Here's a list of my favorite films from 2009 that enabled me to understand the immigrant experience, re-experience first love and a broken heart, enjoy the thought of historical revisionism, and soar through the skies in the family home and on the back of a dragon.

Sin Nombre (dir. Cary Fukunaga)
An exhilarating ride through Honduras and Mexico, on top of trains, through towns and across rivers, with death tragedy always one step behind. The most powerful and unforgettable film of the year.

Two Lovers (dir. James Gray)
A superbly acted and nuanced film about the choices we make and how they affect the friends and family around us. How does Leonard (River Phoenix) balance the affections of two very different women (Gwenyth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw) and does he end up choosing the right one?

Inglorious Basterds (dir. Quentin Tarantino)
Each chapter was sublime in execution: dialogue, cinematography, art direction, sound editing... while all the performances were exquisite (especially Christoph Waltz as Colonel Hans Landa), it was the dramatic tension—present in every scene—that was the film's true greatness.

(500) Days of Summer (dir. Mark Webb)
I've already gotten long-winded about the film in another posting but failed to compliment the cleverness of the film, disguising post-modern loneliness and missed connections in candy-colored outfits and musical numbers.

Sugar (dirs. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck)
The toughest challenge for international minor league baseball players isn't throwing a 95 MPH fastball or hitting home runs—it's assimilating to the culture and traditions of a foreign land. Sugar is an insightful examination of the talent machine behind major league baseball and one young Dominican's determination to find his place in an impatient and unforgiving land.

Adventureland (dir. Greg Mottola)
An 80's-era coming-of-age story that follows a group of teenagers working dead-end jobs at an amusement park. While the story follows James—the over-educated and under-skilled literature major—the film is stolen by Emily, as she tries to figure out where and how she fits into the world. Kirsten Stewart is a revelation as the dreamy, spunky, record-playing Emily, which almost makes up for her brain-dead performance in the Twilight films.

Precious (dir. Lee Daniels)
A powerful film anchored by the performances of its leading women: Gabby Sidibe, Paula Patton, Mo'Nique and Mariah Carey. Equal parts devastating and shocking, the film retains its lightness through a series of dream sequences and the appearance of a Nurse John, played by Lenny Kravitz. There's a lot of discussion about the true message of the film: for me, it's simply about the triumph of the human will.

Avatar (dir. James Cameron)
If you want a story with clever dialogue and character development, go watch another film: Avatar is all about the way we experience films. And, what a magnificent spectacle it proves to be.

Up (dir. Pete Docter)
I would have been happy if the entire film was the picture-and-pitch perfect Carl and Ellie memory sequence, played over and over again for 90 minutes. It was that good, and still gets me each time. Consequently, I bought an adventure journal this past fall and plan to fill it up in the next couple of years.