Year-End Lists

Reverse Shot: Best Films of 2021

[see also 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
3. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
4. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
5. Annette
   Leos Carax
6. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
7. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
   Radu Jude
8. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
9. What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
   Aleksandre Koberidze
10. El Planeta
    Amalia Ulman

Willa Paskin: The Top 10 TV Shows of 2021, as published by Slate

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

1. Succession
2. Hacks
3. The Underground Railroad
4. Philly D.A.
5. City of Ghosts
6. The White Lotus
7. Station Eleven
8. The Beatles: Get Back
9. Only Murders in the Building
10. Starstruck

This year’s installment of David Ehrlich’s video countdown: The 25 Best Films of 2021

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. Bergman Island
   Mia Hansen-Løve
3. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
4. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
5. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
6. Petite Maman
   Céline Sciamma
7. Pig
   Michael Sarnoski
8. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
9. Saint Maud
   Rose Glass
10. Red Rocket
    Sean Baker
11. The Lost Daughter
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
12. In the Heights
    Jon M. Chu
13. The World to Come
    Mona Fastvold
14. Procession
    Robert Greene
15. The Matrix Resurrections
    Lana Wachowski
16. Titane
    Julia Ducournau
17. Flee
    Jonas Poher Rasmussen
18. All Light, Everywhere
    Theo Anthony
19. Undine
    Christian Petzold
20. The Green Knight
    David Lowery
21. West Side Story
    Steven Spielberg
22. The Worst Person in the World
    Joachim Trier
23. The Tragedy of Macbeth
    Joel Coen
24. The Card Counter
    Paul Schrader
25. Zola
    Janicza Bravo

Jim DeRogatis: The Best Albums of 2021, as aired on Sound Opinions

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Comfort To Me
   Amyl and The Sniffers
2. New Long Leg
   Dry Cleaning
3. Welfare Jazz
   Viagra Boys
4. All Bets Are Off
   Tamar Aphek
5. Paradigmes
   La Femme
6. Crawler
   Idles
7. On All Fours
   Goat Girl
8. Cyclorama
   Polo & Pan
9. Drunk Tank Pink
   Shame
10. Things Take Time, Take Time
    Courtney Barnett
11. A Southern Gothic
    Adia Victoria
12. Over The Overlords
    Naked Raygun
13. Raise The Roof
    Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
14. There Is No End
    Tony Allen
15. Doomin' Sun
    Bachelor
16. In Standard Definition
    Art d'Ecco
17. Access Denied
    Ray BLK
18. Home Video
    Lucy Dacus
19. sketchy.
    Tune-Yards
20. Nine
    Sault

Greg Kot: The Best Albums of 2021, as aired on Sound Opinions

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. On All Fours
   Goat Girl
2. Crawler
   Idles
3. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
   Little Simz
4. There Is No End
   Tony Allen
5. New Long Leg
   Dry Cleaning
6. Sharecropper's Son
   Robert Finley
7. Always Something
   UV-TV
8. All Bets Are Off
   Tamar Aphek
9. Wary + Strange
   Amythyst Kiah
10. Since Grazed
    Eleventh Dream Day
11. sketchy.
    Tune-Yards
12. Hey What
    Low
13. Haram
    Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
14. A Southern Gothic
    Adia Victoria
15. Raise The Roof
    Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
16. Deciphering The Message
    Makaya McCraven
17. Second Line
    Dawn Richard
18. NOW
    Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble
19. Stand For Myself
    Yola
20. A Martyr’s Reward
    Ka

Benoit Rouilly (aka Harry Tuttle): Top 10 Films of 2021, as posted to Twitter

• About Endlessness
  Roy Andersson
• Memoria
  Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• Drive My Car
  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Days
  Tsai Ming-liang
• A Hero
  Asghar Farhadi
• Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces
  Zhu Shengze
• In Front of Your Face
  Hong Sang-soo
• Annette
  Leos Carax
• Pedro
  Natesh Hegde

runners up

• The French Dispatch
  Wes Anderson
• Malcolm & Marie
  Sam Levinson
• Dune
  Denis Villeneuve
• A New Old Play
  Qiu Jiongjiong
• There Is No Evil
  Mohammad Rasoulof
• First Cow
  Kelly Reichardt
• Minari
  Lee Isaac Chung
• Tug
  Jon Lazam
• The Great Movement
  Kiro Russo

Jordan Ruimy: The 10 Best Movies of 2021, as published by World of Reel

[see also 2020 • 2010s • 2019]

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. Red Rocket
   Sean Baker
3. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Annette
   Leos Carax
5. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
6. France
   Bruno Dumont
7. Benedetta
   Paul Verhoeven
8. The Killing of Two Lovers
   Robert Machoian
9. Titane
   Julia Ducournau
10. Passing
    Rebecca Hall
10. The Lost Daughter
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
12. Bad Trip
    Kitao Sakurai
13. Petite Maman
    Céline Sciamma
14. The Last Duel
    Ridley Scott
15. Beginning
    Déa Kulumbegashvili
16. Quo Vadis, Aida?
    Jasmila Žbanić
17. PVT Chat
    Ben Hozie
18. In the Same Breath
    Nanfu Wang
19. The Souvenir Part II
    Joanna Hogg
20. Bergman Island
    Mia Hansen-Løve

Keith Phipps: The Best Films of 2021, as posted at The Reveal where it appears alongside fun selections like "Reason for Hope," "Reason for Despair," "Most Annoying Discourse," and "Most Anticipated Film of 2022"

[see also 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

The Top 15

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. Pig
   Michael Sarnoski
3. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
4. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
5. Parallel Mothers
   Pedro Almodóvar
6. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
7. A Hero
   Asghar Farhadi
8. Bergman Island
   Mia Hansen-Løve
9. The Green Knight
   David Lowery
10. Passing
    Rebecca Hall
11. The Lost Daughter
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
12. Flee
    Jonas Poher Rasmussen
13. The Worst Person in the World
    Joachim Trier
14. Dune
    Denis Villeneuve
15. The Disciple
    Chaitanya Tamhane

Honorable Mention (in alphabetical order)

• Annette
  Leos Carax
• Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
  Josh Greenbaum
• Benedetta
  Paul Verhoeven
• The Card Counter
  Paul Schrader
• C'mon C'mon
  Mike Mills
• The French Dispatch
  Wes Anderson
• Lamb
  Valdimar Jóhannsson
• The Last Duel
  Ridley Scott
• Last Night in Soho
  Edgar Wright
• Malignant
  James Wan
• Nightmare Alley
  Guillermo del Toro
• Red Rocket
  Sean Baker
• Saint Maud
  Rose Glass
• Shiva Baby
  Emma Seligman
• Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  Questlove
• The Velvet Underground
  Todd Haynes

Lest We Forget

• Judas and the Black Messiah
  Shaka King
• The Father
  Florian Zeller

Scott Tobias: The Best Films of 2021, as posted at The Reveal where it appears alongside fun selections like "Reason for Hope," "Reason for Despair," "Most Annoying Discourse," and "Most Anticipated Film of 2022"

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

The Top 15

1. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
2. A Hero
   Asghar Farhadi
3. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
   Radu Jude
4. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
5. Pig
   Michael Sarnoski
6. Red Rocket
   Sean Baker
7. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
8. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
9. The Viewing Booth
   Ra’anan Alexandrowicz
10. The Card Counter
    Paul Schrader
11. Days
    Tsai Ming-liang
12. The Power of the Dog
    Jane Campion
13. Quo Vadis, Aida?
    Jasmila Žbanić
14. Bergman Island
    Mia Hansen-Løve
15. Dune
    Denis Villeneuve

Honorable Mention (alphabetical order)

• Annette
  Leos Carax
• Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
  Josh Greenbaum
• The French Dispatch
  Wes Anderson
• The Green Knight
  David Lowery
• The Last Duel
  Ridley Scott
• The Lost Daughter
  Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Passing
  Rebecca Hall
• Petite Maman
  Céline Sciamma
• Procession
  Robert Greene
• Shiva Baby
  Emma Seligman
• This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
  Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
• West Side Story
  Steven Spielberg
• The Velvet Underground
  Todd Haynes
• Wojnarowicz
  Chris McKim

Nicole Brenez: Best Films of 2021, as submitted to La Internacional Cinéfila Poll

[see also 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2012]

• Omar Blondin Diop, a rebel
  Djeydi Djigo
• Topology of an Absence
  Rami El Sabbagh
• Jean Genet, Our Father Of Flowers
  Dalila Ennadre
• Our Memory Belongs to Us
  Rami Farah
• Moune Ô
  Maxime Jean-Baptiste
• Masters of the Land
  Jan Locus
• Just a Movement
  Vincent Meessen
• filmatruc à verres n°2, Oiseaux
  Silvi Simon
• Brothers
  Ugo Simon
• En Corps +
  Lionel Soukaz and Stéphane Gérard
• The Visit
  Kristi Tethong
• Train Again
  Peter Tscherkassky

2 wonderful essays from 2020 I saw only this year

• IWOW: I Walk on Water
  Khalik Allah
• Fiertés, inc.
  Thibault Jacquin

This list contributes to:

• La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Best movies of 2021