2020 was an unfortunate year for many of us and the film industry as well. The cinemas were had to close and as a result, many blockbuster releases did not happen this year. Despite the challenges, some great movies made their way to millions of small screens instead and entertained people in these difficult times. Read on for the top 10 movies of 2020.
10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Writer and director Eliza Hitman beautifully portrayed the sensitive topic of teenage pregnancy and abortion. Never Rarely Sometimes Always are the answers to the questionnaire a teenage pregnant girl Autumn faces when she travels from Pennsylvania to New York with her cousin Skylar for abortion. This intense story kept the audience hooked till the end and was a great hit of this year.
9. Minari
Lee Isaac Chung’s, Minari is a tale of a Korean-American family who lives in California but then moves to rural Arkansas to have their dream farm. The movie depicts the struggling marriage of the couple Jacob and Monica, the effects of their dying relationship on their children, and struggles of settling into a new land. All these events of family drama and immigrant farming life makes the movie fascinating for the viewers.
8. The Assistant
The typical workplace culture and abusing-boss is something Kitty Green has shown in her movie “The Assistant”. It takes viewers through a day in the life of Jane (Julia Garner), who gets a job as a junior assistant in a renowned company and finds out that her boss is a womanizer and abuses women. While the other employees ignore this toxicity, Jane takes the courage to complain to HR. The series of suspense and relatable events made this movie reach this top 10 list.
7. The Nest
With phenomenal performances from Carrie Coon and Jude Law, the nest is a story about financial crises, class obsession, and marital problems. Rory relocates his family to the high-class life of England from their middle-class life of New York. But soon, the family faces financial crises, tearing all the family members apart and bring Rory and Allison’s marriage to the edge. This movie is full of drama and emotions with a horror twist that makes it worth watching.
6. Bacurau
Kleber Filho and Juliano Dornelles’s Bacurau is a fictional town of Brazil where people experience some unusual happenings. Their town disappears from the map, telephone signals are not detected, and strangers roam around on bikes. The story revolves around the failed politics and bravery of the people of Bacurau who fight against injustice. The social drama with western thrill and adventure was a full package of entertainment in 2020.
5. Nomadland
Based on Jessica Bruder’s novel of the same name, Nomadland is a story of a woman who has lost her job and husband. Escaping from loneliness and sadness, Fern (brilliantly played by Frances McDormand) buys a van and begins to live a life as a nomad, making roads her home. During this journey, she explores, experiences, and meets different nomads. This unique movie of Chloe Zhao was a breath of fresh air for people in 2020.
4. Dick Johnson Is Dead
A documentary film, portraying the staged deaths of Richard Johnson for his daughter and filmmaker Kirsten Johnson. Dick Johnson, who is suffering from Dementia, goes through fictional accidents that seem like his death. The film portrays the beautiful bond between a father and a daughter. This emotional movie depicting the loss of a loved one was relatable to many people in these Covid times.
3. First Cow
Adapted from Jonathan Raymond’s novel the half-life, First Cow takes you to the era of 1820s Oregon, where two people, Cookie, a chef, and king Lu, a Chinese immigrant, befriends each other. The real adventure starts when they begin their business of selling baked goods with stolen milk from a cow belonging to a wealthy English man. This movie of crime and friendship was a great watch in 2020.
2. Da 5 Bloods
Spike lee was back again with another blockbuster; Da 5 Bloods is a story of four American Vietnam vets, who visit their battlefield after many years, to collect the remnants of their fellow squad leader and to find the gold that they had buried. This story of brave black American soldiers kept the audience hooked ’till the end.
1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
The second chapter of Steve McQueen’s anthology series Small Axe: Lovers Rock, takes you back to a 1980s romance as two lovers of West London, Martha and Franklyn, meet for the first time at a blues night reggae house party. The reggae music, romance, and intertwined relationships amidst struggles of black lives in west London is unique and thrilling to make it hit the top 10 movies of 2020.
And that’s a wrap for our top 10 movies of 2020 which entertained countless people across the globe on small screens instead of big screens throughout these difficult times. Be sure to check out hits you haven’t viewed yet, and read on for more Top10ish.com lists.