Year-End Lists

Electric Lit: Favorite Novels of 2020

[see also Best Nonfiction of 2023 • Best Novels of 2023 • Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2022 • Favorite Novels of 2022 • Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2021 • Favorite Novels of 2021 • Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2020 • 15 Best Novels of 2019 • 15 Best Nonfiction Books of 2019]

• A Lover's Discourse
  Xiaolu Guo
• Everywhere You Don't Belong
  Gabriel Bump
• Jack
  Marilynne Robinson
• Mexican Gothic
  Silvia Moreno-Garcia
• Pizza Girl
  Jean Kyoung Frazier
• The Glass Hotel
  Emily St. John Mandel
• These Ghosts Are Family
  Maisy Card
• You Should See Me in a Crown
  Leah Johnson
• Writers & Lovers
  Lily King
• A Children's Bible
  Lydia Millet
• Leave the World Behind
  Rumaan Alam
• Parakeet
  Marie-Helene Bertino
• The Lying Life of Adults
  Elena Ferrante
• Memorial
  Bryan Washington
• Piranesi
  Susanna Clarke
• The Death of Vivek Oji
  Akwaeke Emezi
• The Illness Lesson
  Clare Beams
• The City We Became
  N.K. Jemisin
• A Burning
  Megha Majumdar
• Breasts and Eggs
  Mieko Kawakami
• Cleanness
  Garth Greenwell
• Transcendent Kingdom
  Yaa Gyasi
• The Vanishing Half
  Brit Bennett
• Real Life
  Brandon Taylor
• Luster
  Raven Leilani

Mike D’Angelo: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

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

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. A White, White Day
   Hlynur Pálmason
3. The Grand Bizarre
   Jodie Mack
4. The Nest
   Sean Durkin
5. Fourteen
   Dan Sallitt
6. Small Axe: Red, White and Blue
   Steve McQueen
7. Tenet
   Christopher Nolan
8. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
9. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
10. The Old Guard
    Gina Prince-Bythewood
11. 76 days
    Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous
12. Save Yourselves!
    Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson
13. Sibyl
    Justine Triet
14. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
15. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020

Kelly Lawler: The 15 Best TV Shows of 2020, as published by USA Today

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

1. I May Destroy You
2. The Great
3. What We Do in the Shadows
4. Upload
5. BoJack Horseman
6. Schitt's Creek
7. The Queen's Gambit
8. Ted Lasso
9. Ramy
10. Never Have I Ever
11. The Good Fight
12. The Baby-Sitters Club
13. Quiz
14. Cheer
15. Your Honor

Claire Fallon: The Best Books of 2020, as published by HuffPost

[see also 2018]

• Temporary
  Hilary Leichter
• Real Life
  Brandon Taylor
• The Unreality of Memory
  Elisa Gabbert
• The Glass Hotel
  Emily St. John Mandel
• Parakeet
  Marie-Helene Bertino
• Death in Her Hands
  Ottessa Moshfegh
• Luster
  Raven Leilani
• Leave the World Behind
  Rumaan Alam
• Red Pill
  Hari Kunzru
• The Office of Historical Corrections
  Danielle Evans

Kitty Empire: 10 Best Albums of 2020, as published by The Observer

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

1. Paid Salvation
   A. Swayze & the Ghosts
2. U Kin B the Sun
   Frazey Ford
3. Gold Record
   Bill Callahan
4. Shore
   Fleet Foxes
5. Future Nostalgia
   Dua Lipa
6. Græ
   Moses Sumney
7. Coriky
   Coriky
8. Fetch the Bolt Cutters
   Fiona Apple
9. Dark Matter
   Moses Boyd
10. RTJ4
    Run the Jewels

Caitlin Quinlan: Best Films of 2020, as posted to Letterboxd

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018]

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. The Woman Who Ran
   Hong Sang-soo
3. Martin Eden
   Pietro Marcello
4. Time
   Garrett Bradley
5. Ema
   Pablo Larraín
6. Limbo
   Ben Sharrock
7. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
8. The Viewing Booth
   Ra’anan Alexandrowicz
9. Identifying Features
   Fernanda Valadez
10. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
    Steve McQueen
11. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
12. Clemency
    Chinonye Chukwu
13. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
14. His House
    Remi Weekes
15. Shirley
    Josephine Decker
16. Kajillionaire
    Miranda July
17. Victoria
    Sofie Benoot, Liesbeth De Ceulaer, Isabelle Tollenaere
18. Gold for Dogs
    Anna Cazenave Cambet

This list contributes to:

• Sight & Sound Poll: The Best Films of 2020

Christina Newland: The Best Films of 2020, as submitted to the Sight & Sound Poll

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

1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
2. Mank
   David Fincher
3. About Endlessness
   Roy Andersson
4. Rocks
   Sarah Gavron
5. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Time
   Garrett Bradley
7. Shirley
   Josephine Decker
8. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
9. Da 5 Bloods
   Spike Lee
10. Dick Johnson Is Dead
    Kirsten Johnson

This list contributes to:

• Sight & Sound Poll: The Best Films of 2020

Elena Lazic: Best Films of 2020, as submitted to the Sight & Sound Poll

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018]

1. Siberia
   Abel Ferrara
2. Babyteeth
   Shannon Murphy
3. The Disciple
   Chaitanya Tamhane
4. Ibrahim
   Samir Guesmi
5. Possessor
   Brandon Cronenberg
6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
7. After Love
   Aleem Khan
8. Stories from the Chestnut Woods
   Gregor Božič
9. The Assistant
   Kitty Green
10. Delete History
    Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern

This list contributes to:

• Sight & Sound Poll: The Best Films of 2020

The Playlist: The 25 Best Films of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018]

1. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
2. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
4. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
5. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
6. Sound of Metal
   Darius Marder
7. Da 5 Bloods
   Spike Lee
8. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
9. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
10. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
11. Possessor
    Brandon Cronenberg
12. Tenet
    Christopher Nolan
13. The Nest
    Sean Durkin
14. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
15. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
16. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
17. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov
18. Soul
    Pete Docter
19. Shirley
    Josephine Decker
20. Palm Springs
    Max Barbakow
21. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
22. Babyteeth
    Shannon Murphy
23. Ema
    Pablo Larraín
24. Boys State
    Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
25. Mank
    David Fincher

Mark Kermode: 10 Best Films of 2020, as published by The Observer

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

1. Saint Maud
   Rose Glass
2. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
   Céline Sciamma
3. Parasite
   Bong Joon-ho
4. Relic
   Natalie Erika James
5. Clemency
   Chinonye Chukwu
6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
7. Rocks
   Sarah Gavron
8. Saint Frances
   Alex Thompson
9. Wolfwalkers
   Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
10. The Personal History of David Copperfield
    Armando Iannucci