10 Best Film Reviews of 2020
©Peter Mountain
THE TWO POPES, Dir. Fernando Meirelles
Showcasing bravura performances by two consummate actors, this engaging film encompasses humor, pathos, and sublime beauty in equal measure. Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce) develop a deep friendship after Benedict’s retirement in this deeply affectionate and feisty film as they examine their differences and their agreements, ultimately bonding over their shared humanity. A quirky soundtrack features Smetana and ABBA.
©Jose Caro/Sony Pictures Classics
THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY, Dir. Ruben Östlund
This twisty art-world mystery stars Claes Bang as a sleazy art curator, “The Square,” and Elisabeth Debicki as his girlfriend and unwitting accomplice in deceitful skullduggery. Add to that mix the immensely rich art collector Joseph Cassidy, played with gleeful vanity and villainy by Mick Jagger, and a once famous, now reclusive artist played by Donald Sutherland. Filmed on location in a villa on Lake Como, this visually satisfying film is a guilty pleasure.(Amazon Prime)
©Stephanie Keith, Reuters
THE MEANING OF HITLER, Dirs. Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker
This documentary is urgently relevant in a time when democracy is again being undermined and citizens divided and radicalized with increasing militancy. This meticulous dissection of the techniques used by the Nazis in their rise to power reads like a playbook for regressive fringe groups propagating dangerous ideologies through lies and disinformation today. It is a cautionary tale which we ignore at our peril. (DOCNYC)
©Stephanie Keith, Reuters
BIRDS OF PASSAGE , Dirs. Ciro Guerra and Christina Gallego
This epic story, which begins in an indigenous village in Colombia, opens with glorious shots of an elaborate tribal ceremony full of stunning costumes, music and dancing. Traditional cultural life is disrupted by the intrusion of the international marijuana trade, which is often too alluring to be ignored. This new way of life drastically changes the old, leading to dizzying disruption of structures and norms, power struggles, and exposing in some a corrosive greed and avarice. This film is as visually gorgeous as anything I have seen and delivers drama on a Shakespearean scale.
© Netflix
MY OCTOPUS TEACHER, Dir. Craig Foster
Craig Foster takes us on an underwater journey of discovery in the spectacular kelp forests off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Free diving every day, he discovers a particular octopus with which he becomes obsessed and develops a peculiar symbiotic relationship. The abilities of the octopus and the surreal beauty of the underwater world are thoroughly awe inspiring, therapeutic, and, indeed, instructive. (Netflix)
Photo: Fabrizio Di Giulio
WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS, Dir. Ciro Guerra
Based on a book by J.M.Coetzee, “Waiting for the Barbarians” stars Mark Rylance as the Magistrate of an isolated military outpost in an unidentified desert landscape. Things are, as might be expected in such seclusion, peaceful until the arrival of a Col. Joll (Johnny Depp) a fascistic, idiosyncratic, by-the-books disciplinarian. The disruption and antagonism displayed in the conflict between Joll and Coetzee holds a magnifying glass to the historic evils of colonialism, perhaps with implications for us today.
© Our Time Machine
OUR TIME MACHINE, Dir. S. Leo Chang
Maleonn, a Chinese performing artist with a wide variety of skills, creates an ode to his father, also a performer, who is slowly succumbing to Alzheimer’s disease. This tribute takes the form of marvelous, life-size puppets which he creates to celebrate the father’s accomplishments in the world of opera. “Our Time Machine” is a lovely, moving tale of the lengths a man, and artist, will go in the name of filial devotion.
© Victor Jucá
BACURAU, Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Baracau, a remote town in the Brazilian Sertāo, is so isolated that every visitor or passing truck is duly noted by the entire village, which lives with little contact with the outside world. When their water supply mysteriously stops, they must muster their forces to figure out why, and more importantly, what to do. “Bacarau” quickly becomes a David and Goliath battle, a tour de force of violence and victory. Stellar performances by many non-professional actors are anchored by the outstanding presence of Udo Kier and Sōna Braga.
Courtesy of Celluloid Dreams
BABYTEETH, Dir Shannon Murphy
An intimate coming of age film, “Babyteeth” tells the story of Milla, an artistic 16 year old played mesmerizingly by Eliza Scanlen, who is dying of a rare form of cancer. Her dysfunctional parents, Harry (Ben Mendelsohn) and Anna (Essie Davis) struggle with their own personal issues as Milla’s life become more complicated still by a relationship with a boy the parents deem unacceptable. “Babyteeth,” with its wonderful performances across the board, is alternately funny and heartbreaking, but always deeply moving.
© Greenwich Entertainment / Getty All Rights
BILLIE, Dir. James Erskine
A delightful treat for fans of Billie Holiday, “Billie” is filled to the brim with details and anecdotes of her amazing life, thanks to the years of research by filmmaker Linda Lipnik. Footage of performances, some of them judiciously colorized, as well as interviews with musicians and managers who worked with Holiday, fill in previously overlooked realities of her story. “Billie” is a wonderful homage to the legendary musician and one which shows how, in spite of the hardship that she experienced in her life, she remained triumphant.
