The Best Films of 2021
According to Rodolfo C. Rivas
These past two years have changed the film industry significantly, but seismic changes are something the industry is familiar with, and there is no doubt it will adapt and thrive. The theater experience is changing, and no one knows how it will look; nevertheless, it remains the optimal way to immerse the audience in the story. Although I wish I had been to the theater more often, there were few options yet, especially in Geneva. This is beginning to change, as we’ve seen during the last few months, but there is still a long way to go. When I did attend, I found myself in an empty theater. This can be good, but it misses the collective experience, which is one of the biggest reasons we go to the movies. Thankfully, there is no shortage of films, great filmmakers, and their need to tell stories.
Although I did not watch all the films I wanted, I did try to watch as much as I could. However, I still missed the latest by Paul Thomas Anderson, Guillermo del Toro, and Leos Carax, to name a few. Below is a list of what I consider to be the best films in a very long year. These are not arranged in any particular order.
The French Dispatch (2021) Dir. Wes Anderson
In this, Wes Anderson at his most Wes Anderson. If you’ve followed his career, it is clear he was building up to this film, the culmination of all his idiosyncrasies. Told in a series of vignettes, which truly replicates the experience of reading a literary magazine like the New Yorker, the magazine he pays homage to, in this love letter. The whole is greater than the sum of its -apparently unrelated- parts. It displays virtuoso camera-work and masterful use of music by Alexandre Desplat, but then again, what would you expect from one of the most exciting directors working on this 10th film.
Wrath of Man (2021) Dir. Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie has always been in the world-building business, not in the Dune sense, but creating a world that genuinely feels lived-in by the characters that inhabit his stories. For the longest time, he lived behind the shadow of Tarantino, but he has shown that although they share similar themes, he is an auteur with his unique sensibilities. Jason Statham has worked with Ritchie in the past, but this is their best collaboration to date, with a slow-burn character study on grief and revenge that surprises the viewer by going a bit further than you would expect.
Pleasure (2021) Dir. Ninja Thyberg
The Director truly cares about this world and has considered the difficult questions this world raises before putting her story onscreen. I was expecting something akin to P.T. Anderson’s “Boogie Nights” (1997), one of the best films in this sub-genre, but where one felt epic, this one feels more contained and realistic. Except for Sofia Kappel, playing the lead, most of the other characters are played by people involved in the pornographic industry, grounding the film in reality. Although a first-time director, Thyberg shows she is skilled in getting what she needs from her actors. This film is not for everyone, but it will reward you if you can handle it.
Madres Paralelas (2021) Dir. Pedro Almodovar
Almodovar’s latest is vintage Almodovar, prolonging one of the best Director-actor collaborations in history, the Almodovar-Cruz collaboration. The story almost seems pulled out of a newspaper article, much like how it is described by a couple of characters in “La Mala Educacion” (2004) in one scene about getting film ideas. Still, Almodovar manages to explore a new corner of the human experience, merely using the story as a launching pad to further explore human nature. The film starts in a very efficient storytelling way that quickly brings you up to speed. Although the end does feel a bit disconnected from the story that preceded it, there are some parallels between them. The ending is probably one of the main reasons Almodovar decided to make the film after all.
Dune (2021) Dir. Denis Villeneuve
It is a truly epic film in the same way as David Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962). Although epic gets thrown around more often than not, few films manage to convey what Denis Villeneuve does with Arrakis and the colossal sandworms. It is not an easy book to adapt, so much so that one of our finest filmmakers, David Lynch, could not wholly crack it, albeit in a different era. Villeneuve’s version benefits from new technology and a more sophisticated audience expecting a more faithful rendition of the novel. This is destined to be considered the definitive film version of the highly-influential book by Frank Herbert. The film indeed feels incomplete, but ultimately that is for the best since we will be getting the second part without its previous version’s rushed and contrived plotlines. This film should have brought audiences in droves back to the cinemas. It is undoubtedly one of the best theater experiences of the year.
Retfærdighedens ryttere aka Riders of Justice (2021) Dir. Anders Thomas Jensen
A brilliant film that manages to weave family drama, comedy, revenge thriller, and even a holiday film, moving seamlessly from one to the other but constantly feeling true to the characters. It explores grief, guilt, and how chance and coincidence can intervene in our lives. On paper, it should not work, but the cast’s solid performances guide us through this rollercoaster where the viewer does not know what to expect next. Yet, the film feels empathetic and personal, coming together under the vision of its talented writer-director, Anders Thomas Jensen.
The Card Counter (2021) Dir. Paul Schrader
This film explores some of Paul Schrader’s familiar territory. However, it does it in a way that feels fresher but still linked to the Director’s previous filmography and his penchant for his transcendental storytelling. In instances, the movie reminds the viewer of films like Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Hard Eight” (1996), where a mentor takes someone under his wing with the backdrop of poker. But that is just part of the story here; in this instance, the raison d’être is to explore the legacy of violence, and more specifically, what torture can do to the torturer’s soul.
Pig (2021) Dir. Michael Sarnoski
I was expecting a Liam Neeson revenge thriller with Nicholas Cage, but this film has something deeper and more complex in mind. Nicholas Cage keeps doing great work swinging for the fences, and although not all of his films succeed, his batting average would be considered solid if he were in the MLB. Of all the movies I watched this year, I probably thought about this more than any other; it lingers in your mind long after the end credits. Cage’s performance is restrained and meshes well with Alex Wolff’s compelling performance, which does as much of the heavy lifting as Cage in this directorial debut by Michael Sarnoski. Sarnoski shows excellent promise as a unique storyteller with an unconventional vision.
The Last Duel (2021) Dir. Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott shows that he is still at the top of his game with this tale based on a true story. The comparisons to Kurosawa’s “Rashomon” (1950) are inevitable, but Scott makes it his own; after all, he’s explored many of these themes before. As the film progresses, we learn more about the characters, adding nuances to the story and understanding the dynamics of the era, which in some instances has changed since 1386, but in many other cases remains the same. It is a film that feels like speaking directly to a contemporary audience, yet it is a tale as old as time.
C’mon C’mon (2021) Dir. Mike Mills
Shot in beautiful black and white without the sharp contrasts, and with the grounded, vulnerable and charming performance by Joaquin Phoenix and a naturalistic and heartwarming turn by Woody Norman. It can remind the viewer of Woody Allen, but this is a different animal. The intermittent use of interviews throughout the film accentuates the story without commenting directly on it and adds a documentary feel that gives it a quasi-realistic approach. The movie is full of ideas and emotions and is hopeful about the human experience.
