Best of Film in 2021

Image courtesy of IndieWire

By Margaret Adams

With Oscar nominations finally out, many people have taken to the Internet to debate what films were actually deserving of the prized Best Picture nomination. 2021 was an eventful and controversial year for film, with conversations around movies being shown first on streaming platforms destroying the art’s integrity. Despite the controversies, audiences certainly responded to the films that came out this year; from Spiderman: No Way Home to House of Gucci to the many movie musicals, audiences’ excitement about movies has spread across the globe, making 2021 a historic year in film. 

There were many different ideas of what would be nominated this year, ranging from Speilberg’s West Side Story to a Norwegian indie film, The Worst Person in the World; that being said, the fun is not in knowing what got nominated but trying to guess who would get nominated.

Without further ado, this is my ranked list of the best films of 2021. 

6. Tick, Tick…BOOM!

Tick, Tick… BOOM! is a movie-musical based on the musical of the same name by Jonathon Larson. You may know Larson as the creator of RENT, a Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical. The film follows Larson himself (played by Andrew Garfield, nominated for Best Actor) as he struggles to finish the musical and maneuvers his way through his friendship with his best friend, Michael, and his relationship with Susan Wilson. 

The film takes a surprisingly poignant look at Larson’s life and inspiration for RENT, as well as the arduous life of an artist overall. Along with some of the most incredible cameos ever to appear in a film about theater, the movie was directed by Tony, Emmy, and Grammy award-winning director, Lin Manuel Miranda. If Tick, Tick…BOOM! wins an Oscar, it will make Miranda the youngest person to ever get an EGOT. 

5. The Power of the Dog

Jane Campion’s triumphant return to the big screen (or little screens, as it premiered on Netflix) with The Power of the Dog is a literal masterpiece in storytelling. Adapted from the novel, the film is about two brothers Phil and George Burbank, played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons (both nominated for Oscars). Cumberbatch plays the hateful rancher who berates and bullies his brother’s new wife (played by Kirsten Dunst, also nominated) and her son (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, nominated as well). The film surrounds themes of identity, masculinity, and sexuality in some of the most eloquent and nuanced ways; no one could have done The Power of the Dog better than Campion, who has since become the first woman to be nominated twice for Best Director. 

4. All Light, Everywhere

For anyone who prefers nonfiction media, All Light, Everywhere is one of the most enlightening documentaries I have ever seen, though it has gone mostly unnoticed in the award circuits. All Light, Everywhere is a film that illustrates the history of cameras, recording, and, more specifically, how the further advancement of cameras and their technologies affect policing and surveillance across the country through the lens of an interview with Axon Enterprise, the sole company producing body cameras. 

Filmmaker Theo Anthony has taken a very common object and idea and transformed it into a very nuanced and complex subject; it is like he takes out all of the parts and lays them out in front of the audience, allowing them to see the details and figure it out for themselves. All Light, Everywhere is, what I would call, a perfect documentary. 

I know my English majors will love (or hate) this next one. 

3. The Green Knight

I love The Green Knight; while it was not the favorite of many critics and lovers of the original text, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, I found the film adaptation of the classic epic absolutely enthralling. Starring Dev Patel and directed by David Lowery (who directed another one of my favorite films, A Ghost Story), the film follows Sir Gawain as he goes on a journey to lose his head (literally). This film has some of the best cinematography I have ever seen, and I believe that it captured the spirit of the Arthurian romance beautifully; the drastic colors and extremely bold composition brought a Grimm’s fairytale-like aura to the story, adding layers of emotion to otherwise boring scenes. As someone who has slaved over this epic for class, I thoroughly enjoyed this particular adaptation from text to screen. 

2. Titane

From one of my favorite directors, Julia Ducorneau, Titane is a beast of a film. Winning one of the most prestigious film awards, the Palme d’Or Prize at Cannes, Titane is about a woman who, for lack of better words, gets pregnant by a car. Obviously, the film is about much more than just that, but Ducourneau is famous for her feminine body horror. With a heartbreaking performance from Vincent Lindon, Titane is a gorgeously filmed and directed story about the true meaning of family. It is a bit weird and kind of gross, but it is GREAT. 

Before I explain my top pick, I would like to take some time to mention some other films that have made this year a historic one for the film: 

Honorable Mentions: Passing, Licorice Pizza, The Worst Person in the World, Encanto, The French Dispatch, Drive My Car, and Spencer

Drum roll, please…

1. The Lost Daughter

Starring the incomparable Olivia Colman (recently nominated for Best Actress) and the absolutely impeccable Jesse Buckley (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut is my favorite film of this past year. The adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel is a beautiful story about motherhood, but, more specifically, womanhood. The film follows an older professor on her vacation in Italy, where a family brings up memories from her past. Everything from the script to the acting to the gorgeous cinematography is charmingly emotional and enormously impressive. I cannot wait to watch this film win every category that it’s nominated for at the 2021 Oscars.