2020 was a difficult year in many, many aspects, but at least we had some great movies along the way to tide us over. Of course, the number of movies being released was substantially smaller because of the pandemic, but even then there are plenty of films that slipped by us and seem to be worth a watch.
Our honorable mentions thus include First Cow, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Minari, the Small Axe series of movies by Steve McQueen and Promising Young Woman. Let us know if we missed other excellent movies that came out this year.
Palm Springs
Palm Springs is hardly the first recent movie to explore time loops, but the way it does it is very different from the approach taken by the Happy Death Day franchise. A goofball, slightly nihilistic wedding guest, Nyles (Andy Samberg) ends up falling for the bride’s sister, Sarah (Cristin Milioti) and together they have to figure out how to return things to normal. There is plenty of bonding and philosophical discussions along the way. There’s also Roy (J.K. Simmons), who is pissed at Nyles and tries to kill him every once in a while.
The Invisible Man
Leigh Whannell repurposes the classic horror movie as a tale of gaslighting and abuse. A woman (Elizabeth Moss) tries to escape the clutches of her terrifying boyfriend, who is seemingly stalking her from beyond the grave with the help of a futuristic suit that turns him invisible. Moss is captivating as the beleaguered Cecilia, showing her rising panic and unraveling mind as no one seems to believe her story. This is a tense, gripping horror thriller that escalates stakes steadily, although it does fumble once or twice. The action set pieces are very physical and well crafted, especially once you consider that the aggressor is supposed to be invisible.
Uncle Frank
It’s not always easy to fit into your family, especially if you’re “different” in significant ways. Beth (Sophia Lillis) idolizes her uncle Frank (Paul Brittany), following in his footsteps to move to New York for college. There, she discovers that Frank has a warm, loving partner named Wally (Peter Macdissi), and that Frank has kept this part of himself hidden from the rest of his family. Things become complicated when Frank’s father dies and he has to drive across the country to his hometown in South Carolina, with both Beth and Wally in tow. Paul Brittany turns in a career-best performance. Writer/director Alan Ball, who is also a Southerner who came out to his family in the late seventies, pulls from his own experience to illustrate this tale of a man who’s trying to reconcile his pain and shame with the people who are important in his life.
The Devil all the Time
An ambitious, sprawling drama taking place in the rural heartland of America during the fifties, The Devil All The Time is a story of generational trauma elevated by a star-studded cast. There’s hypocrisy and despair at almost every turn, and characters like Arvin Russell (Tom Holland) never really get to turn their life around, while others like the preacher Teagardin (Robert Pattinson) and cop Bodecker (Sebastian Stan) meet their comeuppance for their corrupt ways. Some have accused the film of having nothing to say beyond wallowing in misery, but maybe that’s the point. For some people, life never gets better.
Soul
Pixar is back to form with Soul, after the lukewarm reception of Onward earlier this year. Directed by Peter Docter, it follows Joe Gardner (Jamie Foxx), an aspiring jazz musician looking for his big break, as he tries to make it to a gig that may open the doorway to success and ends up becoming stuck in a strange version of the afterlife. He is soon partnered with 22 (Tina Fey), an unborn soul who has been stuck in the Great Beyond for thousands of years because she doesn’t want to live on Earth. As the two get into hijinks and adventures, 22 discovers the spark for life, while Joe Gardner realizes that the spark for life isn’t the same as having a purpose. This is an inventive take on spirituality, with strong emotional moments, as you would expect from a Pixar film.
Possessor
Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, the son of body horror pioneer David Cronenberg, Possessor is an amalgamation of elements from The Matrix and Inception. It follows Rasta Vos (Andrea Riseborough), a corporate assassin who uses advanced technology to possess other people and use their bodies to carry out hits. Her latest job involves her taking control of Colin (Christopher Abbott) and assassinating his girlfriend and her father, a powerful tech CEO. Of course, things soon become complicated. For the most part, the atmosphere is oppressive, and the scenes depicting Tasya taking over other people are suitably gory and terrifying.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is, as many familiar with Charlie Kaufman’s work might have guessed, a brain-teasing film that’s not always easy to follow. On the surface, it is a story about a young woman (Jessie Buckley) visiting her boyfriend’s (Jesse Plemons) parents, but it soon turns into a journey into consciousness. There are strange moments, such as when Buckley’s character eviscerates a movie and cites Pauline Karl’s critique on it. By the end, you realize what the film is trying to say, leaving you with troubling questions on your mind.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin’s take on the monumental trial that held protesters in court for causing the 1968 Chicago riots isn’t always historically accurate, but it has a flair and sincerity that wins you over. Filled with a strong cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Sacha Baron Cohen, Frank Langella, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the film is a departure from Sorkin’s tendency to look fondly at American institutions like the government and the news industry. The result is a tense narrative that’s peppered with signature rapid fire Sorkin dialogue and is openly indignant of the injustice heaped upon the defendants.
Da 5 Bloods
Spike Lee’s epic Da 5 Bloods sounds simple enough on paper: four elderly Black veterans return to Vietnam to recover the remains of their leader and search for buried gold. However, the film is also wickedly funny and emotionally resonant, jumping between the past and uneasy present. It’s a film that has a lot to say, touching on topics such as war, greed, American colonialism, Donald Trump and the bond between war veterans. There are detours that stretch the film’s runtime, but the powerful ending is worth the wait.
Sound of Metal
Ruben (Riz Ahmed), a metallic drummer, is usually restless, single-mindedly going through his band tour despite signs of hearing loss. When he is forced by his girlfriend (Olivia Cooke) to join a deaf support group, he has to piece his life together and learn to accept his new normal. Ruben has to learn to find the comfort in silence, which is easier said than done. Debuting director Darius Marder takes a meditative approach to portraying hearing loss, using immersive sound design that cuts between muffled sounds and metallic noises to indicate what Ruben is hearing. Riz Ahmed puts in a star making turn, emoting Ruben’s inner turmoil and later, accepting calmness about his new circumstances.