It’s an obvious statement, but 2020 was the
weirdest year. And it also affected the movie business. I think I only went to
the movie theater twice this year. The rest of the new films I saw on demand or
on a streaming service. But despite it all, 2020 did give us some gems. And as
always it was really hard to form a good top 20. It’s based on Dutch release
dates, so you might see some movies on this list that are originally from 2019,
but came out in 2020 in The Netherlands. And if you miss some movies, it’s
possible that it won’t be released here until 2021 or I just haven’t seen it.
Since I don’t get to see EVERY film made in 2020. Blood, sweat and tears, but
here are the 20 best films of 2020, according to me.
20. I’m Thinking of Ending Things
A young woman is on her way to the parents of her brand new, rather boring boyfriend. And all the time she hears a little voice in her head that says: I’m thinking of Ending Things. An end to what? The relationship, her life, his life? Charlie Kaufman, best known for his scripts for “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, based his third film as a director for the first time on the story of another. But it still is a typical Kaufman film. Incomprehensible, melancholic and heartbreakingly sad. Definitely the strangest movie on the list, yet so beautiful and hard ignore.
19. Swallow
Not particularly subtle, but smart. That’s how this feature film debut gives its own twist to the rare eating disorder pica. Haley Bennet feels completely at home in this film, which has a great match in colors. Everything is right: from the pastel-colored villa with beautiful furniture to the costumes and make-up of Bennet. Behind this dreamlike life lurks a huge nightmare. It gets crazier and crazier: Hunter first starts eating ice cubes, then a pebble and a marble. Hunter must and will swallow it. Even if it endangers her and her unborn baby’s health. “Swallow” is extremely difficult to watch, probably hard to stomach for those not used to this kind of film. But it’s an amazing and original film. Tip: do not eat while watching this film.
18. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
In the US, every kid grew up with Fred Rogers (1928-2003), because of his TV show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, in which he talked about social issues with children in an extremely calm and friendly manner. He did this for over thirty years. This film portrait, based on an article in Esquire, follows a journalist wo was initially skeptical about Rogers’ impeccable image, but became increasingly impressed by him. The other American sweetheart, Tom Hanks, is perfectly cast as Rogers and convincingly brings him to life. The film is inevitably sentimental, but also original and nuanced. It will probably impress you more if you grew up with Fred Rogers, but it’s still a beautiful movie with a message. Or like movie critic Scott Mantz once said: this is the movie version of a hug.
17. Richard
Jewell
16. Tenet
The first blockbuster in this Covid19 period and it was exactly the right film at the right time: a two and a half hour adrenaline rush, custom made for the biggest screen of all. With “Tenet”, Christopher Nolan presents his own version of a Bond film: with spy entanglements, exotic locations, fast flying, boating and vehicles, but also with a serious undertone and complicated time travel dispute. The script is very complex, which make a second viewing necessary. The characters are just pawns in an equally fascinating puzzle. If you thought “Inception” was complicated, think again.
15. The Half of It
Bookworm Ellie is hired by soccer player Paul to write a love letter for Aster, the prettiest girl in the class. She does this with verve, but there is one problem. Ellie herself is in love with Aster. On paper, this is the umpteenth production from Netflix, starring young adults in love. But by focusing on friendship instead of the usual average romance, director Alice Wu manages to lift her second feature film far above average. Hopefully we will get to see lead actress Leah Lewis more in the future. I really loved this movie more than I expected to.
14. The Devil All the Time
The American writer Donald Ray Pollock must have suffered a great deal of religious frustration in the past: his debut novel “The Devil All the Time” is full of perverse preachers, Bible-quoting brutes and other religious madmen. In this ambitious film with an impressive cast, Pollock himself, performs as a storyteller. Place of action is the area around Knockemstiff, Ohio, where the traumatized orphan Arvin Russell tries to stay on the right path. A grotesque, sullen but also fascinating portion of Southern Gothic.
13. Bad Education
True story: in 2004, the Roslyn High School newspaper in New York unveiled a major corruption scandal within its own school. In this subdued film, Hugh Jackman impressively plays the role of Frank Tassone, the amiable superintendent of the school district who is confronted with the embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars by one of his closest employees. Screenwriter Mike Makowsky witnesses the scandal as a student up close and turned it into a fascinating modern tragedy about greed. Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney are both superb in their roles.
12. Uncut Gems
New York jeweler Howard Ratner lives his life in top gear. He has a family, prestige, and a running business, but is always looking for a new deal or the next chance. Without giving the viewer a second’s rest, the directing brothers Safdie drag their main character from crucial encounter to crucial encounter. And in Adam Sandler they found their ideal protagonist. Always fucked up, frantic and exuberant. But where he irritates you in a lot of his films, he now manages to move you. Sandler’s best performance to date and definitely Oscar-worthy.
11. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
The seventeen-year-old Autumn is pregnant, unwanted. She wants to have an abortion, but that is only allowed in her home state of Pennsylvania with permission of her parents. Because she doesn’t want to inform them, she travels to New York with her niece. The rules there are more lenient. This subdued social drama, is a subtle feminist statement that at times is very moving. The leading actresses are fantastic, although their characters remain very passive and therefor somewhat distant. It’s a realistic and raw film, that really made a big impression on me.
10.The Gentlemen
We follow American expat Mickey Pearson, who built a profitable marijuana empire in London. When the story goes that he wants to leave the business, Mickey has to deal with conspiracies, intrigue, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to take everything away from him. If you’re a fan of Guy Ritchie’s previous films “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, this is definitely your cup of tea as well. Fun characters and strong performances, especially by Charlie Hunnam and Hugh Grant.
9. David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet
Biologist David Attenborough, world-famous maker of dozens of nature documentaries and now 94 years old, looks back on his life in this impressive film essay. The conclusion is harsh: in recent decades the wilderness has been systematically destroyed and CO2 emission have increased in an extreme way, causing the planet to face a catastrophe. But it is not yet too late, according to Attenborough. If we radically change our way of life, starting with our diet and agriculture, we can still save ourselves. This documentary was frightening, because of the scary reality it pictures us. But also inspiring and a good lesson for all of us.
8. Da 5 Bloods
More than forty years after they fought there, four black Vietnam War veterans go in search of the corpse of their fallen comrade, as well as the chest full of gold they lost after a helicopter crash. In the successor to “BlackKklansman”, director Spike Lee mixes different genres (war, satire, psychological drama), but above all he zooms in on the underexposed role of African-American soldiers in Vietnam. Razor shark and unforgettable. In short: vintage Spike Lee.
7. Hors Normes
French director duo Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, best know for “Intouchables”, specialize in feelgood films with more serious themes. “Hors Normes” (international title: The Specials) is no exception. We follow Bruno, who runs a shelter for several autistic children, and his good friend Malek, who trains underprivileged young adults to become supervisors of those children. Bruno is Orthodox Jewish, Malek Muslim. In terms of plot, this truthful drama has little to do with it, but the despite-all-optimistic tone is particularly contagious, and it is played beautifully by both professional and non-professional actors.
6. The Lighthouse
New England, 1890. Lighthouse keepers Thomas and Ephraim will have to spend a month together in an abandoned lighthouse on a remote island. It will be an incomparable battle of wills, in which fever dreams and reality merge into one another. Director Robert Eggers, who wrote the scenario together with his brother Max, chose to film in black and white and wrote the roles of Thomas and Ephraim with Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson in mind. “The Lighthouse” is loud and baroque in tone and very oppressive and uncanny. Not for everyone, but for the more advanced movie viewer.
5. Dark Waters
This movie really surprised me and I never expected to have it this high up on my list before I started watching it. But this film left a big impression and left me speechless as well. It’s a true story about attorney Robert Bilott, who fights against chemical giant DuPont, where substances known to be bad for people and the environment were used for decades. Director of this subdued but impressive film is Todd Haynes, who, after a series of beautiful stylized melodramas (“Far From Heaven”, “Carol”, “Wonderstruck”), for the first time – and with success – ventures into a highly political film.
4. The Invisible Man
This horror/ thriller movie proved what I always claim about the genre: it’s what you don’t see that scares you the most. And here it is very literal, because he is invisible. You are constantly focused on what is going on around Cecilia, watching if you can ‘see’ him. It has only a few jump scares, but all effective and anything but cheap. And Elisabeth Moss proves once again that she is one of the finest actresses of the moment.
3. Little Women
Another film adaptation of Louise May Alcott’s world-famous book, nevertheless manages to give an entirely unique twist to the well-known story about an impoverished bourgeois family at the time of the American Civil War. Aspirant writer Jo (Saoirse Ronan), one of the four sisters in the family, is still central, but director Greta Gerwig shows striking understanding for the ambitious Amy (Florence Pugh), who was invariably the ‘bad sister’ in previous versions. I already loved the 1994 version with Winona Ryder, but this is my favorite.
2. 1917
War thriller “1917” gives the impression of being filmed in one continuous shot. Experienced viewers will often wonder how cinematographer Roger Deakins pulled it off. The stunning technique, however, does not get in the way of the drama, but contributes to a rare and oppressive tension. Director Sam Mendes based the plot, about two British soldiers being sent on a life-threatening mission in the northern French trenches, on the experiences of his grandfather, and knows how to bring chaos and tragedy on the Great War breathtakingly close.
1. Jojo Rabbit
The corny absurdism of the New Zealand director Taika Waititi worked very well in movies like “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Thor: Ragnarok”, and yet again, in a more heavy theme with the World War II as a background, he managed it again. Jojo is a young boy in Hitler’s army and he finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. It’s a brilliant satire. Waititi himself plays Hitler, who is also Jojo’s imaginary friend. “Jojo Rabbit” is, without any doubt, my favorite of the year.
A young woman is on her way to the parents of her brand new, rather boring boyfriend. And all the time she hears a little voice in her head that says: I’m thinking of Ending Things. An end to what? The relationship, her life, his life? Charlie Kaufman, best known for his scripts for “Being John Malkovich” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, based his third film as a director for the first time on the story of another. But it still is a typical Kaufman film. Incomprehensible, melancholic and heartbreakingly sad. Definitely the strangest movie on the list, yet so beautiful and hard ignore.
Not particularly subtle, but smart. That’s how this feature film debut gives its own twist to the rare eating disorder pica. Haley Bennet feels completely at home in this film, which has a great match in colors. Everything is right: from the pastel-colored villa with beautiful furniture to the costumes and make-up of Bennet. Behind this dreamlike life lurks a huge nightmare. It gets crazier and crazier: Hunter first starts eating ice cubes, then a pebble and a marble. Hunter must and will swallow it. Even if it endangers her and her unborn baby’s health. “Swallow” is extremely difficult to watch, probably hard to stomach for those not used to this kind of film. But it’s an amazing and original film. Tip: do not eat while watching this film.
In the US, every kid grew up with Fred Rogers (1928-2003), because of his TV show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”, in which he talked about social issues with children in an extremely calm and friendly manner. He did this for over thirty years. This film portrait, based on an article in Esquire, follows a journalist wo was initially skeptical about Rogers’ impeccable image, but became increasingly impressed by him. The other American sweetheart, Tom Hanks, is perfectly cast as Rogers and convincingly brings him to life. The film is inevitably sentimental, but also original and nuanced. It will probably impress you more if you grew up with Fred Rogers, but it’s still a beautiful movie with a message. Or like movie critic Scott Mantz once said: this is the movie version of a hug.
The first blockbuster in this Covid19 period and it was exactly the right film at the right time: a two and a half hour adrenaline rush, custom made for the biggest screen of all. With “Tenet”, Christopher Nolan presents his own version of a Bond film: with spy entanglements, exotic locations, fast flying, boating and vehicles, but also with a serious undertone and complicated time travel dispute. The script is very complex, which make a second viewing necessary. The characters are just pawns in an equally fascinating puzzle. If you thought “Inception” was complicated, think again.
Bookworm Ellie is hired by soccer player Paul to write a love letter for Aster, the prettiest girl in the class. She does this with verve, but there is one problem. Ellie herself is in love with Aster. On paper, this is the umpteenth production from Netflix, starring young adults in love. But by focusing on friendship instead of the usual average romance, director Alice Wu manages to lift her second feature film far above average. Hopefully we will get to see lead actress Leah Lewis more in the future. I really loved this movie more than I expected to.
The American writer Donald Ray Pollock must have suffered a great deal of religious frustration in the past: his debut novel “The Devil All the Time” is full of perverse preachers, Bible-quoting brutes and other religious madmen. In this ambitious film with an impressive cast, Pollock himself, performs as a storyteller. Place of action is the area around Knockemstiff, Ohio, where the traumatized orphan Arvin Russell tries to stay on the right path. A grotesque, sullen but also fascinating portion of Southern Gothic.
True story: in 2004, the Roslyn High School newspaper in New York unveiled a major corruption scandal within its own school. In this subdued film, Hugh Jackman impressively plays the role of Frank Tassone, the amiable superintendent of the school district who is confronted with the embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars by one of his closest employees. Screenwriter Mike Makowsky witnesses the scandal as a student up close and turned it into a fascinating modern tragedy about greed. Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney are both superb in their roles.
New York jeweler Howard Ratner lives his life in top gear. He has a family, prestige, and a running business, but is always looking for a new deal or the next chance. Without giving the viewer a second’s rest, the directing brothers Safdie drag their main character from crucial encounter to crucial encounter. And in Adam Sandler they found their ideal protagonist. Always fucked up, frantic and exuberant. But where he irritates you in a lot of his films, he now manages to move you. Sandler’s best performance to date and definitely Oscar-worthy.
The seventeen-year-old Autumn is pregnant, unwanted. She wants to have an abortion, but that is only allowed in her home state of Pennsylvania with permission of her parents. Because she doesn’t want to inform them, she travels to New York with her niece. The rules there are more lenient. This subdued social drama, is a subtle feminist statement that at times is very moving. The leading actresses are fantastic, although their characters remain very passive and therefor somewhat distant. It’s a realistic and raw film, that really made a big impression on me.
We follow American expat Mickey Pearson, who built a profitable marijuana empire in London. When the story goes that he wants to leave the business, Mickey has to deal with conspiracies, intrigue, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to take everything away from him. If you’re a fan of Guy Ritchie’s previous films “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” and “Snatch”, this is definitely your cup of tea as well. Fun characters and strong performances, especially by Charlie Hunnam and Hugh Grant.
Biologist David Attenborough, world-famous maker of dozens of nature documentaries and now 94 years old, looks back on his life in this impressive film essay. The conclusion is harsh: in recent decades the wilderness has been systematically destroyed and CO2 emission have increased in an extreme way, causing the planet to face a catastrophe. But it is not yet too late, according to Attenborough. If we radically change our way of life, starting with our diet and agriculture, we can still save ourselves. This documentary was frightening, because of the scary reality it pictures us. But also inspiring and a good lesson for all of us.
More than forty years after they fought there, four black Vietnam War veterans go in search of the corpse of their fallen comrade, as well as the chest full of gold they lost after a helicopter crash. In the successor to “BlackKklansman”, director Spike Lee mixes different genres (war, satire, psychological drama), but above all he zooms in on the underexposed role of African-American soldiers in Vietnam. Razor shark and unforgettable. In short: vintage Spike Lee.
French director duo Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, best know for “Intouchables”, specialize in feelgood films with more serious themes. “Hors Normes” (international title: The Specials) is no exception. We follow Bruno, who runs a shelter for several autistic children, and his good friend Malek, who trains underprivileged young adults to become supervisors of those children. Bruno is Orthodox Jewish, Malek Muslim. In terms of plot, this truthful drama has little to do with it, but the despite-all-optimistic tone is particularly contagious, and it is played beautifully by both professional and non-professional actors.
New England, 1890. Lighthouse keepers Thomas and Ephraim will have to spend a month together in an abandoned lighthouse on a remote island. It will be an incomparable battle of wills, in which fever dreams and reality merge into one another. Director Robert Eggers, who wrote the scenario together with his brother Max, chose to film in black and white and wrote the roles of Thomas and Ephraim with Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson in mind. “The Lighthouse” is loud and baroque in tone and very oppressive and uncanny. Not for everyone, but for the more advanced movie viewer.
This movie really surprised me and I never expected to have it this high up on my list before I started watching it. But this film left a big impression and left me speechless as well. It’s a true story about attorney Robert Bilott, who fights against chemical giant DuPont, where substances known to be bad for people and the environment were used for decades. Director of this subdued but impressive film is Todd Haynes, who, after a series of beautiful stylized melodramas (“Far From Heaven”, “Carol”, “Wonderstruck”), for the first time – and with success – ventures into a highly political film.
This horror/ thriller movie proved what I always claim about the genre: it’s what you don’t see that scares you the most. And here it is very literal, because he is invisible. You are constantly focused on what is going on around Cecilia, watching if you can ‘see’ him. It has only a few jump scares, but all effective and anything but cheap. And Elisabeth Moss proves once again that she is one of the finest actresses of the moment.
Another film adaptation of Louise May Alcott’s world-famous book, nevertheless manages to give an entirely unique twist to the well-known story about an impoverished bourgeois family at the time of the American Civil War. Aspirant writer Jo (Saoirse Ronan), one of the four sisters in the family, is still central, but director Greta Gerwig shows striking understanding for the ambitious Amy (Florence Pugh), who was invariably the ‘bad sister’ in previous versions. I already loved the 1994 version with Winona Ryder, but this is my favorite.
War thriller “1917” gives the impression of being filmed in one continuous shot. Experienced viewers will often wonder how cinematographer Roger Deakins pulled it off. The stunning technique, however, does not get in the way of the drama, but contributes to a rare and oppressive tension. Director Sam Mendes based the plot, about two British soldiers being sent on a life-threatening mission in the northern French trenches, on the experiences of his grandfather, and knows how to bring chaos and tragedy on the Great War breathtakingly close.
The corny absurdism of the New Zealand director Taika Waititi worked very well in movies like “What We Do in the Shadows” and “Thor: Ragnarok”, and yet again, in a more heavy theme with the World War II as a background, he managed it again. Jojo is a young boy in Hitler’s army and he finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. It’s a brilliant satire. Waititi himself plays Hitler, who is also Jojo’s imaginary friend. “Jojo Rabbit” is, without any doubt, my favorite of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Enola Holmes, Happiest Season, Mank, 21 Bridges, Eurovision Song Contest:
The Story of Fire Saga, Emma., The Hunt, Escape from Pretoria, Sonic the
Hedgehog, The Trial of the Chicago 7, Kiss the Ground
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