DUBAI: From the first domestically successful film in Saudi Arabia to some stellar follow-ups to the franchise, William Mulley delivers the best films of the past six months.

“The Lover Is Afraid”

Director: Ari Aster

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Armin Nabatian, Patti LuPone

Ari Aster always knew “Beau is Afraid” would fail. He thought audiences and critics wouldn’t understand that. But here’s the thing – the fact that he’s never been deterred by failure is why he’s perhaps the most vibrant young director currently working in Hollywood, a place where artistic expression loses the battle to corporate anxieties. Filmmakers with poetry at their hearts quickly sell that impulse to the highest bidder, moving on to soulless franchises and tasteless movies. It’s so common that “sale” isn’t even an insult anymore. Instead, Aster produced two horror films, “Hereditary” and “Midsummer,” that became commercial and critical successes, and decided to burn out of that goodwill to make a film that would take decades to be seen as a masterpiece. This is bravery.

And yes, this is a masterpiece. Not just horror, as in the previous two films, but comedy. Think of it as a mix of David Lynch’s “Eraserhead” and Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours.” It is the absurd and surreal journey of a man whose chronic indecision and human flaws make him a magnet for the world’s pain and evil. It’s “Joker” without the catharsis, unsatisfying by design. It’s both gorgeous and outrageous, flawed to perfection – it just might be my new favorite nightmare. Calling it “indulgent” shows that we have forgotten what art looks like.

Star

Director: Abdullah Al-Arak

Starring: Ibrahim Al-Hajjaj, Ibrahim Al-Khair Allah, Abdulaziz Al-Shehri

Art production doesn’t matter much if no one wants to engage in it. To have a great film industry, you first need a great cinematic culture, and in Saudi Arabia it developed long before cinemas reopened a few years ago. Where might you ask? on YouTube. Starting in the late 2000s, creators like those on TV11 saw viral hit after viral hit that young people couldn’t get enough of, and those same talents and characters have now graduated from that platform to movie theatres. The blockbuster “Star” – the first real Saudi film in history – is the extraordinary result of this transformation. The pro-wrestling slapstick comedy will never win Best Picture at the Oscars, but it did something far more important: prove that Saudis will engage with homegrown creations on a massive scale. Now the fun can really begin.

‘Black Berry’

Director: Matt Johnson

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Michael Ironside

We are in the age of the producer movie, and the only one worth watching is the product that nobody wants. Sure, “Air” and “Flaming Hot” might both work well as junk food, but “BlackBerry” is much more fun and won’t leave you feeling sick afterwards. Chronicling the rise and fall of the original kings of the smartphone, before Apple and Android crushed them into dust, this isn’t a movie about why you should buy something, it’s a movie about what happens when you sell your soul to the devil. With journalistic ethos and a clear-eyed moral, “BlackBerry” is a movie everyone should see, whether they’re tech enthusiasts or not.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ‘

Director: James Gunn

Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is rarely a place where a filmmaker can truly express themselves – which is part of the reason the films rarely stand up to multiple viewings. With the Guardians trilogy, James Gunn did what no other filmmaker has done: make something that is intrinsically Marvel and unmistakably his own. Gunn poured his heart and soul into a cast of seemingly second-rate characters, imbuing them with flaws and idiosyncrasies with such skill that they feel like all of us. On this third journey, his best creation – Rocket Raccoon – takes center stage, and trust me, his journey will make you cry more each time you return to it.

“John Wick: Chapter 4”

Director: Chad Stahelski

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins

The “John Wick” movies are getting bigger and better with each iteration, and with this movie, we’re finally reaching the heights that the genre has to offer. The franchise rarely pulls that off – usually in the fourth, they’re steeped in a lot of backstory and world-building, but here, the world itself just makes less sense as we go along, and the movies are all better for that. Here’s all you need to know: A hitman works for a secret hitman organization, but after the death of his dog, he goes rogue, sending every hitman in the world after him. Besides, these are just great martial arts flicks, ones that use Reeves’ unparalleled physique to full effect and pair him with the best martial arts actors alive today.

Goodbye, Julia

Director: Mohamed Kordofani

Starring: Elman Youssef, Nizar Gomaa, Cyran Ryak

The Saudi-backed “Goodbye Julia” may be the Sudanese director’s debut, but it’s the result of more than a decade of agonizing insider searching. Eleven years ago, he was working as an aircraft engineer when his country split in two, and as he hatched out the bigotry and hatred that led to South Sudan voting for secession, he found all those flaws in himself too, which led him to present an honest, insightful, unforgettable portrait of A country still divided. He’s sympathetic, but he doesn’t pull any punches. A great regional filmmaker has already arrived.

‘missing’

Directors: Nicholas D. Johnson, Will Merrick

Starring: Storm Reid, Nia Long, Ken Leung

A spiritual sequel to 2018’s excellent Finding, Missing is another addition to the burgeoning genre of “screen life” mystery, where everything you see on our everyday devices happens. Here, we watch the screens of a teenage girl named June as she frantically pursues her missing mother around the world, the latter of whom disappeared without trace while on vacation in Colombia. Filled with the same tight writing and vibrant characterization that writers Saif Ohanian and Anish Chaganty brought to “The Search,” this one ups the ante in every possible sense. Like trying to guess “whodunit”? Add this to your waiting list.

“Third Dogma”

Director: Michael B

Starring: Michael B Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson

Jordan made his directorial debut with the third installment of the “Creed” franchise, itself a spin-off/continuation of the long-running “Rocky” series, and he works because he directs as well as he does. With Jordan the director, just like Jordan the performer, there is no subtext, but whatever you get is effective. His pairing with Jonathan Majors – an actor with the ability to layer shallow writing with unexpected layers on the level of someone like Ralph Fiennes – is a stroke of genius despite his off-screen problems. Yes, this is a boxing movie, but the anime spirit with which the two go from friends to enemies to friends again is what makes this one of the best times you’ll have with a popcorn flick this year.