2021 in Film: Best Of The Year

Finally over. 2021 is finally over.

Twenty years from now, 2020 and 2021 would not be those you look back on and associate with films: cinemas were shuttered across the world; finished films were pushed back, delayed, or dumped on streaming services (Morbius has been delayed a staggering six times, while No Time To Die, which finally opened last October, had wrapped production three years ago); in-development projects and productions halted indefinitely, or, at worst, got canceled altogether. Yet millions, even billions, of dollars lost felt minuscule compared to what people were losing: it became increasingly difficult to care about films when there was a globetrotting virus out there.

And then Spider-Man: No Way Home came out and turned that notion on its head.

'Spider-Man: No Way Home' is 2021's highest-grossing film, and an honorable mention on this list

Art is what separates humans from animals, robots, and other insentient beings. The ability to create, to rationalize, to entertain, and to emote is why people flock to entertainment as escapism: statistically, global streaming services reported a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.4 percent in 2021, while most modes of businesses have struggled.

It is also why your dopamine levels, the neurotransmitter that helps you feel pleasure, skyrocketed when you saw Andrew Garfield in Spider Man: No Way Home. There is no statistical evidence to support this, but hedging a bet against it would be irresponsible.

At the beginning of the year, I set out a goal for myself: 1 film a day, regardless of what happens.

And while I completed that goal with miles to spare (thanks to two different internships that would sometimes require watching up to 5 films a day), it also meant I encountered my fair share of great, good, mediocre, bad and unwatchable films (looking directly at Cậu Vàng and Kiều).

So after having watched 137 films released in 2021, and nearly 380 films overall, these 10, subjectively speaking, were the cream of the crop (You can also follow me on Letterboxd to see all the films I have given short reviews to in the past year.)

Best of 2021

As per usual, the films will be accompanied by how I would recommend it to someone, not the actual consensus of the film. There will also be a small synopsis, and a subsection called “Why This Film” to explain why I chose that specific film. It will also be in no particular order, but it will end on my definitive best film of the year. You may agree, you may disagree, but you cannot comment on this post anyways so just agree.

So, let's get to it, shall we?

The Best Films of 2021, from yours truly.

INSIDE - “Why have a crew when you can have a Bo?”

Synopsis: Bo Burnham navigates isolation during the pandemic through music, comedy, and commentary.

Runtime: 87 minutes

Why This Film: Let's compare making a film to making a hotpot.

A good hotpot needs many ingredients: broth, the meat of choice, tofu, scallops, mushroom, small veggies, and big veggies. Every single ingredient is crucial to the texture, color, and flavour of the hotpot, and while there are variations of said hotpot (vegan hotpot, seafood hotpot, etc.), the key components are the same.

Bo Burnham decided to eat hotpot with only the broth. And it worked. Almost wonderfully.

Filmmaking is supposed to be a collaborative experience. Not in this case, as the credits list Bo Burnham as every single crew member: director, writer, editor, DP, gaffer, composer, etc. Netflix reportedly bought the special for $3.9 million, a hefty fee for what was essentially a musical stand-up catering to a niche audience.

But looking at the results, it is hard to argue that the price was an overpay: this is Burnham's magnum opus, and a viewing experience unlike any other in 2021, one that was practically designed to be viewed in isolation.

Available on Netflix.

C'MON C'MON - “Uncle Joker."

Synopsis: Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) is a radio journalist currently traveling the country to interview kids about their lives and future. His life changes when he visits his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffmann) in Detroit and has to babysit her nine-year-old son, Jesse.

Runtime: 108 minutes

Why This Film: It was the quietest film in a year full of quiet films, not including A Quiet Place Part II.

The uncle spinoff of Kramer vs. Kramer, C'mon C'mon, directed by Mike Mills, might tread on the familiar territory of “man raises a child alone,” but is always more extraordinary than the sum of its parts for its 108-minute runtime. Everyone can find themselves in this movie, whether it be in Phoenix's sublime, subtle portrayal as the reluctant, beleaguered guardian, in Hoffmann's criminally overlooked performance as the mother in tribulation, or in newcomer Woody Norman's sugar-loving, oblivious son without a parental figure.

A beautiful exploration of familial relationships and the fickle nature of a child's endearment to their immediate relatives, shot in stunning black and white, C'mon C'mon is the easiest watch on this list and the most understated film of 2021.

Available for purchase on Amazon Prime.

FLEE - “You will never see anything like it.”

Synopsis: Amin recalls fleeing from his home country of Afghanistan to Denmark, harboring a secret of life-changing magnitude.

Runtime: 90 minutes

Why This Film: Reading the synopsis, you'd be forgiven for thinking that this is a dramatized live-action film based on a true story.

Flee is a groundbreaking animated documentary, where Amin plays himself, gorgeously illustrated in hand-drawn 2D animation, combined with archival footage of Amin's childhood and his friendship with the director, Jonas Poher Rasmussen. It is the only film ever to be simultaneously nominated for Best International Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature, and Best Animated Feature.

But far from being a gimmick, the unflashy animation angle is integral to the story, in both preserving Amin's identity, and in heightening the contrast from the real-life archival footage of Afghanistan. The best thing to do is to go into the film completely oblivious: it is a gut punch packed inside a frequently humorous and uplifting tale of finding your true self amidst chaotic circumstances.

Currently playing in theaters.

THE SUICIDE SQUAD - “Haha *weird dick joke* haha”

Synopsis: The Suicide Squad returns for this James Gunn-infused sequel, now without Jared Leto.

Runtime: 132 minutes

Why This Film: Look, it's been a long year.

2021 was long, at least for me: work, study, travel, repeat. So to see an unapologetically silly superhero film that does not rely on nostalgia bait, coupled with a game cast and filled with weird jokes directed by one distinct vision, feels like a return to normalcy. Not only is it a magnetic jump in quality from 2016’s Suicide Squad, but The Suicide Squad is also an objectively great, irreverent film that does not take itself seriously at all, and one which actually fleshes out its ragtag group of heroes before brutally killing them off one by one.

The best films of the year do not always have to be pretentious Oscar bait. Sometimes they can have a gigantic starfish and a man who shoots exploding polka dots out of his body: escapism at its finest.

Available on HBO Max.

PIG - “Dude, it's not John Wick with a pig.”

Synopsis: After his beloved truffle pig is kidnapped, reclusive truffle forager Rob Feld (Nicholas Cage) must return to the underbelly of the culinary world to find it.

Runtime: 92 minutes

Why This Film: It's not even an action film.

The trailer to Michael Sarnoski's debut directorial effort suggested a lame redux of Keanu Reeves' highly successful action series in an attempt to capitalize on Nicholas Cage's recent upswing in quality films. “Hey, it's John Wick with a pig” is the easiest concept to pitch to a room of potential investors.

What eventually became Pig was far from that tagline. A haunting deconstruction of grief and a damning critique on the preposterousness of high-brow culture, Pig is unassuming in its straightforward storytelling but packs much more under the surface. Anchored by an absolutely game Nicholas Cage and the highly underrated Alex Wolff, Pig is a feast for the soul, also thanks to the great craftsmanship and deft handling of weighty themes from debut director Michael Sarnoski (who will be helming the new A Quiet Place spinoff). If you prefer a more light-hearted watch, need not worry: Pig is also chock-full of eye-watering culinary filmmaking, and whose ending will last with you long after the credits roll.

Available on Amazon Prime.

THE RESCUE - “*exhales*”

Synopsis: A spectacular documentary on the Tham Luang cave rescue, the operation, and the courage it took to save a junior football team in the face of dangerous conditions

Runtime: 114 minutes

Why This Film: My first documentary inclusion in any version of the year-end list, The Rescue might not be the best film of the year, but it is the most impressive, the most real, and is the one that will have you at the edge of your seat throughout its runtime.

Simply thinking about this event in 2018, where a small football team of twelve junior players and an assistant coach became trapped deep within a flooded cave without any contact or supplies, had me in deep discomfort: I could not have imagined the hardship and helplessness the thirteen members might have felt at the time. To have actual first-hand accounts, real archival footage, and goosebump-inducing narration of the event is a marvel in and of itself: this will never happen again. To see the divers in action and in peril, with their oxygen tanks running close to zero as they try to save the 13, was the most stressful movie experience of 2021.

You might know the ending, but you don't know the story. I implore you to seek it out.

Available on Disney+ and Hulu

CODA - “Yeah Apple TV+ hit the jackpot with this one.”

Synopsis: Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the only hearing member of her culturally deaf family, who runs a fishing business. Her life changes when the enigmatic music teacher, Mr. B (Eugenio Derbez), encourages her to pursue the Berklee College of Music, which would mean leaving her family behind.

Runtime: 111 minutes

Why This Film: CODA, an English-remake of 2014’s La Famille Bélier, is perhaps the most crowd-pleasing film on this list. CODA rises above its coming-of-age genre trappings with well-earned drama, impeccable performances, sure-handed direction from Sian Heder, and an earnest depiction of the deaf community as fleshed-out contributing members of society instead of reductive caricatures in past films.

Director and writer Sian Heder includes problems in everyday communication the deaf characters face, but never once looks down or takes pity upon their perceived disability. Heder insisted on casting deaf actors and hired a rotating group of ASL interpreters to facilitate discourse between cast and crew, creating an inclusive filming environment. I had the absolute pleasure to be a member of the distribution team's awards-run campaign, in which Heder always maintained the awards did not matter as much as the message people got out of the film regarding the deaf community.

Despite being released at Sundance over a year ago, CODA earned a well-deserved Best Picture nomination, as well as for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur as the darkly comedic father, Frank. Kotsur is only the second deaf person to garner an acting nomination, the first being Marlee Matlin, who won Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God in 1986, and, coincidentally, portrays the snarky mother, Jackie, in CODA. Here's hoping they are the first(s) of many more.

Available on Apple TV+

THE POWER OF THE DOG - “If it wins [Best Picture], I have no qualms.”

Synopsis: Macho, volatile rancher Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) runs a wealthy ranch with his kind brother George (Jesse Plemons). Phil's life is upended when George marries Rose (Kirsten Dunst), as Rose's son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) proceeds to uncover Phil's deep hidden secret.

Runtime: 126 minutes

Why This Film: On the surface, The Power of The Dog seemingly checks off all the requisite “Best Picture" criteria.

[1] A slow-burn, brooding story: check.

[2] A talented household director in Jane Campion leading the charge with a committed cast of household names: check.

[3] Awards season release date: check.

It is prime Oscar bait on paper. But characterizing Jane Campion's marauding, sprawling, and deeply emotional masterpiece as simply an awards contender would be reductive: beneath the many layers of the twisting tale was a passionate urge from the veteran director to bring this story to life, to comment on the fallacy of toxic masculinity, and to gravitate towards love as the antidote to life's many curiosities. In adapting a distant, seemingly old-fashioned Western in the 1950s, and utilizing the contrast between the beautifully vast Montana landscapes with the small scale story at hand, Campion, with all her deft sensibilities and mighty storytelling prowess, told a more timely story than any other film released last year, without feeling the need to hand-wring the audience through its messages.

Even though it was released on Netflix, I had the absolute pleasure to attend a festival screening of the film with a packed audience a few months before its release, preceded by a Q&A with Campion, Cumberbatch, Dunst, McPhee, and cinematographer Ari Wegner. Needless to say, it was one of the best cinema experiences I have ever had. Plus, Benedict Cumberbatch is really tall.

Available on Netflix.

ENCANTO - “It's arguably Disney's best animated film. Ever.”

Synopsis: Mirabel (Stephanie Beatriz) is the only member of the Madrigal family to not have magical powers. When the family's magic slowly disappears, it's up to her to save them.

Runtime: 102 minutes.

Why This Film: We Don't Talk About Bruno.

‘Nuff said.

Available on Disney+

WEST SIDE STORY - “Ansel Elgort aside, WOW!”

Synopsis: An epic musical romance set in 1957 New York City, against the backdrop of a turf war between the American-born Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks.

Runtime: 156 minutes

Why This Film: I have always had a soft spot for musicals: I grew up watching Disney's, did one set in New York City during high school, and championed for a feature to be produced in Vietnam during college. Right at this moment, I am producing a musical short for a fellow Vietnamese friend at NYU, one that hopefully will translate to screen as well as it did through words. Musicals have always been the genre I wanted to make and to do justice by.

It is a sentiment shared by Steven Spielberg: he recalled stories about how, in his childhood, he had run around the house singing “Jee, Officer Krupke," a PG, profanity-laden song about police corruption, to the amusement of his older relatives. Spielberg grew up enchanted by the possibility to bring West Side Story to screen once more, having fallen in love with both the Broadway musical and its slightly outdated 1961, award-winning film adaptation. Alas, utilizing 40 years of blockbuster goodwill in Hollywood, Spielberg got his wish with a $100 million budget and free creative reins to this IP.

The result was one of the most goosebumps-inducing, amazingly-crafted, well-acted love letters to filmmaking and musicals ever. It reminded me of how much films can impact the emotional core of an audience, both through its meticulously crafted musical set pieces and well-earned drama. Running at 156 minutes, West Side Story earns its runtime through its epic two-day story, filled to the brim with memorable moments and music, awe-inspiring camerawork, and eye-candy choreography.

This was very nearly my personal best film of 2021. Nearly.

And, by heads and shoulders, my best film of 2021...

*drumroll*

* * * * * * *

DRIVE MY CAR - “Changed my life.”

Synopsis: Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) moves to Hiroshima to direct a multi-lingual stage adaptation of Uncle Vanya. Unexpectedly, he strikes up a friendship with his designated driver, Misaki.

Runtime: 179 minutes

Why This Film: I cannot really describe what Drive My Car is about without spoiling certain details, (I struggled with a synopsis for the first time on this blog) so I won't.

What I will do is tell you why you should watch Drive My Car.

If you are a fan of Murakami, watch it.

If you aren't a fan of Murakami, this is a perfect taster for what his short and long-form stories are usually like, so watch it.

If you are a fan of long, slow burns, watch it.

If you like beautiful films, watch it. Half of the shots in this film are paintings.

If you don't like watching films, and you only watch one film a year, watch this one.

If you haven't watched a foreign film before, make this your first (or Parasite, or A Sun).

If you saw the Best Picture list, and just want to watch that one film that should win it all, it is this one.

Although the 3-hour runtime might be daunting for some, it absolutely feels earned, with many beautiful moments that will linger in your mind as you are whipped into the next scene. It is small in scope, but a giant in emotions. It is dialogue-heavy but leaves the silence to say the most. It talks about abstract art but works in blunt realism and walk-of-life moments. It is sad, but it is funny.

It is beautiful. It might even change your life, or at least your perception of films as an art form.

Drive My Car is, far and away, the best film of 2021, and perhaps one of the best films of the last decade, last century even. It cracked my top 10 without even trying, and has slowly crept into the top 5. Watch it in theaters if you can: you will never experience anything like it.

—--------------------

And that's it. That was 2021 in films for me.

2021 was a strange year.

I got my first and second job, both at big corporations, both in film and TV, yet the one I loved more was the one that paid less.

I’m following my dreams in doing films and getting on productions and sets, albeit still needing to hold a decent income to support said dream.

I moved to the US and am finally attending the university I had dreamt of since I was young, and yet all I can think of is what I will do 5 years from now.

Also, I got Covid but did not even have any symptoms.

All felt small, and even a bit lackluster, in the grand scheme of a 10-year plan that I am probably already 3 years ahead. Even having done all that, there is still a prevailing sense of nothing being accomplished so far.

Perhaps I am still young, and there are many things that I could still do, many milestones that I could still achieve, and many memories that I could still make. I'm not supposed to figure out my life at 19, and I think that's okay: do you want to do taxes at this age?

This small blog, however frequent or infrequent I'll be posting from now on, is the one thing I know I'll be doing come this time next year, just before the Oscars.

And for all of the things I’ve felt, said, and done the past year, I can at least say I am happy through it all. It is my privilege, it is a gift that my family and friends have given to me, and it is why films have become much more than simply a hobby and a pipe dream for me.

Why else would you watch films if not for that feeling?