I love the ceremony of the theater—buying popcorn and candy, silencing the phone, the sociability of whispering through previews, talking in the parking lot afterwards. It feels absurd to speak about movies with so much earnestness, unlike other art forms, maybe because of the commodity surrounding the Business and its connections to the modern celebrity, but dammit if movies aren't beautiful, their very existence seemingly impossible, the closest we come to the inter-dimensional. Movies have always been therapeutic and a way of talking about the world without the consequences of reality.
My viewing habits in 2020 were harried and repetitive because I craved the comfort of a well-known plot over the *deep breath* uncertainty of a new watch. I watched Pride and Prejudice eighty-five times last year. That is not hyperbole. So, in 2021 I tried to actively broaden my horizons. I have always loved the weird and dubbed, but I made a conscious effort to search out new directors, focusing primarily on female lead and/or foreign productions.
Below is a list of the best films I watched in 2021. I include a brief synopsis for each, and my general thoughts at the time. They are kept in viewing order.
Bacurau (2019)
In near future Brazil, a close knit community comes together to defend their home from outsiders with a dark purpose.
The first of many surprises on this list. A combination of western and futuristic tale, every thirty minutes this film shattered my expectations. I pride myself as someone who can very easily pick up on plot, and this one kept me enthralled until the end. The directors handle very heavy issues like anti-colonialism and collective grief while still telling a thrilling story. The futuristic plot points feel reachable and terrifying.
La Ciénaga (2001)
Against the wild background of the Argentinean countryside, the intimate and rotten connections of a sprawling family are examined.
I wrote thoroughly on this film earlier in the year.
Pale Flower (1964)
A yakuza henchman just released from prison harbors a growing infatuation for an heiress with a gambling addiction. The pair form an intense and destructive bond against the backdrop of the Japanese underworld.
I watched a handful of Masahiro Shinoda's works this year, but Pale Flower was the best. My favorite films are always 70% danger and 30% romance, and this has that perfect mixture. The lighting, the dialogue, the costumes. Everything about this film finds beauty in the ugly. It also contains, hands down, my favorite individual scene: our gangster, Muraki, has agreed to allow the leading lady, Saeko, watch him perform a hit. After Muraki kills his target in a crowded restaurant, he pauses at the top of the stairs and looks to Saeko, a quiet spectator. The paired glances evoke the nihilism of their positions, separated by class and fate.
The China Syndrome (1979)
A local reporter and cameraman become embroiled in corporate and political espionage after witnessing a system failure at a nuclear power plant.
Criterion hosted a Jane Fonda retrospective earlier in the year, so I was able to watch a few of her earlier works. I was struck with Fonda's power and assurance on screen even at a young age. Her performance in The China Syndrome is one of the best. It also includes a collection of my second favorite scene from this year. The opening shot uses clever framing to show Fonda’s interaction with the production room at the tv station. It’s chaotic and highlights the subtle, and not so subtle, sexism and vanity of the industry.
Blow Out (1981)
A sound effects technician investigates a possible murder that he witnessed and recorded while capturing new sounds for a film.
Director Brian De Palma was my great discovery of this year. Yes, I had seen Carrie and Scarface, but I fell in love with his 80s thrillers. De Palma uses sound and framing narratives in fascinating ways, and I plan to watch all of his work.
Malignant (2021)
Violent murders spring up in Seattle with a mysterious connection, and a woman is plagued with dark visions of the killer's acts.
Malignant was not just my favorite film of the year, but it is in my top ten of all time. I loved it so much that it was the first film to draw me back to the theaters since last year’s closures. I was willing to risk covid for it. The best part about Malignant is not its design or insane plot, though they are great, but it is director James Wan’s adherence to the extravagant theatrics. I do not think that the movie would work under anyone else’s care. He creates fun out of the grotesque. The entire third act of the film is the wildest ride I have ever been on. You will laugh at the insanity, but what sets a good film apart from a bad film is the intention. Wan intends to excite and confound.
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)
The newest installment in the MCU introduces martial artist Shang-Chi as his confronts his father, his past, and his future.
There are a small group of friends that I see every MCU film with. Sometimes we miss a film due to lack of time or interest, and Shang Chi was one such. I watched it on my own last month, and immediately texted the group that we made a huge mistake skipping the theatric release. Shang Chi might be my favorite Marvel film in recent years. It’s funny and heartwarming and strikingly beautiful. The fighting style is influenced by the wuxia genre (think popular 00s Chinese movies that broke out in Hollywood like House of Flying Daggers or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and has a cohesive style which some Marvel lacks. I loved Shang Chi so much that I watched it twice in one weekend—once by myself and the second time with friends because I had to share it with others.