Turkish cop drama ‘Once Upon a Time in Anatolia’, American indie ‘The Master’, Portuguese oddity ‘Tabu’ and homegrown Olympic tie-in documentary ‘London: The Modern Babylon’ proving the most popular overall.

Click on the thumbnails below to see each critic’s top five films – and one stinker.

Ben Walters's best films of 2012

1

London: The Modern Babylon

A dizzying kaleidoscope of archive gems, a brilliant profile of our city.
2

The Queen of Versailles

Has there been a better consideration of the financial crisis as a function of magical thinking?
3

Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present

Ambramovic's unique artistic practice and biography efficiently communicated in a film about the power of performance to connect.
4

The Imposter

Another mind-boggling true story about magical thinking.
5

Call Me Kuchu

Brutal reality meets inspirational conviction.

Ben Walters's worst film of 2012

Room 237

Despite being a fan of both 'The Shining' and outré exegesis, I found this gumbo of pet theories about Kubrick's movie a frustrating bore.

Ben Walters's film hero of 2012

That murderous Engineer in 'Prometheus'. At least someone in that movie seemed to know what his motivation was.

Ben Walters's favourite scene of 2012

Suzanne Clément telling off a waitress in 'Laurence Anyways' - compelling, gratifying, disturbing.

Ben Walters's hope for 2013

Wonderful as the current documentary boom is, it would be good to see more work that doesn't ape the fictive model of characters on a journey - less story, more argument, please.

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More highlights from the past 12 months in London

What a year that was! Brilliant festivals, amazing restaurants, sensational bars, unbelievable gigs, mind-altering exhibitions, gob-smacking shows… if it happened in London, Time Out was there. So who better than our unrivalled team of critics to come up with the definitive list of the best of 2012?