2020 has been a whirlwind of a year but for the cinephiles around the world, the year has gifted some of the most iconic films of all time. As the year draws towards the end, here’s a list of our top 5 films that have gone beyond the artistic imaginations of the past and made us look at these cinematic wonders with a refixed vision.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The most talked movie of the year, Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, an Aaron Sorkin masterpiece is essentially a protest drama, featuring the peaceful protests outside the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago which eventually resulted in a fatal clash with the police and the trial that follows after that. The high-pitched drama, witty comebacks, and genius dialogue writing, The Trial of the Chicago 7 remains a serious contender for the best picture this year in Oscars.
Mank
David Fincher’s Mank can surely take the title of one of the most thought-provoking films of this year. The film reevaluates 1930’s Hollywood with a focus on the life of screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (nicknamed Mank) as he hurriedly finishes the script of ‘Citizen Kane’, one of the most iconic movies of all time. Mank is a time machine which portrays the old-Hollywood charm but never once escapes the scathing reality of corruption, what goes behind the door of jazz and glam, the relationship of writers with humans outside the studio and how it influences the scripts and more.
Promising Young Woman
Promising Young Woman is a thriller/dark comedy that revolves around the world of Cassie who is always found to be caught between the urgencies of living a ‘secret double life’. Cassie’s character portrayal is brilliant as she amazes viewers with her tantalizing wit and wicked smartness. The movie shows Cassie encountering an unexpected event which will decide if she can right a wrong from the past. This directorial debut of Emerald Fennell is a must-watch for all the thriller enthusiasts.
Minari
Minari directed by Lee Isaac Chung depicts the story of a Korean American family who are in search of a better life as they move to a small farm in Arkansas after emigrating from Korea together in the early ’70s and spending a decade in California. Minari is slow paced, gentle yet weaves an extremely emotional story. As it progresses towards the end, you find yourself rooting for the family with the members taking on their individual challenges which they must come through to establish the future that they envisioned.
Nomadland
Nomadland released in December, 2020 has quickly entered the race of the best films of 2020 with its stunning storytelling where Chloe Zhao finds beauty in the ordinary life of a woman who has embarked on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession. Fern, played by Frances Mcdormand, a woman in her sixties has lost it all. ‘Houseless’ Fern after her husband’s death and a seemingly collapsed town ventures out to live the ‘true nomad’ life as she starts living in her van and meets fellow nomads in between makeshift communities. Nomadland in a way strips down the storytelling to a bare minimum, as if there is nothing to prove, no mountain top waiting to be climbed, rather cherishing the poetry of everyday life through a lens of someone who knows how to be fully present in moments.
