*NOTE: This list is compiled strictly of titles I saw over the course of January through December 2021. 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.
25. Passing (Dir. Rebecca Hall)
For centuries now, racial division has been an inevitable part of discussion. The divides are at times glaring, often reflecting disparity based on where one falls along that line. With Hall’s directorial debut, she decides to go even further, moving beyond the black-and-white conversation and into something even murkier within a community. To be Black is one thing. To have lighter or darker skin tone provides a wide array of opportunities based on one’s ability to “pass” as white, and that alone can determine one’s happiness in polite society. In fact, one can get ahead if they can look the part no matter how artificial it may become.
The story centers around two friends who are slowly fading apart from this disparity. Where one is afforded a brilliant opportunity, another struggles to be accepted. Without creating typical soapbox moments, the film dives into the small ways that this impacts relationships, where an emotional deterioration is happening in real-time. Hall shoots everything with fitting black-and-white cinematography that only adds to the way these issues feel rooted in history, at times seeming so nondescript that one has to wonder what the greater issue is. It’s a great looking movie with solid costuming, producing one of the most touching and provocative stories showing that while the discussion has made leaps and bounds, there’s still much more nuance to uncover in both public and private circles.
24. Everyone’s Talking About Jamie (Dir. Jonathan Butterell)
Adapting stage musicals to film this quickly after release can be a dicey situation (just ask The Prom (2020) or Dear Evan Hansen (2021)). There is the risk of missing the essence of what made it work onstage, leaving the audience isolated. Luckily, Butterell takes this British export and makes one of the most electric titles this year. With a protagonist as magnetic as drag queen-to-be Jamie New, the film is allowed to flourish with stunning music sequences that capture the glitz and celebration of queer culture in the 21st century. While it ends up being a conventional coming of age story by nature, at heart, it has so much unapologetic fervor that elevates the numbers into emotional toe-tappers.
To some extent, the welcoming acceptance of drag culture still feels like wish fulfillment, but the sense that it could be made into a film this endearing speaks volumes. It’s a fabulous narrative full of fun costuming and songs that allow the actors to strut with a campy passion. Even then, it’s a film that manages to take time to recognize the progress that the community has made, finding elder statesman Hugo Battersby/Loco Channel at one point singing a new song about the sacrifices his generation made. It’s a tragic story, but one whose history allows the moment of self-acceptance to feel so much richer. Is this the start of a new wave of teenage drag queens? One could hope. It’s a pretty great starting ground.
23. Annette (Dir. Leos Carax)
After nine years, the always enigmatic Carax returns with one of his most beguiling works yet: an epic musical created by The Sparks Brothers. Gone are the pleasant melodies in favor of Eastern European classicism that deconstructs the genre with underlying humor. Part of the fun is seeing just how far Adam Driver is willing to go for the role, sometimes singing with painful earnestness about the most unsympathetic topics. The magic of the film relies on patience, creating one of the most unique experiences imaginable. This isn’t a film meant to sell soundtracks, but ask us to look at the substance of entertainment, how we overlook toxic masculinity if they’re charismatic enough.
It’s one of the most indescribable films of the year managing to hit euphoric highs one minute and grate the ears the next. Even then, there’s something admirable about Carax’s craft, where he turns the most haunting scenes into something symbolic of romanticism, the scenery becoming like a dream that one uses to escape their pain. The issue is fully understanding just what it all means and if the story warrants every turn. It’s a work of mad genius down to the closing credits where the entire ensemble sings out a song of appreciation, thanking the audience for coming to their movie. It’s not necessarily a laugh out loud moment, but for those who can get on the masterfully surreal wavelength, it’s maybe the best way this film could’ve ever ended.
22. Malignant (Dir. James Wan)
Few titles have been as rewarding for the slow burn quite like Wan’s masterful piece of excess. Even with an opening scene that promises splatterfest titillation, the story steps back and finds a mystery slowly building. The clues stand before the viewer, towering in a home built perfectly for glorious god angle shots and zooms that only help to make skin crawl more effectively. Everything has an eerie subtext before the horror really kicks in, allowing the dread to put one on the edge of their seat, waiting to figure out just what’s going on in this crazy story.
Stick with it because patience will be rewarded. The calm before the storm is necessary because once everything clicks, it clicks with such velocity. It shifts from something psychological into something more visceral, reliant on being lost in the moments with such reckless abandon that it becomes its own artful, chaotic ballet. It helps that Wan continues to be a master of films that take original spins on horror, able to find something new and twisted in the familiar. Here he does so with such entertaining results that they deserve to be added to the Halloween rotation, creating unease with purposeful results. Here’s hoping that the surprises stay hidden to newcomers because while it’s likely to be a franchise, discovering this film’s arc unfolding is one of the most satisfying cinematic twists of the year.
21. Changing the Game (Dir. Michael Barnett)
Among the greatest conflicts in local politics this past year was the number of bills surrounding anti-transgender rights. What is believed to be “protecting” the children often ends up creating harm. Before the year was even a quarter of the way finished, states had already met the number of anti-trans bills established in 2020. Along with this pressure, the ever-present conflict around trans athletes continues to serve as a weaponized talking point with many taking sides in a conversation that shouldn’t be nearly as controversial as it is. While there have been massive improvements in LGBTQIA+ rights, it’s evident especially here how far things still need to go.
What makes the documentary exemplary is how it focuses on the individuals not as martyrs, but three-dimensional teens. Even with constant bullying from strangers both online and in person, they keep finding ways to follow their dreams. Barnett’s ability to look into a smalltown community and get a wide perspective on the matter seeks to not only explore the problem but hope to start creating empathy. These are teens who just want to compete without a public demonizing them, believing that they owe some wildly inappropriate validation. It’s a documentary that feels tapped into the moment perfectly, managing to reflect a struggle that’s hot button, but presented with nuance and heart necessary for potential change on a more human level.
Coming Up Next: Turf Wars, Deaf Adults, and Resurrections
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