While each year has its own selection of wildly intricate and acclaimed cinematic achievements, no singular year feels as distinctly different and separate from any other year in cinematic history like 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic forcing theaters to shut down and many blockbuster films to be delayed, the year was much more lax and smaller than other years. However, this doesn’t mean that there weren’t great and standout titles that defined the year, both in terms of blockbusters likeTenetand independent films likeShiva Baby.
Even beyond the few standout titles that garnered all the attention and praise, 2020 saw the release ofa wide array of exceptional and widely effective filmmaking talents that were sadly lost in the shadows and impacted by the pandemic. With the majority of viewers transitioning to online storefronts during the pandemic, the battle for attention became that much more difficult for these underrated gems to make an impact on wider audiences while having to compete with the few blockbusters being released on streaming.
10’The Translators'
Directed by Régis Roinsard
A French mystery thriller that flips the very conventions and concepts behind whodunit films on their head,The Translatorsstands out as one of the most intelligent and entertainingmystery films of recent memory. The film follows a group of nine translators who are hired to translate the widely anticipated final book of a bestselling trilogy, confined in a luxurious bunker to remove the possibility of leaks. However, after the first 10 pages are published online after a few days, tension is high as a sense of mistrust and anger rises among the translators.
While the film had its first festival premiere in France in late 2019,The Translatorswouldn’t get its theatrical release until the early months of 2020, before the pandemic truly struck, butits prospects as an international film still kept it an underrated gem. The film as a whole feels like a glorious love letter to the very genre of murder mystery as a whole, as while it doesn’t feature a murder as its inciting incident, the conventions of the genre are perfectly twisted to fit a highly engaging narrative.
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9’Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey'
Directed by David E. Talbert
While Netflix has largely cemented itself as one of the new titans of Christmas films being released every holiday season, the vast majority of them fall under the category of being overly cheesy and low quality. However, this sentiment is not shared withJingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, a highly entertaining holiday musical that combines Christmas spirit with a steampunk aesthetic to create one of the most original Christmas films in years. The film follows a once legendary toymaker who has fallen on hard times, finding the joy and fervor of the season once again while on a journey with his granddaughter.
In terms of a core story,Jingle Jangledoesn’t stray too far from the messaging and structure of other classic holiday movies, yet it’s all in the execution and flair that makes the film one of the most singular and individual holiday movie experiences. From non-stop catchy tunes and musical numbers to some of the most effective and stylish costumes and production design imaginable,the film feels like a true Christmas winter wonderland brought to life.
Jingle Jangle
8’The Empty Man'
Directed by David Prior
The supernatural horror subgenre has undergone a wide variety of different changes and evolutions throughout film history, making it all the more impactful when a new film breaks the mold in such a compelling and original way.The Empty Manproves to be not just an engrossing and effective supernatural thriller with an engaging hook and premise, but alsoa brilliant blending of horror thriller thematics with a deeper messaging of underlying evil and indoctrination.
The film follows a retired cop who is asked by a personal friend to investigate the disappearance of her daughter, only to uncover a seemingly endless rabbit hole of an ominous, demonic nature. As he delves deeper into the mysterious and alluring nature of a so-called entity known as The Empty Man, the cop ends up finding that he is more closely tied to this case than he ever could have expected. Someexceptional performancesand top-notch pacing helped make the film a word-of-mouth hit, although it wouldn’t gain any of its notoriety until years after its initial release.
The Empty Man
7’The Kid Detective'
Directed by Evan Morgan
One of the most prominent trends that continues to persist throughout children’s media is that of the young child detective, with the likes ofNancy DrewandEncyclopedia Brownbecoming iconic figures of the concept.The Kid Detectiveattempts to take a hilarious adult twist on this concept, following a now-grown-up former kid detective who is still stuck doing simple, family-friendly cases after failing to solve a major disappearance. Now in adulthood, Abe Applebaum (Adam Brody) is taking on his first fully adult case, uncovering the culprit behind the murder of his client’s boyfriend.
It’s easy to see the inherent genius and comedic potential of the premise as a whole, not only playing into the conventions and clichés of the child detective genre, but also leading to an exceptionally hilarious lead performance from Brody. The film fully delivers on the potential of its ingenious premise, beingthe perfect film for those who grew up on these classic detective storiesand are looking for something equally charming and dark in its execution.
The Kid Detective
6’Kajillionaire'
Directed by Miranda July
As larger societal trends lean towards a more neurotic and isolated sense of life and well-being, the character studies that can focus on specific cases of fragmented livelihood prove to be that much more impactful.Kajillionaresets itself up to be one of these deeply personal and compelling character studies, following the story of Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), a 26-year-old who has spent her entire life being trained to scam and steal from her swindler parents. However, after forging an unexpected connection with a stranger who joins them in their scamming endeavors, Old Dolio begins to get a taste of what the real world is like.
Theunderrated con-artistfilm gets a great deal of mileage out of the inherent chemistry and connection that is built between Rachel Wood andGina Rodriguez, feeling like complete opposite characters that are inherently alluring to one another. The film tackles a wide array of different themes and messages, yet more than anything else,its most important takeaway is the powerful impact that love and nurturing have on people.
Kajillionaire
Directed by Eugene Kotlyarenko
Despite its widespread popularity as an entertainment medium in the digital era, the attempts to recreate and comment on the nature of social media and livestreaming in film have often felt misinformed and out of touch. However,Spreestands out not only as one of the most intelligent and effective portrayals of internet culture, but also uses it to tell an effective tale and character study of isolation and downward spiraling.
The film follows Kurt Kunkle (Joe Keery), a man destined to achieve an online following by any means necessary, enacting a plan where he murders people on a livestream while working as a rideshare driver. The film finds an effective balance of both the inherent comedy and the sadistic horror of its premise, largely elevated by a committed lead performance from Keery, who fully leans into Kurt’s depraved mental state and inner sadness. While largely written off by audiences as yet another social media horror film,Spreegoes well beyond the reputation of the genre to be the quintessential usage of social media in horror.
4’Shithouse'
Directed by Cooper Raiff
While many coming-of-age films focus upon the eras of either young children or high school, rarely does the gentle tackle the growth and experience gained within young adulthood as effectively as inShithouse. Its relatively simple story of a lonely college freshman attempting to break out of his shell and find himself was done with such earnesty and emotional intelligence that it is easilyone of the best movies about college. The film doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel when it comes to coming-of-age conventions, yet sticks true to the inherent strengths of the genre with prestine precision and effectiveness.
College-age coming-of-age movies certainly exist and have found success in the past, yetShithouse’s incredibly honest and mellow approach to the experience of finding oneself in college is refreshingly breathtaking in a modern context. It certainly helps that writer/directorCooper Raiffdraws upon his own experiences of introvertedness to capture and show the awkward truth of coming out of your shell. It’s a deeply heartwarming watch that is largely elevated by its charm and, while receiving widespread critical praise, is still largely underappreciated as a modern hidden gem.
3’The Wolf of Snow Hollow'
Directed by Jim Cummings
One of many exceptionally underrated films by directorJim Cummings,The Wolf of Snow Hollowprovidesa dark comedy twist on a classic monster mystery film, following the chaotic downfall of a police officer attempting to maintain control amidst the chaos. The film follows a small mountain town dealing with the pain of bodies being uncovered after each full moon, with gossip and rumors quickly spreading about the possibility of a deadly werewolf within the town. Officer John Marshall (Cummings) attempts to do all he can to squash these rumors, although he soon begins to believe them himself.
The film takes inspiration from all-time black comedies of the past with its mixture of painfully unlikable characters getting into all sorts of awkward and destructive situations, as well as the constant death and bloodshed destroying the town. There is an undeniable charm and wit ever-present throughout the film that makes it a highly entertaining watch, even when its characters are at some of their lowest points in terms of mental fortitude.
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
Directed by Cory Finley
An ever-present fact that seems to persist throughout various films, as well as life itself, is the infectious and destructive way in which power can corrupt normally likable and charming individuals.Bad Educationproves to be one of the best in establishing and showing off this facet, telling the story of a well-liked superintendent (Hugh Jackman) finding himself at the center of a widespread embezzlement scheme that threatens to destroy everything he’s been working towards.
Based on anunbelievable true story,Bad Education’s mixture of distinct characters, a slowly boiling and ever-increasing tension, and sickly dark comedy charm makes it one of the best dramatic outings of Jackman’s modern career. The film deals with various moving pieces and angles that it approaches when telling the story, painting a wider picture of not only how the embezzlement happened, but alsothe circumstances of corruption and kindness that allowed evil to thrive undetected.
Bad Education
1’The Assistant'
Directed by Kitty Green
Especially in the wake of the MeToo movement and other painful takedowns of power structures, many are quick to paint the situation as highly bombastic and with clear, shocking content. However,The Assistanttakes a brilliant and highly intelligent approach to the subject of abusive power, taking a step back and following the limited perspective of the assistant to a powerful executive. Without ever directly showing any of the heinous actions, through filmmaking prowess and tension alone,the film manages to be more uncomfortable and disturbing than if it had ever actually shown said content.
The Assistantperfectly understands that some of the most impactful and disheartening styles of horror and dread are those of the unknown and silence, allowing audiences to simmer and sit in the painful implications of their imagination. Nearly every part of the film is built around and amplifies these inherent strengths, from the calm and precise performance byJulia Garnerto the calculated camerawork and editing that serve to emphasize the deafening silence. The film as a whole proves to be more and more effective as time goes on, being one of the defining and most important cinematic messages of the modern era.
