Top 30 Best Films of 2021

While 2021 was a year with plenty of disappointment within cinema, it was also a year of plenty of great features with the return to theaters giving a newfound appreciation to the cinematic art form. From successful blockbuster hits to underrated gems, there was in fact so much good cinema that once again I decided to keep my best of list at an expanded 30 releases to truly try and capture the best that 2021 had to offer. Keep in mind that where I have seen nearly 400 new releases this year, I have not seen absolutely everything so this is definitely a subjective list from me rather than anything objective. I am only human however and no matter how much time I put into it, this list wouldn't be perfect. Keep in mind also that my eligibility for these lists was the full calendar year unlike how the Awards Season included January and February in last year's eligibility. As always, I highly encourage you to either look at my full review or engage with me on twitter @BP_MovieReviews to further discuss this wild year in cinema and obviously I highly encourage you check out the films included on this list. So with that said, here are my Top 30 Best Films of 2021!

If applicable, click on a poster to see my full review of a film!

#30-No Future

Painting a portrait of a connection forged by grief, No Future is one of those films that tragically fell under the radar when it deserved so much more. Both Catherine Keener and Charlie Heaton give some of the best performances of the year as their deep connection feels authentic and poignant.

#29-Romeo & Juliet

Defined by the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, Simon Godwin's Romeo & Juliet is one of the more unique takes on this classic story but is stunning in its own right. With a wonderful use of simplistic production design and stellar performances from both Jessie Buckley and Josh O'Connor, this truly felt must watch and was just one of the most moving features 2021 had to offer.

#28-The Harder They Fall

Filled to the brim with style and confidence, Netflix's The Harder They Fall sees a near flawless ensemble give a gritty yet incredibly entertaining western that has some of the best editing of the year. While so many films felt stale and boring throughout the year, this might just be the most engaging film of the year and easily feels like one of the best additions to this genre in recent memory.

#27-Help

While Jodie Comer's 2021 will undeniably be defined by her work in The Last Duel (more on that to come!), her work in Help feels just as impressive with the young actress bringing to life a young girl who has just started working in a care home when the COVID-19 pandemic hits. Truly one of the most haunting and stressful features of the year, there are few viewing experiences from 2021 that will stick with audiences quite as powerfully as this.

#26-Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer

Beginning as a look at the often overlooked Tulsa Massacre before becoming a much larger analysis of race relationship within America, Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer is one of the best crafted documentaries of the year. The film is both poignant and engaging with the final message being a needed voice that demands to be heard.

#25-Compartment No. 6

Compartment No. 6 is an incredibly wholesome and moving look at connection and love. From the seductive winter landscapes to the genuine heart found between these two individuals who happen to find themselves traveling together, this one really grows as the runtime continues that ended up being a quite powerful message about acceptance.

#24-Candyman

There were plenty of expectations put on Nia DaCosta's Candyman and luckily, the film lived up to nearly every single one of them. Evolving the established lore of Candyman to create both an incredibly well crafted horror feature and relevant expression for modern society, this did the 1992 film proud.

#23-House of Gucci

The first Ridley Scott film on this list )but not the last!), House of Gucci is an entertaining look at family dysfunction and turmoil that sees a truly all-star ensemble cast give it their all. From the venomous Lady Gaga to the naive Adam Driver to the outlandish Jared Leto, everyone is delivering perfection while the film itself finds an incredibly poignant sense of weight and consequence that at times almost feels reminiscent of what Martin Scorsese achieved with The Irishman.

#22-Drive My Car

Ryusuke Hamaguchi's Drive My Car lives up to the hype with a compelling and empathetic look at flawed characters searching for belonging and satisfaction with the lives they live. With some of the best dialouge and writing of the year, this is an engrossing and rewarding feature that while long, is undeniably worthwhile.

#21-Some Kind of Heaven

Equally entertaining and thematically rich, Some Kind of Heaven plays almost like a reality show at times but make no mistake, there is no melodrama or cheap fights here. Instead there is a poignant exploration of happiness and what the point of life should be that is at times laugh out loud funny, and at times absolutely haunting.

#20-Luca

While at times it is easy to feel like Pixar is far past it's prime, the studio proves different with yet another incredible feature. Luca not just brings to life an incredibly charming Italian setting filled with plenty of pasta and gorgeous animation but also finds an emotionally moving story of acceptance and identity that is able to be seen through multiple perspectives including a particularly rich queer context. Make sure you have tissues ready for the end...

#19-Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas and the Black Messiah is a haunting true story of betrayal and activism that carries a tremendous punch. With both Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield giving tremendous performances with range and power, it is hard not to get sucked into the drama of the plot as it builds and builds to one of the most impactful conclusions of the year.

#18-Nine Days

Bringing one of the most inspired screenplays of the year to the big screen with a terrific ensemble cast, Nine Days is one of the most interesting features of the year with its exploration of life and the human experience being both touching and smart. While the release strategy sadly caused this to largely go unnoticed, the film luckily still found some fans and hopefully is one to continue to grow as time passes.

#17-Mass

A completely raw purging of emotion and grief, Mass is a truly haunting and claustrophobic experience that features flawed and layered characters sitting and talking through impossibly difficult emotions and events. While the film is somewhat exhausting due to just how emotional it is, it is completely worthwhile and really is a standout project of 2021 that feels destined to live on in the zeitgeist for years to come.

#16-Life in a Day 2020

While the idea of returning to the hellscape which was 2020 sounds like the last thing anyone would want to do, Life in a Day: 2020 somehow makes it just a bit ok. Capturing the world's perspective to the year and everything that came with it, this felt like a needed reminder of the sheer power of humanity and feels incredibly reassuring for the future of society. From the obvious pain to the scattered expressions of love and human spirit, this is a perfect time capsule for what 2020 was to humanity and one can hope this project continues on!

#15-The Last Duel

Ridley Scott is back on the list with his #MeToo medieval epic The Last Duel! While the entire cast is excellent throughout this feature, make no mistake that this is Jodie Comer's film as she gives one of the best performances of the year regardless of gender. The film is haunting and painful and uses these emotions to build to one of the most tense finales of all time that quite frankly holds one of the best action sequences ever put to film. Stunning stuff from Scott who proves he can still put out a masterpiece like it was nothing.

#14-The Summit of the Gods

The animation genre has seen a massive boom over the past decade resulting in the genre producing some of the best film's it has ever seen! The Summit of the Gods on paper seems like an intriguing yet overall average rock climbing mystery but quickly the film finds a deeper soul as an analysis of the human condition and passion. The film asks incredibly large questions and is incredibly profound in how it seeks answers.

#13-The Hole in the Fence

Running the 2021 festival circuit, The Hole in the Fence is an intense and violent display of adolescence and religious ego that is truly almost stressfully overwhelming. Every youth actor is incredible throughout the film and the feature overall features some of the strongest filmmaking craft of the year. The best comparison one could make is that the film is as if Monos met Lord of the Flies in the best of ways!

#12-Spencer

Spencer has built a massive following throughout the year and for good reason. Telling a fable from a true tragedy, the film sees both Pablo Larraín and Kristen Stewart at their very best with a haunting portrayal of family torture and overwhelming stress that ultimately leads to self-destruction.

#11-The Card Counter

The Card Counter thankfully proves that Paul Schrader's craft and technical ability from First Reformed is here to stay. Incredibly similar to his previous film in multiple ways, The Card Counter sees Schrader look at the weight of past demons both on an individual soul and on a country with a clear confidence and skill. Oscar Issac is nothing short of incredible here and while the story might be less universal than First Reformed, this character study feels nearly just as worthy.

#10-The Worst Person in the World

While Joachim Trier has flirted with greatness in the past, it feels rather clear that The Worst Person in the World is his magnum opus. Capturing the complications with modern day happiness and desire with an authentic heart and elegance that isn't afraid to evoke pain on its characters in a completely justifiable sense, this is truly stunning and captures this slice of the human experience possible better than any film before it.

#9-A Radiant Girl

The biggest standout of Cannes 2021, A Radiant Girl is one of the most haunting Nazi texts of all time. Instead of focusing on tragedy or loss, the film focuses on humanity and love as a young Jewish girl named Irène lives her life to the fullest but over the runtime of the film slowly has that stripped away from her piece by piece until the truly devastating final shot. Largely thanks to the incredible performance by Rebecca Marder, this is clearly something special and still months later hasn't left my mind.

#8-7 Prisoners

While both filmmaker Alexandre Moratto and actor Christian Malheiros showed incredible potential in their debut feature Sócrates, they both find perfection within 7 Prisoners. A haunting look at modern human slavery specifically within Brazil, this is a twisted and emotional story of survival and the destruction of innocence that is like no other. Rodrigo Santoro also demands recognition as his performance is above nearly anyone in the awards conversation at the moment.

#7-Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

After every feature he puts out, it becomes clear that Morgan Neville is destined to go down as one of the best documentary filmmakers of the modern era. While some debated the morals of certain choices within the film, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain is a stellar feature that not only gives life to the travels and demons Anthony Bourdain experienced in life but also finds a much larger perspective on happiness and what one should strive for in life that feels poignant and needed.

#6-The Sleeping Negro

If The Sleeping Negro was released by A24 it would be on nearly everyone's best of the year list. A rather small film that was part of the 2021 Slamdance Film Festival, this is a artistic yet harrowing outing for filmmaker Skinner Myers who explores the modern black experience within America. While I cannot speak to the authenticity of this perspective, the craft and passion is clear and the poetic sense of storytelling found within the film is truly stunning.

#5-Captains of Za'atari

Easily the MVP of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, Captains of Za'atari sees two Syrian refugees fight for their dreams in a once in a lifetime opportunity. Being a documentary, the weight and pressure within the feature is undeniable as these two young kids quite literally are fighting for their lives. The filmmaking is incredible with the film looking like a narrative feature for much of the runtime and truly this is one of the best films of 2021.

#4-The Matrix Resurrections

While the idea of having a Matrix sequel come out in the modern blockbuster landscape is undeniably terrifying, Lana Wachowski proved that her ability is still unmatchable with The Matrix Resurrections reaching the height of what filmmaking can be. This is an artistic expression of Lana Wachowski's worldview that is both powerful and rewarding. It tackles countless things that has affected her and touched her but the returning point continually is love. I highly recommend you check out my full review to get my full thoughts as there simply is too much to put in this small of a space.

#3-Last Night in Soho

To put it simply. Last Night in Soho is flawless. Edgar Wright's #MeToo London ghost story not only features some of the best performances and editing of the year but also carries a harrowing story that never sugar coats the lasting consequences of trauma and abuse. Out of every film to come out in 2021, it feels like this is the one that most simply didn't understand as the polarizing ending dances a dangerous tightrope but takes careful precautions to stick the landing.

#2-Belfast

Possibly the most charming film of 2021, Belfast is a love letter to childhood and family that while sweet, also carries quite a punch. While the supporting performers are all wonderful, Jude Hill shines the brightest adding yet another name to the growing list of youth actors who truly are some of the best performers working today.

#1-Flee

Flee genuinely is my favorite new release to come out in years. At its highest potential, cinema allows a platform for human connection no matter nationality, personality, race, sexuality, gender, etc... Flee is not some crafted work of fiction or clever story, it is a raw and authentic slice of the human condition that speaks to the raw truth of the human soul. Capturing the cross sections of identiy with a tremendous story of emotion and weight, this is the perfect film for the modern moment and without a doubt is the best film of 2021!