*NOTE: This list is compiled strictly of titles I saw over the course of January through December 2020. Whether due to availability or awareness, this list is subject to change though will not be reflected here. These are the titles that spoke to me directly at the time of publication and are definitely worth checking out.
30. Buffaloed (Dir. Tanya Wexler)
In America, one of the toughest things to do is make an honest living. For most, that barely covers a wage that will keep one living paycheck to paycheck. Of the many narratives that have explored the financial desperation of the common criminal, few recent examples have been as entertaining as Peg (Zoey Deutch). Paying homage to crime dramas, this comedy is rich with style, finding a character who smiles while secretly hiding a knife in case of attack. Her confidence is horrifying, verbally assaulting anyone who dares to stand in her way.
But the results speak for themselves. As she attends to phone sales and tracks down various debtors, the story begins to focus on the bigger issue. It isn’t just the desperation of trying to make it in America. For Peg, it’s a shot at a better life, to attend an Ivy League college and be accepted among those considered elite. She is a freight train barely staying on track, and Deutch turns in one of her most enjoyable performances to date. In a time where everyone is looking for a job, the insane decisions that Peg make don't seem all that farfetched, though they remain entertaining nonetheless.
29. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Dir. Jason Woliner)
One of the harshest truth is that Sacha Baron Cohen as a comedian has grown a bit soft. After 14 years, he returns with his Da Ali G Show character to tell a story about a father trying to raise a daughter in a hyper-conservative, hyper-confusing era of American history. With the world crumbling around him, he must decide what is important for his daughter (which includes making her a child bride for the vice president) and learns to grow a conscience. As Borat navigates the country looking for answers, he runs into a whole host of problems that shed light on the ways that things have changed since 2006, and what he finds is insane.
Some of the humor is lost because reality caught up with Cohen. There’s no longer concern about faking niceties, and its jarring nature may be numbed by personal mileage on Twitter. There are still plenty of clever set-pieces and a memorable performance by Maria Bakalova. Whereas Cohen’s shtick is familiar, Bakalova shines with an even more unique perspective of a woman learning what it means to be independent of a man, to have joys of her own. Sure it’s the familiar brand of shock humor with a modern political lean, but it has enough heart to make up for it. What it lacks in immediacy it more than makes up for with a call for change. When even Borat wants people to get out there and vote, it’s a sign of how unreal the world has become.
28. Deerskin (Dir. Quentin Dupieux)
The master of the “no reason” aesthetic returns yet again for another dive into absurdism. Whereas most of his films are too weird to ever work, it feels like Dupieux has finally found his match with a story that reflects the conflict of one man growing old. Jean Dujardin plays an insecure man in the middle of a midlife crisis, eager to recapture his glory by filming his own movie. The catch is that it couldn’t be so simple. Everyone he films are strangers giving away their jackets, which he believes will somehow make him special and unique.
The deerskin jacket has its own powers, attempting to drop Dujardin’s age in half to his youthful prime. However, he also looks increasingly ridiculous, especially as he discusses film theory that reflects his own insecurity with controlling the world around him. Does he even live in reality anymore, or is he really as happy as he thinks? The stroke of genius is how it paints the whole thing as tragic even as Dujardin turns in one of his funniest roles in a while. There is no reason for him to be so obsessed with something so fleeting, and yet it becomes his downfall. This is the quintessential midlife crisis movie, reflecting how insecure the middle-aged man becomes when he thinks that he loses his vitality. It doesn’t make sense to anyone but him, and Dupieux understands that very well.
27. Enola Holmes (Dir. Harry Bradbeer)
For Enola, her whole life has been one giant puzzle to solve. Her name backward means “alone,” suggesting that she is destined to follow her own path. But is there any glory in living a solitary life, or should she go about and solve a mystery? In this clever update of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous creation, Enola finds different ways to escape the shadow of her more successful brother Sherlock. It’s all done with a pitch-perfect performance from Millie Bobby Brown, breaking the fourth wall to discuss her own whimsical observations about the world, including the value of curiosity.
Bradbeer packs the frame with style, constantly finding ways to turn this adventure into a visual delight. Brown is especially inquisitive, finding her observations spilling out with gymnastic precision as she wears disguises and looks for clues in newspapers. It’s a film that encourages the audience to play along, finding their own personal interests growing with the characters. It’s the type of accomplishment that more family entertainment should be striving for, where empowering narratives are backed up with humor that keeps the whole thing delightful. In its effort to prove that nobody is alone, Bradbeer creates a story of stepping out of someone’s shadow and defining one’s own legacy. This is a great start to that adventure.
26. Totally Under Control (Dir. Alex Gibney, Ophelia Harutyunyan, Suzanne Hillinger)
With millions dead and even more infected, there is a good chance that everyone knows someone who has contracted Coronavirus. In a little over a year, this pandemic has changed the way that the world interacts with itself, for better or worse. Thanks to Gibney and his film crew, he helped to document this moment in painstaking detail, making sure that nobody forgets that this happened. Even if this ends more with an ellipse than a period, what it does say about the first few months is astounding, pointing out the various sacrifices and roadblocks made to even get halfway to a definitive answer.
For most in 2020, this documentary may come across as redundant to the news coverage that they have been receiving. It’s best viewed as a resource for future generations to look back at the moment as it unfolded, hoping to make sure that the various forms of negligence never happen again. It’s history as it happened, and for many, it will likely be too close for comfort. So long as Gibney continues to provide these essential documentaries, there’s a good chance that all of this will eventually put into perspective, never to be forgotten in all of its traumatic detail. This isn’t propaganda meant to scare viewers. It’s just a glimpse into reality that nobody was prepared for.
Coming Up Next: War Zones, Pop Superstars, and Kajillionaires
Comments
Post a Comment