Let's
get onto the good stuff finally. I am not going to do any honorable
mentions, this is it, my top 10 of 2020, and while the title of this
list states that these are the "best" films of 2020, that
is not really the case, these are my "favourite" films of
2020. Alright, enough talk, lets begin with my:
TOP
TEN BEST FILMS OF 2020
10. BIRDS OF PREY
I have already
gushed about the madness that is “Birds Of Prey” in my “Biggest
Surprise of 2020” section of my yearly review, and now it shows up
at number ten on my top ten list to validate just how much I loved
the film. Brilliant in its design, wonderfully acted by all with
Margot Robbie really going for it (and succeeding) as Harley Quinn,
and something I forgot to mention earlier, a cool pulse pounding
score by Daniel Pemberton that just adds to the fun of this very fine
film. One more thing that I forgot but wanted to mention was the
difference in the handling of the Harley Quinn character from
“Suicide Squad” (ugh!) to “Birds Of Prey”. One key
difference is that the earlier film was shot via the male gaze under
the directorial eyes of David Ayer, whilst this new film has been
told through the filter of women's eyes, by writer Christina Hodson
and director Cathy Yan. As a result, whilst Harley is still sexy,
she is never sexualised. This hasn't been done via some big
political point either, but it is still noticeable. Lets put it this
way, there is no scene in “Birds Of Prey” where all the male
characters stand around watching Harley changing into a barely-there
costume, and it is all the better for that.
Anyway..............super fun movie, just go see it.
9. GUEST OF HONOUR
The general
consensus would seem to be that Canadian director Atom Egoyan has
been at best, very erratic in the quality of his work since the start
of the new century, or at worst, downright terrible in that time.
Personally I believe that it is closer to the former; I seem to have
found more good in his recent work than most, although I do admit
that he has had a couple of duds in there too, like “Devil's Knot”
and “Chloe”. I thought his previous film “Remember” was a
great step forward, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Well it appears
this renaissance is continuing as “Guest of Honour” was the first
film of his that felt like “classic” Egoyan; it is his best film
since “The Sweet Hereafter”, made back in 1997. This is such a
powerful and emotionally affecting thriller, that does a great job of
creating characters you actually care about. The film is anchored by
a wonderfully nuanced performance from David Thewlis (man, this guy
can act!), that at times just breaks your heart. The story is told
via a fractured time-line, as we visit scenes from the past and
present at regular intervals and where things that seemed so concrete
in the past, turn out to have a totally different meaning when seen
from the eyes of someone older, rather than those of a child. That
is one of the key themes of the film, that a child, with their
limited life experiences, may fail to see the truth of a situation
due to the complexities involved within that situation, especially
when that child is shielded from the truth for their own protection.
Egoyan often likes to deal with technology and the way that it
effects us as a society, and he does so here via the use of mobile
phones, and examining the dangers of this technology. “Guest of
Honour” really works best when you know next to nothing about it
going in, because as the story is told, it opens itself up more and
more to the viewer, which is why I am reluctant to go into any plot
details. It is a quiet film, but a wonderful film, that is also
heartbreakingly beautiful too. Sadly, it has gone very under the
radar, but I hope that more people find this film because it is worth
seeking out.
8. POSSESSOR
Whilst I described
“Guest of Honour” as a quiet thriller, “Possessor” is the
complete opposite; it is a loud, bombastic, bloody and violent sci-fi
thriller, that is as smart as it is shocking. I do not think I was
prepared for “Possessor” when I sat down to watch it, as this is
a film that pulls no punches and is graphic in both its depiction of
violence and sexuality, to the point that it felt more like a film
made back in the 70's, as opposed to the watered down films of today.
“Possessor” is directed by Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) and
it actually felt like a passing of the torch between father and son.
I was not a fan of Brandon Cronenberg's directorial debut,
“Antiviral”, at all and felt that compared to his father, Brandon
seemed to lack in the ideas department. However, with “Possessor”,
Brandon appears to be continuing to explore themes and ideas that his
father did earlier in his own career, whilst also making a film that
is not at all derivative of his dad's. The film is about a corporate
company that specialises in assassinations via the use of brain
implant technology. This technology enables the assassin to inhabit
the body of an unsuspecting person so they commit the assassination,
which in essence creates the perfect crime, as the true assassin
cannot be traced to the crime. Tasya Vos, played brilliantly by
Andrea Riseborough, is their number one agent, but lately has been
struggling with the after-effects of the job, which causes a dramatic
change within her that sees her becoming erratic and dangerous whilst
working, often going too far with her violent urges. However with
her latest job, her mind essentially cracks and she finds herself
trapped inside her host body, unable to find her way out. As you can
see, it has a very cool premise, and Cronenberg imbues the film with
lots of bizarre and memorable images. Personally, I thought it also
felt quite similar to one of his father's films too, “eXistenZ”,
in both the technology explored and the images created. Both films
also have actor Jennifer Jason Leigh in their cast. As I mentioned
at the beginning, “Possessor” is an incredibly bloody and violent
film, and thankfully Cronenberg decided to use practical effects
whenever possible, and the results are just fantastic. There are a
couple of face-melding moments that are just insane. This is a very
dark, and adult thriller, that gets more and more messed up as it
goes along. I loved it! (As a side note, actor Rossif Sutherland
plays key roles in both “Guest of Honour” and “Possessor”.
7. UNDINE
German
director Christian Petzold bounced backed from his mis-step that was
“Transit” (I know, I know, I'm the only one that thinks “Transit”
doesn't work) with his stunningly beautiful urban fairytale,
“Undine”, reuniting his stars from that previous film. The
chemistry between Paula Beer and Franz Rogowski is off the charts
(something that I thought was lacking between the pair in “Transit”),
and is what gives “Undine” its heart and makes it so successful.
Both actors give their characters such life, that you love being in
their company whilst they fall in love. “Undine” is based on a
German fairytale that is about a water
nymph who marries a knight so she can gain a human soul. However
legend states that if this man is ever to betray her, she must then
kill the man and return to her watery home, never to return on land
again. Petzold sets his version of this story in modern day Berlin
and only hints at the fairytale elements, although he does not
eliminate them entirely. The elements are still present in the film,
but not front and centre, which was something I was hoping for when
the film was originally announced. However, I ended up falling in
love with Petzold's more grounded version of the tale, and liked that
the film could be read in two ways; that Undine was a supernatural
character, or that this girl's life and story just closely resembled
the fairytale. Like all of Christian Petzold's films, “Undine”
has been handsomely put together. As usual Hans Fromm is tasked with
the film's cinematography duties and he has given “Undine” a
glossy look that feels very warm and inviting. With water playing a
large part within the story, the use of water imagery is very nicely
done without ever feeling overdone, and I loved that large portions
of the film were obviously shot underwater, and those scenes looked
beautiful and otherworldly. I also thought the music was just lovely
and added to the mystery and atmosphere of this beautiful film.
“Undine” is meant to be the first of a trilogy of films by
Petzold based on German fairytales, so after the success of this
first one, I cannot wait for the next two. Click
here to read my original review.
6. PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Wow! This was one of the last
films I saw in 2020 and it blew my mind. This was such an amazing
film, that was also very angry and much, much darker than I was
expecting it to be. It is a revenge film with a difference. It is
very unique, and I just loved every second of it. One thing that I
loved about “Promising Young Woman” was that it surprised me,
which is something that happens less and less these days. The film
also has a phenomenal lead performance from Carey Mulligan, which for
mine, was the best performance from a female in 2020. She is
outstanding in this, having to display a huge range throughout the
duration of the film. For those who do not know about the film, it
is about “a young woman, traumatized by a tragic event in her past,
who seeks out vengeance against those who crossed her path”. It
looks at rape culture, particularly during college years, and the way
society is willing to look the other way if the perpetrator of such a
crime is from money, or deemed to have a good future, and thus by
punishing the guy, would be to ruin that boy's future......without
thinking about what it means for the future of the victim of that
crime. Like I said, it is an angry film, but the film is told in
such a way that it is actually fun and even funny at times. It is
genius that the approach works so well. I also thought it was
another bold decision from director Emerald Fennell to use the bright
candy colours to tell this very dark tale. Again, this is another
film that works best the less you know about it, but I will say that
it is so brilliantly done in the way it hides its twists and turns.
There are moments in the film that left me stunned, and I never,
ever saw the ending coming. I sat there speechless when the credits
started rolling, stunned and amazed by this brilliant film.
5. WOLFWALKERS
It
is not often that you find an animated film on my top twenty list,
but that is not because I think animated films have no worth, it is
just that my own personal tastes do not lead me towards them very
often. Of course, there are always exceptions, and I must admit that
during Pixar's early hey days, their films were regularly on my end
of year list. This year though, I saw an animated film that just
delighted me from the opening frame, and as soon as it began, I knew
that it would be making this list. I am obviously talking about
Cartoon Saloon's “Wolfwalkers”, a film about “a
young apprentice hunter and her father who journey to Ireland to help
wipe out the last wolf pack. But everything changes when she
befriends a free-spirited girl from a mysterious tribe rumored to
transform into wolves by night”. This is a stunningly beautiful
film from Ireland made by the same people who made the excellent
“Song of the Sea” back in 2014. I really liked that film a lot,
but this new film from directors Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart is even
better. The animation in this film is just gorgeous, and it is all
hand drawn. After being pummelled by computer animated films so
regularly, it is nice to watch another one done via the old school
way. I do not know why, but it just draws you in to the story so
much easier than the animated style that is popular today. I loved
the fact that the character designs were all based on shapes and
variations on shapes but what makes the film so special is the film's
imagination and heart. It makes you believe in the magic of the
story, and breaks your heart with the story of family love, between
the father / daughter relationship of the humans, and the mother /
daughter relationship of the wolves. One thing that I find rarely
works in live-action films is when we get vision from the point of
view of a creature or animal. The images are usually distorted in
ways so as to define that this is not a human point of view. I often
think it comes across looking very cheap and hokey, but the opposite
is true when it is done with animation, and the “wolf vision” of
this film is amazingly well done, and again, so imaginative. Another
thing that I love about “Wolfwalkers” is that the voice talent
are unknowns, so the voices inhabit their characters, and we only see
them as the characters, rather than as a celebrity doing a voice for
a cartoon. That said, I did appreciate Sean Bean's voice as the
father. Yes, his voice is recognisable but he underplays the role
beautifully so that he never overshadows the film. I also have to
mention the film's wonderful music that perfectly fits with the
animation and story being told, and the songs are out of this world
good! I absolutely adored “Wolfwalkers” and think it is perfect
entertainment for the whole family that is packed full of so much
emotion, that by the end, you will be covered in goosebumps.
4.
DREAMLAND
Sometimes
a film just talks to you and you love every second of it, and when
you go to share your opinion of that film to others, you find out
that you are in the minority in regards to its critical reception.
This is true to me in regards to the film “Dreamland”, a film
that I was with totally from the opening second, but which apparently
underwhelmed everyone else who has seen it. To be honest, I was
stunned when I realised that my opinion of this film was not the
general consensus because I thought the whole thing was genius. The
film is “set amidst America's struggle during the Great Depression,
where teenage boy, Eugene, regularly dreams of escaping his small
Texas town. He gets that chance when he discovers a wounded,
fugitive bank robber named Allison. Torn between claiming the bounty
for her capture and his growing attraction to the beautiful criminal,
Eugene makes a decision that will forever affect the lives of
everyone he's ever loved”. The most regular criticism I see of
“Dreamland” is that it is slow and that nothing happens. Yes, it
is very slow, but to say that nothing happens is totally wrong. The
film is a romance mixed in with a coming of age tale, as a boy must
become a man during a time of extreme hardship. Personally, I
thought the slow pace of the film was perfect for the times the story
was set in. Instead of making the film dull, it actually draws you
in to the drama. Performances from the two leads are top notch with
Finn Cole stealing the film as Eugene, and Margot Robbie, once again
proving why she is one of the best actresses working today, playing
Annie (she is a far cry from Harley Quinn here). I've mentioned many
times before that I am a big fan of narration in films when done
well, and I loved the narration in “Dreamland”. Again, it just
fit perfectly with the tone and pace of the film, and I thought the
inclusion of the younger sister was a fantastic added element. There
is a chilling suspense scene set in a barn that involves the sister
that is one of many highlights in this great film. Another highlight
was the massive dust storm which was handled wonderfully via what I
assume is CGI. It looks and feels so real and sets an ominous tone
of what is to come. It would be remiss of me to not mention the
film's cinematography, which is just gorgeous. The film is shot in
golden browns and yellows, giving it an old time feel. The
camerawork is never flashy but always beautiful when it comes to
composition. Finally, I really appreciated the way the film builds
and continues to build in suspense and seriousness. I have no idea
why “Dreamland” has not connected with an audience, but I
absolutely adored the film, and hope that if you get the chance to
watch it, that you do so and with an open mind.
3.
LITTLE WOMEN
This
came out so early in 2020, that I actually thought I had watched it
the year before and included it on my 2019 Top Twenty List. However,
when I checked, Greta Gerwig's “Little Women” was actually
released in Australia on New Year's Day. I do remember now though,
when I watched it at the beginning of the year, I thought maybe I had
possibly seen my number one movie of the year in the first week of
2020. As it turns out, “Little Women” ended up ranking third,
which is still a hell of an achievement. I do not have too much to
say about the film since it ended up on so many critics top ten lists
of 2019, so the film surely has been spoken enough about now at
length. What I will mention though was that this was my first
encounter with the story, as I had not seen any of the other filmed
versions nor read the book itself. As such I was not aware of the
structural changes that Gerwig had made to the timeline, but I
thought criss-crossing of past and present worked wonderfully well,
and added a poignancy to the tragedy when we witness scenes of the
painful present next to scenes of the happy past, no doubt tinged
through the glow of nostalgia. Something that bemused me when I read
reviews of the film or heard people talking about it, was the fact
that a lot of people found it confusing and couldn't work out what
happened when. I was shocked by this because Gerwig designed the
film perfectly to help define past and present easily and she did so
via the use of colour temperature. During scenes set in the past,
the colour temperature is much warmer moving towards yellows, browns
and earthy colours, whilst the scenes set in the present were much
cooler in temperature often leaning towards blue. It was very easy
to keep track of where you were in the story at any given time
because of that. Greta Gerwig also cast her film perfectly, with
everyone embodying their characters so well. No doubt the standout
of the film was Saoirse Ronan who plays the lead character Jo March,
but everyone from Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Laura Dern and Timothee
Chalamet are all excellent. The only negative I have in regards to
casting is that I didn't think Florence Pugh playing the (very) young
version of her character, Amy, worked well at all (however she excels
in the adult variant of her). As I have already said, I thought
“Little Women” was beautifully designed and loved that each girl
was essentially assigned a certain colour throughout and that each
was attracted to one of the main arts. I also thought that Gerwig
came up with a clever way to honour the ending novelist Louisa May
Alcott wanted to have, while staying true to the ending that is. To
be honest, I was not expecting to enjoy “Little Women” much so to
come out loving it was a fantastic surprise.
2.
THERE IS NO EVIL
Iranian
director Mohammad Rasoulof's
latest film, “There Is No Evil” is (as per the imdb synopsis)
told in “...four stories that are variations on the crucial themes
of moral strength and the death penalty that ask to what extent
individual freedom can be expressed under a despotic regime and its
seemingly inescapable threats.” Whilst it doesn't sound like the
most fun you could have at the movies, I am happy to say that it is
such a beautiful and beautifully sad film to watch, and at even the
extended length of two and a half hours, it just flies by in what
feels like half of that time. It is no secret that I am a huge fan
of Iranian films, and they often rank high on my top twenty lists,
but Rasoulof is a director that has taken me awhile to connect with.
His films have always been political, as he regularly highlights the
social injustices presented to the people living in modern day Iran,
but I have found in the past that he is too heavy on his message to
the point that it turns me off the film. However his style seems to
have changed since “A Man of Integrity” as he now focuses more on
character, while layering his political points in a much finer and
subtle manner. Since this change, I have totally connected with his
work, with “There Is No Evil” being a total masterpiece. Whilst
all four stories in “There Is No Evil” deal with the compulsory
military experience for young Iranian men, and the effects of being
involved with executions resulting from the death penalty, each
individual section is told in a completely different way with the
actual trauma or effect revealing itself as the story continues. For
example, the first vignette is about a normal man who goes about
doing ordinary daily tasks like everyone else; grocery shopping,
banking with his wife, visiting his mother, having dinner with his
wife and daughter, etc. However it isn't until the finale of this
segment that we see and understand what the whole point of this story
is. I will not ruin the moment, but it is a shocking moment that
left my mouth agape. It was also the moment that I knew that “There
Is No Evil” would be a masterpiece. The following two segments
deal with the ramifications of the choices two men make in regards to
either being part of performing an execution or fighting against it.
Both segments are completely different from one another with one
being super suspenseful, with an immediacy attached to it that makes
it totally compelling to watch, almost like an action film, whilst
the other is a beautiful and lyrical story that moves quietly before
slowly unravelling. Both men make their choices due to their own
personal beliefs and what they believe will improve their lives for
the long run, but it is no spoiler to say, both end in tragic
circumstances. The fourth story is potentially the most
heartbreaking as it is about an older man, trying to connect with his
grown daughter before he dies, however, the girl is unaware that this
man is her actual father and that the man she has called father her
entire life (whilst living abroad) is actually her uncle. There is a
lot of pain and hurt in this segment, which is all the more tragic
when the truth of everything is finally revealed. The cinematography
by Ashkan Ashkani is a sight to behold. It is stunningly beautiful,
particularly in the final two segments which take place outside of
the hustle and bustle of Tehran and in the forests and desert of
Iran. From the rain soaked greenery of the forests to the sun
drenched vistas of the desert; these are not the usual locations seen
in Iranian films and give a new outlook to outsiders of the
landscapes of this country. Another element I loved was the music by
Amir Molookpour. With each vignette having a different tone,
Molookpour's music helps establish this tone and enhances the
emotional resonance of certain scenes. It is not wall to wall music,
used only when necessary but it really stood out in how well the
music complimented the images onscreen. “There Is No Evil” is
such a fantastic movie from Mohammad Rasoulof and was the deserved
winner of the Golden Lion at this year's Berlin Film Festival. It is
a film that tackles the tough subject of the death penalty and the
tragic consequences an individual faces when forced to participate in
(or react against) an execution as part of their mandated military
time, but is told in such a beautiful and humanistic manner that what
appears to be a heavy topic, becomes easy to ingest, despite how
tragic the circumstances turn out to be. I loved this film so much,
despite how beautifully sad it all is, and I look forward to watching
it again soon. Click
here to read my original review.
1. WAVES
Like
“Promising Young Woman”, another film that brilliantly hid its
twists (particularly in its excellent trailer) was director Trey
Edward Shults's “Waves”, my favourite film of 2020. This was a
film that totally destroyed me from an emotional point of view,
whilst exhilarated me from a technical standpoint. I have been a fan
of Shult's since his directorial debut “Krisha” from 2015. He
followed that film with the under-appreciated horror film “It Comes
At Night”, which brings us to “Waves”, which is his finest
achievement to date. Like many of the films on this list, “Waves”
works best when you know as little as possible before you watch it,
and with a film this good, I do not want to ruin the experience for
anyone so I will not talk much about the plot at all. I like the
logline on imdb though as it gives you a feel for what the film is
about without giving away many details: “Traces the journey of a
suburban family - led by a well-intentioned but domineering father -
as they navigate love, forgiveness, and coming together in the
aftermath of a loss”. This is a film that has been deliberately
divided into halves with the first half leading up to an incident,
whilst the second half deals with the aftermath of it, and those
struggling to move on and heal via love. The first half of the film
deals largely with the son of the family, whilst the daughter is the
star of the second half. However both halves are glued together by
the character of the domineering father. The fact that he is
domineering is not because he is a mean person, but because he
genuinely believes this type of parenting is what will give his
children the best chance in life to succeed. When he realises in the
second half that he may have been wrong, and he softens towards his
daughter, we get the most beautiful and emotional scene from the
entire film. Oh my god, just thinking about this scene now brings up
so many feelings in me!!! The performances by everyone in this film
are just superb. Shults has re-united with one of his stars from “It
Comes At Night”, Kelvin Harrison Jr, who plays Tyler, the son. His
character has the most extreme character arc and Harrison Jr just
nails every second of it. Sterling Brown plays Ronald, the father,
and at first you really cannot help but dislike the man, as he is
very harsh towards his kids, particularly Tyler. However as the film
develops, you start to understand him more, and that every decision
he makes is made from a point of love for his kids; it is just that
he goes the wrong way about it. But the brilliance is that he learns
from his mistakes and so Brown essentially gives us two variations of
the man, as he changes and every moment feels so real. For mine
though, the absolute heart of the film belongs to Taylor Russell who
plays Emily, and is the character who gives “Waves” its moments
of hope. As I mentioned above, “Waves” is a film told in two
distinct halves and what Shults has done is have certain scenes
mirror themselves in each half, but with the meaning of each scene
shifting between them. This also includes certain camera moves which
may be repeated again, but where the move symbolised happiness in the
first half, it then becomes about pain in the second. Also certain
scenes are echoed in the two halves, like the scene on the bench in
the ocean between Tyler and his girlfriend, and the scene on the
bench in the park between Ronald and Emily. It is such a beautifully
designed film, with Shults layering in things like this regularly.
Another thing that Shults does in “Waves” is play with aspect
ratios, with the image squeezing in on characters as they find
themselves trapped in a situation, or expanding when they finally get
a chance to breathe. Shults played around with the aspect ratio in
“It Comes At Night” too, but it adds so much to “Waves” when
he uses it here. Trey Edward Shults really is at the top of his game
here. There is so much more I would love to say about “Waves”
but I just implore everyone to go out and see this film. It goes to
some very dark places, but amazingly it ends on a note of hope. It
is filled with the most wonderful characters, that feel so real, that
you love being in their company for the duration of the entire film.
If you do not feel something by the end of “Waves” then I do not
think you can be moved by a film at all. An amazing, emotional
experience, and a totally brilliant film.
