The Top 10 Films & Shows I Watched in 2021

Disclaimer: These are films and shows that I simply watched this year, not 2021 releases.

Every year, I rank the top films and TV shows I watched. I tend to look back at my life this way. I can recall the season the mood I was in the night or week I was watching something. It was Fall, and the orange Halloween pumpkin lights were on while that played. It was hot, and I had my sweats up; they were choking my calves.

2021 was a pretty good year of watching. I was admittedly a little busier (and more exhausted) than I wanted to be, but I still got a few dozen titles in. I’m not sure what the common denominator amongst these 10 is. I’m inclined to say that I was in a bit of a dark and edgy mood all year though. Looking back at the emotions I had all year, it makes a lot of sense.

Here we go!

10. Chinatown (1974) Dir. Roman Polansky

Synopsis: Chinatown is a noir crime thriller that follows LA private investigator Jake Gittes’s investigation into a seemingly run-of-the-mill case of infidelity. He soon finds himself in a complicated and sinister web of corruption, murder, and family secrets poised to change his life forever.

My brief hot-take: Chinatown reminds me very much of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. It’s a sort of explore-the-deep-underbelly-of-this-setting-and-only-find-corruption type of story. For a movie that’s almost 50 years old, I was pleasantly surprised at the chances it took and the way it ended. Bleakly. Horribly. Lacking justice. I respect and kind of like that Chinatown doesn’t give a shit about pleasing the audience. It doesn’t give us bang-boom-bam action. It doesn’t give us picturesque shots of a beautiful setting. It certainly doesn’t resolve anything for us and lets us sit with an uncomfortable ending. It literally doesn’t give us shit. And in some way, that gives me everything.

“She’s my daughter, and my sister!”

That line will always send horrific shivers down my spine.

9. Blood Simple (1984) Dir. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Synopsis: After a Texas bar-owner discovers his wife is having an affair with one of his employees, he hires a shady private investigator and devises a plot to have them both murdered. Cue Coen Brothers-defining chain of misunderstandings and ridiculous mischief.

My brief hot-take: This is your classic Coen Brothers mix-up. I guess, actually, it’s not so much a “classic” Coen Brother piece as much as it is the originator of their distinct auteur style. It’s a fantastic debut and you can see their genius even here. I’m always fascinated by the way the Coen Brothers can combine horror with humor. I loved that I was able to see how their style has evolved since Blood Simple (and how original they’ve kept it). It’s a pretty incredible feat, and a fun ass ride from start to finish.

8. Midnight Mass (2021) Created by Mike Flanagan

Synopsis: Riley Flynn, a young man who’s just served four years in prison for a drunk-driving incident, returns to his small island hometown the same time a mysterious young priest arrives. The faithful community of Crockett begins to experience supernatural, miraculous, and horrifying events that all lead to one unforgettable mass.

My brief hot-take: I am a sucker for anything remotely in the realm of The Haunting of Hill House, so when I learned that Mike Flanagan was coming out with yet another series, I was already hooked. To be fair, I still can’t decide if I think Midnight Mass is a stroke of genius, or a little silly. Maybe it’s a bit of both. What’s most impressive is that it’s just fun and takes chances. I love stories that just go there, shows with a mythical touch, and shows in a distinct setting. What I love most about Midnight Mass is what it has to ask about evangelicalism, idolatry, remorse, and absolution.

There’s a new devil in town. But who should we really fear? The literal ***spoiler alert*** demon who feasts upon flesh? Or the everyday human who drunkenly kills an innocent girl on the road?

7. Mother (2009) Dir. Bong Joon Ho

Synopsis: In a small South Korean town, a doting mother lives with her intellectually-disabled son who becomes the prime suspect of a murder case. The entire town believes her son to be responsible, and with limited resources and no one to turn to, the mother goes to extreme lengths to prove his innocence.

My brief hot-take: It seems like in the last 10 years, we’ve really started to pump out the woman/motherhood content. Movies and books that “explore what it really means to be a woman/mother.” Listen, I don’t think more female stories are ever a bad thing; I’m here for it. I guess I just prefer it when they say something else besides the obvious: that it’s ultimately hard and multifaceted. This is going to be a bit… controversial? But I like when female stories actually confirm what I suspect they’re actually trying to get at: that motherhood is a bit of a crock. That it’s the most dangerous game of Russian Roulette. That the chances of motherhood being gratifying is slim and bleak. This is what Mother does for me. I feel like I am having the most honest conversation with a woman looking out for another woman’s best interest. In that way, I consider this movie to be a brilliant, perverse, twisted feminist war-cry. This story of motherhood feels the most realistic to me. The most true. The most liberating. It has so much to say, and it’s told in a beautifully cinematic way.

6. Judas And The Black Messiah (2021) Dir. Shaka King

Synopsis: Based on true events, Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of FBI informant William O’Neal who, upon accepting a plea deal, infiltrates a chapter of the Black Panther party to gather information on leader and Chairman, Fred Hampton.

My brief hot-take: This film to me felt like watching a poem unfold. A beautiful, loud, tragic, heartbreaking poem. I really wish it wasn’t based off a true story, but even if it wasn’t, this story is still so true and occurs over and over and over and over again in America. This story might take place in another city, another time, but it’s the same cast, and the same old script.

Judas and the Black Messiah is a true cinematic experience. There’s a beat thrumming throughout the entire film. Something that vibrates throughout your bones. A foreboding you can’t shake, and characters you want to hold close and protect. I also believe this to be Daniel Kaluuya’s best performance. I can still hear the bass of his voice in my sleep, and I consider myself very privileged to have been able to experience this film, and to wake up the next day.

5. Another Round (2020) Dir. Thomas Vinterberg

Synopsis: Four despondent high school teachers decide to partake in an experiment together in the hopes to revitalize their lives. Each will drink alcohol on a daily basis and maintain a .05% BAC throughout the entire day. Should put the spring back in their step, right? Not quite.

My brief hot-take: This is a delicate and tender movie that’s also daring, and so very brave. Mads beautifully portrays a down-in-the-dumps teacher named Martin, and you’re at such a crossroads being happy for his newfound, buzzed delight, and sensing the terrible repercussions that’ll inevitably follow. It’s like you already know what’s going to happen before it happens, and even when it does happen, it’s still so powerful and properly guts you. This film, as drowning as it is, is rejuvenating, and in the end, you are able to understand Martin’s new, convoluted lease on life. And if this film has the same effect on you as it did on me, you’ll feel a bit renewed, too.

4. Sound of Metal (2020) Dir. Darius Marder

Synopsis: Ruben, a passionate drummer in a metal band, begins to lose his hearing and grapples with his loss. That’s it. That’s the synopsis, and it’s literally all you really need to know about this perfect experience of a movie.

My brief hot-take: I want to give this movie a big ol’ hug. That’s how much I care for it, how much compassion I have for it. This is the only movie on the entire list that almost made me cry. And a movie that’ll stay in my soul for a long time. No bells and whistles, just an incredibly stripped and pure and beautiful film from start to finish about listening to those who care about you, listening to the world around you, listening to yourself. About grief, about adapting, about community, about comfort. I love this movie. It feels very much like a meditation. A silent prayer. A loud cry. A soft sniffle. Phew. I can’t recommend it enough.

3. Blade Runner 2049 (2017) Dir. Denis Villeneuve

Synopsis: It’s 2049 and blade runners are searching for any last remaining replicants (bioengineered humans). A new blade runner named K (Ryan Gosling) discovers a buried secret that has the potential to send what’s left of society into chaos.

My brief hot-take: Love the original Blade Runner? Check. Love Denis Villeneuve? Check. Love Denis Villeneuve’s new Blade Runner 2049? CHECK.

Every now and then, a movie comes by with the power to make you question…well, everything. I know a lot of movies claim to make you “question what it means to be human," but this movie actually forces you to question what it means to be human. It forces you to question the people around you. Your own memories. Your very existence. I love stories that remind me of how small I am. How fickle the consciousness. Blade Runner 2049 does two of the craziest things at once: it accomplishes a seriously unbelievable technical and cinematic feat, while stripping its audience of its ability to reconcile its own basic existence. Like, am I really here even watching some amazing movie on a Saturday night?

Maybe. Maybe not? Maybe. But? Hmm…

2. Succession (2018 -) Created by Jesse Armstrong

Synopsis: This HBO series follows the Roy family, the codependent, fucked-up, and dysfunctional owners of a global media conglomerate. As the family patriarch and CEO of the company prepares to (maybe?) step away, the entire family will fight for the coveted role and most importantly, control.

My brief hot-take: Is this at all a surprise? Succession is already climbing the ranks and making it onto critics’ lists of best TV shows of all time. And with good reason. I love that Succession is unafraid to show its audience what it’s all about. It doesn’t water down the business jargon; it doesn’t make excuses for its characters’ shitty behavior; it does not give a fuck about hiding its heart (although the characters are certainly concerned with the optics, am I right?). I feel like I am in both the most fucked-up board room and on the most realistic family vacation with the Roy family. It’s truly one of the most riveting shows on TV right now, and its ability to take unrelatable billion-dollar deals and funnel it through intimate familial drama that we all experience is remarkable. Oh, and it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious.

PS. As soon as that theme song comes on, I just want to slap on a pant-suit and send my food back to the chef or something else debased like that.

PS.s. #teamkendall

PS.s.s. Fuck off.

1. Memories of Murder (2005) Dir. Bong Joon Ho

Synopsis: Memories of Murder follows two rural detectives’ attempt to uncover South Korea’s first confirmed serial killer. When their investigation proves stale, their tactics becomes more lewd and desperate as pressure grows and more bodies are found.

My incredibly official, intelligent, and brief hot-take: Ahh, Bong, we meet again. I think Memories of Murder is Bong’s masterpiece, his— what Bill Simmons would call—apex mountain. This movie makes me proud to be Korean. I mean, yeah, okay, it’s about horrific murders, but it is phenomenal, culture-defining art by one of the greatest living Korean film-makers. Every minute of the movie is captivating and packed with so much grime, you don’t know how you’ll ever breathe again. Everything about this movie is tastefully disgusting: the creep factor, how physically dirty it makes you feel, the surprising physical comedy—and it’s nothing short of amazing.

This shot of Song Kang-Ho at the very end looking directly into the camera is one that’s burned into my mind.

Fun fact: I once stayed in the town where the murders took place during a summer trip as a very small child. It must have been 1999 or so (the murders took place between 1986 and 1991, and the murderer had only recently got caught in 2019), and my mom told me she had turned her head for a second when I went went missing for a few short minutes. She said she found me just around the corner, frolicking. I mean… WHAT?!