The 20 Best Movies of 2020

“The Painter and the Thief” is a documentary that centers around the budding friendship between Norwegian painter Barbora Kysilkova and the man who stole her artwork from a gallery. After winning the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Creative Storytelling at Sundance Film Festival in January, the film was acquired by Neon and is now available for streaming on Hulu.

“Time” is an Amazon documentary about a woman who has spent 20 years fighting for the release of her husband from prison. He was sentenced for 60 years in prison for a robbery they both committed. Dennis Schwartz from Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews describes the award-winning “Time” as a “mesmerizing portrait of a family’s resilience to deal with a failing criminal system that can’t see things properly with its heart.”

Small Axe is a collection of five films created and directed by Steve McQueen for BBC and Amazon concerning the experiences of West Indian immigrants in London during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. “Red, White and Blue” is a biopic centered around the experience of London police officer Leroy Logan as he attempts to reform the racist attitudes of the Metropolitan Police in the mid-1980s. “Red, White and Blue” has an IMDb rating of 7.7 out of 10, the second most of any film in the Small Axe series.

Directed by Chloé Zhao (“The Rider”), “Nomadland” follows a woman who decides to travel across the West, living out of a van, after she loses everything during the Great Recession between 2007 and 2009. Wenlei Ma from News.com.au called the movie “one of the most accomplished films of the year, an emotional tour de force that moves you but never imposes or manipulates.”

Co-directed by Pete Docter (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Inside Out”), “Soul” tells the story of a jazz musician who suffers a nearly fatal accident and his body travels to another realm where he helps an infant soul find her purpose. In the process, he finds his own purpose. “Pete Docter + team gives another imaginative insight into our humanity in the most delightful way,” wrote Ruth Maramis of the FlixChatter Film Blog.

The documentary directed by Frank Marshall (“Congo”) tells the story of the British-Australian trio the Bee Gees through interviews with the oldest brother, Barry Gibb, and using archival footage with the late twin brothers Robin and Maurice. “2020 has been an excellent year for music documentaries, and this one holds its own amongst the best,” according to Staci Layne Wilson from Fantastica Daily.

Small Axe is a collection of five films created and directed by Steve McQueen for BBC and Amazon concerning the experiences of West Indian immigrants in London during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. “Lovers Rock” centers around the budding romantic relationship between two Black British youths set amidst the reggae house party scene of the late 1970s. “Lovers Rock” currently has a Tomatometer score of 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, the second highest of any Small Axe film.

The critically-acclaimed drama “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” follows two teenage girls from rural Pennsylvania who go to New York City, looking for help after one of them becomes pregnant. “An enlightening script, expert ensemble acting and the most revealing film ever made about a young woman’s right to choose,” wrote Dwight Brown from National Newspaper Publishers Association.

“Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado” is one of 12 documentaries on this list. In the movie, famous gender non-conforming astrologer and psychic Walter Mercado talks about his life, career, and time spent away from the spotlight. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes calls the film “an absorbing and affectionate tribute to a unique individual,” giving it 100% approval rating.

“Totally Under Control” takes a look at how the U.S. government responded to the coronavirus outbreak before it became a pandemic from the perspective of public health officials. Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly described the documentary as “A methodical, devastating account of the American government’s malfeasance and failure to act from the top down.”

The award-winning documentary is about a daughter, Kirsten Johnson (“Cameraperson”), helping her elderly father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, prepare for his death by staging his death several times. Claudia Puig from FilmWeek wrote: “A very moving personal essay done in a heartfelt, surreal, and funny fashion.”

Spike Lee directed this documentary about the former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne and his critically-acclaimed Broadway show “American Utopia,” which is based on his most recent album and tour of the same name. “It would have been a miraculous celebration of neighbourly love even if it hadn’t been released in the middle of a pandemic,” wrote Clarisse Loughrey of the Independent (UK).

“Disclosure” takes a close look at how Hollywood has depicted transgender people over the years and the impact that depiction has had on transgender people in the country. The documentary is “a history of trans representation of screen as told by actual trans people,” according to Orla Smith from Seventh Row. One of them is award-winning actor Laverne Cox, who rose to fame with her role in the show “Orange Is the New Black.”

Netflix documentary “Athlete A” shows how reporters from The Indianapolis Star broke the story about Dr. Larry Nassar’s years of abuse of gymnasts competing for USA Gymnastics. “After ‘Athlete A,’ you may never again watch America’s pursuit for gold with quite the same enthusiasm,” wrote Jake Coyle of the Associated Press.

Small Axe is a collection of five films created and directed by Steve McQueen for BBC and Amazon concerning the experiences of West Indian immigrants in London during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. “Mangrove” is about the Mangrove restaurant in West London, a center of Black British intellectual activity in the 1960s, and the trial that followed after nine people were arrested for protesting the repeated police raids of the restaurant. “Mangrove” has an IMDb rating of 8.1 out of 10 and a Tomatometer score of 99% — both the highest of any film in the Small Axe series.

“Crip Camp” is a documentary that tells the story of activists who attend a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities where they start and become the leaders of a disability rights movement. The Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes describes the film “as entertaining as it is inspiring.”

Animated fantasy movie “Wolfwalkers” is about a young Irish hunter, Robyn, and her father who travel across the country with a mission to wipe out the last pack of wolves. Robyn becomes friends with a girl who may have the abilities to turn into a wolf at night. The movie “fights for wolves and for girls with admirable animation,” according to Martha K. Baker of the St. Louis radio station KDHX.

“Welcome to Chechnya,” which is one of 12 documentaries on this list, follows several activists who risk their lives fighting for LGBTQ rights and people who identify as gay or lesbian in the republic in southwestern Russia. The movie also exposes the torture LGBTQ Chechens, who are often persecuted in the region, endure when detained by authorities.

The documentary “A Secret Love” follows the secret love story of two women, one of whom is a professional baseball player, who are together for nearly seven decades. The movie mixes together in one story LGBTQ history, sports, and the joy and struggles of being with someone for a lifetime.

Before the pandemic, it was nearly impossible to buy tickets for the award-winning musical “Hamilton” on Broadway. Of course, once the pandemic hit, people couldn’t see the show for other reasons. Those who missed out got lucky when Disney Plus started streaming a 2016 performance of the production with the original cast. “Hamilton” is about the life of Alexander Hamilton, one of the country’s founding fathers with the original cast that was filmed in 2016. “Even better than the best seat in the house,” wrote Christy Lemire of FilmWeek.