In an interview with Inverse to promote his 2021 horror film Antlers, director Scott Cooper said, “I tend never to make the same film in the same genre. The great danger as a filmmaker is in doing safe work. I always like to be in an uncomfortable space.” While admirable, if you can do something really well, there is also the argument to stay within that genre as you continue to perfect your craft. Antlers is the fifth film directed by Cooper and the first one that dips outside the norms of reality. Three of his first four (Out of the Furnace, Crazy Heart, Hostiles) finished in my End of Year Top 3, while his fourth (Black Mass) was a movie I did not enjoy. Antlers was far better than Black Mass, but it is not a candidate to finish in my Top 10 Movies of 2021.