For reasons that many readers will know, the past year has been a difficult one for me. One consequence of this is that I haven’t posted on this blog for a very long time. But thanks to the Toronto International Film Festival allowing me to watch films online, I’ve actually seen more excellent films in the past year than in almost any previous year, though very few of them were seen at the cinema. So not only is it time to post my list of Top 15 Films of 2021, I decided I needed to expand my list to twenty films this year.

A number of the films on my list are either still playing in Canada or not yet released, but since they are considered 2021 films and I have watched them already, they are included here. Despite seeing many excellent films in the past year, I would not say that 2021 was an exceptional year for film (i.e. relatively few films from this list will make my list of top films of the decade), but it was better than 2020.

Here are a few observations about my list:

1. My top three films, in order, were also (coincidentally) the top three films of my film-critic friend, Gareth Higgins (and five of his top ten and are in my top ten). We share very similar tastes in film, but no previous lists compare.
2. Three of the films on my list were directed by women, six were written by women and five have a female protagonist.
3. Five of the films on my list are foreign language films (up from one last year).
4. The trend toward more Netflix films continues, with five Netflix originals on my list below (indicated by an (N)).
5. Denis Villeneuve continues his incredible streak with four straight films on my top film lists.
6. Willem Dafoe appears in four of the films mentioned below (two in my top 20). Oscar Isaac, Timothée Chalamet and Ralph Fiennes also appear twice. 

Before I start counting down, I have three honourable mentions: 1) I’ve always liked Spider-Man and I’m a big fan of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films. I have not, however, been impressed by the live-action Spider-Man films that followed, so to say I was pleasantly surprised by Spider-Man: No Way Home would be an understatement. I somehow avoided spoilers (and won’t supply any here), and I have missed a number of recent relevant Marvel films, so the film surprised me in many ways, all of them good. If I had found the ending a little less confusing, this film might even have made my list.

2) Then there’s The Matrix Resurrections. I’m also a big fan of the Matrix films and Lana Wachowski’s The Matrix Resurrections may be my favourite. It was brilliantly-written (Lana was joined by David Mitchell, with whom she had worked on Cloud Atlas, one of my all-time favourite films), beautifully filmed, well-acted, thought-provoking, clever and funny. The only thing that kept this film off my list was one unforgivable (for me) scene involving people jumping out of windows. Whatever the reasoning behind it, this scene sucked away my enjoyment of the film enough to keep it off my list.

3) Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley was the most beautiful film I watched this past year. If the characters had been more sympathetic, this dark and extraordinary film would have made it on my list.

And here’s my list, counting down from 20:

20. Judas and the Black Messiah – Shaka King’s film was one of the earliest to appear on my list. With its unique structure, well-written story and great acting (esp. Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield), I thought it was an extraordinary film. Unfortunately, the questionable methods of the Black Panthers kept me from being engaged enough to place it higher on my list.

19. The Card Counter – Paul Schrader’s previous film (First Reformed) was my favourite film of 2017. The Card Counter is not up to the same level, but it’s an intense, haunting, brilliantly-acted (Oscar Isaac, Tiffany Haddish, Tye Sheridan, Willem Dafoe) and well-directed film about the impact of torture on the soldiers responsible for carrying it out. The ending feels a little rushed and counter-intuitive, though it may be consistent with the film. 

18. West Side Story – I love musicals, so the presence of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story on my list is not as surprising as the fact that it’s not in my top five. This is a gorgeous, beautifully-acted, thought-provoking and much more authentic remake of the 1961 classic. I liked it better than that classic, but the problem is I’ve never been a fan of the stage musical on which both films are based. What can I say? I like Romeo and Juliet, but this version of the story, together with its music, just doesn’t engage me as much as it should.

17. Dune: Part One – Unlike David Lynch, Denis Villeneuve has crafted an almost flawless version of one of my all-time favourite novels, with a gloriously dark, haunting and paranoid atmosphere (as it should be). Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac are very good, the cinematography is astonishing and Hans Zimmer supplies an appropriate score. I suspect that once Part Two is released (and I treat the two parts as one film), Dune will be much higher on my list, as the first half of Dune is not my favourite part of the novel.

16. Seaspiracy (N) – The only documentary on my list this year (I’ve decided to leave the extraordinary Flee to next year, since it hasn’t been released here yet and I may have viewed it illegally), this Netflix original by Ali Tabrizi is a riveting and scathing exposé of the commercial fishing industry that needs to be watched regardless of the film’s flaws (e.g. the focus on Tabrizi, some unnecessary sensationalizing, a few inaccuracies). 

15. The Worst Person in the World – This highly original and entertaining rom-com from Norway is much higher on Walter’s list. Directed and co-written by Joachim Trier, whose film festival introduction revealed him to be a humble and very likeable director, this film is funny and sad and sometimes dark, featuring a terrific performance by Renate Reinsve as the protagonist struggling with her romantic relationships. Would have been higher on my list if it had connected with me a little more.

14. About Endlessness – Roy Andersson’s films are a never-ending delight to me, but the average viewer will find them odd and probably quite boring, as they have no plot and feature a static camera taking long shots of brief vignettes that tell us something about our lives. This film (work of art) is a brilliant reflection on the meaning/meaninglessness of life, full of scenes of despair and hope that ask us what we have done with our lives.

13. The Power of the Dog (N) – This critical favourite by Jane Campion is an unusual Western, focusing on what goes on in the minds of two ranch-owning brothers in 1925 Montana. Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jess Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee are all terrific, as are the cinematography and music. But it was all just a little too cold and dark to get higher on my list. 

12. Passing (N) – Based on a famous 1929 novel by Nella Larsen, and written and directed by Rebecca Hall (her first film), Passing is a gorgeous black & white film about African Americans passing for white in 1920’s New York City. Outstanding performances by Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga provide the foundation for this quiet but tense and carefully nuanced film, with its multiple meanings of the title.

11. The Forgiven – John Michael McDonagh made my favourite film of the past decade (Calvary), so I think he may be one of those directors (like Tom Tykwer) whose thoughtful films always find a way to connect with me, even if most critics aren’t that impressed, as is the case with The Forgiven. Ralph Fiennes is wonderful as an arrogant man visiting Morocco whose life starts to unravel after a random accident. Jessica Chastain provides solid support as his wife, though the wife’s part of the story had nowhere near the power of her husband’s part.

10. The Dig (N) – Ralph Fiennes once again, this time paired with Carey Mulligan, who stars  as British landowner Edith Pretty, a woman who wants to know what’s under the mysterious burial mounds on her property. I believe it was Kathy’s favourite new film during the last year of her life, which may have impacted my own enjoyment of the film. Mulligan and Fiennes are terrific, the screenplay is intelligent and the cinematography is beautiful. The Dig was directed by Simon Stone and written by Moira Buffini.

9. The French Dispatch – Perhaps the most purely entertaining film of the year (I was riveted and smiling during every minute of it), Wes Anderson’s latest film tells three very different stories using his familiar eccentric style, and features a large number of great actors whom I won’t name here. If you liked The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom (as I did – both made my top ten lists), then you won’t want to miss this. 

8. A Hero – Asghar Farhadi does it again (most of his films have made my top film lists) with this beautifully nuanced film about moral dilemmas in present day Teheran. Amir Jadidi delivers a spot-on performance as a man caught out of his depth from the moment he tries to do the right thing. This intense suspenseful drama creates deep empathy for the protagonist, a man who has been imprisoned for being unable to pay his debts.

7. Quo Vadis, Aida? – Written and directed by Jasmila Žbanić, this Bosnian film tells the story of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre from the perspective of Aida (brilliantly played by Jasna Duričić), a woman trying to protect her sons and husband. This flawlessly-made film provides much to think about and the ending is especially provocative.

6. The Green Knight – The biggest Wow! film of the year. David Lowery has created a gorgeous poetic masterpiece, based (somewhat loosely) on the old Arthurian tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight). I was mesmerized from start to finish (it doesn’t hurt that I’ve always been a huge fan of all things Arthurian). Dev Patel is wonderful as Gawain, the music is awesome and the eerie scenes provide endless food for discussion.

5. Tick Tick … Boom! (N) – A musical that engaged me much more deeply than West Side Story, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s film is based on the semi-autobiographical stage musical by Jonathan Larson (who made Rent). The music is great, Andrew Garfield (in the lead role) is sublime, the story is sad and funny and real, and I loved every minute of it. 

4. Belfast – This lighter look at The Troubles in Northern Ireland in 1969 was written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, based on his personal experiences as a boy growing up in Belfast. The black & white cinematography is beautiful, the acting is excellent (Ciaran Hinds and Judi Dench stand out in supporting roles), the writing feels original and the direction is in sure hands. 

3. Mass – Written and directed by first-time director Fran Kranz, Mass stars Jason Isaacs, Ann Dowd, Reed Birney and Martha Plimpton as two couples in unimaginable pain sitting around a table in a church talking about an horrific tragedy that changed their lives (six years before). This small indie film was shot in only twelve days, and it feels like a play (not a bad thing), but the superb ensemble cast and careful cinematography make it a riveting emotional experience that left me shaking. With a film that highlights the power of human connection, this is humanizing filmmaking at its best.

2. The Father – Anthony Hopkins certainly deserved his best actor Oscar for his incredible portrayal of a man with dementia. Olivia Colman is almost as good as his daughter. Florian Zeller directed and co-wrote the film (based on his play – this is another film that feels like a play) and the writing is brilliant, giving us a story that takes us deeply and empathetically (and uniquely) into the mind of someone experiencing dementia. It’s a magnificent achievement and a true masterpiece. 

1. Drive My Car – No Japanese film has made my top film lists until now (though Shoplifters came close in 2018) but this masterpiece soars right up to number one. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s film pushed all the right buttons for me, with its flawless acting and direction and its intelligent thoughtful screenplay, which is based on a story by Haruki Murakami, one of my favourite writers. This long, quiet and wise film, which involves a production of Chekov’s Uncle Vanya, is about many things, including grief, regret and, once again, the importance of human connection. I watched this film while sitting beside Kathy on the second-last day of her life. It might have had an impact on my appreciation of the film, but many critics, including Gareth, seem to agree with my assessment.