The 20 Best Movies of 2020

I’m not going to lie and say 2020 was a better year for movies than 2019 was. It’s not even that most of the big movies got pushed another year or that festivals couldn’t take place, prohibiting extremely interesting movies from reaching an audience. It’s that movie culture itself had to take a breather, and we weren’t in a good place, physically or mentally, to even take in some of the ones we got. 2019 was also just such a good year for movies when I think back on it. We got Parasite and Little Women and Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Knives Out and Uncut Gems and so many more that will continue to be pop culture staples for years going forward.

But there were nonetheless a lot of really good movies that came out of 2020, and really fascinating ones too. And apart from it just sounding right for a headline, I think I’m counting down twenty films instead of just ten this year because so many more of these will have slipped under the radar than in years past. Some of these were movies we had to seek out, and so I wanted to acknowledge them one last time and recommend them. They may not all be masterpieces, but they are each movies that deserve attention and praise.

Every year there are a few I miss and a few that I’m still waiting on at the time I compose my list. This year those two are Nomadland and Minari, both of which I’m certain if what I’ve heard is true, would end up in my top ten if I’d seen them by now. I am extremely excited for both. Also I haven’t seen Small Axe yet, which is either a TV show or series of movies, but either way is apparently really great! -looking forward to that. In the meantime, here are some honourable mentions: Tigertail (written and directed by Alan Yang), Mank (written by Jack Fincher, directed by David Fincher), The Platform (written by David Desola and Pedro Rivero, directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia), The Assistant (written and directed by Kitty Green), Bacurau (written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles), Pieces of a Woman (written by Kata Wéber, directed by Kornél Mundruczó), On the Rocks (written and directed by Sofia Coppola), and Yellow Rose (written by Diane Paragas, Annie Howell, and Celena Cipriaso, directed by Paragas). Oh and in that Small Axe vein of “is it a movie or not”, Disney’s filmed production of Hamilton deserves a shout.

Now onto the list:
 
20. Tesla –written and directed by Michael Almereyda

This movie was just too strange and fascinating to be ignored. I was right in my review that in spite of some flaws in focus and its’ very objective, sometimes selective take on the career of its titular figure, that it may grow on me the more I think about it. Tesla is just unlike any other movie to grace the nebulous ‘biographic film’ genre, something truly compelling in its style and structural and meta-textual experimentations. It’s got a fantastic cast led by Ethan Hawke and Kyle MacLachlan, though it might be Eve Hewson who steals the show. And that scene of Tesla singing “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” may still be one of my favourite movie moments of 2020.
 
19. Spontaneous –written and directed by Brian Duffield

No other movie connected so sharply and eerily with where we were psychologically and emotionally in 2020 than this dark comedy/coming-of-age film about a teenage romance that blossoms against a high school epidemic of spontaneous combustion. Meant to be an allegory for school shooting crises that gained an added significance in light of the pandemic (especially due to some extremely spot-on predictions), Spontaneous balances its bleakness and comedy tone quite well, ultimately proving to be a moving story about coping with trauma and finding meaning again after loss. Surprisingly smart and touching, funny and all too relatable, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
 
18. The Personal History of David Copperfield –written and directed by Armando Iannucci

Dickens’ most personal masterpiece received new life in this charming adaptation that certainly plays fast and loose with aspects of the plot, including some choices that bother a fan like me, but ultimately understands the novel more than I imagine it’s going to get credit for. While it may gloss over harsher sides of its’ heroes’ story in favour of a pervading sense of clever whimsy, it’s endearing and stylish enough to get away with that -sure of its purpose as well. Dev Patel is the best cinematic interpretation I’ve seen of David, and Peter Capaldi, Ben Whishaw, Hugh Laurie, and Tilda Swinton are enormous fun too as they and a refreshingly diverse cast bring to life one of the greatest literary ensembles.
 
17. The Invisible Man –written and directed by Leigh Whannell

An update on the classic H.G. Wells story re-contextualized in an immediate and chilling way as a domestic abuse thriller, Blumhouse and Leigh Whannell’s early year social horror movie is a viscerally powerful indictment of toxic masculinity’s lust for control over women. Put in the shoes of a gaslit and traumatized Elisabeth Moss (in one of her two Oscar worthy performances last year), whose cries for help nobody believes, the movie cultivates a greater understanding of domestic abuse survivors than just about any other film I’ve seen. It’s not afraid to follow through on its convictions, nor of dropping one of the most shocking horror bait-and-switches in recent memory.
 
16. Soul –written by Pete Docter, Mike Jones, and Kemp Powers, directed by Docter

Pixar is evolving in some interesting directions and I’m excited by that. Certainly the choice of Soul to explore themes of existentialism and purpose in life and learning to open up to the beauty of the world rather than be bogged down in any one personal ambition speaks to a kind of unique maturity for this studio. There are bits of the movie that are ill-conceived, both in plot and optics –primarily around the middle portion. But it comes together in the end so beautifully that I can’t deny it succeeds at its aims. And it does so with some gorgeous jazz music and perhaps the most personally affecting Pixar weepy scene since Pete Docter’s own Inside Out.
 
15. Bill & Ted Face the Music –written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon, directed by Dean Parisot

Spontaenous may have been the movie that most literally spoke to our psyche in 2020, but the movie we needed most this last year was Bill & Ted Face the Music. The relentlessly positive and high-spirited return of the pair of time-travelling doofuses played with not a beat missed by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, was just the jolt we were craving in its love of life and human optimism at such a grim time. Funny and as bonkers as its’ predecessors, it delights in the innate charm and lovable goofiness of its title characters as they race to find the song destined to unite humanity. And as this journey crosses time and space and into the afterlife, I dare it not to put a smile on your face. Be excellent to each other dudes!
 
14. Promising Young Woman –written and directed by Emerald Fennell

When movies address sexual assault, they have a tendency to do so in relatively simple terms. Not so for Promising Young Woman, which exposes the culture of sexual assault and its’ nuances more aggressively and viscerally than any other movie I’ve seen. Things such as victim-blaming, the “nice guy” defence, and institutional wilful ignorance that aren’t often brought up on film are key elements of this movie and its’ particular revenge fantasy. Led by a stellar Carey Mulligan performance, a wonderful darkly comic sensibility, and a thrilling script that culminates in an interesting, controversial ending, it’s a movie with a lot of legs on it, and an incredibly important work of public awareness.
 
13. One Night in Miami –written by Kemp Powers, directed by Regina King

The fiction of the conceit of One Night in Miami is not as important as the truth of the conversation being had. At its’ heart, the movie is a debate on the veracity of political stances and the duty of black figures in spaces of power and influence, presented in the context of a theoretical late night discussion between Malcolm X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown, and a pre-Ali Cassius Clay. It’s not only exceptionally scripted by Kemp Powers with eminent resonance to our current political landscape, but each of the performances are true to their characters and enthralling to behold -Leslie Odom Jr. and Kingsley Ben-Adir especially deserving of high praise.
 
12. Kajillionaire –written and directed by Miranda July

A portrait of parental neglect and inexpressible loneliness, Miranda July’s first movie in almost a decade is a terribly sad yet ridiculous drama about a shuttered and socially inept woman gradually escaping her codependent relationship with her grifter scumbag parents. Stylish and eccentric, but scripted with a deep and abiding sense of honesty and empathy, it’s a marvellous turn from Evan Rachel Wood, as well as Gina Rodriguez as her liberator and love interest. Unexpectedly profound and with a strong commitment to its themes that transcend its dreary environment and awkwardly realistic personalities, it’s enough to keep you invested and engaged, and distracted from the fact that its pitiable protagonist is called ‘Old Dolio’.
 
11. First Cow –written and directed by Kelly Reichardt

I think I’m in it for the long run now with Kelly Reichardt. Certain Women and Meeks’ Cutoff drew me in, and First Cow kept me there, in her entrancingly minimalist and subtly brilliant cinematic realm. With an understated but extraordinarily significant theme on non-toxic male friendship, the story of two underdogs in fur trade-era Oregon territory making a living by stealing the milk of the landowners’ prized cow for baking goods, is both a comical and serious statement on harsh class dynamics then and now. But it’s also a beautiful showcase of evocative atmosphere, transporting me to its time and place better than just about any other movie of 2020. A movie that allows you to bask in the nuances of its narrative and craft alike that also stars a cow. What’s not to love?   
 
10. Sound of Metal –written by Darius and Abraham Marder, directed by Darius Marder

There’s something so immensely calming about this movie, and it’s not just the silence that takes over a large portion of it. It has a very documentary-like level of relaxed pacing that does a lot to convey the peace and tranquility that Riz Ahmed’s hearing impaired heavy metal drummer (in a spectacular leading role that’s a long time coming) experiences and grows in during his sojourn at a commune for struggling deaf individuals. The films’ commitment to its auditory authenticity, regularly presenting us with the world as Ahmed’s Ruben hears it is remarkable, making for a level of empathetic immersion I’ve never encountered in a movie quite like this. Paul Raci deserves a lot of credit too, that scene between him and Ruben at the end of the second act perhaps the most quietly devastating movie sequence of the year.
 
9. Emma. –written by Eleanor Catton, directed by Autumn de Wilde

As demonstrated earlier on this list, I love a good classic literary adaptation, and it’s been a solid fifteen years or so since we had a great Jane Austen movie so I’m quite glad this one came along. Colourful and stylish as one would expect from photographer-turned-filmmaker Autumn de Wilde (who incidentally has a name that sounds plucked from an Austen novel), this screwball comedy reinvention of Emma is as incredibly delightful as it is welcome and slyly relevant. Anya Taylor-Joy is terrific as the sharp and witty matchmaker of a title character, whose endearing dual relationships with naive but well-meaning Mia Goth and sparring partner/romantic foil Johnny Flynn are the movies’ crucial bedrock. The Christmas ball may be one of my new favourite Christmas scenes and Flynn’s “Queen Bee” is perhaps still 2020’s best original movie song.
 
8. Beans –written by Tracey Deer and Meredith Vuchnich, directed by Deer

One of the highlights of the TIFF digital festival this year, and a stirring call to action, Beans is an uncompromising look at the 1990 Oka Crisis in Quebec from the vantage point of a girl largely based on writer-director Tracey Deer herself. It’s a coming-of-age film that follows the titular Mohawk pre-teens’ burgeoning understanding of a culture of white supremacy and her increased desire to fight against it while mobs of racists assault her family and friends over a land dispute. It tackles the issue of racism in Canada with incredible force and exceptional rawness, especially from the young Kiawentiio. Making use of news footage of the time, full of eerily familiar rhetoric to establish context, it’s a wake-up call if ever there was one. A difficult movie to watch, particularly in one harrowing sequence pulled directly from Deer’s childhood -it’ll stoke fury; fury, and much needed clarity.
 
7. Palm Springs –written by Andy Siara, directed by Max Barbakow

A lot of people have pointed out how instrumental timing was in the reception to Palm Springs, a movie about living the same day over and over again coming out in a time when we seemed to be doing just that. The monotony changed our perception of time, everything was moving so slowly and yet months would go by in an instant. But I feel this film still would have hit in a meaningful way if the pandemic wasn’t going on. It’s just a really fun and inventive rom-com with a smart serving of existential curiosity. A touching movie about consequences and complacency as well, it is grounded in a kind of bittersweet honesty for as ridiculous as it may be. Andy Samberg delivers one of his best performances, and a wonderful Cristin Milioti is finally given the big break she’s long deserved. And my hot take is that far from being a rip-off, Palm Springs is even a better time loop movie than Groundhog Day!
 
6. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom –written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, directed by George C. Wolfe

When I saw Fences a few years back, I liked it but didn’t quite feel it the way I thought I should have. The static pace of its theatrical plot and reverence for Denzel Washingtons’ character just didn’t connect with me, and August Wilsons’ flowery language seemed a trifle unnecessary. After watching Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom though I feel at last that I get August Wilson, and can appreciate his talents. This movie perhaps better than any, translates that frustration of black artists being confined by a white system, forced to perform for white spectators, and how dealing with that very racism is an ever-present aspect of finding success and contentedness. It is explicit and passionate and illustrated in a beautiful way that marries the techniques of theatre and film. And the late great Chadwick Boseman, holding his own against Viola Davis and the films’ other remarkable veterans, delivers one last masterful performance that is surely the best of his all-too-short career!
 
5. Shirley –written by Sarah Gubbins, directed by Josephine Decker

The second and better film on this list to star a magnificent Elisabeth Moss, Josephine Decker’s brilliant, enigmatic fiction about the writing of Shirley Jacksons’ Hangsaman is a beautiful puzzle of a movie that plays as thrillingly and as cleverly as any work by the acclaimed author herself. With a captivating ambiguity and provocative detail, themes of gender dynamics, sexual repression, madness, control, and most especially obsession are addressed in the complex and unreliable relationship between Shirley and the young woman she takes in as her protégé, played with excellent allusiveness by Odessa Young. As the process of the womens’ work gradually begins to mirror the macabre subject matter of their research, and as Decker blurs these lines of reality with exquisite craft, working in references to other Jackson novels, the film comes to increasingly resemble one of her stories, in as much depth and subtle politics as in tone and structure. And it would be the best psychological thriller of the year if it weren’t for…
 
4. I’m Thinking of Ending Things –written and directed by Charlie Kaufman

Congratulations Charlie Kaufman! You lost me with Anomalisa, but you won me back with this horrifying yet magnetic mind-fuck of a movie. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is just as dense and pretentious as any Kaufman movie, but it rather organically pairs his subjective interpretations of reality and musings on life, death, consciousness, and originality with the aesthetics and framework of psychological horror. And really, haven’t we all been in Jessie Buckley’s situation? Trapped in an obligatory social circumstance we’d rather not be in, eager to have it over with. This movie takes that simple universal anxiety, stretches it out and exploits it with masterful, uniquely uncomfortable suspense. For as intentionally impenetrable as the movie is, its’ narrative coherence in a constant state of flux so you never know exactly what is happening and how much (if anything) is real, it keeps you on edge in extremely potent and memorable ways. Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons deliver astounding performances, the former one of my favourites of the year; and as to its deep themes, whatever your interpretation, this is one of the most fun movies to dissect and contemplate.
 
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always –written and directed by Eliza Hittman

A girl from a repressive Pennsylvania town is in need of an abortion, so she has to travel to New York secretly with a friend to procure one safely. That is the premise of the indie champion of 2020, Eliza Hittman’s stirring yet subdued Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which I saw ten months ago and still hasn’t left me. The film is about repression, about control both psychological and sexual over young women, but also about determination and reproductive freedom. Yet it’s about all of these things silently, Hittman keeps her characters from commenting on it, choosing instead to show their discomfort and quiet understanding. One of the films’ most overt goals is to dispel the fearmongering that surrounds the discussion of abortion in isolated or religious communities, and to show it as something mundane, something normal and sometimes necessary. An exercise in naturalism, the film has a graceful flow in spite of its urgency, and Sidney Flanigan is one of the great new discoveries of the last several years. And that scene where the title comes from, camera entirely on her as she’s simply answering questions, cracking under the seams a tad more with each one -the thought of it still breaks my heart.
 
2. Da 5 Bloods –written by Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott, and Spike Lee, directed by Lee

In the midst of a cultural awakening to the sheer depth and insidious reach of institutional racism worldwide, a movie dropped that couldn’t have been more necessary, and will continue to be so for as long as Black Lives Matter is a movement rather than an unequivocal truth. I may still have a lot of catching up to do with Spike Lee’s filmography, but I feel confident in saying Da 5 Bloods is one of the best of his career. It is a daring and damning exploration of the experience of the Vietnam War for African-Americans: fighting a war on behalf of white supremacy while its’ weapons terrorize their brethren back home. The movie is divided between the present and the past, four surviving members of a squad returning to Vietnam for a treasure left there by their fiery leader (Chadwick Boseman, in another of his greatest performances); and as they deal with the trauma and old wounds left from the war, as well as new political divisions between them (represented largely by a tremendous Delroy Lindo), Lee sharply and with that righteous anger he’s so adept at expressing marks his powerful statements with intense language, imagery, and narrative choices. A masterful, moving piece of cinema speaking loudly with conviction to a world still reticent to its’ truth.
 
1. Wolfwalkers –written by Will Collins, directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

As proud as I am to get to be a hipster and say “I liked Cartoon Saloon before it was cool”, the mass amount of attention and praise that Wolfwalkers has gotten, surpassing any of the little Irish animation studios’ prior efforts, has been extremely warming and gratifying. Cartoon Saloon has produced masterpiece after masterpiece, and Wolfwalkers is indeed the best film of the year! Rare, in that it too, was my most anticipated movie of the year. Every frame of this lovely little film is gorgeous, and the animation is only matched by a story that has immediate resonance to both our current climate crisis and geopolitical relations, but is also just immensely entertaining and emotionally fulfilling. I’ve watched it multiple times, and I’ve found it connects and affects me every time. The voice acting is impeccable, the visual symbolism both obvious and genius, the script extraordinarily concise in its ability to establish rich characters, relationships, world orders, and conflicts in such a short space of time. And the music is intensely beautiful too -even discounting the perfect use of Aurora’s “Running With the Wolves”, it’s one of the best soundtracks of the year. Wolfwalkers was the last of Tomm Moore’s Irish Folklore trilogy, and while I think I still personally prefer Song of the Sea, this was a phenomenal final chapter and has all the makings of an immortal animation classic on par with the best of Disney or Studio Ghibli. I will be seeing it many more times, and I hope all of you do too.

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