Deborah Ross’s top five films of 2014

1. Mr Turner

Mike Leigh’s infinitely superior biopic starring a sublime, if grunty, Timothy Spall.

2. 12 Years A Slave

Harrowing – you’ll be harrowed to within an inch of your life – but it’s unflinching look at American slavery will stay powerfully with you unlike, for example, Django Unchained or The Butler

3. Boyhood

Richard Linklater’s epic, heart-warming observational chronicle explores  the banality of everyday life without ever being boring; a rare achievement in cinema.

4. Twenty Feet From Stardom

A host of extraordinary women and a sensational soundtrack take this documentary about backing singers to another level, and will take you with it.

5. Paddington

Funny, satirical, political, extremely British and also marmalade, so what’s not to like? Or, even, love?