The risk of any Little Women adaptation is to turn this multiple coming of age story into a treacly homily. Greta Gerwig sidesteps the potential for syrup, and while her adaptation is full of real warmth and conviviality, it gives equal narrative weight to conflicts and family triangulations. The decision to tell the story non-linearly might prove baffling to those unfamiliar with the book, but there’s an easy cheat sheet: the “past” is shot with an orange filter; while the “present” is a cool lonely blue. For me, the structure worked to give texture to the cyclicality and parallel struggles of women trying to exist in full color against the very limited palette of 1860s American mores. It’s a beautiful, heartfelt film, and the meta-textual twist at the very end gives us something to continue thinking about.

Knives Out is as funny as it is socially conscious. While you weave through the cast of characters trying to guess who dun it, director Rian Johnson, is very cleverly commenting on rich, white America—with the longest running joke being that no one knows which South American country the nurse actually emigrated from. If you’re a self-proclaimed sleuth, you will be able to find some clues throughout the film to help lead you to the culprit. But what makes this film so brilliant, is that even the most experienced mystery viewers won’t see the twist of the knife coming.

In Almodovar’s latest film, the director self-examines a takes a look at his past: His childhood, a lost love, reconciling with an actor, and mounting health issues are at the forefront of this film. The colorful imagery and set designs that Almodovar is known for are still there, but they take a more nuanced approach in the story. Antonio Banderas’ performance is a career best and is full of sentimentality and a sort of lonely nostalgia. The flashbacks of his childhood are edited very well and flow seamlessly with the present, commenting on how the past seeps into the present.

Baumbach’s greatest film as well as Driver’s and Johansson’s greatest performances to date. This film is heartbreakingly humanistic, and an extremely cathartic presentation of a marriage unwinding. The story follows the journey of two artists, a theater director and an actress, going through a divorce and fighting for the custody of their son. Driver’s character lives in New York and Johansson’s character is originally from Los Angeles and ends up moving back to the city with their son. This sparks the main conflict in the film – where is their son going to live? A strong contender for best original screenplay.

Greener Grass is a wholly original and surrealistic/absurdist view of suburban life. The story follows two families as they traverse the doldrums of middle-class banality. Pool parties, neighborhood barbeques are given an absurdist twist. Two wives accidentally kiss their neighbors’ husbands, perhaps suggesting the homogeneity of male appearance in a middle-class suburban setting. During a party, a young boy falls into the pool and emerges as a Golden Retriever, perhaps commenting on how parents would like their ideal child to be like. This film does a great job in addressing these ideologies and breaks them down in a humorous manner.