11. Annie Hall
directed by Woody Allen
Never before or since has the totality of a relationship been defined on-screen as well as in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall. And never has a film been so adept at balancing introspective, self-deprecating humor with the uncanny ability to take down the mores of upper-crust society. With nuanced vignettes of Alvy Singer (Woody Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton) falling into love—whether learning to cook lobster or playing tennis—to the neuroses that cause relationships to crumble, Annie Hall takes an unforgiving look at a relationship through the eyes of someone who can find humor in the most human of euphoria and agony. Allen’s humor is one that doesn’t let the audience simply watch a relationship unfold. Rather, Annie Hall demands that you be a part of it; Alvy Singer frequently looks directly into camera, making eye contact with the viewer and telling them “this is my story, but it might as well be yours too”. Despite what’s become of Woody Allen, there is no denying the simplistic power and complicated beauty that unfolds within the frames of Annie Hall.