Gaz’s 10 Best Movies of 2021
The best part of making this annual list is reminding yourself that for all of the challenges of 2021, there was still some terrific cinematic treats on display.
In many ways it was Chloe Zhao’s year by becoming only the second woman to win Best Director at the Oscars and also directing Marvel’s diverse superhero blockbuster Eternals. Female directors continued to blossom with Julia Ducournau winning the Palme d’or for her divisive thriller Titane, and the formidable Jane Campion (The Piano) returning with her western The Power of the Dog. So many movies didn’t make the list, such as the very fine Tick, Tick, Boom!, the visually enthralling Dune, and Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch.
Whilst it was hard to whittle this down to only 10, lets get stuck in and break down my 10 best movies of 2021.
10 - The Father
Florian Zeller’s depiction of progressing dementia could have so easily veered into the territory of tearjerky sentimentality. Instead we have an uncompromising depiction of a faltering mind that presents us both mystery and drama, and yet the toil of watching such heart-rendering material is masterfully controlled to avoid early emotional burn-out. Depicted inside a British flat, what could have been stagy and uninspired becomes the perfect claustrophobic location to portray confusion – we recognise the rooms, but as the décor keeps changing and the characters keep talking, we are forced to come to terms with the lost memories of Anthony (Anthony Hopkins). It’s a career best performance from Hopkins (which is saying something), who displays all the venerability of his advancing years in a way that must have been personal. And then there’s that ending – it left me speechless in a way that no other film on this list did. It’s an emotional climax I don’t wish to revisit any time soon, but the impression feels permanent.
9 - In The Heights
It seemed like In The Heights appeared at the very moment when the world needed a feel-good musical. It felt like a breath of fresh air to see an America of tolerance, colour and joyfulness, all of it wrapped in optimism and bereft of the type of divisive cynicism that has characterised so much of the country’s political discourse. Above all, it’s a fun romp through the lives of interesting and likeable people who care about their community. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s geeky joy for musical theatre is front and centre, and then there’s Jon M. Chu’s steady directorial hand that always knows when to whip up a few visual flourishes to keep the momentum high and the drama lighthearted. But the real star is the fact that this is a joyful musical about working class people trying to strive to be better. Missing are the diamonds, dresses and glamour of other high-profile stage adaptations, and instead we have the story of humble characters working minimum wage, singing to the skies for better futures. It’s a fun, ebullient, and just what we need in a time like this.
8 - Summer of Soul
A vibrant documentary covering the little known 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival featuring a slew of seldom seen live performances from Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Nina Simone, and many more, all of which will undoubtedly appeal to music lovers. But what transcends Summer of Soul from a concert movie to something more special is how many of its participants relive their memories through the restored footage and recall in vivid detail how significant this event was in the context of black history. Under the shadow of the Vietnam War, and with the world heavily focused on Woodstock as a cultural touchstone, Summer of Soul is a reminder that the most important history is often the most forgotten.
7 - Judas and The Black Messiah
Electrifying might be the way to describe Daniel Kaluuya’s performance as Illinois Black Panther Chairman Fred Hampton. Based on the true story of the FBI undercover infiltration of the Black Panther Party, what is really special here is the grounded and gritty depiction of how a minority political organisation operates during a time of social upheaval. And its the small details that make it special – the sets, performances, and locations feel alive in a way most period films don’t. Lakeith Stanfield oozes guilt as his FBI puppet-masters pull him by the strings and push him towards betrayal. Here director Shaka King masterfully links the threads of social history – like great non-fiction, this true story convinces you that the struggle is real because of its discipline to avoid soap-box exposition. The details tell their own story, and the result is a film that brings you onto the working class streets of Chicago to watch how activism works in the line of fire. By the time the concluding archival footage ends, the film leaves us connected to thrilling and important history.
6 - Passing
Actress Rebecca Hall’s searing directorial debut is a visual and thematic feat that slowly picks at the wounds of its important subject matter. The subject at hand is racial passing. A career-best Ruth Negga plays Clare Bellew, a light skinned black woman who is ‘passing’ as white. She has a white husband, who is wealthy and openly racist, unaware of his wife’s familial background. When Clare has a chance meeting with old friend Irene (Tessa Thompson), a cultural homesickness awakens and she yearns to spend her time in Harlem, where both women rekindle their complex friendship. Most admirably, at the every point where the plot could take an easy, well trodden path, its defies its drama by never offering easy answers to the questions of love and hate amongst friends. Race, sex, jealousy, and self-loathing are explored in a slow-burn narrative that enjoys the raucous company of its characters.
5 - Being the Ricardo’s
As of writing, Being the Ricardo’s sits with 68% on Rotten Tomatoes, leaving it with a decidedly average consensus along the lines of it falling short of the performances on offer. In reality Being the Ricardo’s is an underrated behind the scenes glimpse that manages to squeeze all the drama it can from the hay-day of early television. Nicole Kidman has never been better. Her Lucille Ball was criticised for being unlikable, and this is exactly why she shines – the writing allows her to be a strong-minded star, stubborn to the point of fault as she spits out machine-gun Sorkin dialogue in an act of self-protection against those who wish to bring her down. It’s her moments of fault that take the polish of the facade and keep the piece real. Aaron Sorkin lost his way somewhat with the very pleased-with-itself The Trail of the Chicago 7, leaving verisimilitude behind and letting sentimentality take the stage. With Being the Ricardo’s we are dealt a scintillating hand of intelligent, flawed, and witty characters as they carefully meander the thorny issue of communism. Even when Sorkin occasionally gets lost in the woods with his dialogue branches, he still finds a way to end the piece on a thoughtful and surprisingly affecting note.
4 - King Richard
It has been a very long time since Will Smith has made a movie as captivating as King Richard. The story of Richard Williams having to the navigate the white-washed world of upper-class tennis academies in order to provide his daughters, Serene and Venus, with the opportunity to become stars would be enthralling enough – but this movie has a secret tension that keeps you on edge. The question of just how far a parent will go to push their children to stardom is raised and ultimately answered in what is a standout film. In particular Saniyya Sidney (Venus) and Demi Singleton (Serena) shug off the often over-coached acting of young stars and provide performances that surpass their ages. Starting on the streets of Compton, and ending on the professional tennis court, King Richard is an outstanding inside story of a family strongly holding together against the commercial and gate-keeping forces at large. Best of all, it manages to be genuinely inspiring whilst avoiding a mawkish tone.
3 - Spencer
Having never shown a great deal of interest in Princess Diana’s story before, Spencer carries with it such subtle quality that I’m now watching everything I can find. When Pablo Larraín released Jackie in 2016, whilst it wasn’t fully convincing, it certainly had an ear for the music of history. The key here is that Spencer is not a biopic – Spencer exists somewhere between truth and fiction, using history as a decorative wallpaper. A softly focused chamber piece, Spencer is set over Christmas 1991 as Diana formulates her decision to end her marriage to Prince Charles. Your imagination might suggest lots of arguing is abound, but what is so wonderful about Spencer is how quiet it is – instead of depicting outright conflict, so much of Spencer is the feeling of silent oppression. The film is rife with subtle details that serve to overwhelm Diana as she tackles her own failing mental health. Kristen Stewart deserves her praise. She manages to somehow capture the tricky iconography of the most photographed person in the world, whilst also presenting some inspired touches that feel fresh and personal. Then there’s Claire Mathon’s stark and beautiful cinematography (dull weather never looked so good) and Johnny Greenwood’s Jazz influenced score to layer the themes in what is a quiet masterpiece of sub-textual thrills.
2 - The Rescue
National Geographic’s documentary about the 2018 rescue of 12 boys and their football coach from inside a Thai flooded cave is minute-to-minute the most thrilling experience of 2021. We may know the ending already, but the details of how complex and overwhelming the situation was on the humans involved are riveting. We are guided through the terrifying ordeal of how one would swim through a cave under the worst conditions possible. The logistics involved in how such a rescue takes place is staggering, not helped by the fact that even the bravest adults imaginable panic within minutes. The Rescue does the rare feat of putting you visually into the cave where a mix of visual effects and real footage tie together an experience that feels as close as you can get to facing your fears in the dark. By the end you are left awe-struck by the divers involved and inspired by their incredible ability to carry the pressure of saving children, whilst the rest of us are simply watching it play out on TV.
1 - Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson’s fun side is back. It’s been so long since he released Punch Drunk Love, that it’s easy to forget how fun and inventive he can be. His previous effort Phantom Thread left me unexpectedly cold, so I’m relived to say Licorice Pizza sheds the humdrum proceedings of stiff period dramas for a lively coming-of-age romp in a place he knows so well – 1970’s San Fernando Valley. Like Punch Drunk Love before it, Licorice Pizza is first and foremost an idiosyncratic love story, this time between the 23 year-old Alana (Alana Haim) and 15-year-old Gary (Cooper Hoffman). Gary is a boy thinking beyond his years, stretching himself into adulthood with both hands. He sees the world as his playground as he boisterously jumps into a series of business ventures, beginning with a waterbed company. Soon his and Alana’s story collides with the social history of their surroundings in unexpected ways. Licorice Pizza has a close kinship with Anderson’s debut Boogie Nights, not just because of the location, but also because each film depicts the nature of time moving so fast it outpaces the characters themselves. And when the events of history come their way, the innocence of being young bursts from the frame. In one single take, we are treated to the sight of Gary running down the street, past cars banked up outside a petrol station as the Opec oil crisis hits the city, all the whilst David Bowie’s Life on Mars plays over the chaos. It’s so clear Anderson’s revelling in watching the youth of his leads try to outrun the history that’s always ahead of them. So are we.
