I’ve finalized my grades and rankings for my personal 2021 movie season over at Letterboxd, so I decided to write down a list of my top 20 favorite films from the year accompanied by plot descriptions provided by the social cataloging site.
20. Being The Ricardos
Follows Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz as they face a crisis that could end their careers, and another that could end their marriage.
19. Mass
Two couples meet for a painful and raw conversation in the aftermath of a violent tragedy.
18. Pig
A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland, in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.
17. Nine Days
A reclusive man conducts a series of interviews with human souls for a chance to be born.
16. Drive My Car
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable after two years to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanja at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.
15. Petite Maman
Eight-year-old Nelly has just lost her beloved grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother’s childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods where her mother used to play, and where she built the treehouse Nelly has heard so much about. One day her mother suddenly leaves. That is when Nelly meets a girl of her own age in the woods, building a treehouse.
14. Minari
A Korean American family moves to an Arkansas farm in search of its own American dream. Amidst the challenges of this new life in the strange and rugged Ozarks, they discover the undeniable resilience of family and what really makes a home.
13. Nomadland
A woman in her sixties embarks on a journey through the western United States after losing everything in the Great Recession, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.
12. Passing
In twenties New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former childhood friend who’s passing as white.
11. The Tragedy Of Macbeth
Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.
10. The Power Of The Dog
Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
09. Last Night In Soho
A young girl, passionate about fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the sixties where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But sixties London is not what it seems, and time seems to be falling apart with shady consequences.
08. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Peter Parker is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a super-hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.
07. Godzilla VS Kong
In a time when monsters walk the Earth, humanity’s fight for its future sets Godzilla and Kong on a collision course that will see the two most powerful forces of nature on the planet collide in a spectacular battle for the ages.
06. Luca
Two young boys experience an unforgettable Italian summer filled with gelato, pasta, and endless scooter rides. But all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret - they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.
05. Dune
Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential, only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
04. The Suicide Squad
Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker, and a collection of nutty cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese.
03. Licorice Pizza
The story of Gary Valentine and Alana Kane growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
02. Belfast
Buddy is a young boy on the cusp of adolescence, whose life is filled with familial love, childhood hijinks, and a blossoming romance. Yet, with his beloved hometown caught up in increasing turmoil, his family faces a momentous choice - hope the conflict will pass or leave everything they know behind for a new life.
01. In The Heights
The story of Usnavi, a bodega owner who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic or staying in Washington Heights.
