“This Is How I Win!” — The Best Movies of 2020

It’s been an incredibly weird movie year. Saw a bunch of great films in cinemas — still incredibly grateful for the chance of seeing Soul on the big screen — but also ended up watching a lot of them on TV. In any case, here are my ten favorites.

1. Uncut Gems (Benny & Josh Safdie) → Netflix

I already felt Benny & Josh Safdie’s previous film, Good Time, was sublime. But Uncut Gems is simply a masterpiece. An adrenaline shot mixed with five grams of coke — uncut, obviously — and ten grams of concentrated Red Bull.

2. Mank (David Fincher) → Netflix

Even though it massively underplays Orson Welles’s involvement in the writing of Citizen Kane, Mank is a cinephile’s feat — an exquisitely shot tribute to Herman J. Mankiewicz (and Citizen Kane) and an almost heretic scorching of Hollywood.

3. For Sama (Waad al-Kateab & Edward Watts) → myLum & Apple TV

I’ve already seen a ton of war movies — both fiction and documentary — but rarely has one brought me so close to the horrors of war than For Sama, about a young Syrian mother chronicling her daily life in Aleppo for her new-born daughter Sama. A dozen scenes will forever stick in my mind, like the eight-or-so-year-old boys weeping over the dead body of their younger brother, or the hospital workers jokingly warming themselves on a tank grenade that just blasted its way into their hospital.

4. Little Women (Greta Gerwig) → Streamz & Apple TV

I had become pretty convinced that I could no longer endure a period piece, let alone the umpteenth adaptation of Little Women. But Greta Gerwig miraculously managed to turn it into a fresh experience. This big little (or little big) movie is truly a delight! It’s imaginative, sophisticated, heartfelt, self-assured and without a doubt the best Little Women in cinematic history.

5. First Cow (Kelly Reichardt)

Another brilliant western from Meek’s Cutoff director Kelly Reichardt, which is just as grim and ill-fated as it is funny and affectionate. Oh, and it’s about a cow.

6. Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)

I think I liked The Rider, Chloé Zhao’s previous masterpiece, just a tad more. But it’s safe to say that — whether she wins that Oscar next year or not (and she most likely will) — Zhao is well on her way to becoming the greatest American chronicler of her generation.

7. Soul (Pete Docter & Kemp Powers) → Disney+

An absolute triumph of brilliant (and often quite psychedelic) animation, incredibly inspired storytelling, and all that jazz. (And also an absolutely gorgeous electronic score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.) Soul, the first Pixar with a predominantly black cast, deserves to be seen on the big screen. It looks (and is) out of this world. But until you ever get the chance, make sure to see this heartwarming, jazzy, and soulful gem at home.

8. Babyteeth (Shannon Murphy) → Apple TV

Shannon Murphy’s debut feature is both moving and funny, endearing and eerie, and above all, warm and brazen.

9. Palm Springs (Max Barbakow)

I have no idea how to describe this ambitiously weird comedy: Groundhog Day meets The Tree of Life? What I am sure of, though, is how much I enjoyed it and how hard it made me laugh.

10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman) → Apple TV

An exceptionally strong abortion drama directed by one of the most prominent independent filmmakers in the US.

Almost made the cut: American Utopia (Spike Lee), The Assistant (Kitty Green), The King of Staten Island (Judd Apatow), Shirley (Josephine Decker), Sound of Metal (Darius Marder), and Waves (Trey Edward Shultz).

Didn’t make the cut but probably would have if I hadn’t already seen them in 2019: Ghost Tropic (Bas Devos), The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers), Monos (Alejandro Landes), and The Souvenir (Joanna Hogg).