2020 was a year. That is putting it as simply as possible without giving it any praise.
With COVID and a volatile Presidential election and an impressive movement against racial inequality and police brutality, I feel like many people ignored such events like the Oscars...and it was especially apparent that many wouldn't care when the films got very little buzz. I also should that this is completely understandable...and even for someone like me, I went into following them with a sort of half-hearted enthusiasm.
While I wouldn't have personally nominated a few of the films that did make the cut, a couple of them did truly impress me even if they might not have been as strong as some of the films from 2019. The unusual circumstances of last year led to some films getting nominated for Best Picture that might not otherwise have been able to gain traction in a normal year.
Case in point: many, including me, didn't really have Sound of Metal on our radar at first aside from maybe Riz Ahmed having a chance to slip into the Best Actor race. Once it came out, many embraced it and it sort of became a sleeper hit for Amazon and it soon eeked its way in to the race with nominations for Best Picture, Original Screenplay, and winning two Oscars for its Sound (duh) and Film Editing.
Even despite more of an indie presence during the movie award season, it still felt like there were different levels of indie films that gained no significant traction at all...and in many cases, those films not getting attention wasn't shocking even if a few of them struck more of a chord than some of the films that did gain awards momentum.
So yes...in the end, awards aren't everything...and not to mention, top 10 lists are always going to be subjective.
After having viewed enough films from 2020 to feel good about making a judgement call, I now give you my list of the best 10 films of the year along with 5 quick honorable mentions.
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****JUDAS & THE BLACK MESSIAH is being classified as a 2021 film due to its late awards season release date in February. To follow the consensus, I will classify it as a 2021 film as well. Had it been released in August 2020 as originally intended, it would've been one of my top 3 selections quite easily.****
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HONORABLE MENTIONS:
BEANPOLE, COLLECTIVE, MINARI, THE NEST, NINE DAYS, NOMADLAND, PRETEND THAT YOU LOVE ME, SOUL, TIME, VITALINA VARELA
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#10-PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN (Directed by Emerald Fennell)
-My introduction to Emerald Fennell was when she took over headwriting duties on the BBC/AMC series Killing Eve from the original creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The results were...mixed. While the first episode showed immense promise, I feel like the show sort of drifted off to a point where I lost interest after the 4th episode. At the very least, I could tell that there was a unique voice there which was similar to that of Waller-Bridge's but maybe a little more catty.
While she had been primarily known as an actress in the UK (starring on the well-known Call the Midwife and also recently getting Emmy nominated for her turn as Camilla Parker-Bowles on The Crown), Fennell wanted to take a shot at directing and she got her chance when in the fall of 2019, she got to shoot her own script: Promising Young Woman.
I reviewed the film on my blog several months ago, so I will link that review here for reference, but warning...it does contain spoilers:
https://anthonyjhost.blogspot.com/2021/03/my-spoiler-filled-review-of-best.html
Promising Young Woman is the kind of film that polarizes people but still manages to get a lot of awards attention despite many people griping about it. Even if I do obviously think more highly of it, the film does suffer from certain plot misdirects and choices that maybe are a little unclear, but Fennell's script also takes chances and for her first directorial outing, she is very assured and creates a world that is a colorfully vibrant as it is dark and sardonic.
With an ensemble of performers who are typically known for lighter work and a leading lady who is mostly known for playing women in period pieces, there is almost a constant wink from the film to the audience as we watch these people play against type. However, Fennell's point was that the person you may least expect to be a sexual predator or assaulter could very well be the person who is doing it or letting it happen.
I was still very much delighted to see Fennell take the Original Screenplay Oscar this past April, but it is a bummer that Carey Mulligan lost Actress as she probably was the best in that lineup.
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#9-BOYS STATE (Directed by Jesse Moss/Amanda McBaine)
-While it mainly got shafted on the awards circuit, the documentary that intrigued me most from last year was Boys State which revolved around the American Legion's Boys State summer leadership program which, along with a female version, was formed in 1937. This program is held in every U.S. state (although Hawaii only does a female program) and has several notable alumni from James Carville, Samuel Alito, Bill Clinton, Roger Ailes, and even Garth Brooks.
The program allows teenagers to experience what it is like to be in the political cycle as the essentially create a political dynasty from the ground up.
This documentary specifically focuses on the Boys State program held in Austin, Texas and as one might imagine, there are many clashes between the bro-like conservative types and the more left-thinking sensitive guys.
What is truly remarkable about the film is how some of the content plays out like fiction and how certain truths and beliefs about the guys we follow around with may be more born out of what they feel they should believe in rather than what they truly feel. For one example, one guy has sort of been presented as being a cis straight white man with a rather conservative and sexist attitude only for him, in private, to express that he does seem to understand why "pro-choice" is the viable way and not "pro-life".
I am actually amazed that I had never heard of this program prior to watching this documentary, especially considering my relative love of the political arena that I've followed a lot since my childhood...but if there is any request I do have, it is this: MAKE A GIRLS STATE DOCUMENTARY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER PLEASE!!
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#8-SHIVA BABY (Directed by Emma Seligman)
-This movie has something about it that makes it stand out when compared to the other films on this list: its more comedic tone and....it filmed down the street from my apartment. No, that is not the only reason it is on this list...haha.
Shiva Baby revolves around a very basic plot: Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a young bisexual Jewish girl is having an affair with a slightly older married man. Her life is a bit directionless and she is, in some ways, living a double life as when she returns to see her family, she tries to present herself in a more "presentable" Jewish appearance.
Immediately following a meeting with her married lover (who is also her sugar daddy), she has to rush to a shiva with her parents. As one might expect, her doting mother is trying to coach her on how to respond to certain questions as it seems to be known that Danielle is rather aimless in life.
The big story is that Danielle is "babysitting" which is her cover to explain the money she is receiving from her lover Max (Danny Defarri).
To further add to her frustration, her former lover Maya (Molly Gordon) is also in attendance at the shiva and their history seems to be one of unresolved pain.
Shiva Baby is only 78 minutes long...and despite primarily taking place inside of a single house and at risk of feeling like a play adaptation that poorly translated to screen, Emma Seligman manages to keep the pacing and settings and situations incredibly vibrant.
Rachel Sennott also does a fabulous job as Danielle and I hope she receives more attention in this coming decade. Her chemistry with Polly Draper as her mother Debbie is particularly fruitful.
What began as a short film by Emma Seligman thus turned into this relatively short but surprisingly intense feature film. One reviewer on Letterboxd called it "the most stressful Jewish movie since Uncut Gems"....yes, I can see it.
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#7-THE ASSISTANT (Directed by Kitty Green)
-After creating such as splash as the feisty Ruth on Ozark, it was nice to Julia Garner take on a role like this which gives her the opportunity to carry an entire movie on her back and doing so in such a subtle and powerful way.
Garner plays Jane, a junior assistant for a film production company in New York City. She has only been with the company for just slightly over a month and is already sucked in doing all of the usual menial administrative tasks. We see her get in an Uber to go to the office before sunrise and we quickly learn that she is so swamped and stressed that she forgot to call her father on his birthday.
The Assistant is a prime example of a film where many people will say that nothing happens and it is boring as hell and that critics will eat it up like it is the tastiest soup imaginable. While Rotten Tomatoes is a flawed rating system, this film did manage to get a 92% score which shows that most critics were willing to give it a mildly positive score at the very least.
The audience score? 25%
It is one of the biggest gaps between critical praise and audience hatred that I have seen for a film.
I can't say that I don't understand it, but I also feel like the negative reaction to it is a bit harsh. I think a lot of it too comes from my own personal feelings towards to the content.
I often talk about my job on my social media accounts and while I must say that the hours Jane works and the relative verbal abuse she gets are far worse than anything I've encountered in my office, I do sort of relate to her at the same time. She is someone who has bigger dreams but is slaving away doing the "dirty work" while most people around her look down on her.
The film essentially follows a day in the life of Jane at her job and despite a relatively short running time of less than an hour and a half, the film feels longer which could be both a good or a bad thing. By the time the film was over, it almost didn't dawn on me that it all took place in one day because it felt like she went through so much even if it felt like nothing at all.
One key moment that stood out to me was Jane entering a conference room after a meeting that had been catered and sneaking some food from the buffet that had not been eaten. While my office has no issue with us taking food after meeting attendees get theirs, I always feel weird if someone sees me taking the food so I still often get it in haste.
Garner's work in the film feels very real and she manages to restrain a lot of her emotions only allowing it slowly release in key moments. You can feel her sadness and frustration and stress...you can practically see the cloud hovering over her and the film's cinematography aids to that.
Writer/director Kitty Green does a magnificent job of capturing the rather mundane and sluggish world of office assistants...and I do feel the film is extremely misunderstood by many. Perhaps some of them either saw themselves in the film and it pained them too much or they are too privileged to even understand how a job like this can actually be extremely mentally taxing to the point where all you want for dinner is a muffin because the idea of wasting time on cooking is laughable when you could just be sitting there in relative peace while not at the mercy of a lecherous boss.
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#6-BACURAU (Directed by Kleber Mendonca Filho/Juliano Dornelles)
-I find it ironic and darkly amusing that Barack Obama included this movie on his "best of" list when the message of this film is how horrific the concept of sending drones is...but I digress....
Bacurau is a movie that sort of falls into that world of blending genres to the point where its hard to even classify what exactly it is. It is sort of like the film was made in a similar vain to that of Bong Joon-ho's work.
Since I mentioned Bong, I have to follow it with the statement that the less said about Bacurau is best as it is a film that deals with a horrific subject in such a fascinating and surreal manner...and to watch it unfold was rather spellbinding.
My only real complaint is that the script, despite the great ideas, contains some dialogue that felt a little too forced and overwritten...but that could also just be how it was chosen to be translated with English subtitles.
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#5-BLACK BEAR (Directed by Lawrence Michael Levine)
-A movie like Black Bear is always a treat because it succeeds at something that can be a truly fantastic approach on how to make a film but can be hard to pull off without seeming to be either too pretentious or sloppy: the non-linear, dreamlike, "what the fuck is going on and what is real?" timeline.
Lawrence Michael Levine manages to make a film that sort of fits into that niche and could fit comfortably into the universe of David Lynch...though I would argue the film is not as abstract as some of Lynch's work. Levine's Black Bear does contain a strong leading performance from the normally comedic actress Aubrey Plaza, who does a remarkable job in this intense dramatic role and her journey also feels reminiscent of one of David Lynch's go-to "woman in trouble" characters.
Plaza plays Allison, a former actress turned film director who is coming to stay in a remote cabin in the Adirondacks as a guest of two strangers: Gabe (Christopher Abbott) and Blair (Sarah Gadon), a married couple who seemingly are on the brink of being George and Martha from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Allison is seeking inspiration but instead she seems to attract the attention of Gabe much to the dismay of Blair.
I don't want to go any further than that. A movie like this is best left going into it as blind as possible to appreciate the plot structure, but I do want to say that this small ensemble of actors do a great job here and that relative unknown Lawrence Michael Levine manages to create an atmosphere that is both beautiful and eerie. I suppose you could say he captures the concept of being in a rural area in about the same manner in which I do...take that as you will.
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#4-SOUND OF METAL (Directed by Darius Marder)
-There are certain films that end up causing a bigger splash than some might've expected. As I stated in my intro, Sound of Metal was one of those films. What began as some considering to be an "outside shot" possibility for a Best Actor nomination became a Best Picture, Screenplay. Actor, AND Supporting Actor nominee while I also taking wins for (not surprisingly) its Sound and perhaps even more crazy considering its trajectory, its Editing.
The main premise of the film revolves around Reuben (Riz Ahmed) and his girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke) who are both traveling the country living out of an RV while performing their sort of heavy metal/punk duo....think of them as a more brash White Stripes but with the genders reversed. Rueben's hearing while acting as a drummer begins to deteriorate rapidly and despite warnings for him to stop subjecting himself to the loud venues he plays, he doesn't take these to heart and he essentially loses his hearing completely within days.
A good portion of the film revolves around Reuben's stay at a special rehab facility that serves former recovering drug addicts who also suffer from hearing loss. The facility, which is in a remote rural location, is run by Joe (Paul Raci), a recovering alcoholic who lost his hearing while serving in Vietnam.
One of the major key plot points on the film revolves around if being deaf is truly a handicap. In many ways, it is but as we watch these people interact with each other, you begin to realize that maybe Reuben is the one who has a lot to accept with this new, albeit, jarring change to his body.
I wrote a review for the film on my previous blog which is now defunct. Normally I would link to it so I could go more in depth with some of the plot points and the tone, but I do feel like the film is extremely worth your time to check out. It certainly doesn't get too mawkish about the deaf community nor does it choose to hold our hands. It paints Reuben as both sympathetic and stubborn...and these layers are played to perfection by Riz Ahmed, who would've been my runner-up for the Best Actor Oscar this year. Then you have Paul Raci, a man who had primarily been working in the theatre and doing "day-jobs" on various TV shows and films for 40 years who swept in and got a role he was essentially born for. While Raci isn't deaf, his parents were and this is a world in which he has been greatly involved in for most of his life...particularly his involvement with the famed Deaf West Theatre Company in Los Angeles. His work in this film isn't flashy, but he is so sterling and is able to show vulnerability at times while never losing that strength. A lot of people bash subtle performances as being easy or not impressive...and while now and then that could be the case, this is the prime example of how a subtle performance can simply stick with you.
My only real complaint about the film is the final third. The film starts off strong with Reuben and Lou on the road and then continues with greatness once Reuben meets Joe. It is the ending, which I won't really spoil beyond the fact that Reuben reunites with Lou where I feel the film falters with some of its choices and it doesn't exactly ring true. Having said that, the final moment where Reuben finds what Joe calls "stillness" is very well done but despite the nitpicks I had with the few scenes immediately prior, the film had enough merit to warrant a nice spot in my top 5.
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#3-NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS (Directed by Eliza Hittman)
-Those who know me well know that I grew up in a fairly religious household in a fairly conservative area. Morgantown, WV might be something of a liberal bubble by WV standards but it still had a very potent conservative base...as evidenced by Trump carrying my home county even if it was by the slimmest of margins.
One of the biggest hot-button issues for that kind of community has always been abortion. Growing up, I felt like I was sort of pushed to believe that it was wrong and that it should never happen...but one event surprisingly changed me...and it wasn't the kind of event you'd expect.
In the fall of 2008, I was driving home from college for a weekend and was coming off the highway and stopping at a busy intersection next to a Sheetz gas station and a huge shopping center. This is an area that gets a ton of traffic and it was often a place where people loved to get attention. On this day, there were anti-abortion protestors who felt in order to get their point across, they would hold up big posters of aborted fetuses. Other signs had such phrases as: "Heaven is overcrowded with these little angels" or "Maybe we should all think like Juno" (that movie had come out the year prior and was still very much on people's minds).
All I could think of was the repulsiveness of them pushing this agenda with the photos when children could've easily seen them and...the other major kicker: WHAT IF SOMEONE HAD AN ABORTION BECAUSE THEY NEEDED TO FOR VARIOUS REASONS AND NOW THEY FEEL WORSE BECAUSE THESE RIGHT WING ZEALOTS ARE RUBBING IT IN THEIR FACE?
So thus brings us to Never Rarely Sometimes Always, one of the biggest critical successes of last year and a film that mostly got shuffled to streaming thanks to COVID. The film follows Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder), two teenagers who live in rural Pennsylvania and work at a grocery store with a manager who is...a sleaze.
We find out that Autumn in pregnant and is seeking an abortion but instead of getting help and proper care/guidance, she is accosted by the fake and prototypical rural religious loons who try to push their agenda. However, Autumn doesn't want this nor does she want her family knowing.
This leads her and Skyler stealing money from their job and planning a secret trip to New York City for her to obtain an abortion.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is uncomfortable in many moments...and that is exactly the way it should be. I marveled at how real a lot of it felt and it was essentially an attack on both our health care systems and the so-called moral religious bigots who do whatever they can to stop people from having a child they don't want.
This is a young teenage girl who has to lie to her parents, steal money from her job, and then sneak off to a big city with her cousin and then deal with the rather...ummm...pricey place that New York City is and not even be able to afford the money to go back home.
One interesting subplot involves that of a boy named Jasper (Theodore Pellerin) whom they meet on the bus and he becomes something of a benefactor...however, his character is both intriguing and appalling. You get the sense that maybe he does have a genuine interest in these girls (mainly Skylar) but he seems to not know how to truly go about his attraction.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always has seemed to offend many conservatives that have crossed its path...and frankly, people SHOULD be offended by the movie. The sad thing is that the conservatives sided with the wrong aspect of the film.
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#2-THE FATHER (Directed by Florian Zeller)
-There was a lot of talk amongst the FilmTwitter crowd about the rather static nature of certain play-to-screen adaptations that came out in 2020. The direct targets of this stance were One Night in Miami and especially Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. It is far more rare these days for films based on plays to truly make a mark in the Oscar race, and many condemn for being too pedestrian when it comes to making the direction pop.
An example of making a play adaptation work splendidly onscreen to the point where it actually succeeded better than when I saw the material done on Broadway was The Father, which was co-written and directed (in his debut) by the original playwright Florian Zeller.
Zeller has made a pretty big imprint in European theatre and is slowly starting to do see here in New York. He tends to deal with concepts that could be linked to "kitchen-sink dramas" but I feel like his work has a certain touch that is slightly surreal and mildly unsettling in a good way.
What he (and co-writer Christopher Hampton) achieved here with this adaptation of this play is quite remarkable as the concept is something we've seen many times (a person suffering from dementia) but we really see the film through his eyes.
The character of Anthony (played by Sir Anthony Hopkins) is someone we can tell in brief moments was very active and vital man but now, we find ourselves witnessing his life uncertain of what is real, who is real, and where we may actually even be.
The brilliance of the production design and editing to aid this concept blew me away and many times, some of the adjustments are so subtle that you aren't fully aware until a scene might progress (such as the layout of Anthony's apartment)...and you can't talk about the film without discussing the performances.
Olivia Colman (who will undoubtedly be a Dame one of these days) gives one of her most subtle and touching performances as Anthony's daughter, Anne. Colman is easily one of the best actresses working today (you might've seen The Favourite or The Crown but go seek out the ITV series Broadchurch or the 2011 film Tyrannosaur and you will truly see the depths of her talent), and she offers sterling support here. However, this film is simply owned by Hopkins.
At 83 years of age, Hopkins just became the oldest person to ever receive an acting Oscar, beating out previous records that had been held by the likes of Christopher Plummer, Jessica Tandy, and George Burns. Hopkins' win was mildly controversial only because many suspected the Oscar would go to the late Chadwick Boseman...but in truth, Hopkins gave what might've been his greatest performance to date...or at the very least his greatest work since films like The Remains of the Day (a truly beautiful and subtle work) or his iconic sinister turn as Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.
What he achieves in this role is nothing short of a master class. I don't even want to talk about specific scenes in detail in hopes that those of you who haven't seen it will seek it out, but I got moved to tears on two different occasions and I am admittedly not a crier when it comes to movies or theatre that often. I think his performance is a marvel and should be remembered as decades go by.
I will state that film is, not surprisingly, a brutal watch. Its only about 90 minutes long but the journey is certainly bleak. I think you will need to be in the right mindset to watch a movie such as this, but for me, I think it is worth it for the stellar achievements from all involved.
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#1-QUO VADIS, AIDA? (Directed by Jasmila Zbanic)
The Danish film Another Round directed by the great Thomas Vinterberg was the primary victor of the International Film Awards throughout awards season...that is when certain ceremonies didn't classify Minari as a foreign film. I found Another Round to be a solid film with an interesting premise that was primarily buoyed up by a truly fantastic performance by Mads Mikkelsen. Even if it had bleak undertones, it was a relatively light film in many respects. This isn't a bad thing, but the film didn't end up really having that much of an effect on me.
Then you have a film like Quo Vadis, Aida?, which is dealing with the oft-forgotten about Bosnian Genocide that occurred in 1995. When dealing with a topic such as this, you are at risk of either coming off preachy or very melodramatic/heavy handed.
The reason that this film succeeded so magnificently well was that it primarily focused on characters rather than the violence. It isn't a long movie necessarily but because you know the impending tragedy that is due to occur, you watch and wait knowing that something horrific will happen but you aren't sure who might escape or who may perish.
The film begins with a meeting between UN Colonel Thom Karremans and the mayor of Srebrencia. Acting as moderator is Bosnian UN Translator Aida Selmanagic (Jasna Duricic, in a performance that was worthy of an Oscar) and she becomes the key in this story. We learn that Karremans is reassuring the group gathered that the UN and NATO will provide airstrikes if the agressive Serbian forces violate the designated "safe zone" that the UN instated. This is deemed a moot point as these aggressive forces are already attacking the city. Things take a turn for the worse when Karremans refuses to offer any kind of protection or liability for the safety of any of the refugees that are fleeing from the approaching forces.
While we do see hundreds and hundreds of people essentially on the path to possibly being murdered, the story becomes personal as Aida has her husband and two sons among the crowd. Due to her stature as translator, she is safe from any harm...and despite many friends who are facing danger, she essentially has to turn her back on them and risk everything to save her family.
I mentioned about that Jasna Duricic's performance was worthy of an Oscar.
It bears repeating.
Duricic's raw and piercing qualities remind me a lot of the remarkable Italian actress Anna Magnani who was heavily praised (and insulted for her naturalistic looks) back in the 40s and 50s as an actress who seemed to represent a woman who was more real than the fashion plates who dominated American cinema at that time. Words used to describe Magnani were "earthy", "volcanic", and "fiery". Duricic has these qualities and while I had never heard of her prior to this film, I would gladly watch anything else that comes my way from her repertoire.
I also can't avoid discussing the brilliance of the film's writer/director Jasmila Zbanic, whose name I feel like I may have heard in passing prior to this film but I most definitely never saw any of her work.
With a film such as this, we are talking about an impending genocide. I will say that this film, despite the genocide angle, is not a violent one. In fact, I feel like Zbanic's approach is more emotionally potent as she leans in more towards the "use your imagination" angle at the most horrific moments...and then when Alma eventually learns that the bodies have been acquired, we stay on her coping with this grief in a way that feels truly uncomfortable.
I always admire a movie that makes me feel a strong particular emotion...and that is nothing unusual for anyone watching a movie to feel. However, when it comes to a movie that makes me feel uncomfortable by way of how the present a difficult subject matter in a powerful and unapologetic way then by all means, I will shower them with 5 gold stars.
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CONCLUSION:
So yes, 2020 was a very rough year for all of us...and while some of these films wouldn't even make my top 10 list in most other years, I do think that they are all worth checking out. I also love that so many of these films are by relative newcomers having something of a big break or even making their very first outing. That aspect is perhaps my favorite thing about the films from 2020: the discoveries.