Thinking back on the year in movies, “unusual” and “complicated” might be 2020’s most fitting descriptors. Yes, we’ve had plenty of content to watch, thanks to streaming services, and plenty of time at home to view it all, but COVID-19 cancelled the multiplex experience. Watching movies at home, without the excitement of the big screen and a crowd of fellow film-lovers nearby, just wasn’t as satisfying, which is why the number of films I reviewed this year dwindled sharply. That said, I did watch enough to pull together my annual Top 10 Best Films of the Year. And a unique year requires a unique Top 10 list: hence my first ever Haiku Top 10! I hope each of these 17 syllable snippets (and their trailers!) will steer you toward checking out these films, each of which moved, inspired, and stuck with me this year. Here’s to a return to in-person cinema in 2021! (And if you’re curious about what was on my list last year, you can check that out here.)
10.) First Cow
(Kelly Reichardt, Dir.; Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, Writers)
let’s steal milk and bake
rich guy won’t notice. Uh oh
he just did. Harsh times
9.) Uncle Frank
(Alan Ball, Dir./Writer)
guilt, secrets, and pain
nineteen-seventies road trip
I love my uncle
8.) Wander Darkly
(Tara Miele, Dir./Writer)
sadness consumes us
are you the dead? Or am I?
dios de los muertos
(You can read my capsule review from its Sundance premiere here.)
7.) The Way Back
(Gavin O’Connor, Dir.; Brad Inglesby, Writer)
sad Ben Affleck numbs
with booze. Basketball coaching
can help – um, maybe!?
(You can read my full-length review here.)
6.) Centigrade
(Brendan Walsh, Dir.; Daley Nixon, Writer)
pregnant, trapped in snow
“It’s your fault! It’s not — it’s yours!”
will we live or die?
(You can read my full-length review here.)
5.) On the Rocks
(Sofia Coppola, Dir./Writer)
exhausted, depressed
husband cheating on me? Dad!
we’ll bond and find out
(You can read my full-length review here.)
4.) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
(James Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham, Dirs.; James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham, and David Radcliff, Writers)
only doc on list
disabled rights matter too
right on, Camp Jened!
3.) The Trial of the Chicago 7
(Aaron Sorkin, Dir./Writer)
nineteen sixty-eight
spectacle versus justice
whole world is watching
2.) Sound of Metal
(Darius Marder, Dir.; Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, and Derek Cianfrance, Writers)
drums, tours, love: SILENCE
that place of stillness will
never abandon you
1.) Nomadland
(Chloé Zhao, Dir.; Chloé Zhao, Jessica Bruder, Writers)
lost husband, job, town
new life: grief, but beauty, too
see you down the road
Honorable Mentions: The Climb; The Glorias; The Truffle Hunters; Bad Education
