So, A Completely Subjective Ranking of the 10 Best Films of 2020.

 

"It's beautiful, beautiful cinema."     -Hugh Grant, The Gentlemen

While 2020 wasn't good for much, it was good for film. With audiences stuck at home, there was more viewing time than ever before and an insatiable hunger for new content. To feed its quarantined audiences and save their industry, Hollywood delivered to our doorstep. But what was the cream of that crop? What movies satisfied us when we couldn't go to theaters? That's what we're here to discuss. This is the list we've all been waiting for: the best movies of 2020.

Wait, scratch that. I've gotten word that I'm not an objective authority on all things film. We'll just have to come up with something else. Okay, I got it. These are my favorite films of 2020. That's totally different. For once, I'm straying away from the Kubrick Rubric and the objectivity that comes with it, and instead listing films based solely on my enjoyment of them. They aren't perfect - in fact, some are far from it - but they are my favorite films of 2020 and I recommend everyone check them out.

Before we get into the list itself though, I'd just like to add a few disclaimers. The first is that there are mild spoilers ahead, as always. The second disclaimer is that I did not see every movie released in 2020, including some of the large festival releases that made many critics' lists (such as Nomadland, The Nest, Nine Days, One Night in Miami, and Days). I wrote about some of these movies here at Screen Rant in case you're looking for a more comprehensive list of those great and unseen films. The third and final disclaimer is that this isn't a competition. This is a celebration of the films I loved most from 2020. It's a long list, and I cut it down to only 10 (with half a dozen honorable mentions). There are bound to be some fantastic films that didn't make the cut. This isn't a knock on those! These particular films just spoke to me above all others, and for that, they deserve some recognition. 

So, without further ado, my favorite films of 2020.

10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

"I want to make sure that you're safe."

I am not a woman. I have had no personal struggles with reproductive healthcare, nor abortion. And, seeing as how I cannot get pregnant, I never will have those personal struggles. Maybe that's why I found Eliza Hittman's Never Rarely Sometimes Always so powerful. This film - a soft, two-person show about a teenage girl who must traverse state lines to get an abortion without her family knowing - is less sentimental than it is procedural. It doesn't dabble in clichés, it doesn't debate the morality of abortion, and it doesn't pretend to have any sort of grand statement about a woman's access to an abortion clinic. Instead, it is a straightforward story about a girl and her best friend who are doing what they must to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. That is something I have no experience with, nor will I. Never Rarely Sometimes Always is about their connection, a fleeting youth, the predatory male gaze, and the emotional toll heaped onto young women because of the bureaucratic hurdles put in place to prevent them from making their own healthcare choices. Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder carry this simple and powerful film on their backs, and paired with Hittman's beautiful direction, they deliver one of the most emotionally wracking films of the year. Its characters taught me. Its soft spoken message moved me. Its titular scene destroyed me. It is absolutely required viewing.

9. I'm Thinking of Ending Things

"It's good to remind yourself the world is larger than the inside of your own head."

This film is the most flexible one on this list. As in, I could have put it in my bottom 10, my honorable mentions, or where it is right now - my top ten. Charlie Kaufman's unnerving and utterly bizarre film about a young woman meeting her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend's parents is made for nobody, appeals to nobody, and may just be about nobody. And yet, I love it. In my honest to God opinion, it's one of the finest written films of the year. It's so meticulously crafted that all of it makes sense without any of it making sense, and as a writer, I have a profound appreciation for that. It is by no means a perfect film - honestly, I can't even really say that it's an enjoyable film - but parts of it have stayed with me like few things I've ever seen (especially one particular ballet routine). I won't waste any more words on a film I can't really explain, though. Watch it at your own risk.

8. Driveways

"I'm a crier too."

I'm a sucker for small, heartfelt films with loud, powerful messages. (Obviously. Didn't you just read what I wrote about Never Rarely Sometimes Always?) Driveways falls perfectly within that category. After Kathy (played by Hong Chau) loses her sister to a terminal illness, it's up to her to clean out her sister's house, and that means that her son Cody (Lucas Jaye) must find a way to occupy himself in a suburb he's never known. He does so by befriending the widowed veteran who lives next door, Del (Brian Dennehy in one of his last performances). The story is as simplistic as it is sweet. Cody and Del go to the roller rink together. They play bingo together. They sit on the porch and watch the neighborhood kids together. They bond, while Kathy grieves and cleans the mess left behind by her hoarding sister. All in all, it's a sentimental little passion project, brought to fruition by the stand out performances from the three main characters. And yeah, I cried like a little baby watching it. I told you I was a sap.

7. Another Round

"What a life, what a night, what a beautiful, beautiful ride."

Holy hell, is this movie incredible! Denmark's official selection for the next Academy Awards, Another Round sees the reunion of filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg and leading man Mads Mikkelsen (they worked together on The Hunt in 2012) for one of the most intoxicating films of the year. Pun intended. Although I just celebrated four years of sobriety the other day (yay me), Another Round is 100% my shit. A movie about four depressed high school teachers who decide to maintain a blood alcohol content nearing 1%?! Sign me the fuck up. And while that sounds like it could end up being predictable - fun to get drunk, not fun to deal with the consequences - Another Round is genuinely refreshing. Pun also intended. The actors fully embody their characters, the plot never trips over itself, and the underlying tug between the good and bad of alcohol never wavers. Stir that all together with the best movie ending of the year, and you have yourself one hell of a film. If you haven't seen this movie, please indulge yourself. Of course, pun intended.

6. Lovers Rock

"I've got no time to play your silly games."

I have never seen anything like Lovers Rock. I've never seen anything written like Lovers Rock. I've never seen anything shot like Lovers Rock. I've never seen black joy like in Lovers Rock. I cannot sing the praises of Lovers Rock loud enough. An eighty minute film from Steve McQueen about an English-Caribbean house party and the love the dancing folks find there, it is no exaggeration to call it the most original film of 2020, with the best scene of 2020, and the best soundtrack of 2020. It could (and probably should) be #1 on any objective list, if only for the ten-minute acapella scene. I wish this had gone to theaters, 'cause then I'd have seen something else I've never seen: dancing in the dark theater aisles. Just like Lovers Rock. 

5. Shithouse

"There's nothing wrong with needing a hug to get you through the day."

Cooper Raiff is the breakout star of 2020. Raiff not only wrote and directed Shithouse, but he stars as the lead character - a college freshman struggling to adjust to life on campus, navigating an existence with no friends, no love interests, and a beloved family across the country. While I'm sure the fact that I, myself, am a young man who just recently went through the college experience is one of the reasons Shithouse speaks to me so much, I know it isn't the only. This movie is as hilarious as it is heartfelt. It captures all of the shitty parts of college so clearly, and more so, it shows how the silver linings can turn into the best moments. I hated being at college - something Cooper Raiff probably relates to - but whenever I look back, I remember it fondly. You could probably almost convince me to do it all again, suffer through all of that, just for the good times. Fortunately, I'll never have to make that choice. "We'll never be those kids again," Frank Ocean once sang. But we can certainly still experience some of the childlike fear and joy of being college freshman, thanks to Cooper Raiff's ingenius debut.

4. Sound of Metal

"Those moments of stillness, that place, that's the Kingdom of God."

You remember at the top when I said that I'm not an objective authority on all things film and that this was a purely subjective exercise? I was lying. Right here, the top 4 on this list truly are the top 4 best - objectively speaking - movies of 2020. No one will convince me otherwise. We have passed the threshold where my opinions of a film begin to bleed over into being concrete facts. Maybe you were under the impression I felt that way all the time. (I do.) Well, I don't. (To reiterate, I do.) But once a certain line is crossed, my opinions become fact. Here we are. Sound of Metal was originally going to be lower on this list. But then I started dreaming about it, and it slowly crept up the list to #4. This film has lived in my brain, rent free, for the last month and a half. This Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci film is about a drummer in a metal band whose eardrums rupture, causing him to go deaf, and further, pushing him towards relapsing into heroin, which he's been clean of for four years. It's a very real and very scary look at the fight to save his career, his relationship, and his life. It features one of the best performances of the year, from Riz Ahmed, one of the best stories, and one of the best endings (second only to Another Round, in my opinion). It is rare for filmmaking to get better than this. Sound of Metal walks a tightrope of human emotion - balancing rage, fear, and empathy better than most any film I've ever seen. It is truly a tour de force.

3. Mangrove

"We mustn't be victims, but the protagonists of our stories."

Much has been written on this blog about Mangrove. After its release, I called this movie-made-for-television one of "the most affecting and deeply grounded works" of the year. Nothing to be released since then has swayed me to think otherwise. Mangrove, the courtroom drama about nine black London residents falsely accused of starting a riot, remains one of the most poignant and important films of 2020 - a year in which race and politics were at the forefront. I've written ad nauseum why I believe this film to be a masterwork, so if you haven't seen it already, shame on you. Between this and Lovers Rock (not to mention the three subsequent installments) Steven McQueen delivered the biggest, best, and most important piece of art of 2020 in Small Axe, his collection of five films. Mangrove, I believe, is the crown jewel. But, once again, I recommend you watch them all and take your pick. There's a lot to love when it comes to Steve McQueen. 

2. Mank

"You cannot capture a man's entire life in two hours. All you can hope is to leave the impression of one."

Another film I've written more words about than anyone cares to read. I won't add anything new here. Instead I will literally plagiarize myself. Here's the complete list of every positive word and/or phrase I used to describe David Fincher's newest movie about the man behind Citizen Kane, Herman Mankiewicz: black-and-white glory; hedonistic and grandiose; the spectacle of spectacles; extravagance of narrative and set pieces; as captivating as it is confounding; the upper echelon of filmmaking; watertight; a script befitting one of Hollywood's greatest script maestros; the lighting is spectacular; the cinematography is seamless; the costumes jump off the screen because of their decadence; a nonstop perfect score; wonderous set dressing; a beautiful film; one of the best performances of the year; Amanda Seyfried steals the show; stellar performances; an astounding performance; one of 2020's best projects; an instant classic; an embarrassment of riches; to watch Mank is to drown in the luxury of Old Hollywood; and last, but not least, the brightest flashbulb in the twinkling sign reading: "Best Films of 2020." Sometimes I think I might come off as a bit hyperbolic...

Honorable Mentions

The hardest part of making this list was stopping myself from shouting out every movie I enjoyed as an honorable mention. So, I've limited myself to six. These are the half dozen movies that almost made the cut for my top ten: Let's start with Minari. The Steven Yeun-led movie about a Korean family that moves to Arkansas to realize the American Dream on a farm is definitely one of the best movies of the year and will make a splash on the awards circuit. It probably would've made the top ten if I'd seen it more than once, since I think multiple viewings will really allow the humanity of the film to fully soak in. On the other hand, at least thematically, is Palm Springs. I've never been a huge fan of Andy Samburg, but his performance alongside Cristin Milioti and J.K. Simmons is wonderful, and this was one of the most fun movies of the year. I rewatched it recently with my family, and they all loved it too. While you can find Palm Springs on Hulu, on Netflix is one of the most underrated movies of the year, Radha Blank's The Forty-Year-Old Version. This black-and-white comedy written, directed, and starring Blank depicts her personal struggles to advance to the next stage of her career as an NYC playwright. It's a fantastic movie with a very fun depiction of New York and its many social circles, from the schoolyard to Broadway.

2020 was a big year for lesbians in film and one of my favorite LGBTQ+ releases is this little dramedy that goes by the name of Kajillionaire. Evan Rachel Wood and Gina Rodriguez give two of my favorite performances of the year in this quirky heist film. It really helped me redefine bad parenting and what should even be considered a heist movie, and it's well worth checking out. (Much better than Ammonite, a truly awful film about lesbians.) Then, there's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the recent Netflix release featuring Chadwick Boseman's final performance. He'll likely win the Oscar for it, and it's rightly deserved. He and Viola Davis carry this adaptation of the August Wilson play. It's a great movie, only made greater with the knowledge that it's Boseman's swan song. My last honorable mention is Possessor. If you're a fan of fucked up movies, this is for you. Brandon Cronenberg's psychological/body horror film about a woman who uses other peoples' brains and bodies to commit assassinations, is profoundly disturbing, as well as excellently made. It pushes audiences just far enough without pushing them over the edge, and it features yet another tough break for Sean Bean. If you can bring yourself to watch this, I'd highly recommend it. 

Now, for the best - I mean, my favorite - movie of 2020.

1. First Cow

"I've got you."

Sometimes there's a piece of art that is so profound, so personal, so poignant, it moves you in ways you've never been moved before. For me, that is First Cow. Kelly Reichardt's drama about two men in frontier-times Oregon, a singular cow, and the bond between the three is a Master Class in empathy and storytelling. First Cow presents a small, rugged world of tenderness and sentimentality that is impossible not to get lost in. And once you're lost in it, you find yourself clinging to the friendships found there. That is the true power of First Cow - to prioritize friendship over everything else, to depict masculinity at its most wholesome, to make you feel like you've never felt before. It is the only film I've ever seen that's made me cry when I'm not watching it. As I've said, I'm a sucker for heartfelt, little dramas. First Cow is that and more. I do not say this lightly: This is the best movie of 2020, or at the very least my favorite. First Cow is a masterpiece.