INTRO
Before I get into my list of what I consider to be the 30 best films of 2021, I have to preface this with the disclaimer that I obviously have not seen everything that came out this year. Also, there are a number of entries on this list that are technically speaking 2020 films but as they didn’t get wide releases until early this year, I’ve decided to count them as 2021 instead.
I don’t typically give honourable mentions, however there were a few other films this year I really loved that I didn’t see until after I’d already written my list. They most definitely would’ve made my Top 30 but as I didn’t get round to them in time I will give them a mention here instead. Those films (in alphabetical order) are, AFTER LOVE, DRIVE MY CAR, FLEE and PETITE MAMAN. I really loved all of these films and would strongly recommend checking them out too.
Now with all that being said, onto the list!
10
LUCA / THE WORLD TO COME / ZOLA
Following on from their success with SOUL, Pixar added yet another shining gem to their catalogue this year with the joyously buoyant LUCA. Although not as show stopping and grandiose as many of their other recent films, what I appreciated most about Luca was how refreshingly small-scale and personal it felt. As much as I loved SOUL, COCO and INSIDE OUT for daring to explore such big, complex ideas and concepts, Luca on the other hand felt like a breath of fresh air in how stripped back and minimalist it was in its approach to telling its story. It may not have blown audiences minds in the same way that the aforementioned films did but I personally found the understated approach to be surprisingly effective, especially in how emotionally impactful the film was.
LUCA is available on Disney+, YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Speaking of understated storytelling, I found Mona Fastvold’s THE WORLD TO COME to be a curiously captivating watch. Starring Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby, the film tells the story of two lonely, isolated women on the American frontier who find themselves inexplicably drawn towards one another. Fastvold’s film is admittedly a very slow burn and I understand that not being to everyone’s tastes but I personally found the romantic drama to be a hauntingly absorbing watch, almost akin to losing yourself deep inside of an old oil painting. Kirby and Waterston are two actors I find to be uniquely expressive performers and they fully showcase that here with performances that convey so much emotion and longing and desire through subtle yet powerful expressions.
THE WORLD TO COME is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
A tumultuous relationship between two women is also at the centre of an albeit very different film in ZOLA, the first ever film to be adapted from not a book but an infamous twitter thread that went viral. Zola is a film that is so weird and different from every other film on the list it’s hard to describe quite what makes it so good but maybe that’s it; it’s so off the beaten track and isn’t worried in the slightest what you’ll think about it. Zola is a film that beats to its own drum, it isn’t trying to be like anything else and I’ve always had a soft spot for films like that. I won’t get into what the film is about in fear of ruining any of the surprises and believe me, there are a lot of them but Zola is full of twists and turns and features great turns from all of its leads, including Riley Keough who I’ve always been a big fan of. The film may not be to everyone’s tastes but if you’re looking for something unique and different I can guarantee you that Zola will definitely not disappoint.
ZOLA is available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.
9
THE NIGHT HOUSE / BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY / MAINSTREAM
2021 may not have been the best year for horror but there were a couple of notable exceptions, one of them being David Bruckner’s THE NIGHT HOUSE, a surprisingly chilling haunted house movie. On paper, The Night House sounds like it could be just another generic, formulaic horror movie and on the surface, in many ways it is but what makes this film so special lies in the execution. Rebecca Hall, on top of form as usual, stars here as Beth; a woman who after losing her husband to suicide finds herself falling into a downward spiral of fear, paranoia and confusion. For me, The Night House is so effective because despite its seemingly formulaic and conventional genre trappings, the movie excels by digging deeper into what grief and loss can do to you, how it can warp your mind and cause you to lose your grasp on reality. For this reason, The Night House really got under my skin; it caused me, like Beth, to also question my judgement, as I never knew whether what I was seeing was real or imaginary and what is scarier than not being able to trust your own two eyes?
THE NIGHT HOUSE is available on Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube.
The first of a few music orientated films on this list, BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY is a documentary that follows pop star sensation Billie Eilish on her rise to stardom. In all honesty, I’m not interested in most of today’s biggest pop stars but one that I am a big fan of is Billie Eilish so when I first heard about this film I couldn’t wait to watch it. What I liked most about this documentary is that it really got to the heart of what makes Billie Eilish so special and why so many of us love her so much; that even after all she has accomplished in recent years, in spite of it all she has remained so grounded and humble. The film is such an enjoyable watch as we are with Billie every step of the way and although its long runtime of two and a half hours threatens to taint our experience, the film never loses its way because it maintains its focus on Billie, whose talents and quirks and charms are impossible to resist.
BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY is available on Apple TV.
In what may be the only film on this list that the majority disagrees with me on, I found Gia Coppola’s MAINSTREAM, a quasi-cautionary tale about the dangers of social media to be an unexpectedly entertaining watch. I’ve always had a soft spot for dark comedies and social satires and although many people found the film to be lazy and obvious, I personally found Mainstream to be surprisingly honest and authentic. Ordinarily I don’t typically enjoy films that try to give commentary on modern online culture and social media, it can often feel phony and untruthful but for me, Coppola made a film in Mainstream that had a bite and an edge to it, it felt unafraid to show things as they truly are without a hint of shame or embarrassment. Maya Hawke was a revelation to me in her first proper lead role and Andrew Garfield was on fire here, stealing every scene in what may have been my favourite performance from him this year.
MAINSTREAM is available on YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
8
OXYGEN / SHIVA BABY / JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Following his surprisingly effective creature feature in 2019’s CRAWL, director Alexandre Aja returned this year with OXYGEN, an incredibly suspenseful psychological thriller. Starring Melanie Laurent, the film centres on a woman who after awakening unexpectedly from cryosleep finds herself trapped in a pod, rapidly running out of air and with no memory of how she found herself there. Oxygen was the first big pleasant surprise of the year for me, Aja’s previous film Crawl was much better than I expected it to be and he continues to impress me here with another stripped back, small-scale film that is simple but effective. Melanie Laurent is on top form here as practically the only actor in the entire film and she really carries it. There is a danger of a film like this potentially losing momentum and becoming tedious to watch, but I’m admittedly a sucker for a good single-location film and to its credit, Oxygen stays consistently engaging throughout and keeps you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of its tight 90ish minute runtime.
OXYGEN is available on Netflix.
In a similar vein to Oxygen is an equally small-scale, pressure cooker of a film in Emma Seligman’s impressive directorial debut SHIVA BABY. A remarkable Rachel Sennott (in her feature film debut) stars here as Danielle, a young, 20-something chaotic bisexual who finds herself overwhelmed by prying family members whilst attending a Jewish funeral. Despite also being a very contained film set primarily in one single location, I found Shiva Baby to be an exhilaratingly uncomfortable experience. Seligman directs with a surprising amount of assurance in her directorial debut, delivering a film that is positively disorientating and stressful to watch. We are thrown right into the thick of it, alongside Danielle, as chaos begins to slowly erupt around her and we are with her every step of the way as she desperately struggles to hold her messy life together.
SHIVA BABY is available on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Chaos erupting around you could also be an apt descriptor of the Fred Hampton film JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH. Following the titular Judas, William O’Neal (played by Lakeith Stanfield) is tasked with infiltrating the Black Panther party in order to get close to the Black Messiah (Daniel Kaluuya’s Fred Hampton). What I found so interesting about this film is that instead of being yet another bog-standard, formulaic biopic which it so easily could have been, in the hands of director Shaka King, Judas is instead a far more interesting look at the character of O’Neal and how and why he did what he did. Lakeith Stanfield gives a great performance here but it’s rising star Daniel Kaluuya who steals the show with an Oscar-winning turn as the aforementioned Fred Hampton, delivering a performance that is so heartbreakingly real and tender and powerful. Kaluuya is without a doubt one of our brightest stars and I for one cannot wait to see what he does from here.
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH is available on YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
7
MINARI / THE FATHER / THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
One of the many small character dramas I admired this year was Lee Isaac Chung’s MINARI, a film about a Korean-American family who move to an Arkansas farm in search of their own American dream. I was late to the game with Minari and going in I was admittedly unsure if it would be for me but what I liked most about this film was how tender and charming it was. A lot of films that deal with this kind of subject matter feel the need to be big and important and grandiose but what I appreciated about Minari is that it was far more concerned in telling a small, focused story about one unassuming family and their personal struggles and for me, this made it far more relatable. Their story is the immigrant story but it’s also a universal one, one we can all relate to in one way or another; anyone who’s ever felt different or othered knows full well what it’s like to be treated as an outsider. Steven Yeun is also heart-breaking here in an Oscar-calibre performance that is so subtle yet extremely powerful, by the end of the film you’ll just want to give him the biggest hug.
MINARI is available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube.
Speaking of personal character drama, Florian Zeller’s THE FATHER was an absolutely crushing watch. Zeller’s potent directorial debut was one of the first films I saw this year but it continued to stay with me. Powerhouse actor Anthony Hopkins delivers quite possibly the best performance of his illustrious career in a deservedly Oscar-winning turn as Anthony, an 80-something year old father who finds himself mentally deteriorating over the course of this riveting 90-minute drama. It’s true that there have been many, many films about characters suffering from dementia but what makes The Father so special and what separates and quite frankly elevates it above the competition is how it puts us in Anthony’s shoes by telling the whole film entirely from his point of view. It sounds relatively simple and straightforward but the results are startlingly effective as we as the audience are able to witness first hand a little of what it must be like to lose your grasp on reality. Zeller astonishes here in his directorial debut, implementing an almost horror-like editing style, supporting characters played by multiple actors and more genius techniques that effectively puts us into the same headspace as Anthony, so much so that by the time the film reaches its climactic ending you find yourself exerting the same kind of emotional release as the character when he breaks down in an absolutely heart breaking final scene that will be sure to leave you in tears.
THE FATHER is available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.
Another film this year that also came out of nowhere and blew me away was for my money easily the best animated film of the year in THE MITCHELL’S VS. THE MACHINES, a wildly entertaining family road trip movie. Set against the backdrop of a robo-pocalypse, the Lord and Miller-esque Mitchell’s Vs. The Machines follows the titular Mitchell’s as they find themselves travelling across the country in a desperate road trip to save humanity. One of the many things I loved about The Mitchell’s Vs. The Machines was that it revolved around a young girl and her tumultuous relationship with her father and that was wonderfully refreshing to see. So many movies nowadays centre on father-son dynamics or mother-daughter relationships and I love many of those films but the one drawback is that we rarely ever see the father and daughter bond portrayed on screen and as someone who was very much a daddy’s girl in my early teens, I personally thought that it was wonderfully realised here in Katy Mitchell’s story. At it’s heart, The Mitchell’s Vs. The Machines was all about a girl, through crazy world-ending shenanigans, coming to reconnect with the man she was once adored as an infant and I found that to be delightful. Sweet, earnest, charming, funny: all in all just an absolutely great time at the movies.
THE MITCHELL’S VS. THE MACHINES is available on Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
6
BO BURNHAM: INSIDE / THE BEATLES: GET BACK / THE SPARKS BROTHERS
I personally found 2021 to be a great year for musical films, and not just documentaries, also more experimental fare like BO BURNHAM’S INSIDE, a quasi-documentary, musical comedy special that out of all the films I saw this year may have been, if not the most different, certainly the most difficult to classify. One part stand-up comedy special, another part musical, Inside defies categorisation in such interesting and exciting ways, there has been much debate as to whether Burnham’s film is indeed a film at all, or if it’s “just” a Netflix comedy special, but as you may have guessed, I absolutely consider Inside to be a film. On top of razor-sharp comedy, Inside is also full to the brim with fantastic, full-blown musical numbers, (all of which bring the house down) and is even intercut with many ‘are they real or aren’t they?’ documentary style segments in which we are given an insight (whether real or reconstructed) into Burnham’s process and an almost behind the scenes look into the making of the very thing we’re watching. All in all, Inside is a remarkable piece of work, one that works as both a phenomenal stand-up comedy special in its own right as well as a rip-roaring musical film and even a commentary on the state of the world today and what it means to be an artist when you feel isolated and cut-off from everyone and everything around you. Inside truly is one of the most unique, interesting and entertaining films I think I’ve ever seen.
BO BURNHAM: INSIDE is available on Netflix.
Speaking of great musical films, THE BEATLES: GET BACK, Peter Jackson’s eye-opening, nine-hour behind the scenes look into the process of the legendary band is nothing short of extraordinary. I’ve always been a big fan of the Beatles but I’ve never considered myself a hardcore Beatles enthusiast as many do, so going into the dauntingly three-part, nine-hour long Get Back, I was unsure whether it would be my cup of tea, but as it turns out I absolutely loved this film. I really enjoyed Jackson’s last documentary THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD in which he miraculously restored one hundred year old war footage and he did that once again here but this time with hours of previously unseen footage of the Beatles rehearsing songs, in reparation for their iconic rooftop concert. For me, Get Back was quite simply an astonishing piece of work. Not only did it look remarkably good on a technical level, (your brain knows Paul McCartney is 79 yet you could swear you’re watching footage that was shot this year) but also the film was an incredibly illuminating and insightful look into the process and inner workings of the famous band. I mistakenly thought that watching close to nine hours of footage would become tedious and boring but that couldn’t have been further from the truth. Get Back was such a joy to watch; my mum and I watched the whole thing over the course of a few days and by the time it was over we could’ve easily watched nine hours more.
THE BEATLES: GET BACK is available on Disney+.
On a similar note, what may have been my favourite music documentary of the year was director Edgar Wright’s incredibly insightful and entertaining look into the life and career of Ron and Russell Mael in THE SPARKS BROTHERS. Going into The Sparks Brothers I had no idea what to expect, I had heard good things about the film but in all honestly I had no idea who the Sparks Brothers were or if indeed the film would resonate me in any way but oh boy was I wrong; I had such a stupidly good time with this film. One of the many things I loved about The Sparks Brothers was that as well as being a really well put together documentary that was easy to follow and never dragged, it was also such an interesting and insightful look into the titular brothers that by the time the film came to close, despite having never heard of them before, I would now consider myself a life-long Sparks Brothers fan. Quite simply, Wright’s film has introduced me to a duo in Ron and Russell Mael whom I feel such a deep and powerful connection to. Not only is their music weird and wonderful in all the best possible ways, but just the simple yet meaningful idea that success and fulfilment comes not from how famous or how popular you are but by how talented you are at what you do and how hard you work to achieve your goals just resonated with me on such a deep and profound level.
THE SPARKS BROTHERS is available on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.
5
THE SUICIDE SQUAD / ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE / MASS
Famous for his R-rated, irreverent comedies, James Gunn’s THE SUICIDE SQUAD was an absolute riot. With the reigns off and complete and total freedom to do whatever he wanted, director James Gunn delighted us this year with his wonderfully refreshing, no holds barred take on DC’s Suicide Squad. For me, this flick gave me everything I’ve ever wanted from a Suicide Squad movie and more. In short, returning cast members Margot Robbie, Viola Davis and Joel Kinnaman join newbies Idris Elba, John Cena and Daniella Melchior in this brazen, colourful and ridiculously entertaining romp from the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY filmmaker. What I loved most about The Suicide Squad was not only did it deliver 100% on all the crazy, over the top action and violence and carnage you could possibly want from an R-rated blockbuster like this but also, underneath all the blood and chaos it had a real heart. Just as he did with Guardians, Gunn gives the characters real personalities and souls; they’re living, breathing people complete with flaws and issues and insecurities. Because of this, everything that transpires in the movie is far more emotionally impactful because despite all the world-ending carnage, we’re able to connect with this loveable ragtag group of rascals.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD is available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.
On a similar level, visionary filmmaker Zack Snyder was finally able to complete his long-awaited and much anticipated take on DC’s most famous superhero team this year in his epic, four hour long magnum opus – JUSTICE LEAGUE. Years in the making, March of 2021 finally saw the release of Snyder’s film and to my relief, I absolutely adored it. I’ve always had a soft spot for superhero movies and DC’s characters in particular, yet over the last few years I’ve admittedly found myself underwhelmed and disappointed by most mainstream superhero fare. However, Zack Snyder’s take on the Justice League proved to be a much needed a breath of fresh air for me; what could’ve been an overlong, boring slog instead turned out to be a surprisingly emotionally resonant film. What I loved about Snyder’s approach to this film was that instead of making yet another big, bloated slugfest like a lot of other blockbusters nowadays, like Gunn, he was given free reign to make the movie he wanted to make and so Justice League turned out to a film about broken people healing and finding strength through unity and that made for an unexpectedly emotional and inspiring film. At its heart, this is Cyborg’s story, a young man who after feeling lost and broken in the wake of a horrific accident is able to find purpose and meaning again as the key to the team’s success. “I’m not broken and I’m not alone,” dare I say one of the most rousing moments in any movie this year?
ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE is available on YouTube and Apple TV.
Speaking of broken people healing, I found myself completely lost for words after watching actor Fran Kranz’s powerful directorial debut, MASS. In the wake of an unspeakable tragedy, two sets of parents meet to discuss everything that transpired in an attempt heal and move on from the trauma they have endured. Going into Mass I knew very little, I had a vague idea as to what it was about but aside from that, I had no idea what to expect. In hindsight, I’m so glad this was the case as going into this film completely blind made it all the more powerful. Set almost entirely in one room with just four main actors, Mass could’ve easily become tiring and repetitive but credit to first time director Fran Kranz who clearly stuck to what he knows. Instead of overextending himself and making something sprawling and complex, he decided instead to make a film all about just actors acting and fair play to him, he absolutely knocked it out of the park. Could Mass be considered just a glorified stage play? Yeah, maybe, but quite frankly I don’t care. This film was so masterfully directed and so phenomenally acted, you find yourself fully absorbed by it for the entirety of its runtime. All four of its leads absolutely blow the doors off with such emotionally powerful, tour-de-force performances that by the time the film comes to a close you’ll feel completely wiped out. All in all, Mass is an absolutely shattering yet surprisingly cathartic and therapeutic work of art.
MASS is available on NOW TV and Sky Cinema.
4
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME / CODA / PLAN B
For me, 2021 was a strong year for comic book movies, and what may have been my favourite of the bunch was Jon Watts’ trilogy capper, SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME. Easily the most highly anticipated movie of the year, I have to admit, leading up to its release I wasn’t personally that excited. As much as I was looking forward to the movie and intrigued as to what they were doing, I was worried that it wouldn’t live up to the hype, I’ve been burned by these kinds of films many times before and I didn’t want to feel underwhelmed and disappointed yet again. However, much to my delight, I was so pleasantly surprised by this third instalment in the new Spider-Man franchise and was quite frankly amazed that they managed to make such a good film, especially following in the footsteps of its muddled predecessor FAR FROM HOME. For me, where No Way Home really came alive was in how it maintained its focus on the character of Peter Parker, whose journey and arc proved to be the backbone of this third instalment, where Far From Home felt meandering and confused, No Way Home felt focused and character-driven. What surprised me most about this film was that despite it being Tom Holland’s sixth outing as the famous web-slinger, this really felt like the first time his story of becoming Spider-Man felt front and centre. In many ways this is the origin story for this version of Peter Parker we have been waiting to see and boy, was it worth the wait.
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Another coming-of-age movie I deeply admired this year was Sian Heder’s CODA, the Sundance darling that I absolutely adored. Following teenager Ruby Rossi, Coda explores the challenges of being a child of death adults and what it’s like to navigate your life when you’re the only person in your family who isn’t hard of hearing. Coda is a difficult one to write about because as much as I enjoyed it, the film isn’t necessarily doing anything we haven’t seen before. On paper, this is just yet another heart-warming, inspirational, coming-of-age story but despite not doing anything particularly new or groundbreaking, Coda is such a joy to watch because everything is executed so damn well. I often say that I don’t mind if films are cliché or formulaic as long as they are done well and that is absolutely the case with Coda. Sian Heder directs with such care and tenderness and all of the performances are so honest and authentic, the film’s charms end up being impossible to resist. Newcomer Emilia Jones really shines here in quite possibly her most challenging role to date. I’ve never taken much notice of her before but the 19-year-old Brit really impressed me here in a role that not only required great acting but also the ability to sign and sing! If you ask me, this rising star has a really bright future ahead of her and I for one cannot wait to see what she does next.
CODA is available on Apple TV.
BOOKSMART meets UNPREGNANT in my favourite coming-of-age movie of the year PLAN B, the wonderfully charming and funny directorial debut from actor Natalie Morales. I’m not generally the biggest fan of R-rated, high school comedies, most of the time they’re not for me, but this was absolutely not the case with Plan B. Following two teenage girls, the film tells the story of Sunny, who after experiencing a regrettable sexual encounter, sets off on a haphazard road trip across the country in search of a Plan B pill in this hilarious and heart warming comedy. Much like Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart, I found myself relating to these characters way more than I thought I would and despite not being the biggest fan of most gross out teen comedies, Plan B really worked for me. Not only was the movie legitimately funny, but the characters were also well realised and nothing about the execution felt false or inauthentic. My biggest gripe with most high-school movies nowadays is that a lot of them don’t feel accurate to what it’s actually like to be a kid today but credit to first time director Natalie Morales and writers Prathi Srinivasan and Joshua Levy for crafting a film that felt thoroughly modern and relevant, and not in a cringey, awkward way. An uncompromisingly honest and authentic reflection of what the teenage girl experience is actually like in 2021.
PLAN B is available on Disney+ in the UK and on HULU in the US.
3
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO / ANNETTE / WEST SIDE STORY
One of my favourite directors working today has to be Edgar Wright. From SHAUN OF THE DEAD to BABY DRIVER, everything he’s done has worked for me on practically every level and his winning streak continues with his latest film, the psychological horror LAST NIGHT IN SOHO. Now it may be true that none of Wright’s films are explicit musicals but one of my favourite things about his style of directing is how he combines visuals and music in such a way that they are almost reminiscent of them. From the QUEEN needle drop in Shaun of the Dead all the way through to the musically choreographed action sequences in his most recent film Baby Driver, Wright seems to have as much of a fascination with and love for music as he does film and that very much carries over into Last Night in Soho as well. Following timid teenager Eloise, played by rising star Thomasin McKenzie, Wright’s latest film tells the story of a girl who, feeling out of time, finds herself being transported back into the 60s when she falls asleep at night. What I loved most about Last Night in Soho is that although Wright could’ve so easily played it safe and given us something one note, I appreciated how he and co-writer Krysty Wilson-Cairns, gave us something far more complex and interesting than I was expecting. As much as the Eloise character has nostalgia for the 60s and looks at the past with rose-tinted glasses, the film doesn’t sugarcoat or glorify anything, it actually goes to great lengths in showing us just how awful things were back then, especially for women.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO is available on YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
Another one of my favourite musicals this year had to be ANNETTE, the latest twisted fantasy from acclaimed French filmmaker Leos Carax. Starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, and featuring music from the aforementioned Sparks Brothers, Annette is an absolute triumph, a weird and wonderful smorgasbord of delight if you will. Following the mind-bogglingly bizarre HOLY MOTORS, Carax turned his talents to that of a musical in the brazenly surreal, theatrical odyssey that is Annette. One of the many things I loved about this film was how it very much felt like the best of both the Sparks Brothers and Leos Carax combined. As far as I know, it was Ron and Russell Mael who wanted to make a film and they were the ones to reach out to Carax, and after watching and loving Annette, I definitely think that they made the right choice. In many ways the Sparks Brothers were the stars of this movie just as much Adam Driver and Leos Carax was the perfect director to bring their vision to life. I absolutely loved all of the oddly catchy music in this film and found myself singing many of the songs for weeks afterwards. It’s true that Annette may not be my number one musical of the year but it was definitely the one I enjoyed watching the most.
ANNETTE is available on Apple TV.
The final film of this triptych is Steven Spielberg’s WEST SIDE STORY, the 2021 remake of the 1961 classic. I have to admit, as sacrilegious as it may be to say, I don’t particularly love the original West Side Story, I don’t dislike the film per se, I’ve just never loved it the same way many others seem to. However that being said, I was actually very excited for this new version; Steven Spielberg is one of my favourite directors of all time and when I heard his next film was going to be a remake of West Side Story I was thrilled, he’s directed many musical sequences before but never a full blown musical in its own right. This film is everything I wanted it to be and more. I never had any doubt that the master would disappoint, but still, even I was astonished at just how well directed this was. Seriously, from the opening shot my jaw was on the floor and it remained that way for practically the entirety of the runtime. I was agog and aghast and by the time the film came to a close, I could barely believe what I’d just witnessed, honestly it really is that good. Newcomer Rachel Zegler who I’ve found to be a delightful presence on social media absolutely blew me away here as Maria and not just with her angelic singing voice but also her phenomenal acting in her first ever role on film! However, as much as I adored Zegler in the lead, the star of the show may have been Arianna Debose who exuded so much power and fire and heart in the role of Anita. I loved every scene but if I had to highlight one, it would be Anita and Bernardo performing the iconic number ‘America’ in what may have been my favourite moment in an all around showstopper of a musical master class.
WEST SIDE STORY is available on Disney+, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.
2
RIDERS OF JUSTICE / THE POWER OF THE DOG / DUNE: PART ONE
In a year full of hidden gems, the biggest surprise for me may have been RIDERS OF JUSTICE, the new film from Danish filmmaker Anders Thomas Jensen. Going into this film I had no idea what to expect, all I’d seen were the posters and from the marketing you’d be mistaken into thinking this was some kind of serious biker gang movie but that was absolutely not the case. Starring the always-amazing Mads Mikkelsen, Riders of Justice follows recently deployed Markus who is forced to return home to care for his teenage daughter after his wife is killed in a tragic train accident. This film was such a pleasant surprise for me because it was totally not what I expected it to be. Despite dealing with very dark and serious subject matter, the film was also surprisingly funny, albeit in a very darkly comedic way. On top of this, Riders of Justice is also a fascinating examination and deconstruction of toxic masculinity that at times is ridiculously hilarious and at others, unexpectedly heart-warming and emotional. Mads Mikkelsen is once again on top form here in what has got to be one of my favourite performances from him as the damaged and wounded Markus, who through various wild escapades, ultimately finds himself having to come to terms with the suffocating effects of toxic masculinity. Because of this, the film ends up being an uplifting and life-affirming watch as we follow Markus on his journey to accept and ultimately embrace the healing benefits that come along with opening yourself up to love, tenderness and vulnerability.
RIDERS OF JUSTICE is available on YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
Speaking of deconstructing masculinity, acclaimed director Jane Campion gifted us with another absolutely astonishing film this year in THE POWER OF THE DOG. Admittedly, I was initially hesitant to watch this film as I was unsure whether it would be my cup of tea, I’d heard unbelievably good things about it but I was worried that I wouldn’t love it as much as everyone else. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I absolutely loved this film. I thought I knew what to expect going into The Power of the Dog, but it was so much more than what I thought it was going to be. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, the film follows Phil; a domineering rancher who responds with mocking cruelty when his brother brings home a new wife and her son, until the unexpected comes to pass. Everything about this film was so masterfully accomplished, the directing was immaculate, the cinematography was stunning, and the performances were pitch-perfect. If I were to focus on something, I would have to single out the dynamic and back-and-forth between Phil and Peter. I thought I knew where the story was going when they first met but it actually ended up unfolding in ways I totally didn’t expect and there’s nothing I love more than when a film can not only be stupidly good on a technical level but subversive on a thematic one too. I’m hesitant to go into too much detail in fear of spoiling anything so all I’ll say is that I found Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee to be astonishingly good, maybe the best I’ve ever seen from both of them and I loved how their characters were almost like the inverses of one another. One, a guy that’s all bravado but broken and damaged underneath and the other, one that appears vulnerable but is revealed to be silently strong and for me, that dichotomy proved to be a fascinating one to watch.
THE POWER OF THE DOG is available on Netflix.
Another one of the best filmmakers working today has got to be Denis Villeneuve. In just the last ten years alone he’s made some of the best films this turn of the century. ENEMY, PRISONERS, SICARIO, ARRIVAL, BLADE RUNNER: 2049, I’m hard pressed to think of another run of five films that good and I’m pleased to say that his incredible run continues with his latest science-fiction epic, DUNE. In the wake of his success with his last two ventures into the world of sci-fi with Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049, Villeneuve turned his sights to classic literature with the momentous task of adapting Frank Herbert’s legendary book, Dune. Going into this film I was ridiculously excited, I’m a massive fan of science fiction cinema and I absolutely loved both Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049 but I was still nevertheless worried that Dune wouldn’t live up to the hype. However, I could not have been more wrong; Denis’ latest is an absolutely towering achievement in genre cinema and the start of what very well could end up being the best fantasy series since THE LORD OF THE RINGS. One of the most awe-inspiring aspects of this film to me is how expansive and immersive of an experience it was. From the opening frames I was sucked in and for the entirety of the runtime I felt as if I had been transported across time and space, I never for one second fell out of the illusion, I genuinely believed we were seeing glimpses into other worlds in the far future, it was that convincing. The world-building in Dune is immense, yet it never feels overpowering. All of the visual effects are so perfectly woven into the mise-en-scène, I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen CGI in a movie this photorealistic before. All in all, Dune is an absolutely astonishing achievement and the most accomplished piece of science-fiction cinema since, well, Denis’ last film.
DUNE is available on YouTube, Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video.
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THE GREEN KNIGHT / PIG / SAINT MAUD
David Lowery has got to be one of the more interesting directors working today. From the spellbindingly surreal A GHOST STORY, to the uplifting family film PETE’S DRAGON, he’s proved himself to be an extraordinarily versatile talent behind the camera and quite simply just an incredible filmmaker all round. So it’s safe to say that when I heard his next film was going to be an adaptation of the medieval poem SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT I was unbelievably excited and thankfully, I was not disappointed. It’s difficult to get an accurate grasp on whether people generally liked THE GREEN KNIGHT or not, I certainly did and the people in my circles did too but much like A Ghost Story, I would guess that Lowery’s latest would also be considered an acquired taste. Personally, I absolutely loved this film and of everything I saw this year The Green Knight, save but for two, has stuck with me more than anything else. In a similar vein to A Ghost Story, Lowery’s new film also has a phantasmagorical, visual poem quality to it. Although not quite as abstract, The Green Knight has just as much of a whimsical, fairy-tale vibe that I absolutely ate up. It might not be for everyone but I personally love films like this. I love it when films and filmmakers are brave enough and bold enough to do something different and regardless of whether it’s to your tastes or not, there’s no doubt that The Green Knight is audacious storytelling. I always say that I’ll take a bold, daring flawed masterpiece over a safe, solid film and there’s nothing more I love than falling into a mystifying, slow burn of a film and being rewarded by sticking with it to the end.
THE GREEN KNIGHT is available on Amazon Prime Video.
Speaking of a slow burn, one of my absolute favourite films this year came in the most unassuming guise and that was Michael Sarnoski’s astonishing directorial debut PIG. Starring the incomparable Nicholas Cage, Pig tells the story of a truffle hunter living alone in the Oregon wilderness, who returns to Portland to find the person who stole his beloved pig. Now, on the surface it doesn’t sound like much and going into this film I really had no expectations; I’d heard good things but I didn’t have any idea as to what the film was about. In hindsight, I’m so glad I went into this completely blind because Pig well and truly floored me. A sort of anti-JOHN WICK if you will, one of the many things I deeply loved about this film was how it subverted our expectations and ended up not being about revenge but about people gaining peace and acceptance through other, quieter means. I have such a deep and profound love for films that can be impactful whilst understated and this film was so quietly powerful, it sneaks up on on you and leaves you speechless by the end. Don’t get me wrong, I love big bombastic blockbusters as well but I also have such a soft spot for small, quiet unassuming films like this that may be slow and subdued, but can get wriggle their way under your skin and get you thinking about your own life to the point where you may even start re-examining yourself. I don’t want to get into specifics but all I’ll say is that ‘the restaurant scene’ was not only one of my favourite moments in Pig but on reflection, was also one of my favourite scenes in any movie I saw this year. It’s just a simple exchange of dialogue between two characters and yet it resonated with me on such a deep and profound level. In a way, the restaurant scene perfectly sums up the magic of this film: quiet, low-key and unassuming on the surface but deep, powerful and hard-hitting underneath. Of all the films I saw this year Pig was the one that came out of nowhere yet left one of the biggest impressions on me. I vividly remember watching this for the first time last summer and thinking to myself as it came to a close, ‘that was a really special film.’ It’s true that Pig may not be my favourite film of the year but it was unquestionably the one that moved me the most. I wholeheartedly believe this film will always hold a special place in my heart.
PIG is available on YouTube and Amazon Prime Video.
I have to admit, I went back and forth with Pig and my number one film as to which one should make the top spot on my list but in the end I came to the conclusion that as much as I was moved by Pig, there was one other film that came out this year that resonated with me on such a deep level that I could not in good conscience give it anything other than the number one spot on my list and that film is Rose Glass’ phenomenal feature film debut SAINT MAUD. It’s only now that I’m realising just how many good directorial debuts we had this year. From Mass to Plan B to Pig, 2021 for me, was an incredibly strong year for first time feature filmmakers and that only continues with the fantastic psychological horror Saint Maud. I absolutely loved this film. I may not be the biggest fan of horror in general but I have such a soft spot for psychological thrillers and they definitely make for my favourite kind of horror films. In fact, if I were lucky enough to make a film, Saint Maud is exactly the kind of movie I would make. First time feature filmmaker Rose Glass absolutely blew me away here, if I didn’t know this was her first feature I would’ve sworn it was directed by a veteran in the craft; in my estimation Saint Maud isn’t just good for a first feature, it’s also one of the best films I’ve seen in years, I loved it that much. Admittedly, I am a sucker for films about damaged young women but I thought it was done particularly effectively here. I’ve always said that sci-fi/fantasy and horror are perfect for enhancing films about important, real-world issues and making them all the more impactful and Saint Maud only further proves that. Maud is a broken, unstable person who over the course of this film gradually goes further and further off the deep end until she ends up in a downward spiral into insanity, and I loved how the fantasy/horror elements only helped to enhance and elevate that central concept. Rising star Morfydd Clark is on fire here as the idiosyncratic Maud, delivering a performance that is so fine-tuned and precise yet so unhinged and chaotic at the same time. It also goes without saying that the film is masterfully directed by Rose Glass, with stunning cinematography from Ben Fordesman and a hauntingly memorable score from Adam Janota Bzowski. I could go on but all in all Saint Maud, as far as I’m concerned is one the best films I’ve seen in years. An absolute master class on all fronts; it quite simply took my breath away. If there was ever any doubt as to whether it would make the top spot on my list, its hauntingly captivating closing scene bookended with one of the most breathtaking final shots ensured its place as not just my favourite film of the year but also, an instant classic.
SAINT MAUD is available on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV.
O'Sullivan Reviews 
Hi Daisy, would it be possible for you to also share what channels these films can be watched on as theres a couple I’d like to see!
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Hi Sarah, funny you should bring that up as I was thinking about doing that anyway. I’ll make sure to add that info for you!
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