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Number three is Waltz with Bashir, one of the most interesting films I've ever seen, both in the story it is telling and the way it chooses to tell it. Ari Folman directed this documentary about himself trying to understand his past and the past of his country. Folman interviews men who were with him when he was in the Israeli army, trying to understand the impact that the missions they led had on their nation's history and their own psyche. He then hired a team of animators to depict both these conversations and the events they describe. That's right, Waltz with Bashir is an animated documentary, and the animation style creates a dreamlike state in the film that makes its impact even stronger.

A much more traditional documentary takes the number two spot, but it is easily the best documentary of the decade. Director Chris Bell's Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is not what I expected when I sat down to watch a documentary about steroids. It is an exploration of the American Dream and the premium our culture puts on being the best. It is about family and love. It is such a beautifully made film that it is almost heart wrenching. Bell puts a personal face on the steroid debate, telling the story of his two brothers, both aspiring professional wrestlers who take or have taken steroids. Giving equal weight to both sides of the debate, Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is a complex and incredibly well put together film that passes the test of a great documentary in that it is about so much more than its subject, but really tells us about ourselves.

And what's the best overlooked film of 2008? How about this: what's the best film of 2008? Another one: what's the best film of the decade? Roger Ebert and I would answer all three of those questions with the same title: Synecdoche, New York. It is a travesty that Charlie Kaufman's strangely-titled epic got ignored by audiences, but it is not surprising. Synecdoche is even more difficult to understand than it is to pronounce; an exploration of life, art, and how blurry the line between the two can be, Charlie Kaufman pulled out all of the stops for his directorial debut. Best known for his screenplays Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman has already established himself as the most unique cinematic voice of our generation, and with this film he makes it clear that he is also the most brilliant. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars as Caden Cottard, a theater director who decides to recreate New York City inside an abandoned warehouse in New York City. Cottard's relationships with the various women in his life take all sorts of strange turns as the film progresses and he loses a grip on reality. Hoffman is of course superb (when isn't he?), and he is well supported by a slew of outstanding actresses, most notably Samantha Morton and Michelle Williams, both of whom deserve Oscars for their work. Kaufman never spoon feeds the audience, and his work has a very literary quality, but it also features spectacular visuals. I could go on for pages about this film, but I'll stop now, and just tell you to do yourself a favor and watch Synecdoche, New York.

1. Synecdoche, New York
2. Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
3. Waltz with Bashir
4. Funny Games
5. Paranoid Park
6. Let the Right One In
7. Repo: The Genetic Opera
8. The Fall
9. Son of Rambow
10. Happy Go Lucky

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