I’ll skip with the pretense and just acknowledge that 2020 sucked, and nothing about this year was normal. That said, while we saw a number of highly anticipated films vacate 2020 and move to 2021, there were still great films to be found. Perhaps thekindsof films that moved me was affected by the conditions of the pandemic, but whose mood wasn’t thrown for a loop by self-quarantining for months on end?
You may or may not notice a lot of the films in my Top 10 deal explicitly with the notion of human connection. I didn’t plan it that way, that’s just how the chips fell. But I’m pretty happy with how this list turned out, and would implore you to see any of these films. I can only hope that they move you the way they moved me.
Plenty of films didn’t make the cut that I also loved. Honorable mentions must be paid to Pixar’s most mature film to date,Soul, as well as Netflix’s delightful feminist mysteryEnola Holmes, trauma-drivenDa 5 Bloods, and the streamer’s powerful music-centric dramaMa Rainey’s Black Bottom(featuring two of the year’s best performances). AndBill and Ted Face the Musicwas one of the year’s most delightfully pleasant surprises – a deeply nice sequel about deeply nice people – whileTimewas the most moving documentary I saw this year, I was also really struck by Hulu’sHappiest Season, ending be damned.
So without further ado, here are my 10 favorite films of 2020.
I likedMank!David Fincher’s Netflix drama appears to have struck many as a technically impressive but ultimately cold exercise, but I’ve seen the film twice now and was enraptured both times. It’s not the story of makingCitizen Kanethat some were expecting, but its examination of the Hollywood studio system is fascinating, especially as it relates to the intersection of power, influence, and politics. But I was really struck by this film as the story of a guy who’s spent his career in various states of drunkenness writing brilliant screenplays without formal credit who sees a chance to take his shot, to make something great, somethinghis, and he takes it. And he writes one of the greatest films ever made. It’s also hard not to be enamored of the technical wonder that Fincher executes here, from the mono sound design to the gorgeous cinematography toTrent ReznorandAtticus Ross’ beautifully melancholic score.
9. Sound of Metal
Sound of Metalis one of a number of films I watched in 2020 that Ireallywish I had seen in a theater. This drama follows a heavy metal drummer named Ruben (Riz Ahmed) who suddenly goes deaf, with directorDarius Marderand his sound team crafting a brilliant soundscape that puts you in the headspace of Ruben as he navigates his new reality. Ahmed gives the best performance of his career as a frustrated man who struggles to find patience or acceptance when it comes to his new life, and the film provides an empathetic look into the deaf community. What really struck me aboutSound of Metalwas that it’s the story of a guy whose life is thrown for a significant curveball, and instead of accepting that curveball and finding a new path forward, he struggles to reclaim his old life to the detriment of himself and others. In a year in which our lives were completely upended with no definitive end in sight, that’s a theme that resonated deeply.
8. The Vast of Night
Possibly my favorite discovery of 2020 wasThe Vast of Night, an indie that was shot in 2016, played the festival circuit over the last few years, and finally dropped on Amazon Prime this summer to significant acclaim and kudos from the likes ofSteven SoderberghandRoger Deakins.The Vast of Nightfeels like a lostTwilight Zoneepisode that was just pulled out of a time capsule, as it takes place in 1950s New Mexico over the course of one night and follows two teenaged friends who investigate a mysterious (possibly alien?) noise coming over the airwaves. The fast-paced dialogue (by writersJames MontagueandCraig W. Sanger) is delightfully screwball, and directorAndrew Pattersoncaptures the whole thing with steady long takes and evocative cinematography. In an era when everything is marketed to death, finding and watchingThe Vast of Nighttook me back to a time when you’d find your new favorite movie while channel surfing late at night with the volume down, so as not to let your parents know you’re still awake.
It’s a bit reductive to callMinarithis year’sMoonlight, but there are some valid comparisons to the Best Picture-winner. It’s a semi-autobiographical drama based on the childhood of writer/directorLee Isaac Chung, it’s produced by A24, and it’sgreat. The film follows a Korean-American family that moves from California to Arkansas to start a farm, in hopes of claiming their own piece of the American Dream. Struggle after struggle ensues, exacerbated by the arrival of the family’s foul-mouthed grandmother. What’s striking aboutMinariis that it’s all told through the eyes of a young boy (Alan Kim), so the glimpses we see of marital strife between Jacob (Steven Yeun) and Monica (Han Ye-ri) or of Jacob’s issues in creating a working farm are those of a child’s, offering a deeply empathetic and unique point of view on the story. The everyday challenges of family life and the struggle to attain something greater or better are captured with vivid humanity through Chung’s lens, elevated byLachlan Milne’s elegant cinematography. This movie is beautifully heartbreaking, but will resonate deeply with anyone who’s ever dared to try and make their dreams a reality.
6. News of the World
In a year almost entirely devoid of big studio films,News of the Worldwas an oasis in the desert – and a pleasantly surprising one at that. DirectorPaul Greengrassleft his docudrama style behind to craft a classically styled Western about the power of storytelling, anchored by one of the best actors alive (Tom Hanks, who absolutelyhasbeen in many great movies).News of the Worldis profound in its scope and theme, pulling a reverse-Searchersas Hanks plays a newsreader who decides to take an orphaned young girl to her only living extended family. Their journey is arduous and fraught with tension, but along the way they come to understand one another’s stories, and form a tight bond. This may sound like something you’ve seen before, but I was really blown away by the elegance of Greengrass’ storytelling and the nuance of Hanks’ performance. In addition to the gorgeous filmmaking and stunning performances, there’s a lot to chew on here.News of the Worldis further proof that studio movies can be both commercial and art at the same time, if talented filmmakers are given the latitude necessary.
5. Lovers Rock
IsSmall Axea TV anthology or five feature films? I don’t really care. All I know isLovers Rockis one of the best and most moving pieces of cinema I saw all year.Steve McQueen’s film is an experiential peek into a community unrestrained by society or onlookers, as the story takes place over the course of one night at a reggae house party in 1980 West London. The entirety ofSmall Axeis a glimpse into the West Indies community in England, but if other installments are about struggles and challenges the immigrants and their families faced,Lovers Rockis a euphoric deep-dive into their world entirely. Hands, faces, arms, and legs are the stars of this film as McQueen’s camera intimately captures the dancing, the swaying, the jubilance, the anger, the exhaustion of these characters as they spend an entire night immersed in their own music, food, and people. This movie isalive.
4. Promising Young Woman
When I sawPromising Young Womanfor the first time at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the crowd was electric and I couldn’t wait to see it again with a general audience. Sadly, that time never came, but the power of writer/directorEmerald Fennell’s revenge thriller remains absolutely incendiary. This is a film about rape culture, but also about complicity. The system we have in place right now – both from a criminal standpoint and a societal standpoint – simply does not work, and too often allows the guilty to live rich, full lives while the survivors are left with lifelong trauma and are often also outright punished for speaking up. Fennell pulls no punches in this screed against rape culture that dares take to task “nice guys” who believe in their bones they areniceguys but who are, in fact, not nice guys.Carey Mulliganis phenomenal in the deceptively tricky lead role of Cassie, full of grief and rage and anguish, and the film builds to a devastating gut-punch that I may never stop thinking about.
3. Nomadland
FilmmakerChloe Zhao’s patient, sensitive dramaNomadlandis an ode to the ignored and forgotten – to those society chooses to leave behind. The film tells the story of a woman who decides to pack up and live life on the road, joining a community of people who call themselves Nomads.Frances McDormandcarries with her an unrelenting grief as her character makes her way across the country, finding part-time jobs here and there to make ends meet. This deeply humanistic story puts a face and a name and a story to those our society too often either casts aside or ignores, but almost every person McDormand’s character comes across has their own story of pain or sadness or grief, and yet finds joy and purpose in basking in the world’s natural state. I was deeply moved byNomadlandas a film that drives home the idea that every single person you come across, whether they’re a friend or co-worker or the person making your fast-food hamburger, has a story. Every person has their own struggles, desires, and dreams. Empathy is a choice we too often shrug off as inconvenient, and I wonder how different our world would be if we started treating each encounter as an opportunity to learn someone else’s story.
2. David Byrne’s American Utopia
The most arresting experience I had watching anything this year was stumbling onDavid Byrne’s American Utopiaon HBO just when it started. I was enraptured from start to finish, and wanted to start the film over again as soon as it ended.Spike Leedirects this not-really-a-concert-documentary but not-really-an-original-film, which capturesTalking Headsfrontman David Byrne’s Broadway showAmerican Utopiaon stage. As Byrne and his jolly bandmates march around a box on stage, performing hits from the Talking Heads catalogue and covers of songs by folks likeJanelle Monae, a deeply human story unfolds about the power of connection. In a year when so many of us couldn’t see or touch our loved ones, this one hithard, and by the show’s end I was in tears. In a stroke of genius, Lee makes the audience part of the film – unlike most filmed shows, they’re seen standing and singing and clapping along as the performers onstage belt out jubilant odes to living life out loud. It culminates in the stage performers merging with the audience in the ultimate act of collaboration, and I found myself overwhelmed with emotion at the simple sight of humans connecting with one another on a base level. We’re not meant to live this life alone, and as so many of us learned this year, the only way through it is together.
1. Palm Springs
When I first sawPalm Springsback at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival – in a theater packed with people, no less! – I knew it’d end up being one of my favorite films of the year. But I had no idea how relatable this time loop story would become when it hit theaters later this summer, in the middle of the pandemic. WatchingAndy SambergandCristin Miliotiforced to live the same day over and over again hit a little close to home, ya know? But as refreshing and fun as the time loop mechanics inPalm Springsare (and it must be said this is agreatspin on the well-trodden “time loop” narrative device), and as hilarious as this movie gets (Samberg and Milioti both kill it), it’s the relationship at the film’s center that really vaults it to #1 on my list.
Palm Springsis the anti-“lol nothing matters” movie, and I love it for that. As hard as things get, as frustrating as your friends and loved ones may be, and as hopeless as things may feel sometimes, life is much more fulfilling when you try, and so much better with a buddy. Nihilism is easy. It costs you nothing, yet gives you almost nothing in return. Progress and self-betterment are hard as hell — especially in a year like this — but few things in life worth having come easy. Choosing to at leasttryto be better, to do better, to think better can make all the difference.
That may seem like a trite or saccharine notion, butPalm Springslays this out pretty beautifully, underlining the value in sharing in life’s trials and tribulations with a companion. Nyles (Samberg) and Sarah (Milioti) don’t “complete” one another. They each, refreshingly, have agency and independence, and they grow in different ways without co-dependency. But take, for example, the scene in which Nyles and Sarah are in the desert under a starlit sky when they see dinosaurs roaming in the background. It’s stunning and perplexing, and in that moment, they share in its beauty together. They make a unique connection at this one precise moment in time. In a year when connections – physical, emotional, and mental – were few and far between, that cuts deep.
Catch up on all of ourBest of 2020 contentso far, and look for Matt’s Top 10 list on Collider tomorrow!
