Year-End Lists

A hand-curated, browsable index of notable year-end lists. Follow the link for each list to see essential commentary from its author, at the source.
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Highlights

2020
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A.V. Club: Katie Rife: The Best Films of 2020

17 December 2020

Nomadland - Chloé Zhao

Katie Rife: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

  1. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  2. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
  3. Shirley
    Josephine Decker
  4. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
  5. Collective
    Alexander Nanau
  6. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  7. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
  8. Possessor
    Brandon Cronenberg
  9. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
  10. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  11. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
  12. Wolfwalkers
    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
  13. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
  14. The Truffle Hunters
    Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
  15. His House
    Remi Weekes

This list contributes to:

A.V. Club: A.A. Dowd: The Best Films of 2020

17 December 2020

I'm Thinking of Ending Things - Charlie Kaufman

A.A. Dowd: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

  1. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  2. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
  3. The Climb
    Michael Angelo Covino
  4. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
  5. Fourteen
    Dan Sallitt
  6. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  7. Time
    Garrett Bradley
  8. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  9. Vitalina Varela
    Pedro Costa
  10. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
  11. The Grand Bizarre
    Jodie Mack
  12. The Nest
    Sean Durkin
  13. A White, White Day
    Hlynur Pálmason
  14. The Wild Goose Lake
    Diao Yinan
  15. Alone
    John Hyams

This list contributes to:

Joshua Rothkopf: Top 20 Films of 2020

17 December 2020

Martin Eden - Pietro Marcello

Joshua Rothkopf: Top 20 Films of 2020, as posted to Twitter

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

  1. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
  2. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  3. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  4. Kajillionaire
    Miranda July
  5. Small Axe: Mangrove
    Steve McQueen
  6. The Nest
    Sean Durkin
  7. Welcome to Chechnya
    David France
  8. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
  9. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson
  10. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
  11. Soul
    Pete Docter
  12. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
  13. Collective
    Alexander Nanau
  14. Tommaso
    Abel Ferrara
  15. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
  16. The Truffle Hunters
    Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw
  17. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
  18. Gunda
    Viktor Kosakovskiy
  19. Bad Education
    Cory Finley
  20. Sound of Metal
    Darius Marder

Vox: Alissa Wilkinson: The 25 Best Movies of 2020

17 December 2020

The Painter and the Thief - Benjamin Ree

Alissa Wilkinson: The 25 Best Movies of 2020, as published by Vox

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

  1. The Painter and the Thief
    Benjamin Ree
  2. Mayor
    David Osit
  3. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  4. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson
  5. Driveways
    Andrew Ahn
  6. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
  7. Another Round
    Thomas Vinterberg
  8. Time
    Garrett Bradley
  9. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
  10. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
  11. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
  12. Small Axe: Mangrove
    Steve McQueen
  13. Scheme Birds
    Ellen Fiske and Ellinor Hallin
  14. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
    George C. Wolfe
  15. Collective
    Alexander Nanau
  16. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
  17. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  18. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
  19. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
  20. City Hall
    Frederick Wiseman
  21. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
  22. Wolfwalkers
    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
  23. Palm Springs
    Max Barbakow
  24. South Mountain
    Hilary Brougher
  25. Bill & Ted Face the Music
    Dean Parisot

Honorable mentions

This list contributes to:

A.V. Club: Allison Shoemaker: The Best Films of 2020

17 December 2020

Nomadland - Chloé Zhao

Allison Shoemaker: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017]

  1. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  2. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
  3. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson
  4. Time
    Garrett Bradley
  5. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
  6. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
  7. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
  8. Black Bear
    Lawrence Michael Levine
  9. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
  10. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
  11. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
  12. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
  13. The Father
    Florian Zeller
  14. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  15. Promising Young Woman
    Emerald Fennell

This list contributes to:

A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020

17 December 2020

First Cow - Kelly Reichardt

The A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020, assembled from the ballots of a dozen contributors

[see also 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

  1. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
  2. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  3. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
  4. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
  5. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
  7. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  8. The Grand Bizarre
    Jodie Mack
  9. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson
  10. Time
    Garrett Bradley
  11. Fourteen
    Dan Sallitt
  12. A White, White Day
    Hlynur Pálmason
  13. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
  14. Sound of Metal
    Darius Marder
  15. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
  16. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
  17. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
  18. Mank
    David Fincher
  19. Vitalina Varela
    Pedro Costa
  20. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
  21. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
  22. The Climb
    Michael Angelo Covino
  23. The Nest
    Sean Durkin
  24. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
  25. Shirley
    Josephine Decker

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

RogerEbert.com: Odie Henderson: Top Ten Films of 2020

16 December 2020

David Byrne's American Utopia - Spike Lee

Odie Henderson: Top Ten Films of 2020, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

  1. David Byrne's American Utopia
    Spike Lee
  2. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
  3. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  4. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  5. Hamilton
    Thomas Kail
  6. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
    George C. Wolfe
  7. His House
    Remi Weekes
  8. Time
    Garrett Bradley
  9. The Old Guard
    Gina Prince-Bythewood
  10. The Truth
    Hirokazu Kore-eda

This list contributes to:

RogerEbert.com: Monica Castillo: Top Ten Films of 2020

16 December 2020

Small Axe: Lovers Rock - Steve McQueen

Monica Castillo: Top Ten Films of 2020, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019]

  1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  2. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
  3. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
  4. Collective
    Alexander Nanau
  5. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
  6. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
  7. Wolfwalkers
    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
  8. Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado
    Cristina Costantini and Kareem Tabsch
  9. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
  10. I'm No Longer Here
    Fernando Frías de la Parra

This list contributes to:

RogerEbert.com: Brian Tallerico: Top Ten Films of 2020

16 December 2020

Nomadland - Chloé Zhao

Brian Tallerico: Top Ten Films of 2020, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

  1. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  2. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
  3. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  4. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
  5. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
  6. David Byrne's American Utopia
    Spike Lee
  7. The Nest
    Sean Durkin
  8. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
  9. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  10. Time
    Garrett Bradley

Runners-up

This list contributes to:

The Ringer: The Best Movies of 2020

16 December 2020

Small Axe: Lovers Rock - Steve McQueen

The Ringer: The Best Movies of 2020, composed by Sean Fennessey and Adam Nayman

[see also 2019 • 2018]

  1. Small Axe: Mangrove
    Steve McQueen
  2. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
  3. Mank
    David Fincher
  4. First Cow
    Kelly Reichardt
  5. Boys State
    Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
  6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
  7. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
  8. Time
    Garrett Bradley
  9. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
  10. Vitalina Varela
    Pedro Costa
  11. Soul
    Pete Docter

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Year-end lists are fingerprints; aggregate statistics are smudges. Therefore, I make no tallies.