2020 changed everything. It was a nightmare of a year for reasons we already know quite well. The Covid-19 virus propelled us into a realm of science fiction and horror, and no movie could ever match the reality we’ve all lived for the better part of this horrendous year.
Every business has been affected in one way or another, and the movie business is no exception. The theatrical experience was already suffering before 2020 due to the plethora of content available on multiple streaming and home video platforms. Now, it’s heading towards extinction (or, at the very least, a heavy re-invention) at a rapidly accelerating rate.
Covid-19 advanced the progression of where movies were already heading. In 2020, home video officially became the safest and easiest way to see new movies. While Hollywood delayed most of its major releases, a sizable amount of medium and smaller-sized films were released to varying degrees of success. Films that might not have been noticed under different circumstances were given the opportunity to thrive.
In spite of everything, 2020 was, at least, a great year for quality movies. There may have been a shortage of studio blockbusters, but there were plenty of daring, original, and personal titles from some of our most gifted filmmakers– already established and up-and-coming alike. Some of these films found their audience, some of them got lost in the shuffle, but they all braved the nightmare that was 2020 to become available and provide us with the catharsis and/or escapism that we all so desperately needed.
1. The Devil All the Time
The Devil All the Time goes to some dark places, and it makes no apologies for doing so. Based on Donald Ray Pollock’s riveting novel of the same name, the film is an uncompromising examination of broken lineage, lost souls, and inherited violence. Co-screenwriter/director Antonio Campos unflinchingly presents the film’s reality with objective discipline, refusing to cheapen anything with stylistic flourishes or false optimism. Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, and Eliza Scanlen stand out amongst the flawless ensemble cast. In spite of its ugliness, The Devil All the Time is the most deeply profound and exceptionally moving film of the year.
2. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Much of writer (adapted from Iain Reid’s novel)/director Charlie Kaufman’s latest film is open to interpretation. What, exactly, is going on in it is sometimes hard to say. However, I’m Thinking of Ending Things manages to provide just enough detail to be fully engaging on an emotional level. The film is a stream-of-consciousness meditation on loneliness, regret, aging, media-influenced thinking, and the acceptance of one’s own reality. It features Kaufman at the height of his head-scratching abilities and talents. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is one of the most challenging (and equally rewarding) films to be released by a major studio (in this case, Netflix) this or any year.
3. Vivarium
A young couple (Jesse Eisenberg and Imogen Poots) is looking for the perfect home and inexplicably becomes trapped in a seemingly deserted suburb. Vivarium follows the footsteps of David Lynch and Charlie Kaufman. It speaks in metaphors to express the dangers and dissatisfactions of monotony and the unrelenting will of nature. You always get the sense that director/co-story writer Lorcan Finnegan and writer Garret Shanley know exactly what’s going on, but the movie’s intoxicating sense of mystery is reliant upon the fact that they never fully disclose it. Vivarium is like a Twilight Zone episode that never gives its plot twist away, a beautiful yet disturbing nightmare from which you never fully awake.
4. Mank
David Fincher, the ultimate living cinematic perfectionist, has done it again. Written by his late father, Jack Fincher, the director’s latest is another masterful entry on his resume. Gorgeously photographed (by Eric Messerschmidt) and impeccably timed, the film offers a glimpse of Old Hollywood while focusing on Herman J. Mankiewicz and his struggle to write the screenplay for Citizen Kane. Mank tackles the ongoing conflict of artistic integrity versus Hollywood politics with unflinching honesty and flawless execution. Gary Oldman gives a lively and deeply felt portrayal of the film’s talented but self-destructive titular character.
5. Sound of Metal
A heavy metal drummer (Riz Ahmed) experiences sudden hearing loss in this highly reflective and stunningly moving film. Sound of Metal uses its innovative sound design and documentary-like photography to put its audience in the shoes of its protagonist. The film succeeds brilliantly at creating empathy without pandering for easy sympathy; it intelligently and effectively communicates the lead character’s reality without easy or obvious manipulation. Cowriter/director Darius Marder delivers a stunning debut, and Ahmed gives what is easily one of the best performances of the year.
6. Let Him Go
Diane Lane and Kevin Costner both deliver performances that remind us why they’re movie stars in this exceptionally intelligent and emotionally powerful film. Lane and Costner portray grandparents trying to protect their only grandchild from his abusive stepfather (Will Brittain) and his sinister family. The film slowly unravels and unexpectedly explodes in the most captivating manner imaginable. Writer (based on Larry Watson’s novel)/director Thomas Bezucha provides the film with well-drawn characters and riveting suspense, making Let Him Go one of the most poignantly dramatic and highly tense thrillers in recent memory.
7. Love and Monsters
A meek but lovable young man (Dylan O’Brien) living during an apocalypse filled with oversized creatures decides to make a dangerous journey to find his long-lost love (Jessica Hemwick). The film has a somewhat familiar premise and tone (it’s reminiscent of both Zombieland and Tremors), but director Michael Matthews still manages to keep everything wholly fresh and lively. From start to finish, this is a highly entertaining and inventive film filled with great effects and likable, well-developed characters (even the dog has a backstory). O’Brien carries the film with ease, and Michael Rooker highlights the stellar supporting cast.
8. Lost Girls
Based on the nonfiction book by Robert Kolker about a string of unsolved murders that occurred in Long Island, Lost Girls hasn’t received much attention to date. Centering on the mother (Amy Ryan) of a missing young woman, the film personalizes real-life tragedy in a thoughtful, non-exploitative manner. Director Liz Garbus keeps the focus of the film on the ramifications of violence and loss. The victims it portrays aren’t treated as statistics; they were real people with families who cared about them. Ryan, as usual, gives a great performance, exhibiting the strength and vulnerability of a woman who relentlessly searches for a devastating truth.
9. The Lodge
Riley Keough gives a brilliant and raw performance as a stepmother-to-be who is stuck at a snow enveloped lodge with two adolescents (Jaeden Martell and Lia McHugh) who resent her existence. The slowly unwinding film is mysterious, character-driven, and filled with harrowing tension. It culminates with an ending that simultaneously shocks and expertly brings its anti-religion themes to a horrifying head. Writers (along with Sergio Casci)/directors Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz deliver one of the most disturbing and gut-wrenching films of the year.
10. Belushi
This documentary on the late, great John Belushi is an uncompromisingly honest yet lovingly handled examination of fame, addiction, and excess. First and foremost, however, it is an intimate portrait of an individual who, like all of us, was impossible to categorize as any one thing. Though the documentary exposes plenty of its subject’s demons, writer/director R.J. Cutler also refreshingly focuses on Belushi’s kindness, talents, and humanity. Told with creativity and skill, this moving and inspirational film strips down the many layers of a legend to expose the heart of an extraordinarily gifted and tragically haunted man.
Top Ten Movies That Were Very Painful Not to Include on The Top Ten Movies of 2020:
The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Outpost, Fatman, 12 Hour Shift, Greyhound, The Witches, Hillbilly Elegy, Horse Girl, Soul, Bill & Ted Face the Music
Honorable Mentions:
The Midnight Sky, Wander, Black Bear, The Invisible Man, Freaky, Ava, Come to Daddy, Underwater, You Should Have Left, Babyteeth, The Way Back, Color Out of Space, Happiest Season, VFW, Wander Darkly, The Wolf of Snow Hollow, The Christmas Chronicles 2
