The (global) best (and worst) of 2021
I managed to clock down 500 titles in Pandemic Year 2, which was better than one might have thought given the long-term shut down of cinemas. Streaming dominates exhibition now, but this has given film makers across the world better choices of platforms to market their content. Women-themed films and film makers are gaining ground strongly worldwide. The South Indian movie industries in Malayalam and Tamil are the world's most creative at present, while Bollywood has been caught up in the Indian federal government's nationalist policies. American cinema struggles with direction, and is still dominated by repetitive superhero fare. European cinema was hard-hit by lock-downs, with Scandinavia offering the most interesting output as they were the least affected. But all in all, there has been no drop in production activity.
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- DirectorJeo BabyStarsNimisha SajayanSuraj VenjaramooduAjitha V.M.After marriage, a woman struggles to be the submissive wife that her husband and his family expect her to be. The story follows her journey, as she changes herself and, even more so, changes the household.My Movie of the Year was initially streamed on a small platform after major distributors rejected its controversial content, but it has since been picked up by Amazon. What makes this one of the best feminist films ever is its focus on the typical everyday chores of a newly-wed Indian wife in her kitchen "realm", and that the men react callous rather than violent, with countless micro-aggressions that gradually wear down her patience. It's such an effective idea that one cannot help but wonder why no one has thought of this before. It also shows how women in traditional societies keep each other down, and it does so in a strictly observatory way, with an excellent sense of precision and timing.
- DirectorMari SelvarajStarsDhanushLalRajisha VijayanKarnan, a fearless village youth, must fight for the rights of the conservative people of his village, due to the torture given by a police officer.is my 2nd favorite film of the year owing to Dhanush's greatest performance so far. He is at present arguably the world's best active actor. Based on a real 1990s incident, it tells a familiar story of caste violence triggered by one slight too many, but director Mari Selvaraj (who debuted with the equally excellent "Pariyerum Perumal") brings a lot more poignancy and anger to the subject as he avoids an anti-hero epic. The film is visually overpowering and draws the spectator into its subject by careful plot development and astonishing camera work. But it centers on Dhanush, who transforms his own past frustrations - his career was an uphill battle because of his dark skin - into a frightfully energetic orchestra of wrath.
- DirectorTatiana HuezoStarsGuillermo VillegasMayra BatallaTeresa SánchezLife in a town at war seen through the eyes of three young girls on the path to adolescence.is my 3rd favorite film of the year. A gritty tale of female coming-of-age in a conflict zone, it takes a rare perspective on war of girls growing up under constant threat of rape. It also shows the dynamic in the world's bloodiest conflict - more people die each year in Mexico than in Syria - between an army that follows its own economic interests and Narco gangs effectively running the country with money and violence. It is very telling that this harsh feminist punch comes from a third-world director and not from Americans, whose narcotics demand is the prime driver of the horrors shown here.
- DirectorLee Isaac ChungStarsSteven YeunHan YeriAlan KimA Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.This was far and away the best American film to come out this year, yet was snubbed at the Academy Awards because its dialogue is more than 50% non-English - so much for Hollywood and diversity. An autobiographical tale of growing up in rural America in the 80s in a Korean Christian family, it features excellent photography and carefully observes the contradictions of the American Dream and immigrant reality. It also presents excellent support performances by Will Patton and Yuh-jung Youn, a major star in Korea.
- DirectorMadonne AshwinStarsYogi BabuSheela RajkumarSangili MuruganA local barber's fate turns overnight when he becomes the single deciding vote in the village elections.Mandela is a Tamil satire of rural politics centering on a village outcast who becomes its most coveted citizen following his voter registration, giving him the power to determine a close-call election's outcome. Yogi Babu, who usually plays comic relief sidekicks, is excellent as the unassuming anti-hero who gradually gains confidence and thereby imperils his overall decency and honesty.
- DirectorBlerta BasholliStarsYllka GashiÇun LajçiAurita AgushiFahrije's husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo. She sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision.A women's tale based on the true story of a Kosovan war widow facing community resistance over starting a business to support herself, as she and her peers are expected to wait until their long-lost husbands return since working would acknowledge their deaths. Yllka Gashi carries the entire film with a befittingly stoic performance. Kosovo has had a few cinematic outings in recent years but this is the most convincing so far as it sticks to the essentials of its story.
- DirectorJasmila ZbanicStarsJasna DjuricicIzudin BajrovicBoris LerAida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp.Sticking with women in the Balkans, this is Jasmila Žbanić's most ambitious and difficult film so far as it reenacts the Srebrenica massacre. The film focuses on the failure of the Dutch UN peacekeepers to do their job in the face of the Serbian invasion. Žbanić handles the subject in a heavy-handed way which stops the film from unfolding its full potential - less would have been more. But this can be excused with an increasingly revisionist Serbian ultra-nationalism evident in "Jana of Jasenovac", an attempt to justify Serbian war crimes with Croatian fascism in WWII. The Bosnian conflict is actually on the verge of becoming hot again, which gives this film an acute relevance.
- DirectorFlorian ZellerStarsAnthony HopkinsOlivia ColmanMark GatissA man refuses all assistance from his daughter as he ages. As he tries to make sense of his changing circumstances, he begins to doubt his loved ones, his own mind and even the fabric of his reality.The best English-language film to come out in 2021, proving that sometimes the author makes the best director, with Florian Zeller adapting his own play. Nominated for Best Picture and five further Academy Awards, it won Best Actor for Anthony Hopkins as the titular character who gives an inside perspective to Alzheimer's, and Christopher Hampton's script, which presents the disease as a conspiracy thriller in which the afflicted becomes unable to discern reality from fear. It's far and away the best approach on the subject yet the setting is a tad too privileged for my taste - most sick old people do not reside in lavish apartments or have expensive watches to fret over.
- DirectorSrdan GolubovicStarsGoran BogdanBoris IsakovicNada SarginA Serbian man fights to regain custody of his children.The other film titled Father is from Serbia's veteran director Srdan Golubovic and features the other side of the social spectrum in the true story of an unemployed father of two kids who loses their custody after his wife, in a mental breakdown, threatens to immolate herself unless her husband's outstanding wages are paid. He ends up marching to Belgrade on foot, inciting lots of of sympathy, to protest against a devious bureaucracy pilfering welfare money in shoddy child-swapping deals. If Ken Loach had directed this, it would have won the Palme d'Or, but since it's from Serbia, it's been largely ignored. It's a welcome departure from nationalist propaganda and shows how broken and decrepit the country has become.
- DirectorNatalya VorozhbitStarsIgor KoltovskyyAndrey LelyukhVolodymyr HurinFour short stories are set along the roads of Donbas, Ukraine during the war.Ukrainian cinema is divided between patriotic war films and bleak social dramas, and Bad Roads is a combination of the two in which the military comes off as abusive regardless of the side. It's about callous brutality pervading everybody's mind, packaged in four semi-independent stories. What sets this film apart from the hopeless despair of Sergei Losnitza is director Natalya Vorozhbit's sense for tension. There are limits to the abuse, and there are limits to stoic endurance. That gives the film a bit more gravitas than other Ukrainian films I've seen. It's strong stuff though and not for the faint of heart.
- DirectorFernanda ValadezStarsMercedes HernándezDavid IllescasJuan Jesús VarelaA mother travels across Mexico in search for her son whom authorities say died while trying to cross the borders into the United States.Similarly disturbing, this is a is a social drama / horror film about a mother looking for the remains of her son after he unsuccessfully tried to cross the border, and appears to have been executed by a Narco gang. She is joined by a local returning from the North in search of his family. Both are in for uncomfortable truths. Astrid Rondero is another female director to watch out for, as she presents the Narcos as a supernatural cult-like force. Like "Tigers are not afraid", the film makes a deep impact by adapting horror conventions to a realistic setting. Beware, you will never forget this one, and it deeply unsettling.
- DirectorPawo Choyning DorjiStarsSherab DorjiUgyen Norbu LhendupKelden Lhamo GurungAn aspiring singer living with his grandmother in the capital of Bhutan dreams of getting a visa to move to Australia.On a lighter note, this culture-clash drama delivers a rare glimpse into contemporary Bhutan, the happiest nation on Earth (as the protagonist ironically comments). In spite of being obliged to do state service in exchange for studying for free, he only thinks of leaving for Australia to embark on a music career. For this egotism, he ends up in the most remote village in all of the country. As usual for the genre, he ends up warming up to the poor yet honest hillbillies, but the film does not resort to kitsch or an easy cop-out and remains realistic. One leaves the film feeling rewarded, which is all too rare in our turbulent times.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsTimothée ChalametRebecca FergusonZendayaA noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy's most valuable asset while its heir becomes troubled by visions of a dark future.As blockbusters go, this is by far the most popular film of the year, but also somewhat over-hyped. As operatic and cinematography-centered as Villeneuve's Blade Runner 2049, it's not very suspenseful and the soundtrack is rather noisy. Compared to Lynch's 1984 version, it's more comprehensive, but visually tame. Still, I can't say it's a bad film, one would just have expected more from a director of this caliber.
- DirectorDestin Daniel CrettonStarsSimu LiuAwkwafinaTony Leung Chiu-waiShang-Chi, the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.While i find superhero movies dreadfully repetitive, this one features both a different setting and an extremely skilled actor for an extremely silly part. Tony Leung puts the entire Avengers cast to shame by using gestures and movements to create the perhaps most memorable villain of the genre. You may forget everything else about this movie, but not his impact. Best popcorn flick of the year.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJennifer LawrenceMeryl StreepTwo low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn humankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.While far from perfect, as the reality of American politics is even crazier than this satire suggests, it's a decent effort well worth seeing for its quick pace and brilliant cameos, particularly Mark Rylance's Tim Cook-alike, who becomes the soft-spoken architect of humanity's demise.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonAdam DriverJodie ComerThe Knight Jean de Carrouges must settle the dispute over his wife Marguerite by challenging his former friend to a duel to the death.The flop of the year perhaps as far as box office goes, this is still a decent effort by Ridley Scott, much more ambitious in scope than anything he has done since Gladiator. Worth to be seen for its tripe telling of the same story and a brutal final confrontation, it does not do its true origins justice, as that story was more twisted.
- DirectorEnrico CasarosaStarsJacob TremblayJack Dylan GrazerEmma BermanOn the Italian Riviera, an unlikely but strong friendship grows between a human being and a sea monster disguised as a human.A bit low-key for Pixar, I'd still rate this the best US animated film of the year for its universal appeal to kids and adults, and for presenting a clever allegory to queer / minority isolation and acceptance. I'd watch this with kids more than once.
- DirectorMichael RiandaJeff RoweStarsAbbi JacobsonDanny McBrideMaya RudolphA quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.The other great US animated title of the year is a bit overwrought for my taste - it could have done with a bit less noise and more character development. But it's entertaining. Even if the robot design strongly recalls WALL-E and reminds of how much better that film was.
- DirectorHaruo SotozakiStarsNatsuki HanaeAkari KitôYoshitsugu MatsuokaAfter his family was brutally murdered and his sister turned into a demon, Tanjiro Kamado's journey as a demon slayer began. Tanjiro and his comrades embark on a new mission aboard the Mugen Train, on track to despair.The most successful animated film of the year (and, in Japan at least, of all time), this theatrical version of an immensely popular TV series has the same stunning visuals, although the story is very familiar to anyone with the slightest knowledge of anime. It cannot remotely compare to Ghibli and greatly benefited from its opening after an extended pandemic lock-down, but should still be watched for its extraordinary popularity.
- DirectorKôtarô TamuraStarsKaya KiyoharaTaishi NakagawaMatsutera ChiemiAfter befriending a marine biology student, a sarcastic artist living with paraplegia begins to experience the world beyond her home.Best animated film of the year for me, it's an anime version of a previously live-filmed graphic novel. It works much better than the earlier title because of the possibilities of the medium - the lighting, angles and sounds are chosen so carefully that the animated characters appear more alive than actors.
- DirectorVictor KossakovskyStarsGundaDocumentary looks at the daily life of a pig and its farm animal companions: two cows and a one-legged chicken.Best documentary of the year for me accompanies a sow and her piglets. And some other animals. Strictly observatory, there is no humanization, but a clever sound design still makes one question a carnivorous diet.
- DirectorHogir HiroriStarsMahmud ReshoSihamZahraFilm follows a group into Syria's Al-Hol, a dangerous camp in the Middle East, as they risk their lives to save a women being held by ISIS as abducted sex slaves.The other best documentary for me follows clandestine Kurdish women looking for hidden Yezidi sex slaves in a Daesh camp. It's pretty shocking as it shows what a large infrastructure the defeated terrorists still possess.
- DirectorAnders Thomas JensenStarsMads MikkelsenNikolaj Lie KaasAndrea Heick GadebergMarkus goes home to his teenage daughter, Mathilde, when his wife dies in a train crash. All appears to be a tragic accident until a mathematics geek, who was also a fellow passenger on the train, and his two colleagues show up.Another brilliant existentialist comedy by Anders Thomas Jensen with a stoic Mads Mikkelsen in yet another knockout performance. It is a bit on the chatty side and drags, but is still one of the best European films of the year thanks to its witty script.
- DirectorNiels Arden OplevAnders W. BerthelsenStarsEsben SmedSofie TorpAnders W. BerthelsenThe story of Danish photographer Daniel Rye, who was captured by ISIS in Syria in 2013 and held hostage for 398 days.Jensen also wrote the script for this true story hostage drama, which is one of the first fiction films to look at the crimes of Daesh in a painfully unmitigated way. It had a belated release due to the pandemic and therefore wasn't noticed as much as it should have been.
- DirectorYngvild Sve FlikkeStarsKristine Kujath ThorpArthur BerningNader KhademiAstronaut, forest-keeper, cartoonist. Young Rakel has a whole lot of other plans than becoming a mother. She would rather party, get drunk or stoned instead of sitting hours on the toilet. But she can't ignore it. Is it her or the baby?On a brighter note, this sarcastic comic book adaptation about unwanted pregnancy is the year's best rom com, featuring a strong lead performance by Kristine Thorp, a name to watch out for.