sunday review 2002 Our critics choose the best of the last 12 months

newcomer OF THE YEAR

MARTIN COMPSTON We have Ken Loach to thank for the discovery of three wonderful young Scottish actors, all of whom appeared in his latest film, Sweet Sixteen. Annmarie Fulton, as single mum Chantelle, had a quiet dignity well beyond her years. William Ruane's Pinball was a chaotic live-wire on a mission to self-destruct. But as I can only choose one newcomer of the year, it has to be Martin Compston, whose extraordinarily assured and heartbreakingly honest performance captivated everyone who watched the film. He's an immensely talented youngster who has given up a promising football career to concentrate on acting. And personally, I can't wait to see what he does next.

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

LYNNE RAMSAY This will come as no surprise to readers of my review of Morvern Callar. Indeed, Lynne Ramsay's achievements in bringing Alan Warner's novel to the big screen are so remarkable, so wholly- realised, so instinctively fluent in the language of cinema that the film should rank not just among its British contemporaries, but among the best films that were made anywhere in the world this year.

I hate the term auteur - it sounds so poncy and pretentious - but for Ramsay, the title fits. She took a piece of work that was strongly associated with its writer, and cast an actress, Samantha Morton, who wholly inhabited the title role. Yet the film is entirely Ramsay's vision, and an extraordinary, troubling and stunningly beautiful one at that.

TOP 10

FILMS On paper, 2002 looks like a bad year for cinema. A recession bit with unexpected rapidity and severity in the European industry. FilmFour as a distributor ceased to exist and its activities as a producer have been brutally downsized. Ron Howard won the best director Oscar for the turgid A Beautiful Mind, while Baz Luhrmann didn't even get nominated for Moulin Rouge. And Adam Sandler's career continues, this year branching out into production to bring us the Worst Animation Ever, Eight Crazy Nights.

But 2002 will also be remembered as the year of the underdog. Look at the US box office charts and you'll notice the usual selection of precision-engineered blockbusters but up there in the top ten is a little independent movie called My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which stars an unknown actress and was made for peanuts. In all honesty, it's a distinctly average film, a few funny moments in a mess of cultural stereotypes. But it's refreshing when something so small fry makes such an impact. The downside is that every US studio is now desperate to recreate that big fat Greek success story. Brace yourself for a slew of imitators.

Another example of the underdog making good is the rise and rise of the documentary feature. It helps that there were some extremely strong documentaries released - the hip hop extravaganza Scratch; Michael Moore's gun law polemic Bowling For Columbine; and my favourite, the anarchic history of skateboarding, Dogtown And Z- Boys.

While perhaps not strictly an underdog, the Australian drama Lantana was certainly not a commercial frontrunner, but it built a substantial audience through word-of-mouth. But the most dramatic success story must be that of Donnie Darko, which sank without trace on its US release but was and continues to be a cult hit in the UK.

Aside from the fact that we recognised genius overlooked in America, it was a strong year for European cinema. France in particular produced some diverse and exciting work. There was the exuberant high camp of Eight Women and the highly acclaimed Read My Lips. But one French film that made it into my top ten list was Time Out by Laurent Cantet, a psychological drama about a man who creates a fake existence for himself after losing his job. It was based on a genuine case, as was Roberto Succo, a compelling, forensic examination of a real-life serial killer.

Scotland also had a strong year, with both Lynne Ramsay's Morvern Callar and Ken Loach's Sweet Sixteen celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival. And without wishing to stretch the European theme, its worth noting that the best Hollywood movie this year was directed by a Brit and based on a little-seen Norwegian film. Insomnia fulfilled the promise that Christopher Nolan had shown with Memento and began a career rehabilitation for Robin Williams. Among the rest of the major Hollywood releases this year Insomnia stood out as a restrained, elegant and intelligent piece of film-making.

The other stand-out Hollywood movie (apart from the hugely enjoyable Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers) was Spielberg's flawed but fascinating Minority Report, which gave the Irishman Colin Farrell a chance to live up to his hype.

The wave of thrilling new Latin American cinema gathered force this year - the surprise hit of Cannes was a Brazilian film set in the slums of Rio called City Of God (British audiences can catch it in January). And the smart and funny Mexican movie Y Tu Mam Tambien deservedly became one of the most successful (and sexiest) foreign language films of the year.

So there you have it. It was not such a disastrous year for cinema. You just had to know where to look. And if, as it seems, audiences are gaining enthusiasm for independent and foreign language cinema, there are some real treats in store for next year. Sure the recession is still with us, but doesn't art tend to thrive in adversity?

So that just leaves the Adam Sandler problem. And I have a feeling even he might be about to redeem himself in Paul Thomas Anderson's Punch Drunk Love. Watch this space.

BEST OF SCOTTISH: FILM Donnie Darko Y Tu Mama Tambien Lantana Sweet Sixteen Time Out Morvern Callar Insomnia Roberto Succo Minority Report Dog Town And Z-Boys

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