Hello on Christmas Eve! Movies in 2020 have been an escape, a necessary getaway from the strain that the year has put on us all. To abscond into another reality for an hour or two. While 2020 saw a lot of films pushed to 2021 (Dune, No Time To Die, The Green Knight, French Dispatch, etc), streaming has been a gift; for sanity, for education, and for entertainment.
Below are my seven favorites that had US release dates. Not the “best” films of the year. But the seven I enjoyed the most, and I hope you will, too. Of course, I too am looking forward to Soul and WW84 on Christmas Day.
For my full list of 2020 films, check out my Letterboxd list (at the time of writing 76 movies). And the coming weeks will be lists of superlatives, stay tuned.
#1: First Cow
The latest from Kelly Reichardt unfortunately hit theaters in March right when the pandemic hit the US (and PVoD in July). Her layered narratives touch on brotherhood, masculinity, and making your own way in the 1890s Northwest as a tenderhearted chef and Chinese immigrant form an unlikely bond as business partners and kindred spirits. Quiet, comedic, and bittersweet at the end, First Cow is an unlikely choice to be my favorite film of the year, but after the year has come and gone, it remains at the top of the list. Read my thoughts here. 122 mins. Trailer. Rent on Amazon ($4.99).
#2: Shirley
Intoxicating. Suffocating. Disorienting. Shirley, based on fictional events of the real life author Shirley Jackson, is director Josephine Decker’s out of the box take on a biopic. Chronicling a fictional time in Jackson’s very real life, the film gives context and narrative depth to the monstrous writer, illustrating who she was, her outside influences (namely her husband), and how it manifested itself into her writing. It’s surely (Shirley??) not for everyone, but those looking for a wicked performance from Elisabeth Moss (who is on quite the streak), Shirley might be for you. Read Clarisse Loughrey’s review at the Independent. 107 mins. Trailer. Stream on Hulu.
#3: Time
Time is a truly remarkable documentary spanning a generation of one family’s struggle to free their father from prison. Illuminating the extremely unjust US criminal justice system, matriarch Fox Rich transforms in front of us from a doughy eyed teen in love to a steely eyed mother hellbent on putting her family back together. As tender and personal as it is heartbreaking, Time reminds us that it’s the one thing we can’t get back. Read K. Austin Collins piece at Rolling Stone. 81 mins. Trailer. Watch on Amazon Prime now.
#4: Wolfwalkers
While Wolfwalkers was recommended in just last week’s newsletter (here), it comes in as a top five pick for 2020 so far, blending hand drawn animation, a flighty Celtic fantasy tale, and profundity to burn. In a year light on high end animation (Soul isn’t out yet, Onward was ok, no Ghibli, and Minkai’s Weathering With You was more visual than soulful), Wolfwalkers is a welcome sight. With stellar voice acting and incredible artistic direction, one can be an animation neophyte and still enjoy the film. 103 mins. Read Bilge Ebiri’s piece at Vulture. Trailer. Watch on Apple TV+.
#5: The Assistant
About as polar opposite a film can be from #4, Kitty Green’s The Assistant chronicles a day in the life of an assistant for a Harvey Weinstein-esque studio hear. The quiet film shows the inner workings of what psychological oppression and systematic coverups can do to corrupt even those with the best of intentions. Much as in the real world, The Assistant doesn’t offer answers or have a tidy ending, but hits the viewer with a cold does of realism, led by Julia Garner’s (Ozark) tour de force performance as a conflicted and restrained new hire. 87 mins. Trailer. Watch on Hulu now.
#6: Lovers Rock
An incredibly moving and personal piece of filmmaking, part of director Steve McQueen’s Small Axe series (yes, they are films). Set in South London in the 1980s at a pay-at-the-door house party, Lovers Rock pay homage to just that, the “lovers rock” that permeated the time for black and Indian communities to let go; to find and be themselves in an era where there weren’t many places they could. It succinctly and sensually encapsulates the freeing feelings of finding love, the dangers of being naive, and most of all, the soul of a community. Read K. Austin Collins at Rolling Stone. 68 mins. Trailer. Watch on Amazon Prime.
#7: Palm Springs
No movie better encapsulated the nihilism and emptiness of living through the pandemic like the latest Lonely Island vehicle, Palm Springs. An entry into the long storied infinitely-repeating-day genre, the Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti starred comedy takes the conceit and adds an interesting wrinkle that is intelligent, subversive, and uproarious. The film is hopeful, heartfelt, and just wacky enough to make you forget about the outside world for an hour and a half. Read Adam Neyman’s thoughts at The Ringer. 90 mins. Trailer. Stream on Hulu.
Shoutout Letterboxd for helping the film community keep track of their obsession.
For last week’s recommendations, check it out here.
Also, I’d love any feedback or suggestions on the content/layout! Let me know below!