2020 Q3: Top Five Films
- Heather German
- Sep 30, 2020
- 2 min read
Despite the doom and gloom surrounding discussions of the future of film, there seems to have been somewhat of a shift over the past quarter. As people have gotten used to their new normal, studios are slowly abandoning the pretense that theaters need to be open for movies to be released. More and more quality films are being released through VOD, and the film festival season brought with it a number of fresh new creative independent features.
Without further ado, here are my top five films of the third quarter of 2020.
5. Kajillionaire
Kajillionaire is an almost off-puttingly quirky comedy, but it outweighs its eccentricities with a real sense of pathos and poignancy, trusting the audience to feel what they want to feel while telling a story of abuse and alienation both generational and personal.
4. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Easily the most challenging film on this list, Charlie Kaufman's newest is perhaps overlong and self-indulgent, but it's filled with so many layers of depth and meaning that it's brilliant regardless. It's a horror film in a sense, but it's a quiet, subdued sort of horror that nevertheless gets under your skin far more than any ghost story.
3. Palm Springs
Despite its Lonely Island-esque casting and raunchy style of comedy, Palm Springs is one of the most intelligent and philosophical romantic comedies in some time, combining a light approach to science fiction concepts, a humanistic exploration of their philosophical and existential implications, and a legitimately touching and funny narrative, and Palm Springs is sure to be one of the years biggest sleeper hits.
2. The Fandom
Ash Kreis's documentary on the furry fandom is one of the most heartwarming looks at one of my favorite interests and communities, and while it may not cover everything, it's a well made documentary that explains the nature and appeal of furry far better than I could on my own.
1. Wolfwalkers
Tomm Moore and Cartoon Saloon have put out some great work in the past, particularly 2014's beautiful Song of the Sea, but their newest effort is a new level of excellence, with wonderful characters, a simple yet beautiful story that respect the intelligence of its audience, and some of the most gorgeous hand drawn animation I've ever seen. It's a film that feels like it was made for me, and easily one of my favorites of the year so far.
Honorable Mentions: Boys State, First Cow, The Wolf House
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