Year-End Lists

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

La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Best movies of 2021, a survey of programmers, critics, and filmmakers from around the world, posted with entries and notes from each participant

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
3. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
   Radu Jude
3. What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
   Aleksandre Koberidze
4. Petite Maman
   Céline Sciamma
5. The Tsugua Diaries
   Maureen Fazendeiro and Miguel Gomes

Menciones honrosas

• The Power of the Dog
  Jane Campion
• In Front of Your Face
  Hong Sang-soo
• A Night of Knowing Nothing
  Payal Kapadia
• Annette
  Leos Carax
• The Great Movement
  Kiro Russo

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• La Internacional Cinéfila Poll: Nicole Brenez: Best Films of 2021

Steve Erickson: Best Films of 2021, as published by Gay City News

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

• The Disciple
  Chaitanya Tamhane
• Drive My Car
  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• The Empty Man
  David Prior
• Her Socialist Smile
  John Gianvito
• Labyrinth of Cinema
  Nobuhiko Obayashi
• The Power of the Dog
  Jane Campion
• Siberia
  Abel Ferrara
• Zeros and Ones
  Abel Ferrara
• This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
  Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
• Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
  Kier-La Janisse

Runners-up

• Azor
  Andreas Fontana
• Bo Burnham: Inside
  Bo Burnham
• France
  Bruno Dumont
• Pig
  Michael Sarnoski
• Procession
  Robert Greene
• Red Post on Escher Street
  Sion Sono
• Test Pattern
  Shatara Michelle Ford
• The Viewing Booth
  Ra’anan Alexandrowicz
• Wojnarowicz
  Chris McKim

Steve Erickson: The Best Music of 2021, as published by Gay City News

[see also 2020 • 2019]

• Little Oblivions
  Julien Baker
• Screen Violence
  Chvrches
• -io
  Circuit Des Yeux
• Intra-I
  Theon Cross
• We're All Alone in This Together
  Dave
• Jubilee
  Japanese Breakfast
• Water
  Lotic
• DEACON'S Grove ("Hyacinth")
  serpentwithfeet
• If Orange Was a Place
  Tems
• The Asymptotical World
  Yves Tumor

Runners-up

• KicK iii
  Arca
• Piano Heat (DJ Mix)
  Dj Paak
• Vulture Prince
  Arooj Aftab
• Amapiano Now
  various artists
• As Days Get Dark
  Arab Strap
• Haram
  Armand Hammer & The Alchemist
• I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses
  Backxwash
• Isles
  Bicep
• Leaving None But Small Birds
  The Body and BIG|BRAVE
• Arcade
  Citizen Deep
• Ma délire - Songs of love, lost & found
  Myriam Gendron
• Strung Figures
  Kristen Gallerneaux
• Drown to Float
  Iceboy Violet
• [&]
  Loona
• Hey What
  Low
• Weight of the World
  Maxo Kream
• Neon Genesis: Soul Into Matter²
  Meemo Comma
• Black Encyclopedia of the Air
  Moor Mother
• a softer focus
  claire rousay
• Mayan Space Station
  William Parker
• Prioritise Pleasure
  Self Esteem
• Space 1.8
  Nala Sinephro
• Red (Taylor's Version)
  Taylor Swift
• Glow On
  Turnstile
• Yaral Sa Doom
  Wau Wau Collectif
• Ignorance
  The Weather Station
• Stand For Myself
  Yola
• Raise The Roof
  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Darren Hughes: Favorite Theatrical/VOD Releases of 2021

[see also 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2012]

1. Annette
   Leos Carax
2. Days
   Tsai Ming-liang
3. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
4. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
5. France
   Bruno Dumont
6. What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
   Aleksandre Koberidze
7. The Salt of Tears
   Philippe Garrel
8. The Inheritance
   Ephraim Asili
9. Siberia
   Abel Ferrara
10. Azor
    Andreas Fontana

David Morgan: The 10 Best Films of 2021, as posted by CBS News

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. The Beatles: Get Back
   Peter Jackson
2. Dune
   Denis Villeneuve
3. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
4. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
5. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
6. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Questlove
7. The Tragedy of Macbeth
   Joel Coen
8. CODA
   Sian Heder
9. Faya Dayi
   Jessica Beshir
10. Don't Look Up
    Adam McKay

Magnet Magazine: Top 25 Albums of 2021

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

1. In Heaven
   Strand of Oaks
2. Hey What
   Low
3. Collapsed in Sunbeams
   Arlo Parks
4. Ignorance
   The Weather Station
5. Observatory
   Aeon Station
6. Stand For Myself
   Yola
7. Green to Gold
   The Antlers
8. As The Love Continues
   Mogwai
9. Afrique Victime
   Mdou Moctar
10. It's Not Them. It Couldn't Be Them. It Is Them!
    Guided By Voices
10. Earth Man Blues
    Guided By Voices
10. Clang Clang Ho
    Cub Scout Bowling Pins
11. The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers
    Valerie June
12. Glow On
    Turnstile
13. -io
    Circuit Des Yeux
14. The Million Masks Of God
    Manchester Orchestra
15. Black Encyclopedia of the Air
    Moor Mother
16. Since Grazed
    Eleventh Dream Day
17. Nine
    Sault
18. Serpentine Prison
    Matt Berninger
19. Cool
    Colleen Green
20. The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
    Damon Albarn
21. Jubilee
    Japanese Breakfast
22. Crawler
    Idles
23. Peace Meter
    Marissa Paternoster
24. Endless Arcade
    Teenage Fanclub
25. I Don’t Live Here Anymore
    The War on Drugs

Atwood Magazine: 2021 Albums of the Year

[see also 2010s]

• Glow
  Alice Phoebe Lou
• Comfort To Me
  Amyl and The Sniffers
• Collapsed in Sunbeams
  Arlo Parks
• Parasocial
  Bishop Ivy
• For the First Time
  Black Country, New Road
• Inside (The Songs)
  Bo Burnham
• +/-
  Boys Noize
• Note To Self
  Bre Kennedy
• Bullseye
  Charli Adams
• Hotel Surrender
  Chet Faker
• Voyager
  Current Joys
• Planet Her
  Doja Cat
• New Long Leg
  Dry Cleaning
• Alt Therapy
  Emanuel
• Smiling with No Teeth
  Genesis Owusu
• Graceful Rage
  Harmony Woods
• Afraid of Nothing
  Harrison Whitford
• True Love
  Hovvdy
• It Won’t Always Be Like This
  Inhaler
• Jubilee
  Japanese Breakfast
• Little Oblivions
  Julien Baker
• Blue Banisters
  Lana Del Rey
• Long Lost
  Lord Huron
• You Signed Up For This
  Maisie Peters
• Afrique Victime
  Mdou Moctar
• Shiny (little) Mind
  Milquetoast & Co.
• Carnage
  Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
• In Praise of Shadows
  Puma Blue
• bob’s son: R.A.P. Ferreira in the garden level cafe of the scallops hotel
  R.A.P. Ferreira
• Deacon
  serpentwithfeet
• An Evening with Silk Sonic
  Silk Sonic
• The Rise & Fall Of Loverboy
  Sir Sly
• Small Talk
  Soda Blonde
• Holy / Unholy
  Strange Boy
• Pressure Machine
  The Killers
• Good Woman
  The Staves
• Call Me If You Get Lost
  Tyler, The Creator
• A Billion Little Lights
  Wild Pink
• Blue Weekend
  Wolf Alice
• Dawn
  Yebba

Nick Schager: The Best Movies of 2021, as published by Esquire

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

1. The Tragedy of Macbeth
   Joel Coen
2. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
3. About Endlessness
   Roy Andersson
4. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
5. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
6. Identifying Features
   Fernanda Valadez
7. Quo Vadis, Aida?
   Jasmila Žbanić
8. All Light, Everywhere
   Theo Anthony
9. State Funeral
   Sergei Loznitsa
10. Riders of Justice
    Anders Thomas Jensen
11. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
    Radu Jude
12. Procession
    Robert Greene
13. Pig
    Michael Sarnoski
14. The Village Detective: a song cycle
    Bill Morrison
15. No Sudden Move
    Steve Soderbergh
16. Memoria
    Apichatpong Weerasethakul
17. Passing
    Rebecca Hall
18. Petite Maman
    Céline Sciamma
19. Come True
    Anthony Scott Burns
20. Saint Maud
    Rose Glass
21. The Green Knight
    David Lowery
22. A Glitch in the Matrix
    Rodney Ascher
23. The Beta Test
    Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe
24. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
25. The Disciple
    Chaitanya Tamhane
26. Sabaya
    Hogir Hirori
27. Undine
    Christian Petzold
28. In the Earth
    Ben Wheatley
29. Dune
    Denis Villeneuve
30. Siberia
    Abel Ferrara
31. Bergman Island
    Mia Hansen-Løve
32. No Ordinary Man
    Aisling Chin-Yee and Chase Joynt
33. Beginning
    Déa Kulumbegashvili
34. 17 Blocks
    Davy Rothbart
35. The Amusement Park
    George A. Romero
36. The Velvet Underground
    Todd Haynes
37. Acasa, My Home
    Radu Ciorniciuc
38. The French Dispatch
    Wes Anderson
39. The Souvenir Part II
    Joanna Hogg
40. Night of the Kings
    Philippe Lacôte
41. Lapsis
    Noah Hutton
42. Wojnarowicz
    Chris McKim
43. This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
    Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
44. The Card Counter
    Paul Schrader
45. Benedetta
    Paul Verhoeven
46. The Sparks Brothers
    Edgar Wright
47. Ema
    Pablo Larraín
48. The Last Duel
    Ridley Scott
49. The Killing of Two Lovers
    Robert Machoian
50. The Lost Daughter
    Maggie Gyllenhaal
51. The Power of the Dog
    Jane Campion
52. Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue
    Jia Zhang-ke
53. The Night House
    David Bruckner
54. Last Night in Soho
    Edgar Wright
55. Land
    Robert Wright
56. Nobody
    Ilya Naishuller
57. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    Questlove
58. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
    Mike Rianda
59. Plan B
    Natalie Morales
60. I Carry You with Me
    Heidi Ewing
61. Cry Macho
    Clint Eastwood
62. The Vigil
    Keith Thomas
63. Cliff Walkers
    Zhang Yimou
64. Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters
    Rosalynde LeBlanc and Tom Hurwitz
65. Honeydew
    Devereux Milburn