Kathryn Reklis's Christmas list

To give

Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s epic of everyday life, lingers long after one has seen it. Filmed on a few days every year for 12 years, the story follows a young boy as he grows from age six to 18. In part a coming-of-age story, in part a meditation on time and the shaping of human character and memory, Boyhood is a masterpiece.

In the postapocalyptic thriller Snow­piercer, Earth is an icy wasteland and surviving humans circle the globe on a high-speed train. The train is divided into compartments: the poor live in squalor, the rich are swaddled in luxury and escapist drugs. Religious mythology and violence keep the social order intact until a young man leads a revolution. Joon-ho Bong’s film is a moral indictment of contemporary social ills and a dystopic Noah story packaged in stunning visuals and camera work.