Here are my top 10 picks from the over 130 movies we watched last year. This year, in addition to the usual sprinkling of Indian movies, there are some silent movies. I'd had some of them on my 2021 Challenge list and was surprised to fall in love with this way of storytelling. If you also haven't tried a silent movie this is your chance to try something very old that is also brand new to most of us!
As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new in 2021. In no particular order.
I began my "Best of" lists way back in 2008. To see them, check the label cloud in the sidebar under "Best of ..."
2021 BEST MOVIES
Metropolis
This movie was nuts. In a good way — a sexy female robot, mad scientist, forbidden love, a rooftop chase with
fistfight, and a horrifying chase of the heroine through the catacombs. All in a silent film that kicked off my instant interest in seeing what else silent movies had to offer (as you may see below).
Avane Srimannarayana
With a name like that you know its Indian and yet it feels unremittingly like a Western as exemplified by four gunfighters who wear cowboy hats, leather dusters, and dhoti. This is a bonkers mashup of a Western, an action thriller, a swashbuckler, rivalry between murderous brothers, putting on a play, and an Indian mythological fantasy of sorts. A lot of the fun lies in all the genres that are ruthlessly shoved together with humor, excellent production values, and entertaining dialogue.
The Phantom Carriage
What made me want to watch this silent movie was that it was ahead of its time in using multiple superimpositions and double exposure to create ghostly effects. I was expecting a ghost story with lots of over-the-top horror. I didn't expect there to be multi-layered stories within stories, nonlinear timelines, and some of the most affecting, subtle acting I've seen in any movie.
Soul
Joe is a teacher who wants nothing more than to be part of a jazz band. When he is accidentally killed right after having his dream come true, he feels cheated.But Joe's got more to learn. Directed by Pete Docter who also did Up and Inside Out, this was one of Pixar's finest in years, old style like they used to be. And I was so inspired by the end. A wonderful jazz improv on living, passion, love, and sparks that comes together in one fantastic and imaginative movie.
The Man Who Feels No Pain
Surya cannot feel pain. Hearing that most children with this condition never live past the age of four, his grandpa uses martial action movies to train him to be like Bruce Lee. This seems counter intuitive, but actually works. Surya and his childhood friend, Supri, who has her own problems, set out to right wrongs.
That's just the first part of this Indian movie and when the story heads into Surya's adulthood is when the real action begins. It is fun and funny, goofy and heart-felt, and shouldn't be missed.
Mulk (Country)
This was based on a true case where a terrorist's entire family was taken to court and accused of being a terrorist cell. We were invested on the family's side, as most American viewers would be, and as the movie intended everyone to be. It was also very interesting to see how the top terrorist persuaded the family son to his cause.
Mrs. Miniver
An English middle-class family, the Minivers, experience life in the first months of World War II. This is a classic for good reason and I fell in love with it. It is simply stunning in the way that it takes you into this family's life and then shows the effects of war on the British as WWII breaks out.
C/o Kancharapalem
From a schoolboy’s crush to a middle-aged bachelor’s office romance, four love stories spanning age, religion and status unfold in a small Indian town.
Kancharapalem is the name of a little neighborhood, which some of the residents actually call their village, in a small Indian town. Telugu is spoken there so this is not a Bollywood film but a Tollywood film, as the Telugu-language film industry is called.
This movie features four very sweet love stories which engaged us from the beginning.
Vikram Vedha
This neo-noir film is a classic story of cat-and-mouse between criminal and policeman which kept us guessing, especially when Vedha's moral questions kept throwing new light on the investigation. It's an exciting thriller that also makes us think as each time Vedha says "let me tell you a story" with a wicked twinkle in his eye. We see new light shed on our judgment of the characters as Vikram is forced to reassess himself
and the situation.
Rama Rama Re
A mesmerizing and often humorous road trip with an escaped convict, an old man with a mission, and an eloping couple fleeing their enraged families. As happens with such journeys they encounter other people on missions of their own and in the end the encounters interweave to a connected tale.
This is a movie we enjoyed even as we gradually became aware that it was echoing parts of the Ramayana which is an epic tale that we have encountered many times in other Indian movies. As a result, this made us think of favorite movies which depend heavily on Christian religious symbolism for deep layers of meaning below the obvious surface story. It is challenging but oh so good.
