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2021's Top Ten Films
 2021 was the year that movies went back to normal . . . sort of. By June almost all the theaters reopened. Still, many people, particularly many older people, were understandably reluctant to return, especially given the COVID variants hitting the US during various parts of the year. I eagerly went back, but still wasn’t in theaters quite as much as pre-COVID. That’s partially because I was still working from home and wasn’t out as much, and due to the availability of many of these films instantly on streaming services. Of the lists below, I’d estimate that it’s a 50-50 split between movie theaters and in-home viewing: Honorable Mention: Attica Belfast The Last Duel Licorice Pizza The Lost Daughter Passing Red Rocket Spider-Man: Far from Home tick, tick...BOOM! West Side Story The Worst Person in the World Many of the films on my top 10 list explore how we handle trauma or loss. Whether it’s an absent veteran father struggling with PTSD, a grifter trying to escape his past, another veteran trying to escape the atrocities he committed, parents of a mass shooter and one of his victims seeking to make sense out of the senseless, a closeted man reeling from the loss of his lover, or a theater director dealing with his wife’s infidelity and sudden death, we feel for all of them whether they are good people or not. These stories resonate even deeper given what we have all endured these past couple of years. Whether COVID, riots, or unjust shootings hit us directly or not, I think many feel that something has been lost. Maybe these films can help us through empathy and understanding, even if only a little bit: 10. Encounter (dir. Michael Pearce) – Encounter turns sci-fi tropes on their head, playing on audience assumptions and steering them in new directions. Pearce, who co-wrote the story with Joe Barton, trusts his characters and lets the story flow through them as they embark on a hasty road trip. The film weaves in so seamlessly a struggle for a Marine veteran father to deal with PTSD and connect with his two sons that when the subtext becomes the text it feels completely natural. One year after his Oscar nominated performance in Sound of Metal, Riz Ahmed again brilliantly plays a man who sees his struggle with external forces but not his battle with internal demons. Lucian-River Chauhan and Aditya Geddada match him with their nuanced, heartbreaking portrayal of the two sons. Ahmed, Chauhan and Geddada develop such strong chemistry that the film feeds off them and stays believable as it raises the stakes. 9. Nightmare Alley (dir. Guillermo del Toro) – The original film adaptation of William Lindsay Gresham’s novel hit theaters in 1947, when films we now call noir were all the rage. Del Toro’s stunning vision lovingly takes noir’s look, language, and themes and deepens them. Along with his frequent cinematographer Dan Laustsen, Del Toro beautifully paints a Gothic picture of Depression-era America high and low society. Del Toro, as always, shows an affinity for grotesque monsters but this time it’s greedy, damaged people grotesque on the inside. Bradley Cooper stretches himself in new ways as the con man at the story’s center. No other modern actress can pull off a femme fatale like Cate Blanchett can. The all-star and perfectly cast Willem Dafoe, Rooney Mara, Richard Jenkins, Toni Collette and David Strathairn all effortlessly inhabit their roles. Unfortunately, Nightmare Alley bombed at the box office, but I predict audiences, particularly noir aficionados, will find the film on streaming services, and they will be glad they did. 8. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (dir. Questlove) – In a fairer world, the Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969 would have garnered as much cultural cache as that other big all-star music festival that year, Woodstock. Unlike Woodstock, lovingly shot documentary footage of the festival disappeared, and the it faded from memory. No documentary can make up for lost time, but Questlove and his team come close with the pristine footage they rescued. Questlove wisely keeps the primary focus on the music itself, a smart choice when you have performances from B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, Mavis Staples, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone and the 5th Dimension, just to name a few. While that alone would have been enough, Questlove layers in interviews with attendees and participants, giving us a chance to learn about what the festival meant to America, black America in particular, at that time in history. Put all together, Summer of Soul will endure as a fun, vibrant film and a testament to a slice of American cultural history that was almost lost forever. 7. My Name is Pauli Murray (dir. Julie Cohen, Betsy West) – Before this documentary, I believe that many people had no idea who Pauli Murray was or what her contributions to civil rights were. I know I didn’t, which is one reason why My Name is Pauli Murray feels so compelling. Cohen and West, who earlier directed RBG, unpack Murray’s life in a way both personal and far-reaching. They wisely let Murray, who passed in 1985, tell the story through recordings made for an unfinished autobiography. Through interviews with Murray’s students and some of the many Murray influenced, including the late Justice Ginsburg, we get the sense of what she meant to her friends, colleagues and students. Murray led such a fascinating multi-faceted life that just learning about it holds viewers. But Cohen and West also illustrate Murray’s impact on civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQ rights for all of which she was a true pioneer. Cohen and West do this in a way that avoids feeling didactic or preachy. While you may not be that familiar with Murray going in, after the film you will never forget her. 6. Pig (dir. Michael Sarnoski) – When I first learned about Pig, I let my preconceptions color my judgment. Given the plot description - a man (Nicolas Cage) searching for his kidnapped pig, and Cage’s filmography over the last several years, I assumed that Pig was a John Wick knock-off rampage movie that wasn’t worth my time. Thankfully word of mouth at a recent Cinema Lounge discussion overcame my reluctance. I almost missed what turned out to be a thoughtful, engrossing tale of love, loss, grief, and food. Sarnoski takes his time, allowing room to absorb the film’s tone and atmosphere. Cage gives a more restrained, modulated performance than he has in years. Thanks to both Sarnoski and Cage, what could have been a simple search or revenge tale instead becomes an exquisite existential examination of what to value in life. 5. Dune (dir. Denis Villeneuve) –Villeneuve crafted a film both epic and intimate. He wisely filmed only the first half of Frank Herbert’s novel, so he could take time to develop the story and the characters. He also showed faith in the audience’s ability to follow that complex story without relying on extensive exposition dumps. The film builds so deliberately and precisely that we enjoy the quiet moments as much as the big action scenes. Video essayist Thomas Flight details how Villeneuve used the CGI as an extension of the many practical effects. Through this blend, the film creates a world that feels as real as it does fantastic, what George Lucas calls an “immaculate reality.” The cast led by Timothée Chalamet all give very grounded, earnest performances, further deepening that reality. Dune is what blockbuster movies should be. 4. The Card Counter (dir. Paul Schrader) – Writer-director Schrader has always had a feel for tortured souls, whether its Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, Jake LaMotta in Raging Bull, Wade Whitehouse in Affliction, or Reverend Ernst Toller in First Reformed. William Tell (Oscar Isaac) belongs in this group as he struggles with dark memories from his service in an Abu Gharib-type prison. As the title indicates, Tell works as a professional card player. Unlike many films that either glamorize or demonize gambling, The Card Counter treats it solely as a profession. Schrader takes the time to explore how that profession works and how Tell’s defense mechanisms from his trauma make him a better gambler. Isaac’s textured, sympathetic turn as Tell helps us understand a character who tries to keep so much hidden. Schrader has had an up-and-down career, but this film, coming off First Reformed, shows that he can still tell stories that break your heart. 3. Mass (dir. Fran Kranz) – Kranz showed some guts by tackling school shootings for his writer-director debut. He takes this very difficult, polarizing subject and humanizes it by focusing on just four people, the mother and father of one of the victims with the mother and father of the shooter. Just those four people in a room. This concept works thanks largely to Franz’s intense, probing screenplay, which asks hard questions but doesn’t settle for easy answers. The story relies on the actors to carry it, with Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, Martha Plimpton and Reed Birney all delivering raw career-best performances. Together they explore the grief, shame, hurt and anger in an authentic way that never feels forced. Kranz heightens their work by increasingly bringing the camera close and holding it for longer shots, giving the film a claustrophobic flavor. Mass may not always be an easy film to watch, but it’s well worth it. 2. The Power of the Dog (dir. Jane Campion) – Campion beautifully deconstructs Western tropes and archetypes in her adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel. Even beyond the Western setting, the film engages us as a story of loneliness, cruelty, pain and a search for happiness. Ari Wegner’s striking cinematography seamlessly transforms New Zealand into 1920s Montana. The splendor of the land presents a perfect contrast with the ugliness of Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he torments his sister-in-law (Kirsten Dunst) and her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Cumberbatch slowly lets you empathize with Phil without diluting any of his hostility. Dunst has grown into an exceptional actress, while Smit-McPhee gives off an air of mystery vital for his character. It’s an indictment of the film world that Campion had to wait 12 years between directing features, but with the skill and artistry she shows here, I hope her next effort will come much sooner. 1. Drive My Car (dir. Ryûsuke Hamaguchi) – Usually with a three-hour film you expect an immense spectacle, not a quiet character drama. Hamaguchi makes the time fly by immersing you in the life and mind of a theater actor-director struggling with the loss of his unfaithful wife. Through this gripping story Hamaguchi also explores the many barriers all of us face in connecting with other people, even those closest to us. The film ingeniously uses the production of the play “Uncle Vanya” to illustrate how a fictional story can reveal truth. As the title indicates Hamaguchi sets many of the scenes inside a car, but shoots those in a way that treats the car like a small room that can bring people together or separate them depending on how it’s used. He uses the camera very precisely, often holding a shot and using small delicate moves as needed. Lead actor Hidetoshi Nishijima has a quality where it seems like he’s always holding something back, which is a perfect fit for the lead role. Tôko Miura, as the driver shares this quality, which is one reason they work so well together. While Drive My Car uses restraint and does not overtly go for the heartstrings, the film’s steady and deliberate approach will move you if you let it. Adam Spector April 1, 2022 Contact us: |
