Nothing conclusive can be said regarding the state of cinema in 2021 since, with no clear signs as to the course that the pandemic has still to take, we can’t yet know to what extent enforced closures of cinemas will or won’t have a deep and lasting effect on the industry. What does seem likely is that the increasing numbers of online platforms will continue to make it ever more difficult to view all the films you might want to see. Many titles available in that way receive limited cinema screenings at best and only the very well-off are likely to pay to join all the platforms out there in order not to miss out.
If all that amounts to bad news, the positive side of 2021 cinematically speaking has been the high quality of so many of the films. Partly influenced by titles held over from earlier cancelled release dates, the huge number of films that have appeared has been striking. In selecting my Top Ten, I am aware of how much quality work didn’t quite make that list. My top title of all, Gunda, is a documentary, an achievement so original that it fully deserves that place, but it is the case that four other documentaries are in the ten and that may in one sense be unfair. I have it in mind that in documentaries there are less elements to get right compared to the challenges found in fictional works where such matters as casting, performances, dialogue and the telling of what is often a complex story are all aspects to be tackled. That being so, it is easier for documentaries to achieve their goal fully.
Consequently, to achieve a balance, I list here my ten runners-up (of which only the last three are documentaries!): Nomadland, Passing, The Mauritanian, Nowhere Special, Balloon, Night of the Kings, Identifying Features, Pariah Dog, 76 Days and Nasrin. As for pure (but thoughtful) entertainment, I would recommend the German comedy I’m Your Man which contains one of the many great performances of the year: this one is by Dan Stevens and it has been rather overlooked but nevertheless it was one of the great pleasures of the year.
Mansel Stimpson’s Favourites:
