Here we go. In a year of constant stops and starts it was rather difficult to go out and see new films. Despite this, I managed to watch 76 films which were released in the UK this year, whether digitally or on the big screen. Despite the lack of blockbusters, there was still a fantastic array of films to choose from. I’ve finally decided on my top 20 and there is quite an eclectic mix of horror, drama, documentary, comedy, animation and more from a variety of different viewpoints and countries. Hopefully there will be something for everyone’s fancy as you see out the new year in film based style.
Apologies if your favourite film was One Night In Miami, WW84 or Harley Quinn. I didn’t get the chance to see them. There were another 10/20 films I had to cut from this list. On another day, I may have decided to put these films in the top 20, but couldn’t quite find the space. There really were some brilliant films this year. The only films elegible were films which to the best of my knowledge received a UK release this year. Therefore films such as Memories of Murder and La Haine are not elegible.
You can see my full rankings of 2020 films here. I can confidently say the top 40 were all good films which were worth a watch.
As usual, I will show which streaming services you can find these films on. [N] – Netflix, [P] – Prime Video, [BBC] – BBC IPlayer, [BFI] – BFI Player, [M] – Mubi, [S] – Sky Cinema on Now TV, [A] – Apple TV+. There is a streaming service guide here.
20) The Forty Year Old Version
Not to be confused with the Judd Apatow/Steve Carrell movie of a similar name, Rhada Black’s directoral debut packs a punch. Once a promising playwrite, she is now teaching at a school, achieving very little and reflecting on her life at 40. She has a chance to write a play, however the theatre owner is gentrifying it. In amongst this, she decides to rap. Her raps feel authentic and she starts to make progress with it. The story feels real and understated. It’s not some form of “A Star Is Born” as much as it is a film about a woman finding her voice and her worth at a difficult time in her life.
The film is fun and interesting. It has a great vibe. The black and white visuals show an emptiness in her view of the world. The characters are all fun with many smiles to be had in these energetic interactions. I really enjoyed the film as it was paced brilliantly, making sure to keep a steady tempo and engage me all the way through. You can read my full review here. [N]
19) Boys State
This year, I am adding documentaries into the top 20, and this one was so dramatic it could’ve been fictional. Every year, a group of veterans run the Boys State camp, where Texas based 16/17 year old boys go on a residential two day activity course. They form two parties, the teens run for positions in the parties and then the two parties run against one another in an election. Sure, it’s all make belief, but my goodness does it matter.
Significantly more republican than those in New York, the kids in Boys State show an interesting look into politics, the games you play and what they think will win. The directors do really well at introducing you to a variety of characters and their motivations. You’ll know and have emotions around Stephen, Renee, Richard and Ben by the end and be invested heavily in the election, while despairing about the future. You can read my full review here. [A]
18) Uncut Gems
One of those films which feels like it was released about 10 years ago, Uncut Gems actually made it’s cinematic debut in January. It’s the good one with Adam Sandler in. Sandler’s character a jeweller is loud, obnoxious and greedy, a perfect role for him. He gets himself into trouble with all sorts of debt collectors after losing some money or jewels or misevaluating the price of a certain jewel. Like I say it was a long time ago and some of the finer plot details are lost on me.
What I do remember is the breakneck speed and almost constant anxiety you could also see in the Safdie Brothers’ other film Good Time. The constant anxiety and fast, fun dialogue really kept you engaged throughout the whole thing. You don’t like Sandler’s character, but you empaphise with him enough that you don’t want him to be shot. A really fun and interesting film. At the time, I said it could become a cult classic just like Pulp Fiction. [N]
17) The Climb
This film is one of the few on this list which isn’t actually available yet. It’s had a limited cinema run and will be available on streaming from February. It’s an odd dark comedy about two lifelong friends, where Michael constantly screws over the Kyle, gate crashing big occasions, sleeping with Kyle’s fiancé and generally being a mess. However, it’s just about finely balanced enough that their friendship works as they believe in one another. The film sees Michael friend get engaged to a girl who wants to change everything about it, much to the annoyance of his family and Kyle. Kyle is asked by the family to do something, but at the same time doesn’t want to ruin his friendship with Michael.
The comedy across the film is sweet and good natured. It’s understated and the chemistry between the two lead actors is fantastic. The cinematography is wonderful as well. There are plenty of long shots similarly to the other film in this list, which are immersive and you can appreciate more as what’s on the screen is fairly minimal. Worth a watch when you can. I did write a full review here.
16) 1917
This was also released in 2020. Right? I can’t believe it either. The best film winner at the BAFTAs may not have been the best of the nominees, but it was a respectable choice. Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield have a mission to get across WWI battlefields to give an instruction not to attack, as the British, including Blake’s brother, are about to run straight into a trap and into certain death. They have three days to get there.
The film is more action than emotion, as the characters come straight out of a Nolan film. However, the film went with a Birdman style with lots of single shot scenes sown together to look like a one shot movie. It really was great and immersive, especially near the beginning allowing you to see tiny details. The trenches really were given a sense of scale as a list of British film stars all got a run out including George Mackay, Cumberbatch, Madden, Pete from Gavin and Stacey and Colin Firth. The scene near the end where Mackay runs through a field of bombs is particularly impressive. You can read my full review here. [P]
15) Driveways
I watched this film about 2 days before writing this, so it’s still fairly fresh in my mind. A shy nine year old boy and his mother move out to sell her dead sister’s things. She was an introverted hoarder, so this will be no easy task for the mother. The son meanwhile is struggling to make friends with kids his age. Next door’s grandkids are loud and into wrestling, not his type. He does however strike a friendship with an elderly neighbour war veteran, who is a widower who lives alone. This really is a sweet friendship as both provide one another with much needed quiet company, as they are both very quiet and very lonely.
The whole film plays out much like a Kore-Eda film, with it being more of a realistic mood piece than an adventure heavy story. However, the happy lighting, likable characters and a wonderful performance from Brian Dennehy (who sadly passed this year) really make it a lovely warm hug of a movie. Sadly under watched, but a gem that is worth your time. [S]
14) Rocks
One of the most authentic films of the year comes straight out of East London. Rocks focuses on a group of girls, included the title character who is the lead. After her mother leaves home leaving just a letter, an envelope of money and her little brother, Rocks has to take care of herself and her sibling. This is obviously going to be a struggle as she doesn’t want to give herself away to social services as she and her brother would be split. She has friends looking out for her, and some bad crowds she needs to keep away from as this film written using local first time actors and stories from research around the school shows a real portrait of girls in a tough part of London.
The whole film is wonderfully real. As I said earlier, the director and screenwriter toured a variety of East London schools for script writing projects allowing girls to tell their stories. The result of this is a documentary like movie which reminds me of Kore-Eda works like I Wish and Nobody Knows. Of course, if you want to read a full on review, here it is. [N]
13) Wolfwalkers
The best animated film of the year, yes even better than that one, came from rising giants Cartoon Saloon, an Irish studio who have made films such as The Breadwinner. A young girl moves to Ireland with her English father as he looks to protect the town from wolves and destroy the forest. She wants to help, but is one day bitten by a wolf who also turns out to be a little girl. She then turns into a Wolfwalker, a person who becomes a wolf when they sleep. After learning the story from the wolf perspective, she will help her new friend save her mother and protect the wolf pack.
The story has similarities to Princess Mononoke but is probably more suited to younger children than it’s Ghibli counterpart. The hand drawn style is great to look at and the soundtrack is phenomenal. The nattural greens and oranges are wonderful, epecially when contrasted to the urban grey of the town. The whole story really was engaging and I hope it can cause an upset cometh the award season. I wrote a review, but forgot to publish it. Here it is. [A]
12) Da 5 Bloods
Spike Lee’s biggest piece of work focusses on the black American soldiers in the Vietnam war, who were sacrificed while being treated awfully at home. The movie switches between the war and the present day where four soldiers go back to retrieve gold which was left behind as well as the body of their captain. As with most Spike Lee joints, it has a big focus on social injustice. There are also themes of regret and confronting the past, as Delroy Lindo’s character feels guilt for the death of Chadwick Boseman’s.
The performances were brilliant all around. Delroy Lindo especially deserves an oscar nomination for his descent into greed, madness and eventual redemption. Chadwick Boseman’s performance was powerful as he said goodbye to the world. The scenes and set pieces were all great. The switch in recording methods and aspect ratios made the flashbacks feel almost like a historical documentary. The movie was a bit on the long side, but that didn’t really matter to me as I engaged throughout. I talked about it before here. [N]
11) Dick Johnson Is Dead
The second documentary in this list was one of the most unique films I’ve seen for a long while. Camera woman Kirsten Johnson’s dad has Alzheimer’s and is slowly dying. She records some of his later years and comes up with creative death scenarios and a heaven in order to come to terms with the inevitable. These big moments are split with quieter moments of reflections on his life and his wife’s, who also died with Alzheimer’s.
The whole film, while having its funny moments, finds it strengths in being a deep character study of a nice, but unremarkable, person. It is the most human film of the year. You immediately care for Dick Johnson and feel the pain of this innocent man, as he not only suffers himself, but suffers knowing the effects this will have on his family. It’s a remarkable must watch piece of experimental cinema. (Didn’t write a review as only watched a couple of days ago) [N]
10) Les Miserables
Les Misérables is a startling picture of police brutality in the streets of Paris. Taking place soon after the 2018 World Cup (the good times), three policeman, Chris, Gwada and Greaser are patrolling a poor Paris slum with increasingly suspect policing methods. However, when a lion cub is stolen from a circus, things get increasingly tense, escalating to an arrest going wrong and being recorded by a drone. THe police then look to cover their tracks.
The film felt rather similar to La Haine thematically. It also had slow pacing at times which escalated to multiple climaxes. The odd soundtrack was great, contributing to an authentic and tense atmosphere, which director Ladj Ly grew up in. The film goes mad by the end and with one last haunting shot fades to the credits. I wrote a review here. The film isn’t free anywhere yet, but can be purchased on DVD or for download.
9) Saint Frances
Maybe this film was helped by the fact it was my first post-lockdown new release I watched. Maybe it was just really good. Bridget is a waitress in her mid-30’s. She’s at an impasse with no husband and a rubbish job. These are things everyone else seems to have, but she doesn’t really know what she wants. For a summer, she takes on a babysitting gig, having recently had an abortion believing she isn’t ready for a child. She babysits Frances, an energetic girl who helps Bridget find value in herself.
A really fun and warm film, what it really does in an unprecedented way is to break taboo around female issues, openly discussing menstruation, the effects of abortion and sanitary products on film in a way that hardly any media does. It doesn’t feel forced either. It’s just a totally natural part of the conversation. The humour is at times awkward, but mostly comes from heart-warming moments. I wrote a full review about the film, which I know you’re dying to read. It’s not free anywhere, but Saint Frances can be payed for download.
8) System Crasher
It was almost 10pm on a weekday when I made a tragic mistake. I went for a decaf tea, but accidentally put in the wrong teabag. Only half way through the mug did I realise my mistake. At that point, I thought I’d stick on a movie and should be calm and ready for bed afterwards. I chose System Crasher… bad mistake.
The German Submission for the 2019 Oscars, System Crasher is a film about a nine year old German girl with a temper and violent streak which can be triggered by not much. Benni is moved from one care facility to another as nobody can seem to care for her. This leads her to more distrust and anxiety, which was originally caused by an unexplained childhood trauma. One day, a staff member suggests taking her to the woods to improve her behaviour. This person becomes the closest thing she has to a parent. However, this time in the woods can’t last, leading to her feeling abandoned again.
The whole film is very high octane. Anything can trigger Benni, leaving you constantly on the edge, and me not ready to sleep by the end. Her moments of lashing out are vociferous and difficult to watch. However, the director Nora Fingscheidt does a great job at allowing you to empaphise with a pretty horrible child, chillingly played brilliantly by Helena Zengel. The music is fast and heart-racing and the cinematography is great with the colour pink always present representing the anger and seeing red that can come at any time. An absolutely fantastic movie which I sadly haven’t reviewed fully. [BFI]
7) Kalel, 15
Okay, so technically, I don’t know when this was released, or if it ever got an official UK release, but it came out on Netflix this year and originally premiered domestically in the Philippines in 2019, so I’m counting it as it’s “My blog, my rules”.
The winner of two Phillipo Gawad Urian Awards (Oscar equivalent), this black and white film starts with 15 year old Kalel and his mother at the doctors where he is informed he has HIV. We aren’t told how, that’s just a given, although it’s implied. However, he is given little sympathy. His mother is more bothered about her affair, his sister about her boyfriend. His Dad is a priest, so Kalel is his dark secret. He can’t turn to his girlfriend or his friends either due to the huge stigma. Cases in HIV have increased rapidly in the country, although the doctor seems unaware Kalel has full blown AIDS, only giving him ointment for his chest.
Undoubtedly the most depressing film of the year, Kalel 15 is not an easy watch. Elijah Canles puts in a great performance of a boy who is becoming more desperate and trapped. The film pivots towards a poverty perspective at home, while maintaining a social castration outside of it. The cinematography was brilliant and the whole film a depressing, but intriguing watch. [N]
6) Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
This year sadly saw the passing of Chadwick Boseman. The actor famous for playing Black Panther put in a career best performance which would sadly be his last during Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and was absolutely incredible.
Based on the August Wilson stage play, MRBB focuses on diva Ma Rainey and her band recording the song over an afternoon in a studio. The film focuses on the ideas of race and power. Ma Rainey, despite being a black woman has all the power and makes sure to use it as she constantly delays recording for whatever reason she wants. This is the power her trumpet player Levi, played by Boseman, wants as he looks to become a star. Each character has their motivations and soon Ma and Levi will clash.
Viola Davis as Ma is absolutely incredible and will be a front-runner in award season as this diva. I didn’t see her, I saw Ma Rainey in the film. Chadwick Boseman stole the show with arguable the best performance of the year from any actor, and surely must gain a post-humous Oscar. He took all of August Wilson’s famous monologues and made them his own. The film does feel stagey, but the performances made it worth watching alone. It really is essential viewing and you can see my full review here. [N]
5) His House
My one contribution to the horror list is His House, an independent British horror taken up by Netflix which I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did. Bol and Rial are a Sudanese couple of immigrants who have escaped untold horrors to live in the UK. They are given a house to live in and one simple rule before their trial: don’t live anywhere other than the house. However, soon enough weird things start to happen as Bol and Rial are confronted by the demons of their past.
The film felt really fresh, escaping the tropes of asking whether one is insane. It provided a social commentary on the struggle of immigrants. While there were terrors at night, the daytime was also scary as they both attempted to assimilate into this foreign land, Bol willing to give up his culture, while Rial didn’t want to lose her heritage. Wunmi Mosaku and Sope Dirisu both put in great performances. The story is told fantastically, revealing the information at right times, leading to some fantastic twists. Sure, I don’t really like jump scares, but they were all in there for a reason and it was a really smart picture. I wrote a review about it here. [N]
4) Lynn + Lucy
You wouldn’t think when watching this film that Roxanne Scrimshaw was a debutant who auditioned for the part while working at Lidl, but it’s a credit to her that this amateur put in one of the best acting performances of the year. Lynn and Lucy are two working class friends who have known one another since childhood. Lucy has recently had a baby, but she and her partner are struggling. Then one day something happens and nobody is quite sure whether or not Lucy is at fault, including Lynn who is much more of a maternal individual. With the people at her new job suddenly giving Lynn the spotlight and a new lease of life mainly out of curiosity, she starts to turn on Lucy as gossip becomes wildfire. The film isn’t about whether Lucy was at fault for the incident, but more the social impact on them both and their friendship.
The film feels real and gritty, much like Fish Tank. It was intriguing as a psychological character study, leaving you unsure whether Lynn or Lucy was in the wrong. The understated nature was authentic and the film was memorable. I can’t wait to rewatch it. I have discussed it before and made it film of the week at one point, a glowing endorsement. [BFI]
3) Waves
I still struggle to believe its been less than a year since I saw this film in January. Waves primarily follows black middle class teenager Tyler and his perfect life. He’s doing great as the wrestling jock. He has a stable family and is in a happy relationship. However, things soon start to go wrong. His relationship with his father is straining as he is being pushed too much. This happens alongside his shoulder joint becoming worn down meaning his wrestling days may be over. His girlfriend is also worried she is pregnant. This perfect cocktail see’s him take a spiralling journey into madness.
The changing ratio, the crazy music, the distorted lighting all lead this film to become a really tense experience which lead to you saying oof. The long intimate shots make you feel like you’re there. The film was totally engrossing and I loved it. After the manic first half, the second half looks at Tyler’s sister after the climax midway through and is much calmer. It still works. This was probably my favourite use of cinema techniques this year as the director was confident enough to try everything, while both Kelvin Harrison Jr and Taylor Russel were fantastic. I wrote a review a long time ago which is here. [S]
2) Portrait of a Lady on Fire
A quiet, romantic period drama doesn’t seem like the sort of film I would particularly enjoy, therefore I only have praise for POALOF as I was totally into every minute of it. A princess is soon to be married off, so when a female artist comes to draw her for the prince, she isn’t complying. Soon the artist and princess form a relationship, which is tragically inevitably doomed to fail.
The whole film is subtle and understated. The romance blossoms slowly as both realise their feelings for one another. It’s a film which speaks through the actresses looks towards one another as opposed to dialogue as we reach an emotional crescendo, the last few minutes burnt into my mind. Celine Sciamma is in total control with a brilliant script and direction while Noemie Merlant and Adele Haenel are both perfect in their roles. I wrote about it way back when. [M]
1) Parasite
It wasn’t even close was it. Parasite wasn’t just the best film of the year, but one of the best of all times. It will now be immortalised as the first foreign film to win a best picture Oscar and was deservingly so. It’s best to go into this film blind, so I will only say that a poor family work together to deceive a rich family and get jobs working for them. It’s a film about poverty and inequality hidden under a layer of humour and thriller.
The film melds genres together to create a unique piece, taking some extreme divots around the halfway mark. No line or detail is in there unneccesarily. The script writing is smart. No character is good or bad, each is just in their situation. The score is classical and perfect. Each scene is full of payoffs from earlier and wraps up tidily. I saw it multiple times in the cinema, and each time I’d spot something new. It’s pretty much a perfect film and essential viewing for everyone. The only film I’ve given an A+ this year, you can see my review here, or go watch it on Prime. [P]
The Film Ramble 