1. Miele
Valeria Golino will be best known to English-speakers as the love interest in the Hot Shots films, but she proves herself an extremely instinctive, talented director here with a thorny, thought-provoking, emotional masterpiece. Jasmine Trinca plays Irene, a euthanasia activist who makes a living administering painless deaths to those suffering from terminal illnesses, and she goes about her "job" in the most professional, clinical, safe manner possible. However, when she discovers that one "patient" is in fact not terminally ill but merely suicidally depressed, she comes to question her line of work as well as how far the "right to die" debate should extend. Offering no easy answers to its central debate but confronting it in a suitably dark yet humanist fashion, Miele is girded by the stunning central performance by lovely lead Trinca, and also the bit-part performances from the various patients she interacts with throughout. Sharply directed though likely too dark for Academy Awards consideration, this is a vital, immensely powerful film.
Release Info: Worldwide release dates TBA. Which 2013 films have been your favourite so far? Let us know in the comments below.