Yes, we do miss the theatre hall and the experience, but while back at home, there are numerous indie films that were delivered to us through various Streaming Sites. So today, We are going to talk about the best films of 2020 so far.
The list of Best Films of 2020 is our own favorite picks of films, that from our point of view, are critically acclaimed yet entertaining to cinephiles like us.
Representing ourselves as Students of Cinema, this list contains the most important films that derives it’s inspiration from life. They should be watched by the audience to improve their knowledge about films without making them yawn on their couches. Hence, without further ado, we present to you, Best Films of 2020 so far.
Da 5 Bloods
Da 5 Bloods is the story of 4 war veterans who come back to Vietnam for two purposes. One to find the gold that they had hidden in the country during the war and secondly to find their fifth companion, who died on the battlefield. Da 5 Bloods serves as an ode to the memory of our king Chadwick Boseman. The character of Norman is one through which the filmmaker makes a point and his most satirical remarks. The group refers to Norman as their history teacher. He taught them about black history even before it was a popular point of discussion among the intellectuals.
Read the Full Review Here – Da 5 Bloods (2020) Review – Tribute to Chadwick Boseman’s Performance
Da 5 Bloods is Streaming on Netflix.
The Old Guard
The Old Guard tells the tale of a pack of immortal human beings, led by Andy (Charlize Theron) who work as private mercenaries, doing the good work, which the CIA or other government bodies should have done. But they have their own rules and their own superpower which pops in the eye of the outer world. The desire to immorality is not among humans, and they can go to any extent to reap that benefit, but the curse of immorality can only be understood by those who have been through that hell.
Read the Full Review Here – The Old Guard (2020) Review – They are Extremely Resistant to Capture
The Old Guard is streaming on Netflix.
The Devil All The Time
The Devil All the Time, narrates the story in a novelist style. It is a story of multiple generations that are impacted by violence. It also tells the tale of men who are monsters in hiding under the skin of a priest but never following what they preach. But majorly, it follows the story of a father and the son, who witnessed both tragedy and ironies of War and Faith, involving human vileness.
Read the Full Review Here – The Devil All the Time (2020) Analysis – A War Back Home
The Devil All the Time is streaming on Netflix.
The Banker
Directed by George Nolfi, The Banker, is based on true events, that spotlights the life of Bernard Garrett who infiltrated a white man’s society where the capital is mostly controlled by them, and started his own empire, just to tell the people that a black man can do equally do business if provided with equal opportunities. Every inch of the film resonates to his revolutionary ideas and socialistic approach towards his people, who are defamed and discriminated for the color of their skin.
Read the Full Review Here – The Banker (2020) Review – Tale of a ‘Goddamn Revolutionary’
The Banker is streaming on Apple TV+
Greyhound
The film follows the journey of US Navy commander, Ernest Krause (played by Tom Hanks) who is on his first war mission to safeguard a merchant ship convoy, passing through the “Black-Pit” also known as the Mid Atlantic Gap, the area that is void of any aerial support by the US air force.
Read the Full Review Here – Greyhound (2020) Review – Not all Hands, Bury the Dead.
In the popular section, Greyhound is one of the best films of 2020 and is streaming on Apple TV+.
Peninsula
Peninsula takes place after 4 years since the bio-hazard accident in the original film, which caused an outbreak of the Zombie in the city of Busan. South Korea has been in a complete quarantine since then. Quarantine, a word we can now totally relate with. The story of the film revolves around Jung-Seok (Gang Dong-won) who is offered a deal to re-enter the locked down Korean Peninsula in order to excavate money from a truck that carries 20 million dollars. The reward that will be shared equally for a threat of Zombies trailing in the city but when he enters the city, there is a lot more than just zombies running around.
Read the Full Review Here – “Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula” Film Analysis – Fails to Outrun it’s Predecessor
Peninsula is not available on any streaming site right now.
Summerland
Summerland is a moving journey of womanhood, love and friendship centering around an Englishwoman during the times of World War II.
Read the Full Review Here – Summerland (2020) Analysis – Better to Love a Woman than Marrying Someone You Don’t Like
Summerland is available for Video on Demand.
The Way Back
The story follows an alcoholic construction worker, Jack Cunningham played by Ben Affleck who is called upon to become the head coach of a basketball team at the high school he used to attend. Jack Cunningham’s journey from an ardent alcoholic to finally moving forward in life forgetting the past, is what the film majorly deals with. The film is packed with some excellent feel-good moments, layered with Affleck’s witty, subtle humor, making it one of the best films of 2020 so far.
Read the Full Review Here – The Way Back (2020) Film Analysis – Don’t Underestimate The Impact!
The Way Back is available on Video-on-Demand.
Swallow
Swallow begins with a woman, looking through a vast stretch of endless forest while settling her coif hairdo. She opens a box containing her makeup kit while at the same time a lamb is being taken to a slaughter house. People sit on a dinner table and devour their lamb chops while the lifeless skeleton of a lamb hangs in the slaughter house.
Read the Full Review Here – Swallow (2020) Review – Horrors of Regression
Swallow is available on Video-on-Demand.
The Man Standing Next
‘The Man Standing Next’ portrays the adversity of Kim Kyu-pyeong who is a man of divided loyalties. He was the man, standing next to President Park when he started a revolution to announce democracy in South Korea, but even when President Park was not able to maintain the democracy he promised his citizens, Kim makes it his own pursuit to punish the traitors. Things aren’t so simple in politics and war, as they sound, so fasten the belt, it is gonna be a bumpy ride.
Read the Full Review Here – The Man Standing Next (2020) Analysis – 40 days to President’s Assassination
The Man Standing Next is streaming on Netflix.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
The basic plot of “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” is about a 17-year-old girl named Autumn (played by Sidney Flanigan), who winds up pregnant in a small american town, Pennsylvania. The state which doesn’t allow abortion, until parental consent is made, and that what makes Autumn to embark a journey to New York city with her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) to get Autumn operated. What lies ahead, is a complicated journey, filled with all the hardship that a girl faces (even an american girl) who is all alone in this world, with a life inside her.
Read the Full Review Here – Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) – Hear the Roar of her Silence.
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is available for Video on Demand.
The Windermere Children
The Windermere Children produced and written by Simon Block is a biographical drama film and a commendable venture, to show the after-effects of war and genocide in the minds of kids, stuck in the midst of it. Personally, The Windermere Children tops the list of my best films of 2020 so far.
Read the Full Review Here – The Windermere Children (2020) Analysis – We will Always Speak the Truth
The Windermere Children is available for Video on Demand.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
A young girl, played by Jessie Buckley goes on a trip with his boyfriend, played by Jesse Plemmons, to meet his parents. The parents live in a farm situated in a snowy and abandoned landscape. The parents are not very socially amiable, and a bit cuckoo it seems. As the evening progresses things get obscure and blurry such that it becomes difficult to differentiate dream from reality. David Thewlis and Toni Collete have done an extraordinary job as the parents of Jesse Plemmons. Their performance conveyed the obscurity and a sense of illusion that the screenplay demanded.
Read the Full Review Here – I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) Review – All Memory is Fiction and Heavily Edited.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is Streaming on Netflix.
First Cow
First Cow takes you on a journey, about the arrival of First Cow in America, from a far off land. But this story is not about that entity but an association that was created through it. The milk that bounded two companions stronger than blood. First Cow is subtle and sweet but still is moving enough to make you remember the essence of it for a long time. It sure is one of the Best Films of 2020.
Read the Full Review Here – First Cow (2020) Analysis – An Association enhanced by Milk.
First Cow is available for Video on Demand.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin. He is a master who weaves his thoughts into a narrative that has an astute intelligence of it’s own. It’s self-explanatory. He makes the lives of the performers easy to a very large extent. The power of Sorkin’s narrative is that the characters who are there even for a moment or two leave a lasting impact. Nothing is there without a reason. Everything contributes to the intricate web created by sub conflicts of the narrative.
The film talks about the infamous trials of the 7 individuals involved in the protest against the Vietnam War during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in the year 1968.
Read the Full Review Here – The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020) Analysis – Real Revolution to End the War
The Trial of the Chicago 7 is streaming on Netflix.
The Assistant
The Assistant directed by brilliant filmmaker Kitty Green, who wrote the film as well, reflects the plight of a woman assistant in a movie production house.
While so many films that tend to over explain themselves, The Assistant without much words and more visuals, explain the theme effectively. It gives away whispers, murmurs and snickers of a conversation and much of it is left for the audience to weave further. It contemplates the kind of intelligent and gripping films, much needed at the moment without making a commentary or giving judgement on the misconducts by men who abuse their power. It is not shouting about it but still manages to be powerfully vocal.
The Assistant, by all means, is an important and necessary film which should be watched by every cinephile who admires sensible cinema. This is our best film of the 2020 so far.
Read the Full Review Here – The Assistant (2020) Analysis – Not Loud Yet Distinctly Vocal
The Assistant is available on Amazon Prime Video for US Audience.
So, here we wind up our list of Best Films of 2020 so far, but if you think that there is some title, which is missing, then do let us know in the comments section below. We would love to include your choice, as these are many films which we haven’t been through. So keep us Updated and Informed, and we’ll keep updating the films as they will come along.
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