Ah, the horror film that isn't. “Shiva Baby” is actually a very funny and lightning paced comedy that continues to build minute by minute, to the point that it gets so claustrophobic that it truly does feel like a horror movie. The film takes place at a Jewish funeral service where Danielle, a college student who has a sugar daddy on the side to help with her money issues, runs into said sugar daddy who has also brought along his wife. The fact that Danielle is attending the shiva with her parents only adds to the uncomfortable nature of the gathering, not to mention that Maya, a girl that Danielle once had a lesbian affair with when they were both teenagers, is also present. The film is so intense and suspenseful, and is very, very Jewish, which is the beating heart of its comedy. It is so rapid fire at times, that it reminds of those classic screwball comedies from the 1930s. It has been so well performed by all of the actors (lead actress Rachel Sennott is an absolute superstar in this) who have impeccable comic timing, and yet the film is never played for laughs; it is the increasing absurdity of the situation that creates the comedy of “Shiva Baby”. Wisely, writer / director Emma Seligman and editor Hanna Park keep the running time down to a scant 77 minutes which is perfect because padding the story out would have only diluted the effectiveness of its comedy, and its drama. I cannot speak highly enough about “Shiva Baby”; it was my favourite comedy of 2021, and a film that I think most people would really enjoy if they gave it a chance. To give you a sense of its unusual tone and pace, think of the film as if “A Serious Man” and “Uncut Gems” were to mate and have a (shiva) baby, and that should give you some idea of what “Shiva Baby” is like.
9. CENSOR
Whilst “Shiva Baby” was my favourite comedy of 2021, my favourite horror movie this year went to “Censor”, a little independent film from the UK. It is set during the “Video Nasties”era of Britain where horror films were being regularly cut and censored or even flat out refused classification and release, all under the guise of protecting the public. Our main character, Enid, is one of these censors who spends her whole day at work watching bloody and violent horror films, a job she takes very seriously, where all she is concerned about is getting it right. One day whilst watching one of these video nasties, Enid notices an actress who bares more than a passing resemblance to her sister, Nina, who disappeared years ago when they were both children, and has never been found. Convinced that the actress is her lost sister, Enid sets out to solve the mystery of her disappearance and to bring Nina home to her parents once and for all, however will this journey bring the happiness and closure she needs, or will it send her down a rabbit hole of madness and despair? Whilst it is set during the era of the video nasties and those films do play a large part in the plot, “Censor” is more of a psychological horror film than anything else, and it has been very well made. It is suspenseful, mysterious, intriguing and at times, very surreal. More than an excellent horror film, “Censor” also highlights how ridiculous that era was when films were being censored to protect the public from the evils within them, whereas the truth was that those movies were a reflection of the violence and immorality that existed in real life. Writer / director Prano Bailey-Bond cautions on the dangers of censorship in both art, and self-censorship which Enid is guilty of, and leads her down a dangerous path she may not return from. I loved that Bailey-Bond chose to shoot the film (predominately) on film, staying true to the era that she is depicting, and the film looks gorgeous (in a demented horror way) because of it. I was so impressed by lead actress Niamh Algar who starts the film in a very straight laced and closed off way, before becoming totally unhinged by the finale. Speaking of the ending of “Censor”, I absolutely loved the way it finished and thought it the perfect endpoint to this story, even if it asks more questions than it answers. Just a fantastic horror film, and one of very few films this year that I saw multiple times. Click here to read my original review.
8. WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY
Writer / director Ryusuke Hamaguchi had one hell of a year, releasing two films of incredible quality and deserving acclaim. Whilst the majority of plaudits are going towards his other film, “Drive My Car”, personally I found “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” to be the greater of the two films. This film contains three short stories that deal with “coincidence and imagination”, and all three films are superb. Usually films that contain a triptych of stories, it is inevitable that one is a little less in quality than the others, but in “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”, all three are just fantastic and so engaging. I was totally enthralled whilst watching this film and constantly surprised by where each story went. The first story starts with two girls in a taxi, where one of the girls tells her an erotic story about her new boyfriend. Whilst listening to her story, the other girl realises that the guy she is talking about is one of her exes and she then heads to his work to confront him. The second story deals with two university students (one older, one younger) who attempt to blackmail their collage professor, who is famous for writing and having his novel published. Trying to seduce the man by reading the book's most erotic passages, the student has the tables turned on her, and she is then taught the true power of literature. The final story is about two old school friends who reunite at a train station after not seeing each other for twenty years. When the two go back to the house of one of the women, they recount their younger days together, before realising that neither is actually the person the other thought they were. Instead of being embarrassed and leaving each other, the two women then role play for the other, to give them the chance to say what they never did to their friend back in the past. I was initially going to say that this third story is my favourite of the three, but thinking about them all whilst writing this has given me pause, because they are all so great. “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” is very dialogue heavy, but Ryusuke Hamaguchi has written the most wonderful dialogue that feels so real, and is both complex and has something to say. I loved the fact that each story went in a totally different direction than I was expecting, and this was a film that stayed with me long after I had watched it.
7. C'MON C'MON
I mentioned in my little bit about “The Card Counter” before, that I consider Joaquin Phoenix (along with Oscar Isaac) the best actor working in cinema today, and it is his participation in “C'mon C'mon” that made me want to check out this film. It is another great film and performance from Phoenix, although he gives off a much lighter vibe than we normally see from him, which I really appreciated. He is normally so intense in the roles he takes that it was great to see him just smile and by happy for the majority of a film. When his sister Viv, in the middle of a family emergency, asks him to look after her son for her, Johnny of course accepts. Despite the fact that he and Viv have been estranged, and barely spoken to one another since their mother died, Johnny sees this as a chance to finally connect with his nephew Jesse and begin to mend his relationship with Viv. However, as Viv's problems take longer to fix than initially thought, Johnny's work of a radio journalist needs to continue and he decides to take Jesse on the road with him around America where he is interviewing kids about the future and other topics. Together the two form an unbreakable bond, while Johnny also understands just how hard it is to parent a child. This is such a beautiful, warm-hearted family drama, but what I loved most about it was just how unsentimental it was. It did not try to manipulate the audience into feeling things it hadn't earned via big sentimental scenes, rather it just presented the truth always; sometimes these led to painful moments, other times happy, but they always came from a real place. I must admit that I have never been a massive fan of writer / director Mike Mills. Whilst I have liked his previous films, I have never seen what the big deal was in regards to his work; I liked them but didn't think they were anything special. “C'mon C'mon” is something special. As rich as the film is, there is also so much going on under the surface that is never spoken about and yet we feel throughout. One element of the film that I adored was the interviews Phoenix's character did with the kids, which were clearly very real, and led to some surprising and very funny moments, and also showed just how much kids understand about the world today. The rapport Joaquin Phoenix has with these kids while interviewing them is also pretty special, but also adds another layer to the film in that he finds it so easy to talk to these kids, whilst struggling to communicate with his nephew at times. I also need to mention Robbie Ryan's fantastic black and white cinematography which adds so much to the film (loved the scenes in New Orleans!). “C'mon C'mon” turned out to be a fantastic film and I enjoyed it so much more than I was expecting to.
6. BEING THE RICARDOS
I have already spoken about “Being The Ricardos” at length in my “biggest surprise of 2021” section of my end of year round up, so I wont say too much about the film again here. Do not listen to the naysayers who cannot get over the fact that Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem bare little resemblance to Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz; both are excellent in this and create fully rounded characters instead of just delivering an impersonation of Lucy and Desi. Aaron Sorkin's script is just fabulous dealing with a number of topics like Lucille's “red scare” episode, her pregnancy, and Desi's suspected infidelity, while his dialogue is clever and very funny at times. Thankfully the cast he has put together understands the beats of his dialogue and when it moves at breakneck pace, it is so very funny. It is also quite emotional in places too, as the film deals with a very tough time in Lucille and Desi's life. I should mention that the only real flaw in “Being The Ricardos” is the use of present day interviews with the characters in the film, which Sorkin uses to jump back to the past during key moments in Lucille and Desi's life. It is the only clunky aspect to this excellent film, that I was surprised just how much I fell in love with.
5. SPENCER
Before I even saw this, I was stunned by how quickly this film came together, as it only started shooting early in 2021; I was sure it wouldn't be ready until 2022, but it was shot, edited and released in quick succession. Anyway, this is definitely a companion film to director Pablo Larrain's “Jackie”, a film I was equally taken by surprise by, due to just how good it was and how it was nothing like I anticipated. I have no real interest in the Royals, but hearing Larrain was taking on a story about Princess Diana......I just knew it was going to be spectacular and I was not wrong. This is a devastatingly good film; I loved every heartbreaking second of it. The film takes place over a three day period in Diana's life, during the Christmas break, where the Princess is contemplating leaving the Prince over his infidelities. Struggling with issues over her mental health, weight loss, and both the public and Royal's demand on her, Diana finds herself on the edge of a mental breakdown. It is important to know going into “Spencer” that this isn't a biopic of the People's Princess, rather it is more of a character study, as the whole film revolves around Diana and her inner turmoils. Kristen Stewart is just extraordinary as Diana, in fact I think her performance is the best female performance of 2021 (with Nicole Kidman a very close second for “Being the Ricardos”). You just feel every ounce of pain that this poor woman is going through, at the end of her rope, feeling trapped, and looking anywhere for an escape. Having her entire life laid out for her, feeling she had no input at all, that is not a life anyone should live. It is suffocating, and you could understand anyone struggling in an environment such as this. Whilst “Spencer” is a fictional story, it is still based on real accounts, but director Pablo Larrain has used this fiction to add a surreal element to the story via the parallels in Diana's story and that of Anne Boleyn. Diana, who is reading a book on Boleyn, starts having visions of this doomed Queen from the past as Boleyn essentially warns Diana to not head down the same path as her. This was such a bold move by Larrain and one that pays off in spades, as I adored this part of the film. Similar to “Jackie”, Larrain shot “Spencer” on 16mm film, and it looks glorious. I adored cinematographer Claire Mathon's lighting she used; it was so soft and delicate which seemed perfect for a film about royalty, and that blue when someone looked from inside out......just gorgeous. “Spencer” also has the best poster of 2021 (see above), although when you see the context within the film from where that image came from, you will have a laugh and never be able to see the poster in the same light again. Just a stunning film all around.
4. PARALLEL MOTHERS
Similar to “Spencer”, I could not believe how quickly this film came together. Shooting didn't even begin until March of 2021, so there was no chance in my eyes that this film would see release in 2021, or else it would have definitely featured on my “most anticipated list of 2021”. Anyway, history has shown I was wrong, and “Parallel Mothers” certainly did see release, and it is yet another home run for Pedro Almodovar, the most consistent and consistently great filmmaker working today. “Parallel Mothers” is the story of two mothers, both who give birth on the same day in the same hospital, and the way their lives differ post-birth until circumstances force them to unexpectedly reunite. Once again, I was totally blown away by an Almodovar film, and something that I seem to always say when speaking about his films is that as soon as it began I felt I was in the hands of a master filmmaker. For once though, I went into “Parallel Mothers” cold, knowing as little as I possibly could, and I am grateful for that because I was regularly surprised by the twists and turns the story took and ultimately ended up. I think it is obvious what one of the main dramas of the story will be, and that indeed happens, but from there onward the film never went where I was expecting. The tone of the film also regularly changes from drama, to tragedy, to thriller, and back to drama, but Almodovar is such an expert at weaving the story strands all together that you never feel vertigo or whiplash from the constant changes. Penelope Cruz is out of this world good (and her performance sits comfortably next to Kidman's and Stewart's) as Janis, the older of the two mothers. When Cruz works with Almodovar you just see how spectacular an actress she really is, that never comes through in her Hollywood films. She has a highlight moment in the scene I vaguely recalled above. The way she sells the realisation of that moment is just masterful. I have to say that I was less impressed by Milena Smit who plays Ana, the younger mother. She is a relatively new actress and hasn't done a lot of work yet, and this is her first time appearing in an Almodovar film. It is not that she is bad, rather when playing off of Penelope Cruz, it is noticeable that she is not at her level yet. Pedro Almodovar once again assembled his regular crew to make “Parallel Mothers” and they all do exemplary work. The beautiful and colourful cinematography from Jose Luis Alcaine and the score from Alberto Iglesias are, as usual, simply superb. I honestly feel there is no more sure of a thing in cinema than Pedro Almodovar making an excellent film. You just turn up to the cinema expecting to be impressed and he never lets you down, and he has been doing this since the 90's (there were a couple of dodgy ones in the 80's, haha!). The final thing I want to mention is that I love when Almodovar uses past collaborators and was very happy to see Rossy De Palma in a featured role once again.
3. PETITE MAMAN
Like most fans of international cinema, I was absolutely bowled over by the beauty and raw emotional power of director Celine Sciamma's heart-wrenching love story, “Portrait of a Woman on Fire” which was released in 2019. The film is an out and out masterpiece, and she has now returned with the smaller and much more intimate family drama “Petite Maman”. Whilst Celine Sciamma is working on a much smaller canvas here than she did on her previous film, she has once again struck gold with “Petite Maman”. It is such a beautiful and gentle little film that deals with memory, saying goodbye to loved ones, and moving on with life while never forgetting how much that person meant to you whilst they were alive. I absolutely loved this film, so much so that I have already seen it twice. Sciamma is returning to adolescent themes she has explored in earlier films but the two girls, Nelly and Marion, are her youngest protagonists yet. The girls are played by twin sisters, Josephine and Gabrielle Sanz, and they are just outstanding. Sciamma has always been able to get impressive performances out of children in her past films, but the Sanz girls are in a whole other class. They both come across so natural, believable and so full of life. I also defy anyone to not have their heart melt when the two girls giggle infectiously whilst playing together or making pancakes. Smartly, Sciamma in her role of costume designer has colour coded the girls, with Nelly mostly dressed in shades of blue and Marion in red, so although both girls look very similar, we are never confused as to who is who. Speaking of colour, “Petite Maman” has been shot in gorgeous autumn colours. The use of autumn is not just an aesthetic choice either, as the season is very symbolic for change, which is something all of the characters are going through here. Sciamma has re-teamed with her “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” cinematographer Claire Mathon for “Petite Maman”, and like that earlier film, Mathon has used very soft lighting whilst capturing her gorgeous images. When I went into “Petite Maman” the first time, I was expecting a gentle drama, with a particular focus on the little girl. However I was blown away when a very special twist in the story is revealed to the audience. I just was not expecting it at all, but I had the biggest smile on my face when it came to light, and even more so when the twist works so well throughout the rest of the film. I will not say anything about it other than to say that it is a lovely example of “magic realism” within cinema and that I also loved the fact that one of the girls actually understands what is going on and how the story evolves because of this. There is so much more that I would love to say about this brilliant film, but without ruining the surprise for others, I cannot, so I will just say that I absolutely adore this film. I believe that Celine Sciamma (together with cinematographer Claire Mathon) is a director currently working at the top of her game, and “Petite Maman” sits comfortably next to Sciamma's masterpiece “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”, a film so good I thought she would never get close to replicating but she has done just that with her latest. Yes, “Petite Maman” is a little film, but it is packed full of emotion and humanity, that I hope anyone who gets a chance to see it, does so. It is another Celine Sciamma masterpiece! Click here to read my original review.
2. THE POWER OF THE DOG
This is director Jane Campion's first feature in twelve years, and I absolutely loved it! It is beautifully paced, stunningly shot and very well acted by its entire cast. I am not a huge fan of Benedict Cumberbatch, and he would never have been a first choice of mine to play an aggressive, alpha male type rancher, but he totally sells it in “The Power of the Dog”. However it is Kodi Smit-McPhee who steals the film as Kirsten Dunst's effeminate son, seemingly at odds with the rugged West where he lives. He is interested in simple, beautiful and delicate things, and our introduction to his character Peter is of him making the paper flowers for the tables of his mother's eatery. When the tough cowboys, led by Phil (Cumberbatch), who enter looking for a feed realise these flowers were made by a man, it is just the spark for the torment that Peter (and his mother) will feel at the hands of Phil. However Peter, as clumsy and out of the tune with the world that he seems, is not all he appears to be, nor as helpless. The film moves slowly but the atmosphere is forever tense, filled with suspense which continually builds to an unbearable point until its thrilling finale. I have no desire to really go into plot points because the film is too good to ruin for anyone, but I must say that looking at reviews on imdb, I am dumbfounded by just how many people who do not get the film, when it has been so perfectly laid out by Jane Campion, that it is so obvious what is going on and what happens. Campion is not a director that is going to spoon feed her audience, so yes, you need to put your phone down and pay attention and let the film and its world envelope you, and once you do, you will be thoroughly rewarded. Pay attention to the opening lines that Kodi Smit-McPhee narrates at the beginning of the film, and that will go some ways of explaining what some people seem to be struggling with. Again, I felt the narrative was perfectly laid out and told by Campion; she is a hell of a storyteller. Themes that the film deals with are toxic masculinity, repressed homosexuality, psychological torture and humiliation, and revenge. I cannot speak highly enough about “The Power of the Dog”; it totally floored me. While the cinematography from Ari Wegner was exemplary, the aspect of the film that impressed me the most was Jonny Greenwood's brilliant score. It was something else entirely, and added to the savage tension of the film. As the film was made for Netflix, I am terrified that I will never own “The Power of the Dog” on blu ray, which seems like a tragedy. I implore cinema lovers to check out Jane Campion's latest; it is a stunning achievement of the highest level, and I am sure you will not be disappointed.
1. ANNETTE
Here we are, finally. My favourite film of 2021 is none other than Leos Carax's batshit crazy musical, “Annette”. Before seeing it I was a little worried going in, however that thought did not last long because as soon as the opening song “May We Start” began, I just knew that I was going to love the film, and for the next two hours and twenty minutes, you good not wipe the ridiculous smile off of my face. Whilst Steven Spielberg created a good old fashioned musical with “West Side Story”, “Annette” is anything but traditional. It is the creation of three madmen, who must also be geniuses. Initially “Annette” was not planned as a movie, but as either a stage play or an album by the Sparks. Written by Sparks members, Ron and Russell Mael, they only started thinking of it in terms of a film after a meeting with director Leos Carax who had used a Sparks song in his previous film, “Holy Motors”. From there the film was long in gestation, with many cast members accepting and dropping out before Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver committed to the project as lead characters Ann and Henry and it finally went into production. What I do find interesting though is personally I felt that Driver and Cotillard lacked chemistry when together, but in scenes by themselves, they were sensational. I have stated many times that I think Marion Cotillard is a luminous presence onscreen and you cannot take your eyes off of her. This remains true here, and the way that she has been lit and shot by Carax and cinematographer Caroline Champetier, reminds of the way women where shot in old Hollywood. Driver, an actor I am fond of, has the more difficult role of the two with his character having a much larger arc, going through many changes throughout. This is a man who starts at the top, and slowly self destructs but then finds a way back to the top through his daughter's amazing gift. You can feel the weight of life in Driver's performance, but there is also an arrogance to this man, an ego that defines him, where he believes that he should be at the centre of everything, and if he is not, he considers this a failure. In regards to their musical abilities, well I have mentioned before that I know very little about music, but to my ear I did not think that Driver or Cotillard were any sort of musical prodigy, but it doesn't matter because their rough, unpolished voices just work for this film and story. The lack of perfection in both of their voices was something apparently Carax was passionate about (and one of the few things the Sparks disagreed with him on). I need to mention one other actor who shows up late in the film, Simon Helberg, who plays a character known only as “The Accompanist” and is just outstanding. He is part of a key highlight of “Annette” when he graduates from accompanist to conductor and tells us, the audience, of his love and past affair with Ann (before she met Henry), all the while excusing himself mid-story to conduct the orchestra in front of him, while Carax's camera continually swoons around him. Whenever I talk about this movie to people the word I constantly use is “bold” but the boldest decision in “Annette” that Carax makes is to have Annette, herself, played by a puppet, and yet it makes sense from a narrative point of view too. As the movie goes along, Annette's parents treat her more like a puppet as they use her in ways that best help themselves, rather than seeing her as her own little self. There is no doubt that they love the girl, but they become something like showbiz parents. I do not want to go into too many details about Annette, both the character and movie plot, because one of the things I loved most about “Annette” was that I was constantly surprised by where it went and at times was a lot darker than I was expecting from a story about love (although, being a fan of Carax, you have to wonder why I was surprised as he has always told stories about love that are full of pain). It will come as no surprise when I tell you I had no knowledge of the Sparks before this film, but I was very impressed by what was delivered by them here. The songs themselves, in terms of lyrics, are hilarious as they often describe banal, every day things in life, set to music but I loved it. Watching Henry McHenry being combative with his hostile audience in song is just brilliant, as is Henry and Ann's love song where they describe how in love they are, but cannot explain why they are in love. Again, the opening number is also genius. Yes, this is a musical, with the majority of the dialogue being sung, but this is not your traditional musical. It is very odd and out there, both musically, lyrically and yep, even tonally. This isn't your mother's musical, but I cannot stress enough just how amazing “Annette” is! As of yet, I haven't focused on Leos Carax's contribution to “Annette” too much, and while this story may not have originated from the man, the film itself is a Carax film through and through. There is no doubt about who the author of this film is. The way he shoots things, the energy the film has, the eccentricities, his continued obsession with the colour green, the darkness and pain he associates with love (but you can tell that he feels it is all worthwhile); it all screams Leos Carax. He is a director that doesn't make films very often, so when a new one arrives, it is something to get excited about, especially since his cinematic voice is a true original; no one makes films like he does. He isn't afraid to go outside the norm, to be different, and that is why so many of us that love cinema, champion his films. “Annette” is his first film in nine years and frankly I think it is his best film yet. It is certainly my favourite of his. Sure, it is true that Carax is prone to excess here, but my god, is that excess glorious! And that is why “Annette” is my favourite film of 2021. Click here to read my original review.
Well there you have it, that was my round-up of the year that was 2021; hopefully you got some enjoyment out of it. Now before I finish, lets have a brief look at the upcoming year and my most anticipated films of 2022.
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