Top 20 of 2020

10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always

PG-13 | dir. Eliza Hittman | 101 minutes

A quiet film that packs a punch, Never Rarely Sometimes Always is an excellent film about a teenage girl in a time of great anguish. Newcomer Sidney Flanigan’s performance is devastating. Though quiet, she plays Autumn perfect in that she wears the teenage angst, heightened by the situation, to a tee. What I love about this film is how sensitive it is towards its subject matter. It deals with a very controversial topic, but it never feels like it’s preachy. It is specific and delicate in its approach and I think it is the perfect film to approach the conversation around abortion.

9. The Forty-Year-Old Version

R | dir. Radha Blank | 124 minutes

Writer/director/producer/star Radha Blank has a very bright future ahead of her. This film is extremely well written and is so funny, I can't even deal with it. The jokes come so fast and they're so sharp, it's fantastic. I was lucky enough to see this film when it premiered at Sundance last year, and let me tell you, seeing this with an audience is a totally different experience than watching it on Netflix. It is beautifully shot. The film's black-and-white aesthetic seeks to view the new/contemporary through the lens of the old, a symbol for the film as a whole. Full review here.

8. One Night in Miami…

R | dir. Regina King | 114 minutes

First-time feature director Regina King has crafted an excellent meeting-of-the-minds film for the ages with One Night in Miami.... The film asks a multitude of important questions about celebrities' involvement in the Civil Rights movement and attempts to address these questions with depth and profundity. The film’s performances are its best part, though. Every single one of these four men – Leslie Odom, Jr. (Sam Cooke), Eli Goree (Muhammad Ali), Aldis Hodge (Jim Brown), and Kingsley Ben-Adir (Malcolm X) – do a stellar job and are among some of the best performances I’ve seen this year. Full Review here.

7. Promising Young Woman

R | dir. Emerald Fennell | 113 minutes

Promising Young Woman is a wild ride that kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat until its surprise ending. Thrilling, captivating, and original, this film is a clever and meticulous revenge thriller for our times. It’s darkly comedic, which I enjoy and tense, which I also enjoy. Carey Mulligan’s lead performance is something to behold and she is rightfully in conversation for awards this year. Writer/director Emerald Fennell has crafted quite an audacious debut and I am here for all of it. Also, I just have to point out that the music in this film is perfect. It really helps to further the juxtaposition of the film’s bright tone and dark subject matter.

6. Soul

PG | dir. Pete Docter & Kemp Powers | 100 minutes

Visually stunning, profound, and witty, Soul proves that Pixar is the best of the best by telling a deeply human and emotionally intelligent story. Soul is perhaps Pixar's most experimental feature, in that this film deals with the heaviest material. The film tackles heady spiritual issues with aplomb, due to its excellent script. With the right amount of wit and grace, the film and its screenplay are able to weave through these complex ideas smoothly. The film is very culturally significant and accurate, which I appreciate. Also, this is possibly one of the most beautifully animated Pixar films ever. Full review here.

5. The Father

PG-13 | dir. Florian Zeller | 97 minutes

Whoo, this film was an experience! (...which is unexpected for this type of film). This is the kind of storytelling I like. This film is told from the perspective of a man suffering from dementia and you really feel as if you are struggling with him. This film kept me guessing the entire time. Anthony Hopkins is perfect, and the film has a beautiful screenplay. Also, this film is a perfect example of how setting influences tone and mood. It was honestly kind of terrifying watching this film because you are faced with so much confusion and wonder about what is going on. This film was not on my radar at all, but when I saw it, I was FLOORED!

4. Da 5 Bloods

R | dir. Spike Lee | 154 minutes

Spike Lee has done it again with Da 5 Bloods. It is powerful, emotional, and I think, one of his best films. With a brilliant performance from longtime Lee collaborator Delroy Lindo, gorgeous cinematography, and a lush, nostalgic score, Spike's new joint, Da 5 Bloods, overcomes its occasional messiness by delivering a message that is as timely as it is powerful. As Da Man Spike Himself would say, Dis New Joint Iz On Sum Fo' Real Stuff And Iz Among Da Best Dat Spike Has Tah Offa. Full Review here.

3. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

R | dir. George C. Wolfe | 94 minutes

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is a perfect follow-up to Fences (2016, dir. Denzel Washington) in the Pittsburgh Cycle adaptations in that it evokes the same, if not stronger, emotions out of its multiple moments of brilliance. The filmmakers took their excellent source material and made an adaptation that achieves something very rare for play adaptations: it transcends the stage and becomes cinema. Viola Davis in her role as blues singer Ma Rainey is transformative and commanding, and Chadwick Boseman, in his final performance, gives it his all and more. He deserves an Oscar for this performance. This is his film. It is a soaring achievement that everyone involved should be proud to have on their resume. Full Review here.

2. Minari

PG-13 | dir. Lee Isaac Chung | 115 minutes

This film is absolutely beautiful. This is one of the most American films I have ever seen. It is a family drama about a family of Korean immigrants who move to Oklahoma so the father can become a farmer. To just see this family dynamic and the way everyone interacts with each other is beautiful, but to see David (Alan S. Kim) and his grandmother Soonja (Yuh-jung Youn) and their relationship is so heartwarming and equally as heartbreaking. I love this film’s representation of America. This is a hopeful film that shows the fulfillment of America’s promises, which unfortunately is not the case for all.

1. Nomadland

R | dir. Chloé Zhao | 108 minutes

Nomadland is a sprawling portrayal of the soul of America. It is a journey of self-discovery for Fern, played excellently by Frances McDormand who, after the death of her late husband, must search for a sort of new family in her times of grief and strife. This concept of a “found family” is an American ideal. Finding community in those you choose to be a part of yourself is a part of the American dream. Nomadland is a stunning portrait of America and its people. Its docu-fiction hybrid, almost cinéma vérité, style allows for a window into a relatively unknown world. It is gentle, compassionate, and poetic, in a way. This film is rightfully at the top of many lists this year and is rightfully at the top of mine. Full Review here.