Year-End Lists

Les Inrockuptibles: Top 20 Films of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Uncut Gems
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
2. Mank
   David Fincher
3. Adolescents
   Sébastien Lifshitz
3. Little Girl
   Sébastien Lifshitz
4. The King of Staten Island
   Judd Apatow
5. Un soupçon d'amour
   Paul Vecchiali
6. The Things We Say, the Things We Do
   Emmanuel Mouret
7. Richard Jewell
   Clint Eastwood
8. My Best Part
   Nicolas Maury
9. Summer of 85
   François Ozon
10. Enormous
    Sophie Letourneur
11. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
12. Dark Waters
    Todd Haynes
13. Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains
    Gu Xiaogang
14. Soul
    Pete Docter
15. The Woman Who Ran
    Hong Sang-soo
16. Hotel by the River
    Hong Sang-soo
17. The August Virgin
    Jonás Trueba
18. The Trial of the Chicago 7
    Aaron Sorkin
19. If It Were Love
    Patric Chiha
20. Undine
    Christian Petzold

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• Les Inrocks: Emily Barnett: Top 10 Films of 2020
• Les Inrocks: Marilou Duponchel: Top 10 Films of 2020
• Les Inrocks: Murielle Joudet: Top 7 Films of 2020

Michael Phillips: Top 10 Movies of 2020, as published by The Chicago Tribune

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
2. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
3. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
4. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
5. City So Real
   Steve James
6. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
   George C. Wolfe
7. The Assistant
   Kitty Green
8. Small Axe: Mangrove
   Steve McQueen
9. The Vast of Night
   Andrew Patterson
10. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman

Runners-up, 11-20, in alphabetical order

• Beanpole
  Kantemir Balagov
• Driveways
  Andrew Ahn
• Earth
  Visakesa Chandrasekaram
• The 40-Year-Old Version
  Radha Blank
• Hamilton
  Thomas Kail
• The Nest
  Sean Durkin
• The Personal History of David Copperfield
  Armando Iannucci
• Small Axe: Red, White and Blue
  Steve McQueen
• 76 days
  Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous
• Shirley
  Josephine Decker

Ken Tucker: The Best Albums of 2020, as aired on NPR’s Fresh Air

[see also 2019 • 2018]

1. Alphabetland
   X
2. Future Nostalgia
   Dua Lipa
3. What Could Be Better
   The Happy Fits
4. Private Lives
   Low Cut Connie
5. Folklore
   Taylor Swift
6. Fetch the Bolt Cutters
   Fiona Apple
7. Women in Music Pt. III
   Haim
8. RTJ4
   Run the Jewels
9. Rough and Rowdy Ways
   Bob Dylan
10. Rock Bottom Rhapsody
    Pokey LaFarge

Sheri Linden: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019]

1. Beanpole
   Kantemir Balagov
2. Gunda
   Viktor Kosakovskiy
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
4. Promising Young Woman
   Emerald Fennell
5. One Night in Miami
   Regina King
6. Bacurau
   Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
7. 76 days
   Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous
8. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
9. Ammonite
   Francis Lee
10. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank

Honorable mentions

• Beyond The Visible - Hilma af Klint
  Halina Dyrschka
• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
  Jason Woliner
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• David Byrne's American Utopia
  Spike Lee
• La Llorona
  Jayro Bustamante
• My Darling Vivian
  Matt Riddlehoover
• The Painter and the Thief
  Benjamin Ree
• The Surrogate
  Jeremy Hersh
• Tesla
  Michael Almereyda
• The Truffle Hunters
  Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

Patrick Ryan: The 10 Best Albums of 2020, as published by USA Today

[see also 2021]

1. Folklore
   Taylor Swift
1. Evermore
   Taylor Swift
2. Sawayama
   Rina Sawayama
3. What's Your Pleasure?
   Jessie Ware
4. Positions
   Ariana Grande
5. Supervision
   La Roux
6. Swimmer
   Tennis
7. Shore
   Fleet Foxes
8. Punisher
   Phoebe Bridgers
9. Ungodly Hour
   Chloe x Halle
10. Zeros
    Declan McKenna

Jon Frosch: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019]

1. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
2. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
3. An Easy Girl
   Rebecca Zlotowski
4. Ammonite
   Francis Lee
5. Promising Young Woman
   Emerald Fennell
6. The 40-Year-Old Version
   Radha Blank
7. The Climb
   Michael Angelo Covino
8. Beanpole
   Kantemir Balagov
9. The Surrogate
   Jeremy Hersh
10. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee

Honorable mentions

• And Then We Danced
  Levan Akin
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• David Byrne's American Utopia
  Spike Lee
• First Cow
  Kelly Reichardt
• Fourteen
  Dan Sallitt
• The King of Staten Island
  Judd Apatow
• One Night in Miami
  Regina King
• 76 days
  Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous
• Swallow
  Carlo Mirabella-Davis
• Time
  Garrett Bradley

David Rooney: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019]

1. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
2. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
4. Ammonite
   Francis Lee
5. Beanpole
   Kantemir Balagov
6. Minari
   Lee Isaac Chung
7. Promising Young Woman
   Emerald Fennell
8. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
9. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
10. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles

Honorable mentions

• The Assistant
  Kitty Green
• Da 5 Bloods
  Spike Lee
• The 40-Year-Old Version
  Radha Blank
• The Invisible Man
  Leigh Whannell
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
  George C. Wolfe
• News of the World
  Paul Greengrass
• The Old Guard
  Gina Prince-Bythewood
• One Night in Miami
  Regina King
• The Surrogate
  Jeremy Hersh
• Wolfwalkers
  Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Constance Grady: The 15 Best Books of 2020, as published by Vox

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2019]

• The Vanishing Half
  Brit Bennett
• Sometimes You Have to Lie

  The Life and Times of Louise Fitzhugh, Renegade Author of Harriet the Spy
  Leslie Brody
• Piranesi
  Susanna Clarke
• Beowulf
  Maria Dahvana Headley (translator)
• Mexican Gothic
  Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• The City We Became
  N.K. Jemisin
• Something That May Shock and Discredit You
  Daniel M. Lavery
• Luster
  Raven Leilani
• The Mirror & the Light
  Hilary Mantel
• A Promised Land
  Barack Obama
• Such a Fun Age
  Kiley Reid
• Self Care
  Leigh Stein
• Real Life
  Brandon Taylor
• Or What You Will
  Jo Walton
• Uncanny Valley
  Anna Wiener

Candice Frederick: The Best Films of 2020, as published by Harper’s Bazaar

1. On the Record
   Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering
2. Assassins
   Ryan White
3. Minari
   Lee Isaac Chung
4. Miss Juneteenth
   Channing Godfrey Peoples
5. Relic
   Natalie Erika James
6. Sylvie's Love
   Eugene Ashe
7. Da 5 Bloods
   Spike Lee
8. Tigertail
   Alan Yang
9. Promising Young Woman
   Emerald Fennell
10. The Donut King
    Alice Gu

Honorable Mention

• MLK/FBI
  Sam Pollard
• Coming Home Again
  Wayne Wang
• Finding Yingying
  Jiayan "Jenny" Shi
• Cuties
  Maïmouna Doucouré
• Another Round
  Thomas Vinterberg

DIY Magazine: Albums of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2016 • 2011]

1. Punisher
   Phoebe Bridgers
2. Future Nostalgia
   Dua Lipa
3. Fetch the Bolt Cutters
   Fiona Apple
4. Women in Music Pt. III
   Haim
5. 925
   Sorry
6. Petals for Armor
   Hayley Williams
7. Folklore
   Taylor Swift
8. Sawayama
   Rina Sawayama
9. Heaven to a Tortured Mind
   Yves Tumor
10. Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
    Bright Eyes
11. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
    Perfume Genius
12. A Hero's Death
    Fontaines D.C.
13. Pain Olympics
    Crack Cloud
14. Chromatica
    Lady Gaga
15. Every Bad
    Porridge Radio
16. Inner Song
    Kelly Lee Owens
17. The New Abnormal
    The Strokes
18. Græ
    Moses Sumney
19. Twin Heavy
    Willie J Healey
20. Return
    Katy J Pearson