What’s Been the Defining Film of the 2020s So Far?

Here’s an email I received from a reader by the name of Andy. It does make a good point:

Hi, Jordan — whether you like it or not “Everything Everywhere All At Once” has defined this movie decade. I wasn’t a huge fan of the movie but I did like its bold creative choices. It defined the decade because it adhered to the growing base of new movie fans who grew up with multiverses, ADD, excess, overstylization and inclusivity. It will not be forgotten anytime soon.

Okay, fair enough. I get it. There are definitely EEAAO fans out there. They are loud, pronounced and will defend it to the very end.

Is it the defining movie of the 2020s? We’re only four years into this decade. I would prefer not to think of it as the film that will be recognized as the most influential one released so far. Then again, I can’t think of many others.

The 2020s were marred by the pandemic. Productions shut down. Movies got delayed. Studios started fearing more and more creative balsiness. You basically have A24 and NEON holding the throne in terms of prestige arthouse influencing.

If you go to the algorithm-based site “They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They,” they have a list of the 10 most acclaimed films of the 2020s. They compiled it via an innumerable amount of critics lists, these are their results:

1) First Cow (Reichardt)
2) Petite Maman (Sciamma)
3) Nomadland (Zhao)
4) Lovers Rock (McQueen)
5) The Power of the Dog (Campion)
6) Drive My Car (Hamaguchi)
7) Titane (Ducournau)
8) Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniels)
9) Memoria (Weerasethakul)
10) Aftersun (Wells)

I find it very hard to believe that in an industry that counts only 11% of its directors as female, six of the ten most acclaimed films of this present decade have been directed by women.

Don’t get me wrong, I really liked nine out of the above ten films (save for EEAAO), but this list feels a little off. Then again, it’s not surprising that critics would have a biased preference in advancing quotas.

So, I ask again, what film actually defined this present decade? Quite honestly, I don’t know. We are living through a very strange time at the movies.

Maybe Andy is right, EEAAO might in fact be the one film that will define the 2020s. I just hope things get better in the next few years. What we do need are some new voices to reinvigorate the language of cinema and I don’t see many of them out there at the moment.