Now is the time to catch up with some lowkey 2020 gems that may have passed you by.
Confession: I both love and dread the cinematic year-end.
With studios saving their finest work for the awards season run, it is an absolute treat for any film fan – but also a stressor for a completist already trying to catch up with the best films of the year in order to put together a top ten list before Jan 1st.
(And a source of frustration come February when feast turns into Sonic The Hedgehog and Bad Boys for Life.)
But like everything else, that tradition has been upended in 2020. Fewer releases across the board, more streamable offerings and a lighter year-end schedule means I am feeling sane coming into the home straight. Well, when it comes to movies, at any rate.
Relatively up to speed, I’m looking forward to being able to lockdown-stream the heavy hitters still on the calendar over the coming weeks, such as Mank, Sound of Metal, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Soul, Wolfwalkers, The Dissident and Collective.
But if you are looking to catch up in this brief interlude – and take your mind away from whatever stresses ail you – here are three wonderfully immersive and deliberate little indies that are challenging for my 2020 Top Ten.
*
I’M NO LONGER HERE
An enigmatic cumbia-loving teen struggles on his own as an illegal in NYC after having to flee Mexico. A grounded and slow but captivating – at times even hypnotic – breakthrough film for the director and his charismatic first-time lead, boosted by a nuanced take on identity and the vibrance of a fascinating musical subculture.
Rotten Tomatoes 100% | On Netflix
**
MY OCTOPUS TEACHER
A moving blend of stunning wildlife observation and a voyage of self-discovery, this doc manages to turn a slightly twee narrative – a burnt-out filmmaker reconnects with life as he earns the friendship of an incredibly smart octopus – into an entrancing experience. Sparse, meditative, surprising and beautiful.
RT 100% | Netflix
***
FIRST COW
A rare western directed and (co)written by a woman, this is another wonderful example of the need for diversity behind the camera. By focusing on the friendship between two gentle beta males, it brings not only an unusual, earthy and enjoyable tale but also puts a much more critical microscope onto the classic genre traits of violence, greed and individualism – and how they still underpin so much of American society.
RT 96% – Hulu
MS