LIFE AFTER THE BEFORE TIMES: A 2020 OVERVIEW

This time last year we were two months in the past.  (This is merely a whimsical statement and not to be confused with any of the pseudo-scientific malarkey prevalent throughout TENET.)  In 2020 the Oscars® were held the last Sunday in February and most would be surprised when a foreign language film won both Best International Film (newly changed from Best Foreign Language Film) and Best Picture that year – a first in the award show’s storied history.  In hindsight we should have seen the end of the world coming.

 

Yet though the world seemed to end or at least stand still as we isolated ourselves either solo or with family or friends or some combination thereof, the world continued.  And as I ponder the films that made their way to screens both large and (mostly) small in the year of the pandemic I am struck by how many preoccupations of the before time bubbled up to the forefront.  JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH and ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI… speak either directly or indirectly to Black Lives Matter.  PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN and THE INVISIBLE MAN to the Me Too movement.  MINARI and, to a lesser degree, FIRST COW to the immigrant experience in the United States.  And these are but a handful of examples. 

 

So without further ado – mainly because my pandemic-addled brain can only process so much -- my favorite films of 2020.  It goes without saying that they have provided an outsized solace this pandemic year.  But not more than my family, friends and colleagues who have been there to provide digital and socially-distanced IRL comfort when needed.  It is to them I dedicate this humble offering.

 

Brian Pope

April 25, 2021

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THE BEST OF 2020

THE TOP TEN
(in alphabetical order)

ANOTHER ROUND  Four academicians become subjects in their own experiment to test a hypothesis that normal blood alcohol level is too low.  Funny, sad, bittersweet and, ultimately, hopeful.

THE FATHER  An elderly father may or may not be suffering from memory loss.  The film’s viewpoint shifts without warning, so the audience (like the father) is uncertain whether they can believe their eyes or ears.

FIRST COW  A tender tale of innovation, crime and capitalism set in mid-19^th century Oregon with a sweet, doe-eyed cow as the fulcrum.  A small movie I had hoped would get more attention in this pandemic year.  Alas.

JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH  The story of Fred Hampton and his betrayal by Bill O’Neal, the Black Panthers’ head of security and a paid FBI informant, is just as urgent and feels just as painful today.

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM  During a recording session in 1920s Chicago a blues singer and her session musicians navigate the ruthless world of the (mostly white) music business.  Powerhouse performances.

MINARI  A Korean family moves from California to Arkansas to become farmers.  This clear-eyed and touching immigrant story never belabors ethnicity.  Their story could be anyone’s story.  And that makes it special.

MY OCTOPUS TEACHER  A skin diver spends a year filming a female octopus off the coast of South Africa.  We grow to love her and care for her almost as much as the filmmaker.  A truly remarkable achievement.

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS  A pregnant teen and her best friend travel to NYC because parental permission is not required for abortions.  A subtle yet shattering story about self-determination.

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN  A film that moves startlingly from revenge thriller to romantic comedy to horror movie to police procedural.  The long-term consequences of sexual assault have never felt this visceral.

SOUND OF METAL  This study of a punk-metal drummer going deaf undermines expectations from the outset, aided by excellent performances and a profound understanding of the power and grace in humble acceptance.

Honorable Mentions:  THE ASSISTANT; BEANPOLE; BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM; COLLECTIVE; FREAKY; MANK; THE MOLE AGENT; NOMADLAND; ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…; SAINT FRANCES; THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7; THE WHITE TIGER

 

Must Avoid:  INHERITANCE; THE LITTLE THINGS; LOVE AND MONSTERS