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 2021 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.
2021 has become one of the more hotly debated years for cinema. With the COVID-19 pandemic’s aftermath still impacting the slow but steady reopening of movie theaters, the industry was only beginning to find its footing again after the incredibly rough year that was 2020. Some have dismissed it as just as skippable a year for film as its predecessor, but I’ve always seen it as deeply underrated. It was the year I truly began to ramp up my journey as a film critic, and it marked a healing moment for cinema itself, as audiences gradually returned to packed screenings of big blockbusters by the year’s end. A theme of family and community ran strongly through many of my favorites from this year.
Now without further adieu here are my choices:
20. Being The Ricardos
Just one year after The Trial of the Chicago 7, Aaron Sorkin directed yet another of his own true-life scripts. This time, he tackled the behind-the-scenes drama of the I Love Lucy set, as Lucille Ball faces questions about whether she’s a communist in fifties Hollywood and navigates her tumultuous marriage with Desi Arnaz. Starring Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem as the titular Ricardos, the film was received very coldly by some as another Oscar-bait “boomer-coded” Sorkin screenplay, one that felt more concerned with entertaining your grandparents than engaging meaningfully with the themes it’s supposed to be exploring. Personally, I ended up enjoying this far more than some of my colleagues and I see why it came close to getting into the Best Picture lineup. I grew up on I Love Lucy reruns on Nick At Nite that my mom would watch before we went to bed as kids, and that probably gave the film a different dimension for me than it did others. It was enough that it ended up becoming one of my personal favorites of the year.
19. King Richard
Another true-life biopic that factored heavily into the 2021 awards race, and ultimately earned Will Smith an Oscar for Best Actor (let’s not talk about the elephant in the room regarding what happened when he accepted said award), King Richard explores the highs and lows of Richard Williams as he coaches his daughters, Serena and Venus, not only into becoming professional tennis players but ultimately into the universally recognized GOATs of the sport. This feel-good sports drama was warmly received and became a Best Picture contender, and I found it to be a great audience film; one that had me leaving my first viewing wanting to pump my fists in the air when the credits rolled.
18. Petite Maman
Continuing the themes of parent and child relationships, following her critically lauded 2019 film Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, Celine Sciamma delivered a magical little gem with this very short and sweet seventy-minute French film about an eight-year-old girl named Nelly, who stumbles upon a time warp that allows her to meet and befriend her mother at the same age. The two form a powerful bond, giving Nelly a chance not only to understand her mother more deeply but also to say goodbye to her recently departed grandmother. This is the kind of movie that feels like the perfect pick to help a younger cinephile in the making appreciate and fall in love with international cinema. It’s a lovely little treat from the year in film that was 2021.
17. Nine Days
This stunning directorial debut from Edson Oda feels like the previous year’s Soul for grown-ups. It’s a fantastical story about a before-life rather than an afterlife, following a soul whose job is to decide which candidate will be granted a life on Earth. He interviews a group of potential souls, each with their own personalities and philosophies, and one by one he must eliminate them until he arrives at a single choice. The ensemble is one of the year’s best, and the film is deeply moving as it explores the meaning of life and what a person can contribute during their time on Earth. This little gem of an indie has stayed with me as one of the hidden treasures of 2021.
16. Spider-Man: No Way Home
If you had to argue what was the film of 2021, I’d honestly dare say it might’ve been Spider-Man: No Way Home. This multiverse event, the third entry in the MCU’s Peter Parker timeline, manages to bring its world together with the worlds of previous cinematic Spider-Men, reintroducing characters from every prior live-action iteration of the web-slinger. That includes iconic villain turns from Willem Dafoe and Alfred Molina, as well as the return of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield alongside Tom Holland within the MCU. While this film landed right as the MCU was about to enter its post–Phase Three decline, and social media discourse around it became predictably cringe among both sides, I found it to be a terrifically fun crowd-pleaser that stands out as top-tier Marvel. Plenty of franchises (and even the MCU itself) have since tried to recapture the magic of how this film handles its multiverse elements and cameos, but most have failed miserably at replicating the strength of its story or the themes it explores about sacrifice and what it truly means to be a so-called superhero.
14-15. Rorouni Kenshin: The Beginning & Rorouni Kenshin: The Final
Coming in as a package of two slots are the final two films in the greatest anime-to-live-action adaptations we’ve ever gotten - the Rurouni Kenshin franchise. 2021 saw the release of The Beginning and The Final, essentially a prequel and a fourth installment to the original trilogy. Together, they explore how Kenshin went from a feared and lethal swordsman to the samurai who wields a reverse-blade sword and refuses to take another life, while also bringing his saga to a close as an old rival from the prequel returns to challenge his morals and everything he has built over the previous three films. These Kenshin movies are entertaining as hell, and next to reading the manga or watching the iconic anime adaptations, experiencing these live-action films is the best way to dive into one of the greatest samurai tales in Japanese culture. A series that tackles how past sins from a veteran warrior may effect them when they try to live a life of peace.
13. Drive My Car
My favorite international film of the year, and one that not only earned a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars but also won Best International Feature, Drive My Car is a sprawling three-hour melodrama about a man coping with his wife’s death while trying to stage a play. In the process, he’s forced to confront her lover and spend long, introspective car rides with a young woman carrying her own painful past. On paper, it sounds like a long, potentially pretentious slog, but I found it to be incredibly affecting in its ruminations on life and grief. It feels like the kind of movie you watch with a glass of bourbon in hand, letting the whole experience quietly wash over you.
12. Nightmare Alley
We now enter my expanded Best Picture ballot with Guillermo del Toro’s take on Nightmare Alley. An Oscar-nominated adaptation of both the novel and the classic Tyrone Power film, this version sticks much closer to its source material, leaning into a darker and more violent tone as we follow a drifter con man who lands at a circus and learns how to fake communicating with the dead. This skill eventually leads him down a dangerous path as he tries to use his charlatan act for a big score, only for his immoral choices to catch up with him as the lies he’s built start to close in. Del Toro is an incredible director when it comes to telling gothic stories, and with this noir he proves it once again, backed by a terrific ensemble. The result is a film that lingers in your mind, exploring the ways we lie to each other, take from each other, and ultimately build the very traps that become our own downfalls.
11. Last Night In Soho
Continuing the theme of gothic noir, Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho stands as my favorite horror film of 2021. I actually caught this on Halloween day, which only made the experience even better. It’s a deeply engrossing ghost tale following Eloise, a young woman who dreams of making it big in fashion and also happens to see ghosts. She becomes entangled in the mystery of a glamorous sixties bombshell whose life spiraled into darkness as predatory men closed in on her. The film builds toward a finale that has divided many, but I found it devastatingly plausible and tragic, with something meaningful to say about how dark paths can consume even those who were victims to begin with. When Wright is on his A-game, he’s an excellent storyteller; and with Last Night in Soho, he’s absolutely on it.
10. The Power Of The Dog
The film that critics crowned as the Best of the Year, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, was the clear frontrunner for the top prize at the Oscars until it stumbled and ultimately lost to the Hallmark-style family drama CODA. At the time, the discourse around Campion’s film was that it was an overrated, boring, and plodding affair with nothing meaningful to say - I couldn’t disagree more. I found it to be one of Campion’s strongest works, a meticulous exploration of toxic masculinity told through the story of a closeted cowboy who channels his own insecurities into bullying his brother’s wife and stepson. His relationship with the latter becomes a complicated, twisted dance as each tries to use the other. By the film’s end, a single decision shifts everything, leading to a stunning turn of events that finally brings a warped sense of peace to this tumultuous family. I’ve revisited this film several times now, and I genuinely think general audiences gave it a raw deal. It’s a fascinating, singular take on the western genre.
09. The Tragedy Of Macbeth
Directed by one half of the Coen brothers duo, this straightforward adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth features an all-star cast led by the iconic Denzel Washington as the titular Macbeth, who delivers what I consider the best male lead performance of the year. It’s a film that embraces simplicity as the sets feel like something out of the fifties, the cinematography is a stark black-and-white, and the dialogue stays true to Shakespeare’s original text. I found it to be one of the strongest Shakespeare adaptations I’ve ever seen, offering a thoroughly entertaining take on the iconic tale; one that both general audiences and Shakespeare aficionados can appreciate and enjoy.
08. Godzilla VS Kong
If you know me, you know that Godzilla is the reason I became a cinephile in the first place. The modern-day Monsterverse films, which have turned both Godzilla and King Kong into franchise stars, had been building for years toward this iconic rematch, their first showdown since the early sixties. Godzilla VS Kong is nowhere near one of the most finely crafted films of the year, and it’s clearly ranked this high because I’m basing my list on pure enjoyability rather than an attempt to objectively curate the “best” filmmaking. But I’ll be damned, this movie is an absolute blast. We follow the two factions supporting each creature on a globe-trotting adventure that culminates in a climactic spectacle where Godzilla and Kong finally duke it out; and the film actually gives us a real winner before the two inevitably team up. It was, hands down, the most fun popcorn experience I had in 2021 as the film was the first blockbuster event to bring crowds into the theatre, and its willingness to reinvent Kong as a genuine hero with an emotional arc, rather than the tragic figure he’s traditionally been, is something I genuinely appreciated.
07. Luca
For a good while, I considered this Pixar 2021 offering my favorite animated feature of the year, and for good reason. This tale about a young fish boy who befriends another of his kind and discovers he can live side by side with humans once he breaks the surface becomes a heartfelt story about identity, friendship, and found family. It also showcases some incredible animation of the Italian vista and delivers a genuinely funny, all-ages experience that anyone can enjoy.
06. Encanto
In a year overflowing with musicals, many like this one tied to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s talents, Encanto felt like a breath of fresh air at a time when Disney’s animated canon has been struggling to recapture the storytelling magic of its Renaissance-era nineties peak. Set in Colombia, this musical (with an incredible, addictive soundtrack) follows the Madrigal family, whose magical gifts keep their village thriving. Our protagonist, Mirabel, is the lone family member without powers, and her journey to uncover long-buried secrets becomes a story about identity, acceptance, and understanding one’s place within a complicated family. It took a few years for it to fully sink in, but Encanto has climbed its way to becoming my favorite animated film of the year. And honestly, as I write this in late 2025, I have to admit, it feels like the last truly A-tier, non-Pixar Disney animated film we’ve gotten.
05. Dune
And now we enter my absolute favorite crop of the year with Denis Villeneuve’s stunning technical achievement in Dune. This first installment of his planned trilogy should have earned him an Oscar; his work in finally bringing this “unfilmable” story to the screen is, in my view, the best directing effort of all of 2021. It’s an awe-inspiring film, as Villeneuve delivers a high-concept sci-fi epic filled with some of the year’s most breathtaking visuals, sound design, and composition. He also assembles a fantastic ensemble to tell the story of a young, prophesied “chosen one” whose family is thrust into the center of a power struggle between a galactic emperor and an empire determined to wipe them out. It’s just the beginning of what might very well become the Star Wars of my generation.
04. The Suicide Squad
As fun as Spider-Man: No Way Home was, James Gunn’s temporary break from his Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy, his wildly chaotic take on DC’s The Suicide Squad, is my favorite comic book flick of the year. With Gunn’s absurdist humor on full display and a tone that feels almost like a Tarantino spin on a hyper-violent superhero movie, the film follows a crew of anti-heroes and villains sent on a dangerous mission to pull off a regime change at the behest of the morally questionable Amanda Waller. It’s one of the most rewatchable and flat-out funniest anti-hero movies I’ve ever seen, an absolute blast at the theater. Gunn truly is a master of juggling massive ensembles and giving everyone their moment whenever he’s operating at the top of his storytelling game.
03. Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson is my favorite living director, and no film of his has ever failed to crack my “Best of the Year” list. Licorice Pizza continues that tradition. This seventies-set coming-of-age story about young hustler Gary Valentine and his fixation on the wonderfully clumsy Alana Kane is a treat for any fellow Anderson fanboy. It’s a laugh-out-loud romp as we watch the two of them continually stumble into various misadventures such as trying to make it big in Hollywood, selling waterbeds, attempting to survive a night with a crazed customer, running a mayoral campaign, and even attempting to break into the arcade business. Starring Cooper Hoffman (the late Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son) and Alana Haim of the pop-rock band Haim, this is Anderson’s slice-of-life masterpiece; one that feels like a deliberate comfort watch compared to the heavier tales he’s explored in the past.
02. Belfast
My personal vote for Best Picture, were I an Academy voter, would have gone to Belfast. In my mind, it’s Kenneth Branagh’s masterpiece and an incredible rebound after his disastrous Artemis Fowl the year prior. This semi-biographical tale of his upbringing in Northern Ireland during the early years of “the Troubles” offers a slice-of-life look at young Buddy, who’s juggling first love, family tensions, and the pull of bad influences, all while his parents debate whether they should leave Belfast behind. It’s a super simplistic, gentle comfort film; too simple and aggressively “fine” for some viewers, but I’ve revisited it several times now, and each time I walk away with a biggest smile on my face and a few tears.
01. In The Heights
My favorite film of 2021 wasn’t a major Oscar contender, and it didn’t become a massive mainstream cultural moment; it didn’t even have a great box office run. But the film adaptation of the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical In the Heights, directed by Jon M. Chu as a follow-up to his breakout hit Crazy Rich Asians just three years earlier, wasn’t just my top film of the year, it became a life-changing experience. It forced me to confront decades of ignoring my heritage as a Puerto Rican growing up in the States, someone who had never really connected with the culture of my ancestors. In the Heights tells the story of Usnavi, a young bodega owner weighing whether to close his shop and leave Washington Heights while his friends and family chase their own dreams and the neighborhood trying to hunt down a winning lottery ticket. It’s a film that brings me cathartic joy every time I watch it, and one that I’ll always associate with the moment I finally embraced my Latino heritage after running away from it for so long. In a year that saw us collectively try and move past the horrors of a one-in-a-generation pandemic, it helped me to step out from that and into a future where I was ready to accept who I am.
