If you're wondering about "Pure 20 of 2020", this is basically my way of saying that this list of my top 20 movies are of films that released in 2020 and I saw during the year (I know, that's a lot of 20s). Many films like Nomadland, The Father, One Night in Miami, Pieces of a Woman, Minari, and others will release in early 2021, so they won't be on this particular countdown. My list will be updated accordingly.
So, here is a one-sentence description of each of my top 20 films of 2020.
20. The Way Back (dir. Gavin O'Connor): O'Connor delivers another homely, emotional film within a sports background with a career-best turn from Ben Affleck.
19. Clemency (dir. Chinonye Chukwu): A tense 112 minutes that will make your gut wrench, featuring a great Alfre Woodard, who embodies pain gracefully.
18. The Vast of Night (dir. Andrew Patterson): A promising directorial debut, thanks to some of the finest craftsmanship you'll see all year in this Close Encounters influenced piece.
17. Mulan (dir. Niki Caro): Without falling into the trap of comparing it to the animated version, this film went for mythical instead of fantastical in its conveying of female strength and empowerment message.
16. Da 5 Bloods (dir. Spike Lee): Poetic and heartbreaking, this movie uniquely touches on the ill-effects of war from the perspective of a group of African American friends, led by Delroy Lindo's powerful performance.
15. Another Round (dir. Thomas Vinterberg): It's a quiet and tasteful look at mid-life crisis without resorting to general tropes.
14. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (dir. George C. Wolfe): It's Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman's show and we are just here to watch.
13. Host (dir. Rob Savage): The best idea for found footage during the pandemic.
12. Soul (dir. Pete Docter): Timely movie about an appreciation for even the little details of life.
11. Sound of Metal (dir. Darius Marder): A compelling sensory trip with perfect use of audio to throw you into the lead's perspective in becoming deaf.
10. Miss Juneteenth (dir. Channing Godfrey Peoples): A mother's genuine wish for better things for her child while vicariously living through a past glory makes for a unique and wonderful mother-daughter story.
9. The Forty-Year-Old-Version (dir. Radha Blank): A truly original voice is heard loud and clear in this inspiring story of breaking through.
8. The Assistant (dir. Kitty Green): Looming workplace abuse makes for quiet, yet terrifying chaos in the most mundane of daily work duties.
7. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (dir. Aaron Sorkin): The justice system in America sucks and there's no better way to portray that than with a couple of Sorkin-esque shouting matches.
6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (dir. Eliza Hittman): Like its lead, it's emotionally guarded, but the internal pain and heartbreak of this story is honest and true.
5. Tenet (dir. Christopher Nolan): Despite a mostly unengaging script, this film towers over the rest in every other aspect in 2020.
4. The Invisible Man (dir. Leigh Whannell): This is 124 minutes of nerve-wracking tension, so imagine the real terror faced by women in these types of abusive relationships.
3. Run (dir. Aneesh Chaganty): A proper introduction to Kiera Allen in what is arguably the most original new thriller of the year.
2. Le Choc Du Futur // The Shock of the Future (dir. Marc Collin): A conversation-driven show of a full creative process with a charming Alma Jodorowsky and the most head-bobbing soundtrack of the year.
1. Promising Young Woman (dir. Emerald Fennell): The performance and character of the year, coupled with an unapologetic message standing up to rape culture as no film has before.
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