If you’re like most people, you were more than ready to tuck 2020 into bed and put it away for good. Well, let’s take a moment to dive back in. It was a rough year, but you’ve heard that enough. I’m here to share with you three great movies that managed to slip through the innumerable cinema restrictions and pushbacks apparent last year. These three films all touched me personally and I hope they will be as meaningful to you as they are to me.

“Tenet”

Christopher Nolan is back, and he’s more confusing and complex than ever. With John David Washington, one of my favorite new leading men, at the helm, Nolan gives us an extremely fun and fast-paced time travel espionage adventure that left me chock-full of adrenaline. “Tenet” brings memorable performances from Robert Pattinson, Kenneth Branagh, and Elizabeth Debicki, a pounding soundtrack from Ludwig Göransson, and huge practical effects that only Nolan could pull off.

I was lucky enough to see “Tenet” in IMAX back in August, and I’m forever grateful I did. My second viewing was from home and it lost some of its pizzaz. Regardless of where you watch it, “Tenet” is a ton of fun and brings the incomparable Nolan flair to the espionage genre.

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things”

Charlie Kaufman writes and directs this film based on Iain Reid’s novel of the same name. An unnamed Young Woman (Jessie Buckley) is considering ending her brief relationship with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) during a snowy winter road trip to meet his parents (David Thewlis and Toni Collette).

I went into this film knowing very little about it, completely unfamiliar with Iain Reid’s work. From a distance, it doesn’t seem like much, but Kaufman gives us a gorgeous and thrilling movie about memory, love, loneliness and perception. We are presented with an oddly stitched-together story of intention, fantasy and reality that is delightfully confusing and truly needs to be experienced to appreciate.

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is a wonderfully acted, beautiful puzzle that I encourage you all to attempt to solve.

“Another Round (Druk)”

Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” or “Druk” in his native Danish, follows four high school teachers all in the midst of existential crises, searching for a way to break free. They collectively decide to test a theory that essentially states that human beings are meant to be just slightly drunk at all times. What we are given is a hilarious story about reconnecting with what’s most important in life.

Mads Mikkelsen leads our four heroes with a breathtaking performance that really is the driving force of the entire film. He is able to bring the sadness necessary for the role while hitting the comedic beats in stride. “Another Round” gives us some extremely riotous moments while not being afraid to address the bleaker points of alcoholism.

All in all, “Another Round” stuck with me for weeks after my first viewing. It’s memorable in every sense of the word and I cannot recommend it enough.

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