Wow what a garbage year 2021 has been, and I didn’t think 2020’s sequel could be even worse, but here we are. However, thanks to the film gods, we didn’t have to go through it without some quality entertainment laid at our feet. Below is my top ten… ok top twelve movies for the year. One of the toughest parts of this list was which should be ranked where, so lets say they’re mostly tied with a couple stand-outs at the top.

My fellow Sunbreak reviewers always manage to find those deep-cut beautiful gems while I walk the fine line of sheer entertainment value and quality filmmaking. I quite like the little space I’ve carved out for myself and enjoy filling a unique space, with my love of romantic comedies, short films and animated features. Enjoy!

11. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit (Caroline Link)

While the title may seem a bit whimsical director Caroline Link plumbs the depths of Hitler’s reach, even into the hands of a young girl. It feels like every film that could possibly explore World War II has been done, but if the pandemic has taught us anything it’s that each person has a story, a unique way it effects them and turns them into someone new for good or bad. An optimistic and rebellious journalist in 1930s Germany is forced from his home in a panic to save both his family and himself from the Third Reich. We are swept along as they move from country to country in an effort to find work, safety, and a place to call home. Another sweet, earnest, and searing view of life in the time of Hitler.

(When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit is currently streaming on Tubi or avilable for rent on VOD)

10. Keep an Eye Out (Quentin Dupieux)

French comedy is a unique and glorious thing when done right and without pretension. Keep an Eye Out did just this, a weird, wacky and nonsensical caper-esque film that mixes a whodunnit with something akin to a Three Stooges act. When an innocent man is pulled into the police station for his seeming involvement in a death outside his building, a series of ever-increasingly ridiculous events leads him to actually commit a crime. You kind of want him to get away with it, but then… maybe not? It’s a witty romp into the mind of an oddball and I was there for every screwball minute of it.

(Keep an Eye Out is currently streaming on Tubi or available for rent on VOD)

9. Sublet (Eytan Fox)

Everyone wishes they could go on that one grand adventure that leads you to find yourself or reinvent yourself to become something… perhaps not better but more than could have been imagined. Sublet finds an anxious, uptight travel writer who unsuspectingly finds that release he’s always needed, questions his long-term relationship and discovers a passion where he’d never known one. It’s a coming of age tale for a man in midlife crisis and an uplifting story that makes us all crave an adventure, even if it’s just outside the front door.

(Sublet is currently streaming on HBOMax and available to rent on VOD)

8. Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar (Josh Greenbaum)

I honestly had no expectations of this film, and maybe that’s why it completely bowled me over. Barb and Star are two happy-as-can-be homebodies that spend nearly every waking hour together with one of the most honest and lovely friendships seen on screen in a long time. When their comfort-zones are obliterated and jobs slashed, they took a leap and went on vacation. Their tight bond tested, sexual freedoms explored and intrepid spirit unleashed, it’s hard to resist their charm. Meanwhile, a baddy has plans for Vista Del Mar where the two are enjoying their newfound freedom and outrageous drama ensues.

The storyline is absurd from beginning to end and we see Kristin Wiig in all her multifaceted glory in two completely different roles. With the beautiful Jamie Dornan encroaching on women’s friendship and stopping the audience in their tracks with an over-the-top dance number, you can’t go wrong (he shows up farther down in my list with a much more serious role as well, I just can’t help myself). It’s a dazzling display of the ludicrous and I couldn’t love it more.

(Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is currently streaming on Hulu)

7. The Power of the Dog (Jane Campion)

After an intriguing and thoughtful review from fellow Sunbreaker Josh, I had to see this one for myself and I was richly rewarded. A deep dive into poisonous masculinity, but only as a mask to something far deeper and far more personal. When we hate ourselves and it instead comes out as hate for others you never know what wrath may come your way, that’s a lesson learned in this gritty cowboy character study. With its slow build, understated acting and deliciously uncomfortable distractions, you’re led down winding paths of subtle discovery until the very last moment of where Campion reveals a confusing mess of betrayal and heartbreak. This is one that I wouldn’t necessarily want to rewatch, but I need to; I almost certainly missed nuances that will fill in an even richer story than the first glance.

(The Power of the Dog is currently streaming on Netflix)

6. Shang-Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings (Destin Daniel Cretton)

Shang-Chi isn’t one of my favorite super hero films of all time. It ranks decently high, but that’s not why it’s in my top ten list this year. Representation on the big screen has become more and more important to me and exponentially increases my respect and joy in any given feature. That’s especially true when an actor’s race doesn’t take a lead in the story as if it’s a character of its own. Americans come in all colors, shapes and sizes… so why not just let that simmer into a delicious stew instead of pointing a big flaming arrow at it to say “See! we added a POC to our cast!”

Yes, it’s true, the story basically requires Asian-American actors or it would be so obviously whitewashed no one would watch it, but that wasn’t thrown in our faces like so many other token characters. The only part I wasn’t totally pulled into was the romantic relationship between Awkwafina’s Katy and Shimu Liu’s Shaun. For some reason the chemistry was completely flat and I didn’t realize they were even meant to be intimate until it was pointed out with a big electric sign like Roadrunner set up to fool Coyote with. The action, the betrayal spurning revenge, the moment of understanding, familial bonds, everything that makes a good comic hero film was all there and it was done well. I’ll take it and many more if you’ve got ’em.

(Shang-Chi & The Legend of the Ten Rings is currently streaming on Disney+)

5. Get the Hell Out (I.-Fan Want)

I’m not typically one for zombie movies, but I couldn’t help myself with Get the Hell Out. Tony was deterred by the sugar-high style of fast-paced idiocy found in nearly every scene, but that’s almost what drew me to it. The right combination of ridiculousness, comedic timing, great chemistry and over-the-top gore elevates this horror film to something better and infinitely more watchable (and re-watchable). Being stuck inside offered me the chance to see a lot more foreign films this year spanning all genres and this was the big winner in that bounty.

Ex-politician gone environmentalist Hsiung Ying-ying wants to put a puppet in office in the form of Wang You-Wei, a good-for-nothing security guard, so she can stop a power-hungry lobbyist from destroying her childhood home. On election day her plan is thwarted when the entirety of the Parliament quickly becomes a mass of zombies with only a handful of humans left trying to fight, stab and shoot their way to safety. With a couple shallow personal stories thrown in to add drama and hijinks, I was entertained from minute one.

(Get the Hell Out is not currently available for streaming or theatrical viewing)

4. The Mitchells Versus the Machines (Michael Rianda, Jeff Rowe)

Don’t judge a film by its preview, that’s the lesson learned here. I thought this might be another Pixar wannabe film that has a bit of entertainment value to fill the endless hours stuck inside, but basically stops there. I gave it a try anyway and what I found was a rich story of family dynamics, trust and an acceptance.

The Mitchells are working through teenage angst, middle-aged, and a plethora of semi-typical family drama as their daughter prepares for college. One problem, the robot apocalypse has begun and they have to work together to survive. There are plenty of moments of pure silliness meant to entertain and drag a jovial laugh out of our fatigued and weary souls, but it’s the depth of the characters, the value in uniqueness and familial bonding that kept me watching (rather than splitting my attention between my phone, computer, and who knows what else). I rate a film much higher if I know I can watch it again and again, this one definitely falls in that category.

(The Mitchells Versus the Machines is currently streaming on Netflix)

3. Executive Order (Lázaro Ramos)

Seu Jorge has long been a name synonymous with talent in my book. Wes Anderson brought him to my attention as the indelible Pelé dos Santos serenading us with Portuguese covers of David Bowie songs in The Life Aquatic. From there I found a love of his music far more interesting than this single acting job… until he captured my attention yet again as the enigmatic and troublemaking André in Ramos’ Executive Order earlier this year.

A young couple, Antonio (Alfred Enoch) and Capitu (Taís Araújo), are living with their rabble-rouser friend André (Jorge) in Brazil when they get caught up in a series of events that ends up in a government takeover and a rounding up of anyone with darker skin than a pasty Irishman. Guilty until proven innocent, people of color run for cover in underground camps hoping to find a way to fight back or find peace. Meanwhile our protagonist lovers are separated and the two men hole up in an apartment where they’re surrounded by the police itching to pull their triggers. A beautiful and powerful performance by all three main characters, I can’t get this film or its more tense moments out of my head.

(Executive Order is set to be released on January 20th, 2022)

2. The French Dispatch (West Anderson)

A distinctly unique yet typical Wes Anderson creation, The French Dispatch tells the story of a literary magazine’s process in shaping and publishing an issue… their last issue. With creator and editor-in-chief Arthur Howitzer Jr (Bill Murray) having taken his last breath, the contributors all gather to complete the final publication of their beloved magazine. Started as an outpost in the town of Enui, France to the American newspaper The Liberty Kansas Evening Sun, The French Dispatch became an independent periodical with its own following and decades of fine journalism delighting subscribers from all over the world.

Anderson took a different tack in his newest addition, with several stories independently told, but connected by one thing: their inclusion in a literary magazine that wrapped up the ending in a bow. Quirky, whimsical, and an abruptly but aptly written script all converge to create something fulfilling. It was thoroughly French in design and sentiment and it feels as if Anderson was born to realize this kind of production. It felt very much like the story-telling found in his previous release, Isle of Dogs, but for the chopped up stories brought together to make a whole. The ever-evolving, yet completely recognizable style of Anderson films is what keeps me coming back time and time again.

(The French Dispatch is currently in theatrical release and availble to rent/purchase on VOD)

1. Belfast (Kenneth Branagh)

While Belfast was released later in the year it shined brightly amidst the pandemic releases. I think I mentioned in my original review that I’m particularly partial to Ireland, not to mention Kenneth Branagh. While he has directed many films I’ve enjoyed (Much Ado About Nothing, Murder on the Orient Express, and Hamlet in all it’s dramatic glory) this is one of only six he didn’t star in himself. I suppose technically he did, being the inspiration for the young protagonist Buddy performed by a very talented Jude Hill. This one felt different, a depth that the others hadn’t achieved and I welcomed the personal exploration required for the the richness of story and character we found in its script. While the subject-matter isn’t light and airy (of which I strived to watch in this craptastic year of gloom) it was worth every minute heartbreaking and stressful minute.

Buddy is a young man growing up in the heart of Belfast in the 1960s when the battle between Protestants and Catholics were at their most tense. His family were of the acceptable sort (Protestants) but sought equality no matter what a person believed. For that they were labeled traitors and punished by people they’d grown up with and up to that point, had trusted. Buddy, being so young, had little understanding of why he couldn’t be friends with neighborhood kids, but he soon learned that some people were hellbent on keeping them separate and if they had their way… out of the country. Buddy’s dad had to leave most weeks to work in London for lack of jobs in his home country, but his kind heart and sturdy convictions stayed with Buddy and his brother even in his absence. As trouble rose to a boiling point, their family had to decide if it was worth staying to fight for the only home they’ve ever known or get out before they lost their lives.

(Belfast is current in limited theatrical release with a digital release expected early next year)

Honorable mentions and other stuff

So there you have it, my not so accurately ordered list of top movies in 2021. From the looks of my fellow ‘Breakers I still have a lot of work to do. Films I’m determined to watch at least by awards season if not by the end of the year are Pig, C’mon C’mon, Titane, Drive my Car and thanks to Chase’s convincing write up, Nine Days (I’m sure there are more).

Speaking of catching up, there were a few films that didn’t make it into the list above but still deserve an honorable mention and your viewing pleasure: Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time, Paper and Glue, The Last Film Show,The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Together, Together, My Missing Valentine, and This Town

This year felt like a whirlwind of near normalcy, despair and perseverance, so I leaned on films to keep me sane a little more than normal; but I know my overstuffed list barely scratches the surface. I can’t wait to discover even more in the releases I’ve missed, especially those highlighted by my fellow Sunbreakers on their own top 10 lists this week.

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All of the Sunbreak’s Year-end lists: Josh | Morgen | Chris | Tony