Suffering from similar fates as other 2020 films such as News of the World, Land, and Nomadland is Lee Isaac Chung’s breakthrough Minari. This movie tells a familiar story in a way that is unique but ultimately ineffective. I say that tongue-in-cheek because my favorite film of the year (at the time of this post) is News of the World, which fails to escape many of the traps these other three movies fall into. And that’s not even to say that News of the Worldis a great film. It’s a very good film that earned quite an affinity in a reasonably drab 2020.
2020 was a year that felt like the world had turned itself upside down through events that we couldn’t have ever imagined. Despite that, a quiet story came about an age-old worldwide issue (one that could have been told in any year and still be applicable). I found Never Rarely Sometimes Always the most memorable, honest, and authentic film of the year.
I went into my viewing of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s (Megan Leavey, Blackfish) Our Friend, knowing almost nothing. I hadn’t seen a single trailer or read even a sentence of a single review. All I knew was that the movie starred Casey Affleck, a drama based on a true story, and had both an audience and critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes that exceeded 85%. It was enough for me to give an unknown movie a chance. I was rewarded with a film that, while incredibly uneven, delivered in a deeply affecting way for which I was ill-prepared. This incredibly poignant movie is not for everyone. Bring your tissues. If you are a cancer survivor or were with someone during their successful or unsuccessful battle with cancer, be forewarned that Our Friend could bring on some incredibly intense emotions, some of which you have been consciously or unconsciously suppressing. Its final act strikes you at your core while also humbling you at the same time.
The most original movie of the year is also one of its best. Darius Marder’s (Loot) subtle and subdued Sound of Metal features a breakout and Oscar-worthy performance from British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed (Mogul Mowgli, The Sisters Brothers). Ahmed stars as Ruben, a drummer for a two-person heavy metal rock band Blackgammon. Along with singer/guitarist/girlfriend Lou (Olivia Cooke – Ready Player One, Life Itself), he lives in an RV. He travels throughout middle America as the duo goes from one venue to the next. If that sounds like such a simple premise, I assure you that this movie is far more poignant than you could ever expect.
Pieces of a Woman, Kornél Mundruczó’s (Jupiter’s Moon, White God) venture co-starring Vanessa Kirby (Mission Impossible: Fallout, The World to Come) and Shia LaBeouf (The Peanut Butter Falcon, Honey Boy), has the most excruciating half-hour of a film you’ll see this year. Expertly pieced together by the film’s editing crew is a single, continuous 23-minute scene meant to represent, likely, at least a few hours of a childbirth process. It’s intense, gutwrenching, fascinating, and heartbreaking all at once. As someone who didn’t know a thing about this film going in other than the first twenty seconds of its trailer that cemented my interest level, I thought for the entire 23-minute sequence that this would be the whole movie, likely sprinkled with flashbacks to a happier time.
Suffering from similar fates as other 2020 films such as News of the World, Land, and Nomadland is Lee Isaac Chung’s breakthrough Minari. This movie tells a familiar story in a way that is unique but ultimately ineffective. I say that tongue-in-cheek because my favorite film of the year (at the time of this post) is News of the World, which fails to escape many of the traps these other three movies fall into. And that’s not even to say that News of the World is a great film. It’s a very good film that earned quite an affinity in a reasonably drab 2020.
2020 was a year that felt like the world had turned itself upside down through events that we couldn’t have ever imagined. Despite that, a quiet story came about an age-old worldwide issue (one that could have been told in any year and still be applicable). I found Never Rarely Sometimes Always the most memorable, honest, and authentic film of the year.
I went into my viewing of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s (Megan Leavey, Blackfish) Our Friend, knowing almost nothing. I hadn’t seen a single trailer or read even a sentence of a single review. All I knew was that the movie starred Casey Affleck, a drama based on a true story, and had both an audience and critics’ score on 
The most original movie of the year is also one of its best. Darius Marder’s (Loot) subtle and subdued Sound of Metal features a breakout and Oscar-worthy performance from British actor and rapper Riz Ahmed (Mogul Mowgli, 
Pieces of a Woman, Kornél Mundruczó’s (Jupiter’s Moon, White God) venture co-starring Vanessa Kirby (