Top 10 Movies of 2021
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — meaning it’s time for best of the year movie lists! As usual, I haven’t seen nearly as many 2021 releases as I should have. I missed several throughout the year like Annette, Coda, Zola, and Summer of Soul. And then the end of the year came up so quick and there were about a million movies I didn’t catch like Licorice Pizza, The Lost Daughter, and The Tragedy of Macbeth. I have my work cut out for me. That being said, I saw some amazing films this year. It was a unique year for indie filmmaking. 2021 suffered from the usual superhero sludge (4 Marvel movies alone), but I made it a point to see as many movies at my local arthouse theater as possible. I also attended the St. Louis film festival, which allowed me to see many of the most talked about films of the year. So, without further ado, here are my picks for the best movies of 2021.
10. Petite Maman
Céline Sciamma’s follow-up to her masterpiece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, did not disappoint. Following the death of her grandmother, 8-year-old Nelly travels to her mother’s childhood home to help clean it out. While exploring in the woods, she encounters a young girl — her mother — at her same age. If I could use one word to describe Petite Maman, it would be delightful. Sciamma is a master of storytelling, showcasing the beauty of grief and the complexity of human relationships. Petite Maman has such a pure story that warms your heart, but without being overly cheesy or “in your face.” It is short, sweet, to the point, and a joyous celebration of life.
9. The Power of the Dog
I must confess: The Power of the Dog is the first film I have seen in Jane Campion’s oeuvre, but what an introduction to her it was. I love a good slow-burn, mysterious, character-driven drama. Throw in a Western setting, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, a slight sense of dread, and a thoughtful exploration of masculinity, and you’ve got yourself a great film. The quiet intensity and carefully crafted tension that hangs over everything will have you piecing together the film for days afterwards. I feel like I need to see this at least two more times to appreciate all the complexities lurking under the surface.
Streaming on Netflix.
8. Neighbours
Neighbours is most likely the least known film on this list. Perhaps I should be saving room for a more seen film than this, but I just can’t help myself. It’s one of those films that everyone needs to see. Directed by Mano Khalil, Neighbours is about the futility of hatred and ignorance in a war-torn Syria full of just that. Sero and his family are Kurdish, living in a border town in Syria in the early 1980’s. Receiving daily brainwashing from his anti-Semitic teacher, who forbids any language other than Arabic, and at the same time living next door to a kind Jewish family, Sero is quite confused. Khalil explores these complex issues with a delicate balance between humor and darkness, resulting in a moving portrait of humanity at its best and worst.
7. Passing
Adapted from Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel, Passing is about Irene, a Black woman in 1920’s New York as she reunites with an old friend, Clare. Both women are able to pass, Clare even passing with her white husband who would hate her if he knew the truth. Passing is a film reliant on ambiguities and gray areas. The genius decision to film in black and white only adds to this. Hall leans into these ambiguities and asks tough questions about race and gender in world that is anything but clear-cut. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are at the top of their game, playing off one another’s performances beautifully and with seeming ease. Another film that I suspect will only get better with repeat viewings, Passing is complex and layered film that is anything but easy.
Streaming on Netflix.
6. Lamb
I told you I love a slow burn, especially with horror tendencies. Valdimar Jóhannsson’s debut feature is anything but ordinary, following a young couple in Iceland who find themselves as the caretakers of a baby lamb/human hybrid. I love this weird, quiet, yet intensely creepy style of filmmaking. And I love all the weird baby movies 2021 has produced. Lamb doesn’t ask you to understand the details of its plot, but it does ask you to take it seriously and that’s a big reason why it worked so well for me. There is a purposeful sense of dread that intertwines with feelings of joy and “this seems like a pretty great life”…until we get back to worrying. It is the kind of strange, unapologetic, one-of-a-kind film we don’t get to see very often.
5. The Green Knight
Having read the source material, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, twice in college, this film holds a special place in my heart. Lowery, who also studied the epic Medieval poem at the same college (my one celebrity connection), brought the timeless story to glorious life. The Green Knight will be a classic in years to come, and I feel privileged to have witnessed it. Every aspect of the filmmaking — cinematography, story, dialogue, music — comes together in harmony to tell (perhaps) the greatest tale of all time (seriously, if you haven’t read the poem, I beg you to do so). Lowery has full command over the tone and message here, and I hope to see more of his movies with this haunting style.
4. West Side Story
As a fan of the original film and a hater of remakes, I did not expect to like West Side Story, let alone love it, but life is full of surprises and so is Steven Spielberg. I was immersed in the film from the second I heard that iconic opening whistle. Spielberg improved on many of the weaknesses of the original, namely the use of brownface and outdated stereotypes, but more than that brought more vibrance and nuance to the timeless story of forbidden lovers. There is something magical about this story — its heart, its music, its audacity — and I felt enlightened by the end of it.
3. Bergman Island
Bergman Island is about a filmmaking couple who visit the island of Fårö, made famous as the former residence of legendary auteur Ingmar Bergman. Chris, played by the wonderful Vicky Krieps, is a writer trying to finish her screenplay alongside her more successful and quite pretentious partner, Tony (Tim Roth). Blurring the lines between reality and fiction, Mia Hansen-Løve’s debut film is stunning, mysterious, and anything but simple. The performances are astonishing all around, but particularly great are Krieps and a supporting role from Mia Wasikowska. The excellent script is intriguing and layered, examining the meaning of love and being an artist and how to reconcile these two things. Bergman Island is a must-see if you are a fan of Bergman, film, or storytelling in general.
2. Spencer
The best biopics are the ones that give you a specific, in-depth portrait of the subject rather than a surface-level summary of their life. Pablo Lárrain appears to be the master of this kind of biopic. Kristen Stewart is phenomenal as Diana, picking up all the intricacies of the script and running with them in a way that is both natural and unnerving. The anxiety surrounding the film is palpable and unrelenting. I appreciated the focus on Diana, her boys, and the house staff over the other members of the royal family. Spencer is a tough movie to watch, but a necessary one with a lot going on under the surface, much like its titular character.
1. Procession
I have already written a lot about Procession (here on Medium & here on Think Christian), so I will be brief. Procession is the best examination of trauma and healing I have ever witnessed. Documentary is an important medium that often gives us some of the best stories, and this film is a testament to that idea. This film is brave, unyielding, and fierce in storytelling. It is a revelatory film that not only gives survivors of sexual abuse a voice, but also gives them back the power and control that was so unjustly stolen from them, and it is the best movie of 2021.
