In the weird year that was 2020, I had to focus on small joys. It was hard to find big things to distract you from the world around us crumbling, so I buried myself in cinema. Even though I have not been to a movie theater since March 2020, I still consider 2020 to be the greatest year I have ever had, as a fan of cinema. I watched countless classics that I needed to catch up on and, despite its reputation, 2020 was a pretty good year for new releases. The year may lack the all-time classics at the top, but I could easily make this list a top 40 and be enthusiastic about every single film. It was a year that saw the public embrace more small films, as the blockbuster pipeline was completely cut off. It was also a year in which even the loudest defenders of the cinema experience had to embrace streaming. Without streaming, this list probably wouldn’t even exist. There would not have been enough releases to make this a worthwhile endeavor. It was a year for accepting new normals, and many of the standout films of the year speak to that. Whether it is hearing loss, dementia, marital issues, or having visions of an animated pig as you contemplate all of your life’s regrets, my top 10 list speaks to the difficulty of adjusting to 2020.

10. Babyteeth

The story of a teenage girl dying from cancer seems like it should be a dour affair, through and through, but Babyteeth is all about taking advantage of what time you have left, rather than counting down the days until you die. In the lead role, Eliza Scanlan brings a great sense of curiosity, willing to try anything, knowing what is to come in the near future. Her most controversial compulsion is falling in love with a 23-year old ruffian. As Milla’s condition worsens, her parents basically adopt an anything goes mentality in an effort to make their daughter as happy as she can be for as long as she has left. Milla’s parents, played by the great Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis are the glue of the film, the audience surrogate. They cringe with every party they let Milla go to or the dinner invitation they extend to Moses, but the instinct to do so makes complete sense. It is a heartbreaking affair, and one with incredible vibrancy and panache. Shannon Murphy, in her directorial debut, crafts a beautiful film that celebrates life with almost surreal depictions of new experiences and friendly gatherings. The film is often visually heightened but the emotions stay grounded. And that final beach scene… an all-timer.

9. Sound of Metal

When I hit play on Sound of Metal, I was expecting something with an energy similar to a movie like Green Room rather than the patient, tender affair that Darius Marder’s film turned out to be. And what a great decision that was. Juxtaposing the adrenaline rush of heavy metal drumming with the tedious transition to a life without sound makes that transition even more difficult and extreme. Riz Ahmed has been doing incredible work for a long time in things like Four Lions, Nightcrawler and The Night Of, but he outdid himself with this performance. The way that he transforms from bitter to sad to accepting is really, really special, and there is always this specter of addiction bubbling underneath the events of the story, as well, adding even more nuance. It is such an understated movie, especially considering the subject matter. Darius and Abraham Marder did a wonderful job with their thorough, subtle character portrait and populated the film with fully fleshed-out supporting characters and the performances from Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, and Paul Raci are even able to elevate what is on the page.

8. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

This is the one movie on my list that, if someone comes up to me and says they absolutely hate this film, I won’t even try to talk them out of that opinion. It is the least accessible work from one of the least accessible Hollywood filmmakers, Charlie Kaufman. There are so many meta references to things like film critic Pauline Kael, several musicals, and maybe the joke of the year at the expense of Robert Zemeckis. It’s a film that demands a second watch, but watching it will never feel like a chore. It works both as a dreamlike journey and as a rigorous mental exercise. The cinematography from Łukasz Żal is an incredible achievement for a film like this, which is largely interior and spends about 45 minutes inside of a car. Making this film as visually varied and compelling as it is is remarkable. Throw in some great lead performances from the two Jessies- Buckley and Plemons, and a finale that you could write an entire thesis on that includes dance sequences, animation, and… some sort of ethereal plane, maybe? It’s impossible to even explain without watching it. It is a special film that has the power to overwhelm, both mentally and emotionally. This should absolutely not be the first Charlie Kaufman film anyone watches, but fans of his work will find it incredibly rewarding.

7. David Byrne’s American Utopia

2020 was a huge David Byrne crash course for me. I really started digging into the music of Talking Heads for the first time while listening to a podcast about them. They are now one of my favorite bands. I watched David Byrne’s only directorial credit, True Stories, for the first time (and then twice more, after that.) It is now one of my favorite movies. And then there was American Utopia. I don’t want to relitigate this whole thing again, but there was one reason that I wasn’t really that amped for the film’s release: Hamilton on Disney+. I just wasn’t sure if a stage musical could successfully translate to film. What I forgot is that there were two stone cold geniuses in charge of the American Utopia recording: Spike Lee and David Byrne. The musical is fantastic, preaching unity and acceptance in a time when those things seem so rare, all with the kind of energy you would expect from the guy from Stop Making Sense. The choreography is inspired, letting the uber-talented members of the company do what they do best as the goofy, gangly David Byrne tries to keep up, a perfect metaphor for what the show is really about. But the real difference maker is Spike Lee, who uses the camera to make it a truly cinematic experience, which I wasn’t sure was possible. So, I think we cracked the code for making good films: simply team up two artistic geniuses to make all your movies. It’s easy!

6. Mank

Ryan and I did not make our love of David Fincher a secret this year with our David Fincher series on Extra Film, and Mank was always my most anticipated film of 2020, even before all the cancellations. And Fincher delivered. It is his most political movie and also the first time he is really looking back on his career. It is hard to not think about Alien 3 when the Hollywood studios are shown to be this power-hungry and callous. The film is funny, biting, and extremely well-paced, anchored by what is, in my opinion, the heart of the film- the relationship between Gary Oldman’s Herman J. Mankiewicz and Amanda Seyfried’s Marion Davies, two people with very similar outlooks who have chosen to take on the world in diametrically opposed ways. Mank refuses to go calmly into the night, intent on standing up to the forces of the Hollywood system in the name of his art and in the name of, hopefully, forging a better society. Marion has accepted her lack of control, even if it means having to sacrifice her ideals. They are both unhappy in some ways, but Mank is downright self-destructive. It’s a wholly entertaining affair with the Fincher’s typical technical wizardry, which does a bang up job recreating the cinematic style of Citizen Kane.

5. Lovers Rock

Lovers Rock is the movie from 2020 that most made me miss going to the movie theater (which is ironic, since I probably never would have had the opportunity to watch the film in a movie theater, pandemic or no.) Steve McQueen managed to make a house party feel like a world-changing event because, to the people in the film, it is that important. McQueen’s Small Axe series is all about the omnipresence of racial intolerance and Lovers Rock is like going to the one hidden haven where you can escape, but only temporarily. The film takes place almost entirely at a house party, while terrific, but not on-the-nose, period music thumps and the party shifts from joyous, to sensual, to aggressive. Different people are looking for releases in different ways, and all of that plays out over the course of the party. The movie is short, all on its own, but it ends in an absolute flash. No movie in 2020 enveloped quite like Lovers Rock. It’s almost hard to talk about because it is a movie you experience, as much as anything. The film is an hour-long tingling sensation.

4. First Cow

Kelly Reichardt is one of my favorite contemporary filmmakers with a style all her own. My anticipation for First Cow was high, but I was not quite prepared for how much I would enjoy the film. I believe, by the slimmest of margins, First Cow is Kelly Reichardt’s best film, to date. It is a film that upends traditional frontier tales of masculine partnership by replacing it with deep-rooted tenderness. The idea of creativity is at the front of the film’s mind, but so is art’s relationship to commerce. Cookie and King-Lu have a brilliant idea that the world loves, but they lack the capital to sustain their dream. Nature gives them their dairy for free, but, in the case of the community cow, nature is owned by the town big wig. Said big wig eventually nixes their culinary dreams and, in turn, puts their lives in danger. All of the details in First Cow, a movie that seems so simple, are so nuanced and watching the film was such an enriching experience. I felt a little more connected to the world after watching it.

3. Dick Johnson Is Dead

The amount of style that Dick Johnson Is Dead has and the intense personal nature of the story it is telling makes the film truly unlike any documentary I have ever seen. The blending of reality and fiction shows director Kirsten Johnson’s keen awareness of the ways that we go to movies to cope with loss and trauma in our real lives. That is doubly true for a person who actually works in the film industry. People will bury themselves in their work when they grieve. People will bury themselves in art when they grieve. For Johnson, work and fiction are inextricably tied. So, when coping with the mental deterioration of her eminently charming father, she couldn’t think of a better outlet than to make a film about him. It is a celebration of life in the name of accepting death, a theme that has already been featured on my top 10 list and also a theme that rang especially true in 2020, a year unlike any. No movie moved me more than Dick Johnson is Dead in 2020. If it moved me as much as it did, I can’t imagine what it did for Kirsten and her father. The film scratches an itch of anxiety that I think every person has and did it absolutely beautifully. It is not a weepy, but it will make you cry. It is not a comedy, but it will make you laugh. The movie is not one thing, and that’s what makes it so great.

2. The Nest

The Nest is the 2020 film that I could not get out of my head. The style, the themes, the performances, the visuals… it all completely stuck with me. The film is a 1980’s-set domestic drama staged like a 1970’s horror film made in 2020. That cinematic alchemy took my breath away. I don’t exactly know why Sean Durkin has only made 2 movies in the last decade, but we need more from him. I liked Martha Marcy May Marlene a lot, but I think The Nest is a significant step up from that film. We have a special filmmaker on our hands and I hope he keeps getting opportunities to make movies like no one else currently working does. The tension that oozes out of every corner of this story about a family falling apart is remarkable. Our main vessel throughout the story is Carrie Coon’s Allison, who really feels like she is in physical danger, a representation of her emotional and mental health state. The ominous sense of being watched or being followed consumes so many scenes in the film. Coon gives the performance of the year in the role, but Jude Law is also stellar and the reverberations of their arguments and poor decision-making have a profound impact on their children, who start looking to replace the satisfaction they used to get from their parent’s affection, which has disappeared. It is a gloomy film and one that kind of left me in a state of shock. Oh, and Carrie Coon has a dance scene, so of course, it’s great.

1. Tenet

Tenet brought to the forefront all of the things I love about Christopher Nolan’s movies and left out most of the things I really dislike. Nolan did not feel the need to explain every bit of the world to you like he did in a film like Inception. He throws you headfirst into a world where people say things like “temporal pincer movement” and doesn’t hold your hand nearly as much as we are accustomed to from Nolan. Tenet has the visceral momentum of Dunkirk, a movie that is all forward progress and urgency, driven by Ludwig Goransson’s incredible score. It ditches Nolan’s dead wife crutch. I have heard people call it hollow or superficial, but I found genuine emotion in Kat’s journey to free herself and her son from the clutches of her horrific arms dealer husband. Does it all make sense? Hell no- or, I guess, I’m not really sure yet. But it has been a long time, probably since I saw another Nolan film, The Prestige since I felt the desire to return to a puzzle of a movie like this with the desire to crack the code. That is because everything surrounding the puzzle is so masterful. And, let’s be honest, you can get the broad strokes on first watch. The idea of The Protagonist as the main character (literally the name of John David Washington’s character) actually pays off in the end, when he makes the decision to give a kind of life he knows he can never have to someone he has come to care about. Throw in some amazing turns from Kenneth Branagh and Robert Pattinson, some of the greatest set pieces ever put on film with an emphasis on practicality and some amazing visuals (people going backwards just looks cool, okay?) and you have the best film of the year. 2020 was… let’s be generous… an imperfect year. Tenet represents something imperfect, but something striving for greatness and the type of filmmaking that we should be encouraging. Christopher Nolan is not the savior of cinema, but he is the only man on Earth with the access to the resources that he has access to that wants to make movies the way he does. He gets to do what he wants, and if what we get moving forward are films as good as Tenet and Dunkirk, bring it on. When I watch Tenet, everything else washes away. Christopher Nolan has been trying to make a Michael Mann movie basically his whole career. This is the closest he has ever come. It was a balm in a horrific time, so I had to put it at #1.

The rest of my Top 20:
11. Bacurau
12. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
13. Mangrove
14. Minari
15. Let Them All Talk
16. Another Round
17. Collective
18. Da 5 Bloods
19. On the Rocks
20. I’m Your Woman

Ok, so we finally made it through 2020. I won’t make any hackneyed jokes about it being a terrible year because, let’s face it, you’ve heard them all. Let’s focus on movies instead! It has still been an odd year even when we limit it to movies. The Oscar season was pushed back, so for weirdo cinephiles like us, it kind of doesn’t seem like it’s over yet. The other thing that I notice as I compile this list is what’s missing. Usually, there is at least one movie on my list that sneaks its way on there because of a great experience I had seeing it with a crowd.  That’s…not happening this year. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great movies, so here we go with the Top 10.

10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

This will probably come up a lot, but it feels like more than a year since I have seen this. Director Eliza Hittman is on my to watch list no matter what the film is about at this point. After Beach Rats, expectations are sky high.  And amazingly, those expectations have been met. Hittman’s choices are all impeccable, even this early in her filmography. Her films, likely because she uses relatively unknown actors, feel so much more intimate than her contemporaries. With this film in particular, she uses the terrifying event of deciding about an abortion to examine female friendships to great effect. As in her previous film, Hittman takes common events that happen in secret and bring them into the light. 

9. Another Round

You may know Mads Mikkelson from Hannibal or god forbid, Star Wars. But he has a wonderful actor-director relationship with Thomas Vinterberg. In this film, Another Round dives into an area that most American films are afraid of, intimate male friendships. It is also about growth, striking a perfect balance, and pure enjoyment of life. The way this film gets there, however, is really the important part. With a top tier lead performance from Mikkelson, Vinterberg looks uncomfortably closely at how we grow and change, for better or worse. 

8. Ema

This one was very underseen. Honestly, if you caught this one, I am both impressed and surprised. This is easily the sexiest movie of 2020. There is a palpable energy to this film, full of people whom you are not sure you should love or hate. Many of them are despicable, and yet, under Pablo Larraín’s spell, you cannot help but be drug along with them. Both Mariana Di Girólamo and Gael García Bernal give passionate, dedicated, conflicted performances that almost make you feel dirty to be witness to. This is a cliché. at this point, but Ema does really feel more like an experience, or a piece of performance art, as opposed to a standard narrative film. But my god, the ride is worth it.

7. Nomadland

Look, a lot has been written about this already. It’s on every critic’s Top 10 list all around the internet. And about halfway through, I was in the opposite camp. But Chloé Zhao pulled it all together in the end. The script is particularly subtle and doesn’t quite follow the narrative rules that you may expect. Zhao also has a way of showing this country’s landscapes in a way that feels almost otherworldly. It is not simply beautiful, but has a texture that we rarely see on screen. But really, it helps that she cast one of the best actors of a generation in Frances McDormand. This is truly her movie and she carries it on her shoulders without a single false note.

6. The Assistant

Usually, I can’t stand when a film (purposefully or not) comes out that taps directly in to the zeitgeist of what is happening currently. The Assistant has obvious parallels to the “Me, Too” movement but never falls into the traps of becoming preachy. Kitty Green’s masterful direction absolutely deserves accolades. Her decision to make the villain seemingly all seeing and all knowing without ever making a physical appearance is a stroke of genius. This film will not let you escape without feeling the pure oppression of misogyny. There is a particular scene in which the lead character is questioned about her complaint, and it ranks up there with most uncomfortable scenes to sit through in the last few years. The Assistant is an absolute must watch, especially for men who think they are not part of the problem.

5. First Cow 

Kelly Reichardt is just not for me. Well, I could have said that before 2020. But then First Cow happened. I don’t know what to tell you. It’s just so pure. A lovely film about friendship, food, and understanding. Both John Magaro and Orion Lee are amazingly genuine in First Cow. When you watch a lot of movies, it is rare to feel purely transported, to never feel like you’re watching a movie on a screen. But that is absolutely what happened to me here. This honestly is now one of those litmus test movies for me. If First Cow doesn’t make you feel something, it might be time to see a cardiologist. 

4. Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee has done it yet again. The man has made a lot of great movies and this is top tier Spike. He clearly trusts his actors completely and it shows in the performances here. I could talk for hours about all of the actors, but let’s be real, this is all about Delroy Lindo. An absolute powerhouse of an actor who has been largely ignored for decades came out swinging and gave his career best. It says a lot that, to me, the best moment of the movie is a scene in which Lindo is talking by himself with no one and practically nothing to play off of. And yet, this still isn’t a one man show. Even without Lindo, it is a good movie, but this performance pushes it past good and into great.

3. One Night In Miami…

Regina King can do anything. ANYTHING. This feature film directorial debut is assured, engaging, and empathetic. All four leads are very good to great, but to me, Aldis Hodge steals the show. He matches both the physicality and the personality of Jim Brown, without ever sliding into pantomime or impressions. This is a film about whether people, especially Black people, have a responsibility to use the gifts they have as weapons, or if they can simply be. King refuses to offer the audience easy answers, but instead trusts that we can all make our own choices. There is no real right or wrong here, and this would be easy to do, given how respected each of the lead characters are in real life. King takes difficult material and lets us slide into the room with the ease of a much more experienced director.

2. Sound of Metal

There are three reasons I love this one so much. Let’s get the sound design out of the way. In a movie like this, where the lead character loses his hearing, it is so important that we are enveloped by his new world. The sound design choices do this absolutely perfectly and I wouldn’t change a thing. Speaking of not needing changes, that brings us to Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci. There are very few perfect performances, but I could argue that both of these qualify. Ahmed’s willingness to dive into this world and portray a character that is sometimes not easy to root for really pushes the movie forward in a way I was not prepared for. And Paul Raci, he is getting a lot of love from critics, and I’m still not sure that it is enough. He has a gift of allowing his fellow actors space that is rare, indeed. But when he is allowed by the script to have emotional moments, he damn near steals the limelight, which is saying quite a lot given his scene partners.

1. Let Them All Talk

A lot was made online earlier this year when a writer called Meryl Streep underrated. Look, she’s not. No one with that many awards can be. But her performance here actually made me pause. She is making choices that no other actor would make. Her choices are so specific, so earned, and so true, that even though she is Meryl, for just a moment we forget. This may be her best performance in the last decade and luckily she is surrounded by phenomenal direction, an engaging plot, and four other actors who are on their best game. It is easy to negate both Streep (she’s always great) and forget about how wonderful Soderbergh is (2 movies a year), but Let Them All Talk ties all this greatness together in a perfect bow. My favorite movie of 2020 without a doubt.

2020 was a chaotic year as our nation went into lockdown and we did our best to stay safe and healthy. Our ability to escape through the magic of film was unusually cut short by various films scrapping their 2020 release dates. But even though we didn’t get a lot of films, there were some gems that were released through theaters, VOD, and streaming services.

10. The Invisible Man

Coming off of Universal’s atrocious The Mummy in 2017, I was skeptical of Invisible Man. But boy was I pleasantly surprised. Elizabeth Moss continues to wow me with everything she’s in. This popcorn flick has something for everyone. It has revenge, action, drama, and a good dose of horror. Not to mention, some shocking moments that will leave your jaw on the floor. Sure nothing beats the original Invisible Man from 1933, but this new take on a classic is very entertaining!

9. Minari

Minari, set in the 1980s, is a sensational telling of a Korean family as they establish a new home in Arkansas. The film illustrates the hardships of those who come to America hoping to find the “American Dream.” Steven Yeun, Yeri Han, and Youn Yuh-Jung give us some of the most extraordinary performances of 2020. But, in my opinion, it’s newcomer Alan S. Kim who makes the biggest splash with his great performance and overabundance of cuteness. Minari is incredibly tender, and woefully honest.

8. Pieces of a Woman

We’ve seen Vanessa Kirby play Princess Margaret in Netflix’s The Crown, and we’ve seen her kick-ass in action franchises like Mission Impossible and Fast & Furious, but Pieces of a Woman is Kirby like we’ve never seen her before. From the moment Pieces of a Woman begins, it hits hard. Kirby and Ellen Burstyn bring their A-game as the two of them have one of the best scenes to come out of any film released this past year. It can be a hard one to watch but, to put it simply, Kirby is magnetic. You just can’t take your eyes off her.

7. Let Them All Talk

I’m a sucker for films that have some great dialogue. If that means showing the characters talking for long periods of time, then so be it. These stunning actresses, Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, and Dianne Wiest, have still got it! Their zingers towards one another, and one character’s search for “love,” makes for some funny moments. We go in for the familiar talent, but we stay for the interaction between these characters. Let Them All Talk shows us how words can have a long-lasting effect on our lives, and how the things we say can’t be so easily erased.

6. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

If I were to say that I’m Thinking of Ending Things messes with your mind, that wouldn’t even begin to tell you what you’re in store for. It’s unconventional, but so is director Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman’s use of symbols, foreshadowing, and twists creates a film truly unlike any other. Jessie Buckley holds this film together with great performances from fellow actors like Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis. There’s not much to say about this film, because it’s meant to be experienced, not just watched. We’re always crying out for something new — something genuinely creative. Well, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is the film to quench that thirst.

5. French Exit

French Exit is the perfect mixture between drama and extremely dry humor. Michelle Pfeiffer exudes elegance with every scene she’s in, and Lucas Hedges plays his usual endearing, supportive, character. The film brings to life the moments when a family has to deal with losing a family member, and how not all people grieve the same. I believe we can all relate to those moments when we’ve lost someone dear to us. Sometimes it’s the oddest things, and the presence of family, that get us through it all.

4. The Father

I have never been so immersed in a film like I was with The Father. The film is adapted from director Florian Zeller’s play, which was inspired by his own experience of seeing, first-hand, his grandmother’s fight with dementia. Zeller’s screenplay is gripping as the viewer is fighting to understand what’s going on. Your feet are never firmly planted on the ground as a jarring edit sends you off course again and again. Anthony Hopkins is heartbreaking as he fights his way through the horrors of dementia — his mind slowly turning against him. The Father is a film that punches you straight in the gut. You’ll never be able to forget this one.

3. Nomadland

I applaud Nomadland for its stunning visuals and terrific storytelling. We don’t need to go into detail at the sheer talent that’s exhibited onscreen. It’s Frances McDormand for crying out loud. The real shining light throughout this production is Chloé Zhao and her unbelievable talent as a director and editor. Zhao brilliantly highlights the life of the aging Americans who live their lives as nomads, traveling throughout the country. Zhao was made to make this movie, and McDormand was made to play Fran. The combination of these two powerful women has culminated in a modern masterpiece.

2. Promising Young Woman

The obvious choice for the most talked about film of 2020 goes to Promising Young Woman. This film envelopes itself in layers — peeling back each one as we get closer to the truth that surrounds this incident. Carey Mulligan is absolutely astounding and transforms herself in the role of a woman seeking justice for a friend who was raped. No one should be calling Mulligan a “sleeper actress” as she’s more than proved herself throughout her career. However, Promising Young Woman shows Mulligan in her best role yet.

1. Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal is, in my opinion, hands down the best film of 2020. Riz Ahmed comes out in full force as a man whose hearing is rapidly deteriorating. But on top of that, his livelihood in music relies on his ability to hear. For anyone who has tried to cope with a disability, this film will resonate and speak volumes for you as it accurately depicts the shock of a life-altering condition. Bring the tissues, because Sound of Metal cuts deep.

Each year we do a Top 10 list for our awards show, and most of the time it heightens my rivalry with math as it’s really challenging to fit more than ten excellent films into ten slots. However, it wasn’t quite as cumbersome this year. Perhaps it’s a matter of the best films making themselves clear to me. It could also be a side effect of a pandemic film year where the slate was thinner than usual. It certainly wasn’t because of quality as the year seemed to be consistent in terms of giving us pretty good films from week to week. We may not have seen as many blockbusters, but the year gave us some great indie dramas, comedies, and especially documentary’s. It was a stellar year for documentarians, who took advantage of a stripped down year to take the art form to a whole new level with films like Dick Johnson Is Dead, The Painter and the Thief, The Truffle Hunters, Time and so many more. 2020 was also one of the best year’s for women filmmakers, who gave us gems like First Cow, Babyteeth, One Night in Miami, Never Rarely Sometimes Always and many others. Then there’s the great Steven McQueen, a filmmaker at the very top of his game right now. While all of Small Axe was excellent, there’s no denying the prowess of Mangrove and Lovers Rock. So, the year may be thinner compared to others, but it still had tons to offer. Yet, like I said, for me, the cream of the crop vividly rose to the top.

We do encourage you to listen to Episode 413 to hear more about our picks, but as we do every year, listed here is my Top 20 of 2020. The top films never wavered, but given the consistency of the year, it left some contenders with a fighting chance for the back half. However, math is math, so what are you going to do? That being said (after the jump), let’s get into it and go over my Top 10 Movies of 2020.

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RELATED: JD’s Top 10 Movies of 2019

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10. Minari

Lee Isaac Chung was a nominee for Best Movie Discovery of 20202 for me, and for great reason. Minari was (obviously) a personal story and it palpably comes through in his direction and writing. The tender care he put into his characters resonated with me. The cinematography is gorgeous. The score he gets from Emile Moserry is absolutely beautiful. He gets some of the year’s best performances as well, especially Yeri Han, who isn’t getting enough credit. There’s great diligence to Chung’s craft that makes the film all the more heartwarming and powerful. Its story about the American Dream and how it simultaneously brings this family together, while at times causing rifts, is striking when we see it all combust (quite literally) at the end. This is a film I cannot wait to revisit and I’m very excited to see what Chung does next. Click here to listen to our full review.

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9. Pieces of a Woman

Pieces of a Woman features one of the more arduous sequences we’ve seen in film in recent years, but its depiction of grief is somewhat of a unique one. So often in our pain, loved one’s will go out of their to help you cope so you can “move on” with your life. However, Pieces of a Woman argues that sometimes we don’t want to be removed from the grief we are experiencing. Especially when you’re a parent who only had a very brief moment of time with your newborn baby before tragedy struck. For Martha, all she wanted was to linger in her pain as to be with her daughter. That idea is profound on its own, but it’s even more striking when you realize that the film is based off of director Kornél Mundruczó and writer Kata Wéber’s own experience, which gives it a meta component that I find extremely poignant. Click here to listen to our full review.

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8. Wolfwalkers

Wolfwalkers is arguably Cartoon Saloon’s best work to date. It’s a gorgeous film about family, youth and how we see the world. And like many great animated films, it creates a mythos to explore those ideas and it’s incredibly fascinating. The world of Wolfwalkers tethers nature and spirituality together in a way that’s provocative, but also endearing and textured. Its central characters of Robin and Mebh have a relationship that oozes charm, and it’s moving to see their journey of friendship and how that evolves as the forest becomes more vulnerable. The animation is stunning. The music is exquisite. Everything about Wolfwalkers is magical and it’s easily the best animated film of 2020. Click here to listen to our full review.

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7. The Painter and the Thief

The Painter and the Thief was my pick for Best Overlooked Movie at this year’s awards. It’s a shame that no one is talking about this movie as it’s one of the year’s very best. It’s one of the best demonstrations of empathy we’ve seen in any film in recent years as it examines a painter (Barbora) confronting the thief (Karl) who stole her most valuable work to date. But because he was high on drugs at the time of the crime, he can’t remember what happened to the painting. However, instead of seeking financial restitution or revenge, Barbora uses Karl as a muse. She becomes his closes ally. Karl is given grace that he does not deserve, and when that is fully realized in a portrait of him early on in the film, his reaction renders one of the best moments we saw in any film in 2020. The Painter and the Thief is a breathtaking film that demonstrates the power of grace and friendship. Everything about it is wonderful and I cannot recommend it enough. Click here to listen to our full review.

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6. Sound of Metal

Sound of Metal has one of the best sleight of hands we saw all year. The film opens with a “metal” energy that is quickly subverted with a softer tenderness that would come to define the experience. Losing your hearing is undoubtedly a difficult transition, but it’s even more cumbersome given Ruben’s desire to fix everything and maintain control of his life. However, his dedication to his pride leads to addictive-like behavior, another great irony the film provides given Ruben’s history of drug addiction, and while technically sober his life unravels in similar ways. It’s not until he learns the power of quiet tranquility where he can find any peace. The journey of getting to that epiphany is really something to watch. Especially because of Darius Marder’s direction, sound design and use of the camera. The writing is powerful, my pick for Best Original Screenplay, but Marder’s technical merits are also worth noting. Sound of Metal also features some of the very best performances of the year in Riz Ahmed, Paul Raci and Olivia Cooke. Click here to listen to our full review.

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5. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Charlie Kaufman’s brain is truly fascinating, and nothing demonstrates that more than I’m Thinking of Ending Things. On its face, it’s Kaufman’s most biting film comedically. The way he uses irony and awkwardness to elevate the film’s humor is really something else. It is hysterical and the great performances of this film tap into that levity in ways that’s almost unforgettable. Yet, at the same time, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a heavy film emotionally. The manifestations we witness as Jake examines his regret and loneliness is heartbreaking, and it’s done in a weird way that can only be described as “Charlie Kaufman.” The film is as bizarre as it is emotionally gripping as it is laugh out loud funny. A masterclass in tone management and thematic nuance. Click here to listen to our full review.

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4. Lovers Rock

Steve McQueen’s Small Axe anthology is no doubt a defining work for 2020. Mangrove is arguably the most “complete” of all the films, but it’s Lovers Rock that stands out to me as the best. It’s the most evocative and sensual party movie of all-time. Its intimacy oozes off the screen. The sweat literally drips down the walls. The music is energetic at times, it’s unifying in other sequences, and it brings our characters together in ways that are stunning given how McQueen chooses to shoot this film. Which, by the way, is *the* best cinematography of 2020 for me (again, going back to our Awards Show this year). Lovers Rock may avoid traditional conflict, and perhaps its thin narrative won’t work for everyone, but its effective because it’s a vibe movie. It’s all about its tone and mood. It’s one you’re meant to just experience. And wow, is it redolent. Sorry Nolan, this is the “just feel it” movie of the year. Click here to listen to our full review.

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3. Dick Johnson Is Dead

As much as I love The Painter and the Thief, and in any other year it would be the documentary of the year, but 2020 also gave us Dick Johnson Is Dead. Kirsten Johnson’s portrait of her father’s mental deterioration is an absolutely stunner. And not just because of its hefty emotion, but also the great production design and creativity in Kirsten’s directorial craft. To help cope with her father’s ailness, she renders varying “death” sequences, or scenes of him in heaven, as they begin to process the end of his life. At once, every scene is both hysterical and tragically moving. It also helps that Dick Johnson is the most charming man ever put to screen. So when we get to that final sequence at the end of the film, we’re as arrested as the other people in the moment. It’s an astonishing achievement that takes documentary filmmaking to a whole new level. Click here to listen to our full review.

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2. Babyteeth

Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth is one of the most subversive films of 2020. For a film that had every opportunity to be another The Fault in our Stars (which I do like, FWIW), it goes out of its way to be anything but a version of that. Instead, Murphy’s approach is more artful, thought provoking and even rough around the edges a little bit. Milla may be dying from cancer, but she wants to live life her way, and she wants to go out her way. Her parents, Henry and Anna, may not always agree with her choices in all of that, but their time with Milla is limited, so they are willing to meet her in the middle. A dichotomy that presents some interesting moments as they grapple with how challenging it is for them at times. But it leads to a powerhouse of an ending where Milla becomes the adult, while Henry and Anna become broken children who need comfort and solace. The final scene of the film is one for the books, and as you can imagine, it’s my “Midnight Special” moment of 2020. Destroyed me. Click here to listen to our full review.

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1. First Cow

No one makes movies like Kelly Reichardt, and First Cow features all of the Reichardt qualities that I adore. Its patient, thoughtful, and poignant. Its setting and characters are lived in and nuanced. Its beautifully shot, featuring some of the year’s very best imagery and production design. The film is thematically textured as it examines the American Dream, friendship and even gender roles. And like all Reichardt films, its endearing but with a shade of cynicism to help exemplify both the beauty of humanity and also its tragedies. First Cow is no doubt making commentary on capatilism and the American Dream, in particular the idea that despite your best intentions, it’s almost impossible to avoid exploitation. Even if unaware, you may find yourself compromising principles given the ruthless that’s often associated with capitalistic success. That on its own is gripping in the hands of Reichardt, but even more so when couple it with how the film explores gender roles in the 19th Century, and how it subverts stereotypes for both Cookie and King Lu. For me, it’s their friendship within those confines that make First Cow as divine as it is. Leading to an ending that is simultaneously poetic and devastating. Reichardt’s writing and direction may be the star, but John Magaro and Orion Lee make the film all the more compelling. It’s an evocative film that I can’t get enough of, especially given its methodical and quiet approach. Give me these kinds of films all day. Click here to listen to our full review.

To round out my Top 20, here is the rest of my list:
11) Nomadland
12) Da 5 Bloods
13) Mangrove
14) Another Round
15) The 40-Year-Old Version
16) Kajillionaire
17) One Night in Miami
18) Mank
19) Driveways
20) The Trip to Greece

Let us know what you think. Do you agree or disagree? We’d like to know why. Leave a comment in the comment section below or tweet us @InSessionFilm.

To hear us discuss our InSession Film Awards and our Top 10 Best Movies of 2020, subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or you can listen below.

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InSession Film Podcast – Episode 413 (Part 1)
InSession Film Podcast – Episode 413 (Part 2)

2020 can be looked back on as one of the worst years in our lifetime. A global pandemic put us at home for most of the year, shutting down theaters around the world and leaving us to discover the best movies of the year at home. We were isolated, frustrated, and longing for it to all be over. Heck, my family got the virus and it took me out for two weeks. Basically, 2020 sucked. As we have entered 2021, hope runs through our veins with a new political administration and a vaccine to return us to normalcy sooner rather than later.

As for the movies of 2020, it clearly wasn’t the jammed packed year January promised us. But there were still plenty of movies to inspire us beyond their runtime, leaving lasting impressions and becoming the first batch of movies to consider for a brand new decade. We may not have seen everything in the theater, but these films below are what got me through COVID-19 and will get me back to normal when all is said and done.

10. Boys State

If I’ve learned anything from my co-host Jay Ledbetter, politics is a very cynical experience that can make all of us feel useless and empty when it’s all said and done. When I first saw Boys State, I found optimism in Renee and Steven’s point of view and hope for the future of our country. But as the year has gone on, and with what we have experienced in another harsh election and recent events in Washington, I realized the world is going to bring out more politicians like Ben, who see people’s lives and the future of our country as a joke and game. But yet that’s the power of the film, you can see our future as both hopeful and alarming, leading this to really be the scariest movie of the year, and I don’t know if that should be seen as a compliment.

9. The Nest

It’s been almost 10 years since we last saw Sean Durkin bring us a new project, and with this welcomed return, we get a dark look at the American dream set within 1980s London. Its ideas on wealth, marriage, and one’s legacy are frighening, obsessive, and weirdly relevant. Coon and Law back and forth at one another in some of the best sparring matches in a cinema this year and Durkin’s direction and writing of this movie is one of dread and horror, yet you can’t help but fall under its spell. We need Durkin to return sooner with another wonderful film, but if it takes this much time for him to make great movies, I’m sure it will be well worth the wait.

8. I Carry You with Me

As intimate of a movie as you will find this year. Tells the story of these two young Mexican men who fall in love with one another in a country and time that doesn’t accept them. While I just recently saw this movie, I can feel it will grow for me as time goes on because I personally don’t see movies like this made for people I can relate to so much with. Its love scenes are restrained and its dialogue and narration remind me of Terence Malick. Director Hiedi Ewing is mostly a documentarian, and in her narrative debut, this beautifully tells a deeply personal story, for reasons I don’t want to get into until more people see this gem. When it comes out, see it as fast as you can and experience something truly special.

7. I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Kaufman’s look at love, loss, legacy, and musicals is just downright bonkers. It’s his signature style of ‘this shouldn’t work’ yet it all meshes together to create a world completely of its own. His screenplay, along with his wonderful cast, creates a full relationship shelf life with equal parts of sadness and warmth. You have to see this more than once, but when you do, you will find more and more things he is really talking about under the surface, including a writer looking at his future and where it fits in this lonely world. It’s a special film by one of the most creative minds working today.

6. Minari

Lee Isaac Chung’s look at a Korean family immigrating to Arkansas is a tantalizing experience filled with so much togetherness, hardship,  and true beauty. It’s also as much a movie about the future as I could remember in that it tells our future generations to build, grow, and take risks like our families once did. By doing this, they created their own destinies and place in this beautiful country. You can’t wait for it to come to you, you have to go get it yourself. We need to get our hands in the dirt again and find our passions again. And we need to do it together, with whatever family you have in your life. Minari shows us this through events inspired by Chung’s childhood experiences, and by the end of the film, there is one word that can describe what this movie is, magic.

5. Dick Johnson is Dead

As moving of a movie as I’ve ever seen. Such a personal documentary about a daughter not wanting to let go of her father and best friend. And as most artists do, they use their medium to cope with their sadness and frustrations. There is something pretty special about watching this family experience the subject of death together. Death doesn’t have to be a lonely, sad process; it can be one of joy, double fudge chocolate cake, and spending as much time as you can with the ones you love. It also hit me in a way I could never imagine after what happened to my dad recently this year and it made me feel closer to Johnson and what she is going through, as well as the cinematic badass of 2020, Dick Johnson. Long live this man and I hope he gets as much cake as he wants.

4. Mangrove

There are moments when watching a movie where you know you are in the hands of a true master of cinema. That moment came to me when Steve McQueen shows owners of the Mangrove restaurant dancing in the street with their customers, enjoying the freedom they have to live in a country of property and joy. It doesn’t last long because Mangrove is about the protest and trial of the Mangrove Nine and the battle for their lives in 1970s London. McQueen is a sucker for giving us stories about historical heroes we know nothing about, and just like his other films Hunger and 12 Years a Slave, he’s able to find empathy and compassion for these victims and explore how broken race relations are around the world. Mangrove is the crowning achievement in his Small Axe collection and will leave you tearful and educated by the time the credits roll.

3. Tenet

Christopher Nolan’s puzzle box Bond film is one of the most original films in quite some time. A movie, as I said before, that should be made every single year. As we enter a new age of blockbusters, and IP dominating the landscape, in steps Nolan to show the world that these big movies can and desperately need to be made. By giving us a new hero to root for and a world to fall in love with, I’m ready for movies like Tenet to be Nolan’s way of the future; less explanation, more confidence in what he wants to make, and don’t worry about what anyone else says. It’s what great directors have always done and it’s what Nolan wants for everyone working in the industry today. At the state of the last decade, Nolan gave us Inception and now Tenet, giving the blueprint for Hollywood to give artists the chance to make big, original projects instead of more useless IP. We need more Tenets and if the film world is going to give him the title of the savior of cinema, then he’s going to lead the fight to save it along with the rest of the amazing artists working in Hollywood.

2. Mank

On Extra Film this year, we covered the films of the great David Fincher in full. We went in-depth on a 30-year career, spanning most of my lifetime and I concluded that Fincher might just be the best director of his generation. With Mank, he made my case for me. Inspired by the true events that led to the making of Citizen Kane, David Fincher, along with his wonderful screenplay by his late father Jack, use the past to examine the present and warn about the future of Hollywood and everything that goes on around it. It’s a scathing critique of famous people and the political underworld who have powerful hands in the cookie jar. Is it his most accessible film to date? No, but who cares? We got a new Fincher movie in 2020 and it was very much a Fincher movie. Don’t believe me? Then go watch all of his movies again, then watch Mank and you will understand why this movie is so damn good.

1. David Byrne’s American Utopia

I watched 130 plus films this year, and I don’t have time to see things twice. But I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that I saw this movie around five times. With American Utopia, Byrne gives us an honest, joyous conversation about what we should see and expect in our country. He doesn’t do it in a demanding way, but more of a cautious take to inform everyone what he has learned throughout his time on this planet. And in between these thoughts, he gives us the toe-tapping music that has stated these themes for over three decades. It’s all about everyone coming together, using music and film to bring us all together in a time where we are divided and isolated. With this, it totally makes sense that director Spike Lee worked with Byrne to bring us American Utopia. We need hope and love in our lives right now and Byrne and Lee give us that hand over fist. It’s nice to see people grow, admit they need to change, and reflect on a life’s imperfections. It’s also just great to get up and dance and feel like everything in life is going to be okay. America Utopia is a warm, funky, intelligent, important blanket we all need to wrap ourselves up into right now.