I am always surprised by how much (or how little) my lists change a year later, or several years later, but these are my ten favorite films of 2021— at least at this moment in time. I hope you’ve seen some of these films, and if you haven’t, I hope you’re encouraged to watch them.
- Bo Burnham: Inside
- Licorice Pizza
- Virgil Was Here
- The Power of the Dog
- The Card Counter
- À l'abordage (All Hands on Deck)
- The Killing of Two Lovers
- Old Henry
- Compartment No. 6
- Petite Maman
I learned of the passing of a family friend halfway through Petite Maman . I was moved to tears watching Virgil Was Here— a short work that features Virgil Abloh’s Spring-Summer 2022 Collection, released days after his passing. I wish I could live in the worlds of À l'abordage and Licoroce Pizza. I loved the style and craft of The Power of the Dog, The Card Counter and The Killing of Two Lovers. I hadn’t even heard of Old Henry and Compartment No. 6 before I watched them. I could go on about these films.
Filmmaking is a collaborative process but Bo Burnham: Inside is the work of a singular artist. It’s a remarkable achievement in filmmaking. There is something in it for everyone, but more importantly, when we look back at the pandemic and these times, this will be the film that we’ll look to, to understand what it all felt like.
