It was practically impossible to predict how the moviegoing experience would change so much at the beginning of 2020. Streaming services became the temporary home of new releases, while some studios have opted for a hybrid theater-streaming model as theaters are up and running again for the most part. The feeling of walking the cinema’s aisles, looking for your seat in a dark auditorium and just relishing the beauty of films has been nothing short of euphoric.

Still, it’s been an odd, overwhelming year for films. After months of hibernating, backlogged movies due to the pandemic started coming out fighting for your attention. In any case, movies will continue to come out and entertain. While I still haven’t seen everything that came out in 2021, this list is my personal best that are must-watch, in my opinion, so I hope you give them a try. As always, this is a bit biased as it is heavily influenced by my personal taste.

10. CODA

Director: Sian Heder
Available On: Apple TV

Every year a coming-of-age film somehow finds its way into this list, and this time it’s no different. A remake of a French film, CODA (an acronym for Children of Deaf Adults) offers a straightforward, no-frills heartwarming story that’s meant to move without being heavy-handed about it. Ruby Rossi (Emilia Jones), the only hearing member of a deaf family, has to come to terms with how to balance her teenage life around the responsibilities of school, the family fishing business, and the pursuit of her dreams to study music. Featuring strong representation and incredible performances, this film is an emotional powerhouse that hits all the right notes in plucking your heartstrings.

9. Spencer

Director: Pablo Larraín
Available On: Amazon Prime

“A fable from a true tragedy” appears in the very beginning of Spencer as a disclaimer that this film is more than a traditional biopic. Indeed, Pablo Larraín’s latest drama takes the form of a psychological horror in this deeply personal exploration of the mindset of Diana, Princess of Wales (Kristen Stewart). Set over a three-day period between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, Spencer is more concerned about the suffocating cage being in the Royal Family actually is, and Princess Diana’s desperation to hold on to the lost spirit of what once was. Portraying a real person can be challenging, but Stewart masterfully navigates this path in remarkable fashion, resulting in a visually gorgeous and eerily unsettling portrayal of an icon. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stewart’s performance leads to some awards buzz in the months to come.

8. The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Director: Mike Rianda
Available On: Netflix

This eccentric, wacky road trip about a dysfunctional family that’s been thrust into the middle of a robot apocalypse is the most fun I’ve had with an animated film since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Directed by Mike Rianda, The Mitchells vs. the Machines utilizes different animation styles in a innovative way – mixing 3D animation, hand-drawn, and even live-action at times – to put out a fresh all ages comedy adventure. The film’s theme warns us about the dangers of being heavily invested in modern technology, but also celebrates its strengths in providing an avenue for some of us to express who we really are. Delightfully funny with a whole lot of heart, the Mitchell family’s attempt at saving the world from robots will have you shedding tears of joy and sadness.

7. The Card Counter

Director: Paul Schrader
Available On: Amazon Prime

Paul Schrader adds another brilliantly captivating entry to his growing list of troubled anti-heroes. The Card Counter follows William Tell (Oscar Isaac), a professional gambler and former military interrogator, as he moves from casino to casino across the United States. His rather low-key life is disturbed when a young man named Cirk (Tye Sheridan) invites him to kill a private military contractor (Willem Dafoe). Seeing an opportunity for redemption for his wartime sins, Tell takes Cirk under his wing to slowly dissuade him of this plan. While this movie seems like a revenge thriller on the surface, it works more as meditation of guilt and a grim character study of a man haunted by his past.

6. The Lost Daughter

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Available on: Netflix

There’s a gripping feeling of anxiety that lingers just under your skin throughout Maggie Gyllenhaal’s strong directorial debut The Lost Daughter. Adapted from Elena Ferrante’s novel of the same name, the film keeps a tight leash on Leda Caruso (Olivia Colman) as we follow her on a working vacation in Greece. A chance encounter with a family of fellow vacationers, specifically a young mother named Nina (Dakota Johnson), triggers her own unpleasant memories of motherhood which sends her on a downward spiral of regret and self-loathing. Gyllenhaal perfectly captures the vulnerability of its lead character, creating a claustrophobic sensation of a problematic past that keeps haunting you. Shameless in its storytelling, this film is not afraid to open up the complicated darkness of being a mother.

5. Judas and the Black Messiah

Director: Shaka King
Available on: HBO Max

A gut-wrenching and powerful dramatization of historical events, Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of how FBI informant William O’Neal (LaKeith Stanfield) infiltrated the Black Panther Party which led to the eventual death of its Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya). Watching it somehow feels like a combination of a pseudo-documentary and grand cinema, Kaluuya and Stanfield give outstanding performances that make it hard to turn away, even if the story being told is hard to watch. A triumph for its director Shaka King and its cast, this film sends a strong condemnation of racial injustice that continues to persist in the United States to this day.

4. The Green Knight

Director: David Lowery
Available On: Amazon Prime, Apple TV

David Lowery adapts the classic Arthurian poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and presents it as a majestic journey of morality and self-discovery. King Arthur’s nephew Gawain (Dev Patel), eager to prove his worth to be part of the Round Table, bravely accepts a mystical challenge laid by the ominous Green Knight: deliver a strike and see the exact same blow returned in exactly one year. Patel plays the reluctant fish-out-of-water protagonist effortlessly, his subtle expressions doing the heavy work as he struggles with the codes of chivalry during his journey. The Green Knight is a slow burn, and almost devoid of any sword-swinging action, but Lowery completely understands the core message of its themes while adding stunning imagery and captivating visuals for the ride.

REVIEW: ‘The Green Knight’ is an Eerie Adaptation of a Medieval Legend

3. Dune

Director: Denis Villenueve
Available on: HBO Max

Out of all the films listed here, Dune is the most breathtakingly beautiful one I’ve seen. Denis Villenueve successfully brings Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel to the big screen with much grandeur, taking its sweet time in building its vast world. Its two and a half hour runtime never feels like a drag, even though it only adapts less than half of the book (with a sequel thankfully on the way). Every scene does a fine job of keeping you hooked into the warring royal families of Atreides and Harkonnen in a desert planet called Arrakis. What’s brilliant, however, is its subversion of the “chosen one” trope as a burden instead of a blessing. Villanueve understands the reluctance of Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), in that being a messiah comes with a heavy price.

REVIEW: ‘Dune’ Is a Spectacular Epic that Leaves You Wanting More

2. The Power of the Dog

Director: Jane Campion
Available on: Netflix

Jane Campion’s latest film, which marks her return to filmmaking after more than a decade, is an adaptation of Thomas Savage’s novel of the same name. Set in 1920’s Montana, The Power of the Dog centers around cattle-rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) who starts antagonizing the wife and son of his brother George (Jesse Plemons) after they move in their ranch. Cumberbatch’s portrayal of a cruel and self-loathing cowboy puts this as his most layered performance in his career, with Campion’s nuanced filmmaking digging deeper into his psyche as the film goes on. What appears to be a simple story at first turns into a psychological exploration of masculinity in the American West, and a surprisingly cunning tale of revenge.

1. Pig

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Available On: Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV

It can be easy to take Nicolas Cage’s skills for granted due to him accepting all kinds of wild roles that, a lot of times, are simply just bizarrely entertaining. However, Pig is a perfect example that he’s still fully capable of giving a compelling, poignant performance when his heart is in it. Playing a recluse truffle forager in the Oregon wilderness, he returns to the city to find the person who stole his beloved truffle-finding pig. That description makes it sound like a John Wick copy, but Michael Sarnoski’s directorial debut is so much richer than a revenge thriller. It’s a mournful contemplation of loss and love, a meditation on dealing with grief anchored by a career-best showing from Nicolas Cage. Slow and strange at first, Pig rewards its viewers who went along with the journey with unexpected twists and turns. So it’s best to go in with as little knowledge of the plot as possible.