Let’s get it out of the way, the movie year so far has not been good for no other reason than because we were, still are, in the midst of a pandemic and most of the important theatrical releases have been delayed until further notice. That’s why 8 of the 10 best films released this year premiered at film festivals in 2019. In compiling my list of the 10 best films at the half-way mark of 2020, I couldn’t help but notice how this strange and historic year has had major highs in the indie and foreign circuit. Fine by me. It turns out, the only positive about Hollywood shutting down its doors these last 4 months is that it’s had audiences looking for alternatives in their movie selections. If you haven’t seen any of the following 10 highlights of 2020, then, by all means, please seek them out.
10) Beanpole
In a film that is so disinterested in conforming to accustomed mainstream movie audiences taste and rhythms, and is committed to its sometimes difficult choices, the bold and exacting ‘Beanpole’ sometimes feels damn-near radical. Telling the excruciatingly grim story of two women dealing with the post-WWII trauma in the Soviet Union, as they work in a hospital filled with traumatized soldiers. Things only get worse for our two female protagonists after one of them is involved in an unspeakable tragedy. “Beanpole” stars Viktoria Miroshnichenko, Vasilisa Perelygina, and Konstantin Balakirev.. The drama comes from 28-year-old Russian director Balagov, who won Un Certain Regard’s Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Previous to that, the filmmaker’s “Closeness” was heralded as well at Cannes, but I prefer “Beanpole” to that less-successful film. Balagov is more in tune with his creative mojo here, more confident with the way he wants this intricate story to unfold.
9) The Lodge
The latest addition to the current trend of arty horror ifs the often slow, but freakish, psychologically traumatizing, and formally audacious “The Lodge,” from directors Veronika Franz and Severin Fiara. This is a deliberately quiet but meaty dissection of the complexities of motherhood and even faith, which continues many of the same themes the directing duo employed to chilling effect with their 2015 breakout “Goodnight Mommy.” Franz and Fiara seem to be fascinated by the thorny relationship between mother and child, but, this time, “The Lodge” tackles the complicated and emotionally delicate and fraught area of step-motherhood and surrogates, while making disquieting comments on religion and beliefs. Franz and Fiara prove once again they are two of the best in the biz at unsettling cinema. This is a meditative plumbing of the darkest parts of the human psyche, our vulnerabilities, and self-doubts and it’s these personal fears that resonate loudly.
8) Incitement
Yigal Amir, who on November 4, 1995, killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, is the subject of Yaron Zilberman’s quietly harrowing “Incitement.” The film shows the Orthodox Yigal (Yehuda Nahari Halevi in a magnetic performance), studying law at Tel Aviv’s Bar Ilan University, but when his girlfriend Nava (Daniella Kertesz) breaks up with him due to Ashkenazi and Sephardic traditional differences, he snaps and further immerses himself in the anti-peace movements which were rapidly building up all around the country. Of note, Halevi comes from the same neighborhood of Herzliya as Amir and his family belonging to the same synagogue as the assassin. Co-written by Zilberman and Ron Leshem, the film tries to find the conclusive trigger for Yigal’s actions, when did the idea of assassinating Rabin enter his head? What made it grow profusely to the point of being incited to do the unthinkable? As in life itself, it is never that simple. Never does a calculated and purposeful assassination arrive out of thin air, there are moments, both grand and small, which build up to a point of no return.
7) First Cow
“First Cow” is very much a Kelly Reichardt movie. That will be the deciding factor as to whether or not you want to give this movie a shot. Reichardt, bless her maverick heart, one of the great female filmmakers, what with a track record that speaks for itself ("Wendy and Lucy," "Meek's Cutoff," "Certain Woman") and a contemplative, minimalist and distinctive style that is meant to purposely isolate timid mainstream audiences. With "First Cow," Reichardt is returning to the old West of ‘Meek,’ by loosely, very loosely, adapting Jonathan Raymond’s novel “This Half-Life.” Melancholic in nature, the film tackles male friendship, companionship, at the frontier. If it does feel slight at times, the setup is meant to test the viewer’s patience for eventual and multiple dramatic payoffs — it slowly but surely sneaks up on you and gets you invested in the fates of its two lead characters. The assured and meticulously planned mise-en-scene is meant to build up the tension, patience is rewarded here.
6) Bacurau
Cannes Jury Prize winner, “Bacurau,” which was directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles, is a perplexing mix of magical surrealism and grindhouse. “Bacurau” catches many off-guard in its first 20 minutes before it transports audiences into a cinematic adventure like no other. On its surface, the film is a thriller, but one filled with indelible artistry and breathtaking cinematic luxury. Set “a few years from now” in the imagined Brazilian town of Bacurau, the first act sets up a place so unknown that the locals can’t even seem to pinpoint it on a map when trying to teach local kids where they come from. A filmmaker decides to travel to the village to make a documentary, and, as days go by, he begins to discover that the locals are not exactly what they appear to be, as they hide some truly dangerous secrets. “Bacurau” hooks the audience the same way grindhouse fare does, such as “I Spit in Your Grave” and “Hostel.” But, of course, the filmmaking in “Bacurau” is what allows the film to transcend over its schlocky competition. It sings with blossoming camerawork and the kind of spiritual elegance not found in many “midnight” films. [My interview with Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles]
5) The Assistant
You never see Harvey Weinstein in director Kitty Green’s “The Assistant.” His barking orders can be heard through closed doors and phone conversations, but that’s all. He’s not even mentioned by name. However, his presence is all over “The Assistant,” a compulsively fascinating film that takes place 24 hours in the life of a woman working as Weinstein’s office assistant. By my knowledge, this is the first feature-length, or television, film to try and tell the Weinstein story. Jane (Julia Garner, excellent in the restraint she brings to her character) wakes up early every morning to get to the office; her duties for the boss are all over the place, she schedules hotel appointments, cleans revolting stains off his casting couch and acts as a shield between him and his frustrated wife. With her background in documentaries (Casting JonBenet), this is Green’s first narrative feature and, to prepare to shoot the Weinstein world, she interviewed people who worked for Hollywood studios and agencies. The work paid off as “The Assistant,” a minimalist and stripped-down narrative, means to build an incredibly realistic and, more importantly, familiar workplace.
4) The Invisible Man
In Leigh Whannell’s “The Invisible Man,” Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss) is victimized by her narcissist sociopathic husband, Adrian (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), even after his apparent death. It all amounts to a metaphorically-driven B-movie filled with Cronenberg-ian dread throughout its, let’s be clear, overlong 124-minute runtime, but the most ingenious aspect of the film is how Whannell manages to tell the story of a victim nobody wants to believe. Despite the on-paper silliness, Whannell and Moss make a formidable team. The latter, best known for her TV roles in “Mad Men” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” shows impressive trust in the B-movie material at hand and delivers the best movie performance of her career. Of course, it’s no fair revealing where the movie truly goes from there — it’s a booby trap of twists and turns — but do know that Whannell’s vision works best when it is most interested in the invisible scars that an abused woman carries in her head, more so than any sort of horrific invisible man. If anything, updating Wells’ classic was just an excuse for the subtextual overload the film carries. Like the very best horror films, there is plenty underneath this film’s facade.
3) Young Ahmed
In the latest Dardenne brothers movie, a young Arabic boy gets indoctrinated by a local Imam's teachings and tries to commit a heinous act. A film filled with tense moments that very much feels organic and attuned to the rest of their filmography. "Young Ahmed" will no doubt cause a stir, and it already has if you’ve read some of the reviews published, but don't be fooled by the political biases of some, this is top-notch work from the Dardennes, filled with their usual birds-eye-view camerawork, solid acting from nonprofessionals and a searing screenplay which builds up the tension with every scene. The Dardennes are the most influential European filmmakers of the last 20 years, their social-realist handheld camera style has become a sort of cliche for the Euro arthouse world, but why complain that the developers of a certain style of filmmaking cannot continue making such films? If their last effort, 2016's "The Unknown Girl," felt a little off, "Young Ahmed" is no doubt a unique film in their cinematic oeuvre because it tackles a controversial character that feels relevant to 21st Century realities. [My Interview with The Dardennes]
2) Bad Education
Cory Finley’s “Bad Education” starring Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney, one of the best films I saw at TIFF last year, had been struggling to find a buyer ever since its premiere. Most were blaming a volatile and unpredictable movie market dominated by franchises, especially after all those Sundance Box-Office duds happened this past summer. However, Finley’s film was finally bought by HBO for an astounding $16.5million. This officially made it ineligible for Oscar contention since it would be premiering on television. A real shame if you ask me since Jackman gives the performance of his career in one of the best movies of the year. “Bad Education” is based on the true story of a Long Island school superintendent (Jackman), his “assistant superintendent for business” (Janney) and the embezzlement scheme they concocted as they stole millions of dollars from school funds. All of this happened under the watch of a clueless school board. Finley, who tackled similar themes in his debut feature “Thoroughbreds”, but unlike that movie, the characters here feel richer and more humane. Count this as another taut, tense and terrific drama from Finley. He’s made another scathing indictment on the way money can corrupt and darken the soul.
1) Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Director Eliza Hittman made good on the promise of her excellent 2018 films “Beach Rats” by delivering the thoroughly gripping “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” the best movie I saw at Sundance 2020. This abortion drama had a 17-year-old girl who finds out she’s 18 weeks pregnant, but cannot get an abortion in conservative-minded small-town Pennsylvania, and decides to travel to New York City to get the procedure done. There, alongside her teenage cousin, she goes through the frustratingly elaborate and complicated system of getting an abortion. Hittman’s film, which also competed at the Berlin Film Festival, is highly influenced by euro-cinema, but brings a fresh new vision to the game. It might be a small indie but, much like the best movies that have come out of Sundance over its close to 40 years of existence, it packs a wallop.
The man doesn't stop. James Gunn has confirmed he's already hard at work writing his next film, even as ‘Man of Tomorrow’ makes its way toward theaters next summer.