Not quite back in form yet: My top film and TV picks that helped me through the fatigue of year two of Covid.
The Best Laid Plans
Since 2021 didn’t turn out to be the big bounceback year that we had all hoped for – more of a one-step-forward, one-and-a-half-steps back scenario – some progress was better than none.
I ventured back into theater and dance performances with success. I saved movies for the last piece of my return-to-normal life. The best laid plans and all, didn’t turn out so well. I attempted to see The French Dispatch. After settling comfortably into my seat, we few, socially-distanced audience members were told that there were technical difficulties and to proceed to the manager for a refund. OK, not the worst that could happen. Take two – I tried a different film. This time it was Belfast. I went to an early Saturday screening, only to find out that a pipe burst in the bank next door flooding the lower level theaters. Refund again.
Enter Omicron surge. I listened to the universe and stopped trying. I wonder what the reduced effect of watching films as a collective in a darkened theater is for those of us who still enjoy going to the cinema? It’s been nearly two years. If I ever get back into a movie theater, will I be able to sit still and concentrate? What will I do without a pause button?
Since these are still not normal times – or maybe they are normal going forward – I again opted for whatever fit the moment based on what films were available to me. In reviewing my picks, I went in a lot of directions, from bonkers to quiet … extremes, might be my theme.
Here we go – a dozen films (out of about 130) that I found memorable and kept me thinking long after they ended.
An Eclectic Group of Films
Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar | Josh Greenbaum, Director
A cotton-candy colored bowl of pure silliness, I laughed hysterically at how bizarre this film was. Two friends leave their small town for the trip of a lifetime and zaniness ensues. The film fit the moment. It works because of the chemistry between Kristen Wiig and Annie Momolo (also co-writers) and it has a lot of heart. Who knew Jamie Dornan could look so good and be so funny?
The Card Counter | Paul Schrader, Director
Schrader’s intense and taut film, with a simmering performance by Oscar Isaac, had me in the first five minutes. It’s a slow burn of redemption and revenge. Isaac plays an ex-military interrogator imprisoned for a decade, turned gambler who is haunted by past decisions. An obsessive loner plotting his next move – but is that move in the casinos or in his life? The film centers around the star’s performance and he is magnetic.
The Green Knight | David Lowery, Writer + Director
A bold spin on the classic Arthurian legend with a great cast led by Dev Patel, the film sees the young and reckless Gawain embark on his quest to confront The Green Knight and to prove his worth as a man. Beautifully art directed and shot – somewhat opaque – as is Gawain’s epic and fantastical journey in meeting his fate. Patel is a perfect Gawain, giving his best, most rounded performance to date. Nicely conceived and directed by Lowery, with an excellent supporting cast including Joel Edgerton, Alicia Vikander and Sarita Choudhury.
In The Earth | Ben Wheatley, Writer + Director
When will people in horror movies stop going into those woods? While searching for a cure to a deadly virus, a scientist and guide must retrieve equipment deep in the forest. Their journey becomes a terrifying nightmare into the heart of darkness. Written and filmed during the pandemic, Wheatley is back in form with his signature hallucinogenic and psychedelic style (similar to A Field in England), examining tribalism, and collective anxiety and fear. Haunting, grisly, with very dark humor, and not for the faint of heart.
Lapsis | Noah Hutton, Writer + Director
A smart satire on the gig economy, this low-budget sci-fi takes place in a parallel present. Ray, a delivery man, takes a gig job to support himself and his mysteriously ill younger brother. His strange new job involves trekking through the forest pulling cables to connect metal cubes that link together quantum computers. It’s an every-man-for-himself mindset – pitted against seasoned cablers and robot cablers that never take breaks – to meet his daily quota. A study on human behavior and class, Ray must choose whether to help his fellow cablers or take the money and run. From its solid direction to its score, the film is an entertaining original.
Passing | Rebecca Hall, Writer + Director
A strong directorial debut from actor Rebecca Hall, the film is adapted from Nella Larson’s 1920s novel. Presented in rich black and white, Hall and her cinematographer, Eduard Grau, gorgeously paint a contrasting view of the distinct lives of old friends – two light-skinned Black women, one of whom chooses to ‘pass’ as white. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga are excellent. Hall draws subtle facial shifts in emotion and intent from each actress, furthering the duality of what is presented versus what is said. Passing is a delicate, yet powerful drama that grapples with identity and belonging.
Saint Maud | Rose Glass, Writer + Director
In another strong directorial debut, Rose Glass presents arthouse horror as a smart, slow build in soul saving. A devout, young hospice nurse, terrifyingly embodied by Morfydd Clark, is assigned a new client: a terminally ill, hell-raising former dancer played expertly by Jennifer Ehle. As the psychological friction between the believer and the sensualist builds, it unsurprisingly, goes south quickly. With jarring edits and a discordant array of sounds, Glass’s direction is taut and precise, slowly unwrapping Maud as her loneliness and madness assume full reign.
Riders of Justice | Anders Thomas Jensen, Writer + Director
With a dark, funny and smart spin on the revenge genre, this film reminded me of early Coen Brother films or Martin McDonagh’s plays. Mads Mikkelsen’s Markus returns home from deployment to take care of his daughter after his wife is killed in a train explosion. A survivor of the incident contacts Markus claiming foul play. Mission: Bring those responsible to justice. Mikkelsen’s fantastic turn as the stoic father contrasted with the quirky supporting characters who argue and fuss endlessly makes you wonder, wait, what just happened here? The film is filled with insane shootouts and guilty chuckles that never undermine its empathy for its characters and the far-reaching effects of trauma.
Test Pattern | Shatara Michelle Ford, Writer + Director
An absorbing film debut, this human drama around an interracial couple examines the intersections and inequalities between race, gender, and the healthcare system with a powerful voice. On a girls' night out, Renesha is drugged and suffers a brutal sexual attack. Evan takes a conflicted Renesha from hospital to hospital in the hopes of securing a rape kit. As hours pass, they encounter one problem after another and blatant prejudice along the way. Renesha, who is Black, understands and expects the roadblocks, while Evan, who is White with very different expectations, is frustrated by the system. The storytelling is solid and exposes systemic problems across many sectors and personal problems in the couple's relationship.
There Is No Evil | Mohammad Rasoulof, Writer + Director
A beautifully acted, poetic script is the basis for the four unique stories that make up the film. Each story addresses Iran’s death penalty and reveals the effects that state-sanctioned killing has on men who must serve in the military and carry out the executions. From those who choose to follow orders to those who refuse, the storytelling is compassionate, but unsettling. How does one escape the inescapable? Rasoulof had to smuggle the film out of Iran, and we’re all the more lucky to experience it.
Who You Think I Am | Safy Nebbou, Co-writer + Director
Ghosted by her young boyfriend, Claire, a single mother played by Juliette Binoche, sets up a fake Facebook profile to do a little snooping. Things escalate when she’s friended by her ex’s handsome roommate who thinks he’s chatting with a hip 24-year-old. Loneliness falls away to intimacy, and obsession gets the better of Claire. The film unfolds from her POV using her therapy sessions as a framing device. It’s a provocative tale – a kind of Fatal Attraction in the social media age – held together by Binoche’s sensual, committed performance
Zola | Janicza Bravo, Co-writer + Director
Based on a series of tweets by Aziah “Zola” King that went viral, this film is a wild, high-energy ride about two mismatched women enveloped in a stranger-than-fiction saga. Zola, a waitress, meets Stefani, a customer, who invites her to Florida for a weekend of partying. The trip quickly escalates into chaos involving pimps, gangsters, boyfriends and wildly unexpected situations. Bravo expertly transforms new media into a film vernacular without sacrificing its source material, and makes social media and voyeurism an integral part of the story. The cast is uniformly wonderful, with a great turn from Colman Domingo who is equally funny and terrifying. The film successfully balances hilarity and drama, and is one hell of a story.
Also honorable to mention: A great event and remastered concert that few experienced back in the day, Questlove’s Summer of Soul (…Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised); Nicolas Cage back in fine form as a recluse who has to reenter the world in Pig; great spy thriller based on a true story of espionage surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis, The Courier; and the bizarrely bonkers, Annette, which can't be explained, only experienced.
So many films to see, so little time: the aforementioned Belfast and The French Dispatch; Petite Maman, Flee, Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn, The Power of the Dog, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Bergman Island, The Lost Daughter, and so on.
ADDENDUM: Since this list was posted at the end of 2021, I've seen CODA, Bergman Island, The Tragedy of Macbeth, A Hero and I'm Your Man. All terrific films worth watching, and some of the best of last year.
Binge, Binge, Binge
Series that I binged on during this second pandemic year that kept me engaged and entertained:
Des: David Tennant delivers a chilling, creepily civilized performance as a serial killer who calls himself ‘Des,’ Dennis Nilsen, one of the most infamous serial killers in England’s history. This limited true-crime drama series is not a whodunit, but a whydunit, as it explores the case's impact on the detectives and the biographer who tries to understand Des’s motives. Tennant is superb, as is the whole cast, supported by a strong script and sharp direction.
Devs: From Alex Garland (Ex Machina) comes a similar world about tech giants gone awry. An FX limited series that focuses on a young software engineer who works at Amaya, a leading Silicon Valley tech company in the near-distant future. Quantum physics and coding intersect with mysteries, conspiracies and murder, and all roads seem to lead to Amaya's enigmatic but brilliant CEO, played cooly by Nick Offerman. It's unmistakably Garland in its visuals and dialogue, and its stunning otherworldly environment – always with an undercurrent of dread.
Dopesick: The story of how the horrific opioid crisis began and spread exponentially. Toggling between a small Virginia mining community, the board meetings driven by Purdue Pharma’s Arthur Sackler, the investigators and the DEA, the script sadly details the cause and effect from all angles. There's a great cast led by Michael Keaton, who plays a caring, local doctor as he prescribes Oxy based on Purdue’s disinformation; and Michael Stuhlbarg, who is the heartless and relentless Sackler.
Mare of Easttown: An HBO limited series centering around a small-town detective played by a terrific Kate Winslet, who investigates a local murder as her life falls apart. With a strong supporting cast including Jean Smart, Evan Peters and Julianne Nicholson, the community feels lived-in and authentic. The production design and cinematography are perfectly synced to the story, making Easttown a leading character as well. Winslet’s Delaware County dialect is superb for any actor, and especially for a Brit.
The Mysterious Benedict Society: An eccentric benefactor, played by Tony Hale who is wonderful in this quirky, gentle and funny role, gathers four gifted orphans for a secret mission that only they can carry out. With Kristen Schaal as Benedict’s deadpan Number Two, and the charming young actors, I thoroughly enjoyed spending many hours in their world. The series is based on the best-selling children’s books of the same name. It’s from Disney, so the production design and art direction are perfect for a mysterious world out of time.
The 2022 Oscars and is There a Beyond?
The 2022 Oscars are scheduled for Sunday, 27 march 2022, still off schedule from the before-times. Not having seen much, I have no skin in the game this year. Guessing is my way forward.
Last year's first unofficial picks are here. For my official best-of-film lists, check out the years' past: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015. You may find something unexpected and new to you.
How has your film and TV diet changed since the pandemic began in 2020?
Design + animation: © 2021 Janet Giampietro | Posters are copyright of each studio, production company or streaming service.
