Good day to you. My name is Luis A. Mendez. I’m a film critic based in Central Florida, and these are my PERSONAL top 20 favorites from the year 2020 in film. If a favorite of yours from the year is missing from this list, chances are I probably liked it, I just happened to have liked at least 20 films a little more.
I’ve shared my top picks for this year a few times already, but with the year quickly coming to a close, I wanted to take a step back and really lock in my thoughts on what I consider the best films of each year in the 2020s so far. That meant doing some re-watches, going through every single Letterboxd log from each year, and seeing whether my original grades still held up or needed adjusting for any one movie. I also put together a new version of my personal awards ballot for this year in film, which I published quietly, without sending it to the readers’ inboxes, so I wouldn’t flood anyone’s email with too much “Best of” movie talk from just one year.
2020 will go down as one of the most bizarre and downright challenging years for film buffs. The COVID-19 pandemic, which tragically killed millions, led to countless projects, many of which could have made it an all-timer year for cinema, being delayed by a year or even longer. Add to that a high-stakes and stressful presidential election, the largest spike in unemployment since the Great Depression, nationwide protests, and the fact that theatres closing down led to many of us to having to turn to straight-to-streaming releases for our weekly new-movie fix, and it’s easy to see why some moviegoers still view it as a lost year for cinema. Yet even in such a bleak period, we still got some incredible films that resonated deeply with me at some level, proving that cinema always finds a way to deliver great stories no matter the circumstances. I’ve found that every year in cinema inevitably reveals a common thread among my favorite films, and for 2020, those themes were unmistakably social justice and the relationships we share with one another.
Now without further adieu here are my choices:
20. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga
Right off the bat, it’s clear this list reflects my personal favorites from the year, not an objective rundown of the most technically accomplished or “canon-worthy” films of 2020. Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is, of course, a big, silly musical comedy about an inept duo of childhood friends who unexpectedly find themselves competing on one of music’s biggest international stages. With a stellar soundtrack, sharp crafts, and hilarious performances from Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams, and especially an over-the-top villainous Dan Stevens, it’s one of the few films from that year I found myself rewatching simply because it’s such a joy to “Netflix and chill” with. It may be the silliest movie on this countdown, but it’s also easily the most fun in a year marked by serious films for a serious year.
19. Wolfwalkers
Cartoon Saloon has quietly produced some of the best animated films of the 21st century, and they did it again with Wolfwalkers, the third entry in Tomm Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy.” Featuring the stunning hand-drawn 2D animation we’ve come to expect from the studio, this is a beautiful story for young girls to grow up with; one that explores themes of identity and embracing differences, which feel even more vital in today’s world. Back in 2020, its message might have seemed too familiar, but in hindsight in the years since, it resonates more than ever. Wolfwalkers feels like the kind of animated film Disney might have added to its canon back in the nineties, the kind I grew up with. Thankfully, studios like Cartoon Saloon still give us glimpses of that timeless magic every now and then.
18. Howl From Beyond The Fog
The movie subgenre that first got me into film was the kaiju flick, and in 2020, fans of the genre like me were treated to a small but memorable gem in Howl from Beyond the Fog. This short indie creature feature uses puppeteering animation to tell its story, set in Meiji-era Japan. It follows a massive monster known as Nebula and the encounter he shares with a young man and a blind girl. Running just over thirty minutes, it quickly became one of my favorites from the year, a refreshing creature feature fix during a year when genre filmmaking was having a rough stretch.
17. The Small Axe Film Anthology
Steve McQueen has proven himself to be an exceptional filmmaker, one capable of everything from intimate character studies to sprawling historical epics. In 2020, he pulled off one of the most ambitious projects I’ve ever seen from a director; an anthology of films chronicling the civil rights–era experiences that defined the struggles of Black Britons in the UK. While some have categorized Small Axe as a miniseries, I side with the critics who view it as the remarkable anthology it truly is. Across five films, blending fictional narratives and true stories, McQueen illuminated a period of global history I had never been that aware of. Here in the States, we tend to focus so heavily on our own civil rights movement that we forget other countries have had to confront their own forms of racism and bigotry. McQueen achieves something truly special here, weaving together an anthology where each entry could have stood on its own as one of the year’s best.
16. Judas And The Black Messiah
Easily one of the toughest watches of the year, the Oscar-nominated Judas and the Black Messiah is a sobering, unflinching look at how far the American government is willing to go to silence certain dissenting voices. The film recounts the true story of Bill O’Neal, who infiltrated the Black Panther Party as an FBI informant, and the mystery surrounding the death of Fred Hampton while O’Neal was embedded within the group. I’ve seen the film twice now, and the second viewing was no easier than the first. It’s a dark, brooding portrait of one of the most harrowing chapters in America’s civil rights history, anchored by Daniel Kaluuya’s phenomenal performance as Hampton, my personal pick for Best Supporting Actor that year, and a role that deservedly won him an Oscar. To top it off, the film concludes with one of the most gut-punch endings I’ve ever seen from cinema.
15. The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin’s take on the true story of those prosecuted after the 1968 DNC Chicago riots wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. It definitely leans into Sorkin’s trademark West Wing-isms, snappy dialogue and a certain boomer-friendly polish, but for all its old-school sensibilities, I genuinely enjoyed my time with this Oscar Best Picture nominee, which next to The Father might well have been the potential runner-up for that year’s top prize. It’s an entertaining yet sobering watch, reminding us how easily the government can target those it deems a threat, and how much courage it takes to stand up against that kind of power.
14. One Night In Miami…
Continuing the streak of civil rights era set films, One Night in Miami… adapts the acclaimed stage play that imagines what conversations might have taken place between Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke as they gather in a Miami hotel room following Ali’s championship victory, back when he was still known as Cassius Clay. For nearly two hours, we watch these men engage in rich, thought-provoking discussions that range from religion and politics to personal morals and the breaking news of their time. Regina King delivers an outstanding directorial achievement, crafting one of the year’s strongest ensemble performances and a film that feels both intimate and important for this current era in culture.
13. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
As part of Denzel Washington and family’s ongoing mission to bring all of August Wilson’s plays to the screen, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom stands out as a showcase of powerhouse performances. Viola Davis delivers what I consider the best lead actress performance of the year, completely transforming herself into the legendary Ma Rainey. Opposite her, Chadwick Boseman, in his final role before his untimely passing from cancer, gives a riveting performance that, alongside Davis, anchors an incredible ensemble. For over ninety minutes, all it takes is these musicians talking in a studio about jazz, ambition, and creative tension to keep you utterly captivated.
12. Soul
We’re now entering what I consider my personal expanded Best Picture lineup of the year, starting with my favorite animated film of 2020 in Pixar’s Soul. Featuring excellent voice performances from Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey, Soul pulls off the classic body-swap premise with surprising depth and sincerity. Foxx’s Joe Gardner, a jazz musician whose life is cut short just as he’s about to catch his big break, struggles to return to the world of the living; while Fey’s character, 22, learns to appreciate life’s beauty despite initially rejecting it. It’s a heartfelt, visually stunning film that represents Pixar at its best, and it arrived at exactly the right time, closing out a year defined by such massive loss of life with a message about purpose, joy, and what makes life worth living.
11. Mank
David Fincher’s ambitious adaptation of the behind-the-scenes story behind what many consider the greatest film of all time, Citizen Kane, comes in the form of Mank, which centers on writer Herman J. Mankiewicz’s trials and tribulations during the creation of its iconic screenplay. The film traces Mank’s complicated history in Hollywood, mirroring the very structure and themes of the masterpiece he’s writing. Shot in striking black and white, this Oscar Best Picture nominee may have had some detractors, but I found it to be a fascinating exploration of the creative chaos and industry politics behind one of cinema’s most celebrated achievements.
10. Minari
Director Lee Isaac Chung’s semi-autobiographical film Minari is a beautiful and moving portrait of a Korean American family in the eighties who leave California for rural Arkansas, chasing their dream of finding success as farmers. It’s a crowd-pleasing, deeply human, and family-affirming story brought to life by an outstanding ensemble cast, including Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, and Will Patton. My personal pick for Best Supporting Actress, and the actual Oscar winner, Youn Yuh-jung delivers a warm, funny, and unforgettable performance as Soonja, the grandmother we all wish we had.
09. Nomadland
The 2020 winner of the Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress, Nomadland was arguably the defining film of 2020 for both critics and audiences who bothered to not give up on movies that year. Its intimate portrayal of life on the road deeply resonated with cinephiles during a time when many of us were confined to our homes and unable to experience the communal joy of going to the movies. Chloe Zhao’s semi-fictional adaptation of the nonfiction book about real-life nomads living in vans and traveling across the country plays like a quiet, modern-day western, a meditative journey of self-discovery. Frances McDormand’s portrayal of Fern, as she forges new friendships, explores a tentative romance, and embraces a lifestyle that continually tests her resilience, anchors the film with authenticity. While Nomadland wasn’t my personal favorite film of the year, among the Best Picture nominees, it was easily my top choice and would have earned the number one spot on my ballot were I an Academy voter.
08. News Of The World
Paul Greengrass’s reunion with Tom Hanks received a mixed reception from critics and audiences alike, but I found it to be one of the finest modern-day westerns in recent memory. It carries an old-school sensibility in both its storytelling and character development, echoing the spirit of classic western cinema. This found-family tale follows Hanks’s Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a traveling news reader who takes on the responsibility of escorting a lost child, played by Helena Zengel, across the rugged American frontier. The film evokes the kind of westerns my grandpa used to introduce me to when I was growing up; stories full of heart, grit, and humanity.
07. Da 5 Bloods
Spike Lee’s ambitious adventure epic follows a group of former Vietnam veterans who return to the country in search of the treasure they once buried. The film unfolds much like The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, as the men confront emotional turmoil, turn against one another, and ultimately face the ghosts of their own individual pasts. It’s led by a strong ensemble cast featuring Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, Isiah Whitlock J.R, the late Chadwick Boseman in his penultimate performances, a then-less-controversial Jonathan Majors, and what I consider the year’s best lead male performance in Delroy Lindo’s electrifying and unhinged manic portrayal of Paul. Da 5 Bloods stands as Lee’s more radical, sprawling, and admittedly bloated take on the classic treasure-hunting adventure.
06. Bacurau
This Brazilian film was a hit at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival but didn’t reach wider audiences until 2020. Bacurau is a trippy, fantastical, and brutally violent action film that explores how colonialism and government corruption can tear apart a community. Rather than telling this story through straightforward drama, it unfolds as a surreal, genre-blending tale in which the town of Bacurau comes under attack by mysterious forces such as alien spacecrafts, ruthless mercenaries, strange occurrences, and must unite, even if it means relying on its most enigmatic residents. It’s the kind of film that leaves you eager to explore more of the cinema from its home country.
05. Another Round
My personal favorite international feature of the year, and the winner of the 2020 Oscar in that category, is Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round. What initially sounds like a simple story about a group of friends experimenting with teaching while slightly drunk evolves into a touching and deeply human exploration of brotherhood, purpose, and the balance between joy and self-control. It’s a heartfelt reminder that life’s vices can coexist with moderation, and it’s the kind of film I wish we saw more often, especially in a time when so many men seem to be struggling to maintain meaningful friendships and connections. It also features one of the greatest finales that I think we’ve ever gotten from cinema.
04. Tenet
We’re now entering my picks for my absolute favorite films of the year, starting with what was arguably the biggest blockbuster studio release of 2020 in Tenet. Christopher Nolan’s trippy, time-bending spy thriller takes us on a breathtaking, and at times confounding, adventure as our hero, John David Washington’s aptly named “Protagonist”, uncovers a plot that threatens the very fabric of time and space. It’s easily Nolan’s most divisive film, and while it didn’t become the box office savior he’d hoped for with its Labor Day weekend release, I’ve revisited it multiple times and continue to find it a thrilling, mind-bending spectacle. I’ll go a step further and say something controversial that Nolan’s direction here is my personal choice for Best Director of the year. Among the few large-scale genre films we got that year, Tenet stood out as my favorite; a bold, ambitious addition to the catalog of a modern master of blockbuster cinema.
03. The Vast Of Night
Some might quibble with me calling it a horror film, but The Vast of Night stands as my favorite of the genre in 2020. The directorial debut of Andrew Patterson, this indie gem delivers a pulse-pounding story about two young radio workers who encounter what may be a UFO over the course of one eerie night in a small fifties desert town. It’s an astonishing debut, showcasing Patterson’s inventive storytelling and stylistic confidence, it feels like watching an auteur’s take on an episode of The Twilight Zone. I’ve revisited it several times in the years since, and each viewing still leaves me gob-smacked at how he pulled off something so atmospheric and gripping on such a small production scale.
02. Palm Springs
Another impressive directorial debut, this time from Max Barbakow, Palm Springs is a testament to how filmmakers can still tell a fresh, inventive story even if they’re reusing what by now has become one of cinema’s most overused tropes. We’ve all seen the Groundhog Day-style time-loop premise reimagined countless times since that film’s release, but Palm Springs reinvigorates it with clever twists, like having multiple protagonists trapped in the loop and grounding the premise in science rather than a moral lesson. It also stands as one of the great romantic comedies of the 2020s, balancing humor, heart, and existential reflection at a time we were all trying to survive a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Since its release, it’s been one of the easiest and most enjoyable films to revisit again and again. In fact, for years I actually considered this to be my personal favorite film of 2020, but after my recent re-watches of some movies from the year, I had to come to grips with the reality that another film had now surpassed it after it years of rewatches.
01. Emma.
It’s probably fitting that my favorite film from a year when I couldn’t go to the movies as often as I wanted, a year defined by pandemic anxiety, election stress, and job losses and new beginnings, turned out to be an adaptation of a Jane Austen romantic comedy. Emma. was the last movie I saw in theaters before the world shut down, and on my most recent rewatch, I realized it’s the 2020 film I’ve revisited the most since then. It’s become something of a comfort film for me. The ensemble cast is pitch-perfect, the craftsmanship and visual detail are lavish, and it’s simply a delightfully fun period comedy based on one of literature’s great romance novels. Even more impressive, it marks the feature directorial debut of Autumn de Wilde. If ever there was a film to lift one’s spirits during the dark days of 2020, Emma. was an excellent choice; and it has slowly but surely climbed to become my favorite film of that year.
