by Josh Sewell
While 2021 wasn’t quite the return to normalcy that most of us were hoping for, theaters at least started to make a comeback; plus, streaming services also upped their game. As such, movie lovers had plenty to celebrate over the past 12 months. There were a ton of great films – spanning multiple genres – to enjoy, so it was tough to nail down my favorites. It took me longer than usual, but here are my picks for the Top 10 films 0f 2021, along with 10 honorable mentions.
10. The Matrix Resurrections
This year’s list was mostly finalized when Lana Wachowski’s return to her influential franchise changed my plans. On the surface, the film is yet another “legacyquel” like The Force Awakens or Ghostbusters: Afterlife. However, Wachowski isn’t just resurrecting beloved characters for a cynical cash grab – she’s aiming for something more intelligent and subversive. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss (both aging like fine wine) pick up right where they left off as Neo and Trinity, but they’re joined by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris providing updated approaches to familiar characters.
9. The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion’s brutal, mesmerizing adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel features some of the year’s best work both in front of and behind the camera. Her incisive screenplay examines toxic masculinity in America, using mythic iconography – the cowboy’s place in a disappearing West – to revisit ugly elements of history that are often buried by nostalgia. Ari Wegner’s cinematography is stunningly beautiful, Jonny Greenwood’s score is haunting and the performances are nothing short of masterful. Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee are all outstanding, but the actor everyone will be talking about is Benedict Cumberbatch, playing a skilled rancher using malice and brutality to hide his own conflicted nature.
8. The Green Knight
A new David Lowery film is always something to celebrate, and his take on the 14th century epic “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was no exception. The narrative’s dream logic, episodic nature and anticlimactic resolution proved divisive (compare the critics’ score versus the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), but it totally worked for me. Dev Patel is fantastic as Gawain, equally adept at playing hero, antihero and romantic lead.
7. West Side Story
I’m not sure if any film in recent memory has gone from “why do we need this?” to “everyone should see it ASAP!” faster than the great Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. It might seem like sacrilege to update the beloved 1961 film that won 10 Oscars, but Spielberg (along with frequent collaborator Tony Kushner) corrects some of that version’s more problematic elements and also makes it relevant for a modern audience. It’s clear he’s been planning this movie for decades, and he inspires star-making performances from most of his cast, including Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist and David Alvarez. He even brings back Rita Moreno in a new role just as powerful as the one that earned her an Oscar the first time around.
6. CODA
Sian Heder’s coming-of-age drama about a teen (a terrific Emilia Jones) who is the only hearing person in her deaf family wowed Sundance earlier this year. However, it disappeared from the pop culture conversation after quietly hitting Apple TV+ in August. That’s a shame considering it’s one of 2021’s most affecting crowd-pleasers, telling a simple story incredibly well. In addition to Jones, the rest of the cast is also fantastic, including deaf actors Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, as well as Eugenio Derbez and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo. If you can make it through the climactic scene in the third act without crying, you’re tougher than me.
5. Nine Days
Perhaps the most overlooked film of the year, Edson Oda’s feature-length debut is a deeply moving metaphysical drama about an enigmatic recluse (Winston Duke) tasked with interviewing several unborn souls (played by Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgard, Tony Hale and others) to decide which would be best suited for a new existence on Earth. Full of outstanding performances, moving philosophical conversations and intriguing visuals, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it during the Atlanta Film Festival last spring.
4. The Worst Person in the World
Although it’s doesn’t open in the U.S. until February, be sure to make Joachim Trier’s deeply moving romantic drama a priority. I’ll be honest: I wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels at the thought of watching a two-hour Norwegian film whose title promises an unsympathetic protagonist. However, some trusted colleagues insisted I get past my first impression and they were absolutely right. I realize subtitles feel like homework to many viewers, but those who can overcome that mental block will experience a beautifully poignant story of an impulsive young woman (the brilliant Renate Reinsve) torn between two charismatic lovers (Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum).
3. Summer of Soul
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s phenomenal documentary chronicles the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an event that featured performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson and many others, but was promptly forgotten because it took place the same summer as Woodstock and the moon landing. Thompson incorporates concert footage, archival interviews and present-day conversations with festival attendees into a fun, fast-paced and often touching story of a vital, yet ignored, moment in Black history. The participants’ commentary on music, culture, fashion, civil unrest, politics, etc. is illuminating, never feeling like a lecture or an unending string of talking heads.
2. Drive My Car
If a two-hour Norwegian romance doesn’t scare you, perhaps I can interest you in a three-hour Japanese drama about grief and the healing power of art. (What can I say? 2021 was a banner year for international films.) I know this one is a tough sell, but Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film impressed me so thoroughly that I watched it twice despite some ridiculously short awards season voting deadlines. It centers on a widowed theater director (Hidetoshi Nishijima) who is invited to stage a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. At the producers’ insistence, he is chauffeured by a stoic young woman (Toko Miura) who is processing her own loss. As the two spend time in his sports car, they begin a platonic relationship that helps them both heal. Drive My Car is a slow burn, but by the end I felt like I had finished an epic journey – it’s a beautiful film.
1. Licorice Pizza
There’s a simple reason this is my top film of 2021: I don’t think another movie this year made me feel as good as Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, and that counts for a lot these days. I didn’t stop smiling for the entire 133-minute running time, which is a surprise considering I’ve always respected Anderson’s films more than I “enjoy” them. Not the case with this romantic comedy about a teen actor-turned-entrepreneur (Cooper Hoffman) with a crush on a 20-something woman (Alana Haim) still trying to figure out her place in life. It’s a fun hangout flick in the style of Almost Famous, and one that gets better with repeat viewings.
While 2021 wasn’t quite the return to normalcy that most of us were hoping for, theaters at least started to make a comeback; plus, streaming services also upped their game. As such, movie lovers had plenty to celebrate over the past 12 months. There were a ton of great films – spanning multiple genres – to enjoy, so it was tough to nail down my favorites. It took me longer than usual, but here are my picks for the Top 10 films 0f 2021, along with 10 honorable mentions.
This year’s list was mostly finalized when Lana Wachowski’s return to her influential franchise changed my plans. On the surface, the film is yet another “legacyquel” like The Force Awakens or Ghostbusters: Afterlife. However, Wachowski isn’t just resurrecting beloved characters for a cynical cash grab – she’s aiming for something more intelligent and subversive. Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss (both aging like fine wine) pick up right where they left off as Neo and Trinity, but they’re joined by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jonathan Groff and Neil Patrick Harris providing updated approaches to familiar characters.
Jane Campion’s brutal, mesmerizing adaptation of Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel features some of the year’s best work both in front of and behind the camera. Her incisive screenplay examines toxic masculinity in America, using mythic iconography – the cowboy’s place in a disappearing West – to revisit ugly elements of history that are often buried by nostalgia. Ari Wegner’s cinematography is stunningly beautiful, Jonny Greenwood’s score is haunting and the performances are nothing short of masterful. Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee are all outstanding, but the actor everyone will be talking about is Benedict Cumberbatch, playing a skilled rancher using malice and brutality to hide his own conflicted nature.
A new David Lowery film is always something to celebrate, and his take on the 14th century epic “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” was no exception. The narrative’s dream logic, episodic nature and anticlimactic resolution proved divisive (compare the critics’ score versus the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), but it totally worked for me. Dev Patel is fantastic as Gawain, equally adept at playing hero, antihero and romantic lead.
I’m not sure if any film in recent memory has gone from “why do we need this?” to “everyone should see it ASAP!” faster than the great Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical. It might seem like sacrilege to update the beloved 1961 film that won 10 Oscars, but Spielberg (along with frequent collaborator Tony Kushner) corrects some of that version’s more problematic elements and also makes it relevant for a modern audience. It’s clear he’s been planning this movie for decades, and he inspires star-making performances from most of his cast, including Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, Mike Faist and David Alvarez. He even brings back Rita Moreno in a new role just as powerful as the one that earned her an Oscar the first time around.
Sian Heder’s coming-of-age drama about a teen (a terrific Emilia Jones) who is the only hearing person in her deaf family wowed Sundance earlier this year. However, it disappeared from the pop culture conversation after quietly hitting Apple TV+ in August. That’s a shame considering it’s one of 2021’s most affecting crowd-pleasers, telling a simple story incredibly well. In addition to Jones, the rest of the cast is also fantastic, including deaf actors Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, as well as Eugenio Derbez and Ferdia Walsh-Peelo. If you can make it through the climactic scene in the third act without crying, you’re tougher than me.
Perhaps the most overlooked film of the year, Edson Oda’s feature-length debut is a deeply moving metaphysical drama about an enigmatic recluse (Winston Duke) tasked with interviewing several unborn souls (played by Zazie Beetz, Bill Skarsgard, Tony Hale and others) to decide which would be best suited for a new existence on Earth. Full of outstanding performances, moving philosophical conversations and intriguing visuals, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I saw it during the Atlanta Film Festival last spring.
Although it’s doesn’t open in the U.S. until February, be sure to make Joachim Trier’s deeply moving romantic drama a priority. I’ll be honest: I wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels at the thought of watching a two-hour Norwegian film whose title promises an unsympathetic protagonist. However, some trusted colleagues insisted I get past my first impression and they were absolutely right. I realize subtitles feel like homework to many viewers, but those who can overcome that mental block will experience a beautifully poignant story of an impulsive young woman (the brilliant Renate Reinsve) torn between two charismatic lovers (Anders Danielsen Lie and Herbert Nordrum).
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s phenomenal documentary chronicles the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, an event that featured performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson and many others, but was promptly forgotten because it took place the same summer as Woodstock and the moon landing. Thompson incorporates concert footage, archival interviews and present-day conversations with festival attendees into a fun, fast-paced and often touching story of a vital, yet ignored, moment in Black history. The participants’ commentary on music, culture, fashion, civil unrest, politics, etc. is illuminating, never feeling like a lecture or an unending string of talking heads.
If a two-hour Norwegian romance doesn’t scare you, perhaps I can interest you in a three-hour Japanese drama about grief and the healing power of art. (What can I say? 2021 was a banner year for international films.) I know this one is a tough sell, but Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film impressed me so thoroughly that I watched it twice despite some ridiculously short awards season voting deadlines. It centers on a widowed theater director (Hidetoshi Nishijima) who is invited to stage a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima. At the producers’ insistence, he is chauffeured by a stoic young woman (Toko Miura) who is processing her own loss. As the two spend time in his sports car, they begin a platonic relationship that helps them both heal. Drive My Car is a slow burn, but by the end I felt like I had finished an epic journey – it’s a beautiful film.
There’s a simple reason this is my top film of 2021: I don’t think another movie this year made me feel as good as Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest, and that counts for a lot these days. I didn’t stop smiling for the entire 133-minute running time, which is a surprise considering I’ve always respected Anderson’s films more than I “enjoy” them. Not the case with this romantic comedy about a teen actor-turned-entrepreneur (Cooper Hoffman) with a crush on a 20-something woman (Alana Haim) still trying to figure out her place in life. It’s a fun hangout flick in the style of Almost Famous, and one that gets better with repeat viewings.
Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order):
Belfast
Fear Street Trilogy
The French Dispatch
The Last Duel
The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Nightmare Alley
Pig
tick, tick… Boom!
Titane
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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