2020

The order and the categorization of the movies are simply arbitrary. I don't believe there are any linear value systems to judge which film is most beautiful so putting all these different movies in one hierarchical order is very much an injustice to them all. Moreover, I saw most of the movies only once and in many cases it's the first time I see that specific director's work so I might be making a lot of hasty judgements. The order is likely to change every time I see one of these again.

What's below isn't meant to be a list of the best movies made in 2020, but a list of the new films that are still in the festival circuit or in theatres that I've seen this year. I'd like to think of it as a diary of sorts, which is partly why I rarely go back and change my lists for previous years, even if I feel I was completely wrong about it at the time, nor do I add movies to my previous lists. I keep the movies I was involved with out of the list. So, here it is, the new movies I liked in 2020:


Sublime

• Rizi (Days) / Tsai Ming Liang

Great

• Ping jing (The Calming) / Song Fang
• Isabella / Matías Piñeiro
• Beanpole / Kantemir Balaganov
• La Gomora / Corneliu Porumboiu
• Malmkrög / Cristi Puiu 

Very Good

• Responsabilidad empresarial (Corporate Accountability) / Jonathan Perel

Good

• The Invisible Life Of Eurídice Gusmão / Karim Aïnouz 
• Goldman v Silverman / Josh and Benny Safdie

Memorable Screenings of Older Films

• Cynara (1932) / King Vidor (gorgeous 35mm print at the Berlinale)
• Comrade X (1940) / King Vidor (gorgeous 35mm print at the Berlinale)
• H. M. Pulham, Esq. (1941) / King Vidor (gorgeous 35mm print at the Berlinale)
• The Wedding Night (1935) / King Vidor (gorgeous 35mm print at the Berlinale)
• The Fountainhead (1949) / King Vidor (gorgeous 35mm print at the Berlinale)