The Year Cinema Returned: FilmSpeak’s Top Ten Films of 2021
AS THE WORLD REBOUNDED FROM 2020, SO DID CINEMA. WITH 2022 NOW UNDERWAY, TAKE A LOOK BACK AT THE TEN BEST FILMS THAT HELPED US HEAL WITH THE WORLD IN 2021.
Everything 2020 touched came to ruin. And we, FilmSpeak, were left to pick up the pieces in 2021.
Well, we tried our best. So did a lot of other people. Doctors, nurses, vaccine researchers, frontline workers, and more, all came together to try and bring the world we knew back...and, as part of that, bring cinema back. I'm not going to pretend 2021 was suddenly a perfect year again, or that things aren't still messed up because of COVID, or that we aren't still in the fight now that 2022 has come around. But I will make one claim, state one thing that I believe to be an absolute truth…
...2021 was better.
In the preamble for our top ten films of 2020 - an article I published a year ago, but which it feels like I was writing yesterday - I expressed a confidence that FilmSpeak would see huge growth in 2021: more writers, more content, more opportunities. I didn't miss the mark. Our writing staff just about doubled in size this past year. We dreamt big, and achieved bigger. With more feet on the ground, for example, our TIFF coverage was more diverse and included a far greater number of films. To illustrate this point further: for our top ten list last year, we had a whopping eight writers contribute their own top tens. This year? Fourteen. Nearly double, including several new faces. And that leads me to the year cinema had in general.
See, for 2021, we've compiled a top ten list using the exact same metric we did last year. That is: everyone submits their own top ten, where the film in first place gets 10 points, the film in second place gets 9 points, and so on down the line. The points are added up, and we end up with our overall top ten. But while the methodology has stayed the same, the results are very different this time around. Last year's winner, "Soul," just about walked the race to the pole position, being placed at #1 in three different individual lists. This year? We received 14 individual lists, and 14 different films held the top spot in those lists.
My point in saying all of that is, 2021 was a tremendous year for cinema. It very much served as the year of the rebirth of our favorite art form, but 2021 easily stands as one of the great movie years of the 21st century, if not of any century. The limitless deluge of great film after great film, particularly during a fiercely competitive awards season, was as intimidating as it was awe-inspiring. And, yes, 2021 had an unfair advantage: the sheer number of films that COVID delayed, films that initially had 2020 release dates or even premiered during 2019, which instead came out in 2021. Nonetheless, the year was absolutely stacked. Many of the films we had to wait longer for were more than worth it, and many more films, films that were always intended to come out in 2021, reminded me - reminded us - why we ever started going to the cinema in the first place, and how much it was missed. It's incredible that 14 of us - 14! - independent of one another, each had a different #1 film of the year. In what other year could such a thing have happened?
Of course, our final list has only ten entries. As a result, serious omissions were inevitable. For example, "Pig," Michael Sarnoski's tender and deeply human drama featuring one of Nicolas Cage's career-defining performances, topped one writer's list, yet fell short of our overall top ten. The same fate awaited "Zack Snyder's Justice League," where its namesake visionary not only repaired its namesake dumpster fire of a movie, but turned it into an epic, sprawling, near-masterpiece of the superhero genre: #1 on one list, absent from our final ten. "Mass," "C'mon C'mon," "Drive My Car," "King Richard," and “The Souvenir Part II,” five films which in any other year would be surefire inclusions, are similarly absent below. Such is the nature of the year 2021.
With the hope that this year carries on the work last year began, here are FilmSpeak's top ten films of 2021. -Zach Marsh
#10: “SPENCER”
Written by Steven Knight
Directed by Pablo Larraín
#1’s: 1 (Jack Walters)
There have been few films this year that entrench themselves as deep into your soul as Pablo Larraín’s hypnotizing, genre-defying "Spencer," a thrilling and arresting examination of mental illness, tabloid culture, and dysfunctional family dynamics that puts the concepts themselves of fame, of publicity, on trial. Kristen Stewart’s ferociously relatable lead performance as Diana, which captivates from start to finish, sells this, bringing the audience along for the entire haunting ride. We get to witness Diana's waking nightmare from an uncomfortably first-hand position, which makes its emotional impact much stronger. Larraín’s direction is completely original, offering a refreshing insight into a story that we’ve seen on screen countless times. "Spencer" forces us to question our own treatment of people in the public eye, without ever feeling like an attack on us. Though it’s Larraín’s direction and Steven Knight’s precise screenplay that guide the film, it’s elevated even further by Claire Mathon’s beautifully artistic cinematography, and an expertly unnerving score from veteran composer Jonny Greenwood. More than anything, "Spencer" excites with ideas of where Larraín might take us next. -Jack Walters
#9: “LICORICE PIZZA”
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
#1’s: 1 (John Shutt)
2021 wouldn't have been the complete, triumphant return of cinema that it was, had we not gotten another slice of film education from Paul Thomas Anderson. With "Licorice Pizza," Anderson relies on what is familiar to him, continuing to wax nostalgic about the city he grew up in. We've seen these parts of Los Angeles through Anderson's eyes before - in "Boogie Nights," in "Magnolia," in "Punch-Drunk Love" - but here, there's an intensified focus on the little moments, the tiny details, the experience not just of being in L.A., but of being in 1973 L.A. and how particular of a feeling that was. Through the eyes of Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim, Anderson makes it possible for you to understand that feeling even if you've never been to L.A., even if you were born years - or decades - after you could have possibly experienced it. The chemistry between these two performers is undeniable, and their star power individually is almost overwhelming. "Licorice Pizza" is a love letter to a lot of things - L.A., the 70s, adolescence - but most of all, it's a love letter to love itself. -Zach Marsh
#8: “THE SUICIDE SQUAD”
Written by James Gunn
Directed by James Gunn
#1’s: none (highest #3)
The only film in our top ten to not top any writer's list, "The Suicide Squad" nonetheless fighting its way to #8 is a testament to its broad appeal. This is James Gunn's entire career - his style, his techniques, his writing, his deepest desires as a filmmaker - being brought to a head in spectacular, gory fashion. Margot Robbie returns in much better form as Harley Quinn, finally getting the nuanced and emotionally satisfying turn she’s been long overdue in that central role. Surrounding her is an ensemble cast of pure brilliance, from Idris Elba to David Dastmalchian, Sylvester Stallone to Michael Rooker, Pete Davidson to John Cena, and beyond. Some of this absolutely stacked cast don’t make it out of the film alive, but between their violent dispatches, Gunn crafts an entertaining caper that is both a heist and a spy film, injects exciting action set pieces into the mix, and portrays these characters - both the new additions, and those returning from previous entries - with real depth and likability, rather than the one-dimensional cartoons they were previously. Between this being an infinitely superior sequel to 2016's "Suicide Squad," and the aforementioned overhaul done by "Zack Snyder's Justice League," 2021 could almost be seen as the year where filmmakers rehabilitated the cinematic reputation of DC's intellectual property. -Zach Marsh
#7: “BELFAST”
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
#1’s: 1 (Michael Winn Johnson)
Even for someone who hasn't yet been lucky enough to visit either country, Ireland and Northern Ireland combine to create a place that is easy to get nostalgic for. The particular rhythmic sensibilities of Irish music, the unmistakable cadence of the Irish brogue, the beauty of nearly any photograph taken there, all evoke a feeling of wonder and desire. Kenneth Branagh digs deep into that nostalgia in “Belfast,” drawing on his own experiences as a child in the titular city to craft a universal tale of childhood, of family, of what home really is. The film already spoils you with the performances of its adult cast - Jamie Dornan hitting heights you’ve never seen him hit before, Judi Dench and Caitriona Balfe both giving definitive portrayals of the type of maternal love an Irish family is filled with, and the one and only Ciarán Hinds shattering hearts as the beloved, ailing family member we have all grown up with - and then reaches the stratosphere because of Jude Hill. Branagh capitalizes on Hill’s immense natural talent to give us what may be the child acting performance to end them all, and because the film is wisely centered around that performance, “Belfast” lands in stunning monochrome as a resounding triumph. -Zach Marsh
#6: “BO BURNHAM: INSIDE”
Written by Bo Burnham
Directed by Bo Burnham
#1’s: 1 (Sean Doyle)
It’s more than a little bit ironic that “Inside,” what with its scathing criticism of internet, cyber, and social media culture, would go on to spawn untold numbers of memes and widely-disseminated soundbites. On the other hand, this is Bo Burnham we’re talking about: it’s about impossible for him to say anything and not have Tumblr run rampant with it by the end of the day. Burnham finds time in this special to confront his own popularity and personal struggles with fame, with COVID having taken away his initial return to stand-up comedy, and his transition into his 30s happening in his studio rather than on the road. “Inside” is a compelling portrait of artistry, of the self-doubt and self-destructiveness that comes with it, and while the occasional moment might be put on as part of the performance, a lot of this is deeply compelling stuff. More than anything else, though, “Inside” gives us the deepest look we’ve gotten to date into Bo Burnham the musician, with these songs - “Problematic,” “That Funny Feeling,” “FaceTime with My Mom (Tonight),” and “All Eyes On Me” in particular - often being something that could have just been released as a smash hit in their own right. -Zach Marsh
#5: “TITANE”
Written by Julia Ducournau
Directed by Julia Ducournau
#1’s: 1 (Maxance Vincent)
“Titane” is depraved, and gross, and oftentimes flat out ugly. It’s important to get that out of the way, because those points have inexplicably been used to bash the film when they are simply the elements required for the film to succeed. Thankfully, Julia Ducournau is entirely unconcerned with anyone’s disapproval, giving Agathe Rousselle’s Alexia an early sex scene with a car - not in a car, with a car - before sending her on a killing spree. While the intrigue of this opening salvo of literal sex and violence is more than enough to invest you in “Titane,” it’s when the film unexpectedly shifts gears again, right as you think you know what the core of the film is, that it achieves utter brilliance. Vincent Lindon’s introduction into the film begins with a mystery and turns into an entirely twisted family drama, anchored around the way these two phenomenal performers play off of one another. When “Titane” smashes to black, you’re both desperately wanting more, and relieved that Ducournau has given you permission to finally get the hell out of the auditorium. -Zach Marsh
#4: “NO TIME TO DIE”
Written by Cary Joji Fukunaga, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
#1’s: 1 (Griffin Schiller)
In almost any other year, particularly had it come out in 2020 without COVID’s intervention, there’s no way that “No Time to Die” wouldn’t top my list. You only need look back at my review after the premiere: I adore this entry in the James Bond canon, and have only come to intensify my conviction about how remarkable a film it is after nearly ten viewings. In fact, if I may be so bold, I have come to consider “No Time to Die” the Bond film that tops them all. Daniel Craig has finally been granted, and capitalized fully on, being given a proper finale that no other Bond actor has had the luxury of. His performance as a weary, retired, at-the-end-of-his-rope Bond is one for the ages, one which has gone sorely unappreciated by awards season. Craig runs the full gamut of emotions that we have ever seen from Bond, drawing on his past films as much as he does Ian Fleming’s original novels. Léa Seydoux undoes the problems attached to Madeleine Swann in the preceding “SPECTRE,” cementing herself as a definitive love interest for Bond and a great character in her own right. With Cary Joji Fukunaga delivering some of the series’ greatest directorial work, all the pieces fall firmly into place to make “No Time to Die” the ultimate “tough act to follow” in the cinematic Bond’s history. -Zach Marsh
#3: “THE GREEN KNIGHT”
Written by David Lowery
Directed by David Lowery
#1’s: 1 (Ryan McQuade)
It’s the Arthurian fantasy to end them all, as David Lowery brings his atmospheric and patient sensibilities to the forefront once again in his adaptation of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Dev Patel is positively electrifying in one of the year’s best performances, as he and Lowery confront Gawain’s conceitedness and the entire notion of the hero’s journey: what if the preferable option is to not return home at all? “The Green Knight,” on the one hand, is a film that wears its influences unashamedly - there’s more than a little “Barry Lyndon” in here, with the extended cut of “Apocalypse Now” poking its head out during the middle act as well - but, perhaps thanks in part to the fantasy elements and the time in which it is set, “The Green Knight” also feels like its own beast, something that strives to make its own statement, and perhaps usher in a new wave of Arthurian cinema in the process. -Zach Marsh
#2: “SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME”
Written by Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers
Directed by Jon Watts
#1’s: 1 (George Clark)
As the only film to truly contend against our overall #1 - be patient, we’ll get there! - the allure of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is difficult to overstate. Closing out a trilogy of Tom Holland-centric Marvel Cinematic Universe films, “No Way Home” also gives Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield the final note they were both denied during their original portrayals of the red-and-blue-clad web-slinger. Jon Watts doesn’t lose sight of the larger MCU here, but he arguably gets more freedom to truly explore Spider-Man than he had in the previous two films, both of which were direct follow-ups to landmark entries in the larger franchise, and so were forced to spend a lot of time with characters we don’t immediately associate with Spider-Man, such as Iron Man and Nick Fury. Here, Holland and Watts get to play with the entire gamut of the cinematic Spider-Man’s villains, and the dividends only pay off more and more as the film builds to a head. It’s in the final act in particular that “No Way Home” hits all-time highs for Spider-Man on the big screen. Take it from our review: “we can only hope they keep making movies like this forever.” -Zach Marsh
#1: “DUNE”
Written by Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
#1's: 1 (Zach Marsh)
If Denis Villeneuve wasn’t already the world’s great living filmmaker after following up “Arrival” with one of the all-time definitive sci-fi films, “Blade Runner 2049,” I don’t see how the conversation hasn’t come to a close with “Dune,” the epic to end all epics. An equal combination of “Lawrence of Arabia,” “2001,” and Villeneuve’s own revolutionary vision, “Dune” finally brings Frank Herbert’s deeply influential novel to life in a way that no one could before. It takes a lot of confidence to approach something that stumped David Lynch and say, “I can conquer this.” Yet that is exactly what Denis Villeneuve did, in tandem with Hans Zimmer delivering a score that is the very culmination of his 40+ years in film music. Together, the duo have given Arrakis the visual representation and soundscape, respectively, that Herbert turned into words, but no one could convert back into the sensory. Like “Lawrence,” like “2001,” every frame of this is a visual feast on a level that cannot be described: “Dune” must be seen to be believed. The execution of its story is just as sublime. Subplots that could be entire films in their own right, such as that of Oscar Isaac’s Duke Leto, or Jason Momoa’s Duncan Idaho, are given the real estate they deserve while always being in service of the larger narrative, of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) being forced to come of age against his will, of being set on an irreversible path that feels destined to end in the same messiah complex and tragedy that Herbert led his readers to more than 50 years ago. Denis, if you are reading this, bring on “Part Two” immediately: I have a high degree of confidence that it will end up at the top of my personal list for its year, just as this did. More importantly, for the second year in a row, I’m pleased to confirm that my #1 pick matches with the one our publication ultimately crowned with the top honor: FilmSpeak names “Dune” the greatest film of 2021. -Zach Marsh