The dean of American critics AO Scott, co-chief film critic of the "New York Times", drew up, like every year, the list of best movies seen during 2021. More than a list of personal preferences, AO Scott has chosen to report the 10 films that, in his opinion, have had a particular significance for the cinematographic art and cinema as a cultural industry in a time of transition and of great uncertainty for the whole sector of both the artistic and industrial sectors.
AO Scott he writes about it: “This year, we had the feeling that every good film could also testify in favor of the existence of cinema. There is a lot of anxiety around, linked to the pandemic and not only to that, about what the future of this art form could be. It will be everything in streaming, with a handful of exceptions? Will streaming platforms (and their subscribers) be receptive to daredevil, difficult, annoying, or esoteric jobs? No one can tell. We will see.
“What we can say for sure is that these 10 films help resist the iniquity, complacency and meanness rampant in the world. These films reward attention, engage feelings, and respect intelligence. Every little thing helps."
In light of this serious motivation, here is - in the Italian version - the list of the best films that saw AO Scott in 2021 and the reason why these films deserve to be seen by everyone.
1. SUMMER OF SOUL (AMIR QUESTLOVE)
Streamed on Disney Plus. Featuring outdoor concerts in Harlem in 1969 and interweaving stunning live footage with interviews with musicians and audiences of the time, this documentary is pure joy. The artists are all black and what artists! Stevie Wonder, Sly Stone, the Staple Singers, Mahalia Jackson and many more. But the film is above all a time capsule. It is a history lesson as well as an argument about why art matters – and what it can do – in times of conflict and collective anxiety.
2. BAD LUCK BANGING OR LOONY PORN (RADU JUDE)
For hire on MyCinema. From the hard-core opening to the tumultuous denouement, this Romanian film – winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin – captures all too well the desperate, angry and exhausted mood of the present time. A Bucharest teacher (the brilliant and fearless Katia Pascariu) is in danger of losing her job after an explicit video she made with her husband goes semi-viral. Meanwhile, the Covid pandemic and the culture war have turned daily life into a theater of pain and anxiety. Holding it all together – with difficulty – is director Jude's abrasive talent and the sincere anger that fuels his art of mocking him.
3. THE POWER OF THE DOG (JANE CAMPION)
Streamed on Netflix. Today there are many talented, competent and interesting directors who work very well. Then there's Jane Campion who makes cinema on a completely different level. In this great western with an immense sky, the images, the music, the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, evoke the best traditions of old-fashioned Hollywood storytelling. But there is nothing stagnant or conventional about Campion's approach to Thomas Savage's novel about jealousy, power and sexual intrigue.
4. PETITE MAMAN (CELINE SCIAMMA)
Al movies. The death of a grandmother, the grief of a parent, the arrival of a new friend - these ordinary experiences, which occur over the course of a few weeks in the life of an 8-year-old girl - provide the basic narrative structure of this flawless and perfect film. Whether it's better to categorize it as a modern-style fairy tale, a psychological ghost story, or a fantastical time travel is up to you. What is certain is that the interpretations of Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz, twins in real life who play their friends, perhaps imaginary, have a clarity and a purity that Sciamma (Portrait of the young woman on fire, for hire on Chile) use with maximum emotional impact.
5. BRING YOUR OWN BRIGADE (LUCY WALKER)
Streamed on Paramount+. This harrowing documentary about the California wildfires is also, without researching it, a testament to America's polarized, chaotic, and self-destructive response to the Covid pandemic. The picture that Walker paints is complicated, also because people are like this: clueless, generous, reckless, courageous. The film is hardly optimistic, but its open-mindedness, compassion and intellectual rigor provide an antidote to despair.
6. BERGMAN'S ISLAND (MIA HANSEN-LOVE)
Al movies. In a year where rumors of the death of cinema have been spreading along with all the other bad news, it was a pleasure to come across this warm, wry and emotionally aware testimony to the love of cinema, filmmaking and tourism of cinema. Two filmmakers go to Faro, the Swedish island where Ingmar Bergman lived and worked, and discover that films are life, or rather they become aware that there is more to life than in films.
7. DRIVE MY CAR (RYUSUKE HAMAGUCHI)
Al movies. A recently widowed theater director (Hidetoshi Nishijima) travels to Hiroshima to direct an experimental version of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya". He is accompanied by a young woman (Toko Miura) as his driver, who has also suffered a loss. From this situation – and from the novel by Haruki Murakami – Hamaguchi builds a sober and multi-layered meditation on the complexity of the human bond. Chekhov's wit hovers in the background and is honored by the film's unsentimental and compassionate regard for Chekhov's characters.
8. MEMORY (APICHATPONG WEERASETHAKUL)
Rights purchased by Mubi. Weerasethakul's films defy any synthesis or easy categorisation. Even describing them as dream films is biased, as you never know who is dreaming. In this case, it could be Jessica (Tilda Swinton), a Scottish lady living as an expat in Colombia. Or it could be the alien visitors, the director, Earth or time itself. What is certain is that this film stimulates the senses and activates emotions that are no less strong for being difficult to relate.
9. WEST SIDE STORY (STEVEN SPIELBERG)
Soon in theaters. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner - with a young and energetic cast playing the Jets and the Sharks - have pulled off an astonishing cinematic feat. Respecting its spirit and value, they have transformed the original musical into a modern and engaging show. In the film there are great emotions, memorable songs and a belief in sincerity that overcomes cynicism.
10. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (TODD HAYNES)
Streamed on Apple TV +. Like Summer of Soul, this documentary revisits 60s music in a spirit that is more historical-critical than nostalgic. Rather than interviewing musicians who pay homage to their inspirers, Haynes focuses on the Velvet group at their most flamboyant moment and the art scene that spawned them. In particular, he focuses on the Velvets' connection to the experimental cinema that flourished in New York during those years. A movement that nourished the visceral, cerebral and visually dense narrative style of the band of Lou Reed and John Cale.
ALSO:
Annette (Leos Carax), streaming on Prime Video.
The Disciple (Chaitanya Tamhane), streaming on Netflix.
Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen), not available online.
Sir Gawain and the Knight (David Lowery), streaming on Prime Video.
The hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino), streaming on Netflix.
King Richard (Reinaldo Marcus Green), streaming on HBOMax.
Mogul Mowgli (Bassam Tariq), rental on Apple TV.
Parallel Mothers (Pedro Almodóvar), streaming on YouTube.
Two Women Passing (Rebecca Hall), streaming on Netflix.
El Planeta (Amalia Ulman), for rent on Amazon.
The Souvenir Part II (Joanna Hogg), not available online.
Spencer (Pablo Larraín), for rent on Apple TV.
The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen), rental on AppleTV+ from January 14, 2022.
Anyone wishing to know if a film is available in streaming or online can go to JustWatch, a legal streaming search engine for movies and series. You can also filter the search result by "Best Price", "Free", "Resolution (SD, HD, 4K)".
