Strange Days, 1995
Misunderstood and maligned upon its 1995 release, it’s been gratifying in recent years to see Kathryn Bigelow’s Strange Days find the fans it so richly deserves. An audacious, go-for-broke film, Strange Days has a fascinating sci-fi concept (people relive the recorded memories of others as illicit entertainment), amazing performances from an exceptional cast, and a healthy hatred of cops. The film is a direct influence on more recent cyberpunk media including Cyberpunk 2077 (compare this film’s opening scene with that game’s braindance tutorial, an obvious homage), but it also feels like a true original, something uniquely its own. Much of Strange Days is bleak and depressing, but I think it only probes the darkness in order to find a realistic basis for hope, which it finds, beautifully, in its transcendent final moments. Watch on New Year’s Eve for maximum effect. – Carolyn Petit
