THE LIGHT AT THE END: A 2021 OVERVIEW

When last we spoke COVID-19 vaccines were just being introduced, and the possibility of returning to a more normal life glittered tantalizing at the end of a dark tunnel.  One year later the notion of life going back to the way it was has faded somewhat and the idea of perpetual coping and adjustments has gradually settled in, whether we like it or not.  How can we recover from trauma and grief when we're never sure if the light at the end comes from the sun or another train?

For many, myself included, movies provided essential relief from the isolation of the pandemic’s first year.  Now, as we move into the pandemic’s third year, I find myself expecting more from movies than simply being there.  This year’s crop felt more unsatisfying than last year’s crop.  Perhaps for the reason of higher expectations. Nevertheless, there were several exceptional films and, not surprising, the best of them dealt with characters or communities dealing (or not) with trauma and grief.

Far and away my favorite this year is Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s dreamy and profound DRIVE MY CAR.  Don’t be put off by its three-hour length or the subtitles, this absorbing story about the power of art and storytelling to heal will draw you in and carry you effortlessly to its devastating finale.  Benedict Cumberbatch’s self-loathing cowboy in THE POWER OF THE DOG, Jane Campion’s gorgeous but unsettling western, tries and fails to cope with repressed desires, leading to tragedy.  It may be the year’s most difficult but also one of its most rewarding films.  The year’s most exuberant film is easily Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s documentary SUMMER OF SOUL (OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, in which a traumatized community copes with the turbulence of the civil rights era through dazzling musical performances.  You could also do worse than Steven Spielberg’s surprisingly fresh take on WEST SIDE STORY and a little film featuring Nicolas Cage and a truffle pig.

Below is a complete list of my favorite films of the past year.  And a handful of stinkers.  I hope you are able to make it back into the movie theaters in the coming year.  I have now seen several on the big screen and must admit I have missed the experience (except for the ads and the endless previews).

Until we speak next year stay safe and hope to see you in real life soon.

Brian Pope
April 4, 2022

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THE BEST OF 2021

THE TOP THREE
(in alphabetical order)

DRIVE MY CAR  Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe transform Haruki Murakami’s short story into an epic film about dealing with untenable grief through art, specifically in the rehearsal and production of Anton Chekhov’s play Uncle Vanya.  The film fuses Murakami’s tone with Chekhov’s themes beautifully to create the year’s most moving and powerful meditation on the importance of persistence and the necessity of connection.

THE POWER OF THE DOG Adapter/director Jane Campion’s tragedy of repression in the American West offers stark, beautiful vistas, an unnerving score, and two of the year’s finest performances from Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee.  A harsh yet compassionate, spare yet eloquent critique of the myths of frontier life and an examination of the toxic masculinity embraced by a deeply closeted cowboy.

SUMMER OF SOUL (OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) Overshadowed by Woodstock and the Rolling Stones’ Altamont free concert, the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival vanished from history until Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson assembled this never-before-seen footage with context from the turbulent Civil Rights era and turned it into one of the great concert films.  Highlights include electrifying performances from Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, and Sly and the Family Stone.

THE BEST OF THE REST OF THE TOP TEN
(in alphabetical order)

FLEE  A touching foreign language animated film that follows a young Afghan refugee on his harrowing journey to Denmark by way of Russia and Estonia.

THE GREEN KNIGHT  Writer/director David Lowry’s stylish retelling of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight manages to make failure heroic.

LICORICE PIZZA Paul Thomas Anderson’s giddy and entertaining tale of the San Fernando Valley set in 1973 features a glorious soundtrack and what should be a star-making turn from a resplendent Alana Haim.

NIGHTMARE ALLEY Bradley Cooper gives one of his best performances in this grim, cynical story of a transient carnival worker turned con artist who falls for a femme fatale in the guise of Cate Blanchette.

PIG Nicolas Cage stars in this unexpectedly moving story of a reclusive truffle hunter and his prize pig, which, thanks to the deft, delicate touch of writer/director Michael Sarnoski, becomes modest movie magic.

WEST SIDE STORY Tony Kushner’s socially relevant adaptation gives Steven Spielberg a good reason to remake this musical chestnut.  Rachel Zegler, David Alvarez and, especially, Ariana DeBose are excellent.

THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (VERDENS VERSTE MENNESKE)  The mercurial Renate Reinsve dominates in Joachim Trier’s exuberant and affecting comedy drama about an elusive free spirit set in modern Oslo.

Honorable Mentions:  BEING THE RICARDOS; THE CARD COUNTER; CODA; THE DRY; KING RICHARD; THE LOST DAUGHTER; THE NIGHT HOUSE; ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN

 

THE BOTTOM THREE
(in alphabetical order)

DON’T LOOK UP  A dark comedy that fails at every level.  It’s not funny and misses of all its satirical targets. 

HALLOWEEN KILLS  A catastrophically bad sequel to the surprisingly effective 2018 reboot. 

SPENCER  Kristen Stewart can’t save this Princess Diana biopic that feels as if it had been directed by a synthetic life form.