Great Netflix Films of 2020: Ma Rainey, Disclosure, Mank, Chicago 7, Ending Things, Social Dilemma

I haven’t decided whether COVID was the result of a conspiracy initiated by Zoom, Netflix or Jeff Bezos (NOT a serious accusation), but Netflix has certainly benefitted hugely from the pandemic. As I have no doubt written in a previous post, I am not a huge fan of streaming services, including Netflix. That’s because they cause people to watch inferior films and TV shows, along with some excellent ones. When people are limited to what’s available for streaming, they can’t (or usually don’t) pick and choose the films they want to see and often watch films they would not have wasted their time on if they had been renting from Blockbuster (for example). I haven’t tried to do a careful study, but my glance through various lists suggests the bad films being offered on most of the streaming services far outnumber the good ones.

Nevertheless, after 2020, my feelings toward Netflix are somewhat mixed. That’s because Netflix’s big year (of COVID) happened to coincide with by far its best year for producing films. Until 2020, only two Netflix films (Roma, The Two Popes) had made it into my lists of top ten/fifteen films of the year. In 2020, an astonishing six Netflix films are likely to make my list of top fifteen films of the year, and that’s not counting the too-violent Da 5 Bloods, the too-simplistic The Midnight Sky and the too-meandering Dick Johnson is Dead, all three of which I thought were otherwise excellent films. Here are the six four-star (my rating) films Netflix released in 2020, in order (best first):

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

An absolute masterpiece in every way, George C. Wolfe’s film (based on a play by August Wilson) about the recording of a blues album in 1927 Chicago is all the more miraculous because it stars a man (Chadwick Boseman) who was dying of cancer when he delivered his Oscar-worthy performance. Watching Boseman perform is gut-wrenching at various levels, though his performance is matched by that of Viola Davis as Ma Rainey. The other actors are almost as good. Meanwhile, the cinematography is gorgeous throughout and the dialogue is superb. The negative critique that Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is too stagey doesn’t work for me because I love intelligent play-like film adaptations if the production design provides good period detail and a strong film feel, as this film did.

Disclosure

Previously reviewed on this blog, Disclosure is a critically-important documentary about the portrayal of trans people in Hollywood over the past century. Full of film clips and expert commentary, Disclosure is captivating and intelligent throughout (though I wish it hadn’t focused so much on Hollywood and, in the last half of the film, on TV). 

Mank

David Fincher’s biographical drama about Herman J. Mankiewicz (Mank) writing the screenplay for Citizen Kane (one of the greatest films ever made) is a beautifully-structured film. Those less familiar with the context for the film might find the beginning of Mank to be somewhat challenging, but once the flashback-driven story comes into focus, I found it riveting. The black & white cinematography is perfect, as is the score and the performance of Gary Oldman as Mank. The screenplay by Fincher’s late father (Jack Fincher) is clever and insightful and the production design provides a great feel for 1930’s California. 

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Aaron Sorkin’s film about the trial of anti-Vietnam War protestors (known as the Chicago Seven)  in 1968 is as compelling as one would expect from a Sorkin-written film. The story of the protestors, who were accused of inciting riots at the Democratic National Convention, is told through flashbacks and court proceedings. I would have liked more background on the war protesting itself, but that’s not what this film is about, and I do love courtroom dramas. Excellent performances by an ensemble cast are highlighted by the work of Eddie Redmayne and Sacha Baron Cohen. The major criticism of The Trial of the Chicago 7 was that it wasn’t true to history. I grow tired of such complaints. This is a dramatic presentation based on actual events; it’s not a documentary. 

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Charlie Kaufman is is an eccentric filmmaker. In spite of that (or because of that) I have very much liked every film he has made. So while I expected I’m Thinking of Ending Things to be quirky, I did not expect the film’s story to completely elude me (i.e. I never had any clear idea of what was going on during the film’s 135 minutes). But the incredible thing is that I loved every captivating minute of this film even without knowing what was going on. That’s a singular achievement, if a little disappointing. The cinematography, acting (by Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette and David Thewlis) and score are all outstanding, the screenplay (based on a novel, set in Ontario, by Iain Reid) is super-intelligent (if sometimes incomprehensible), and I adored the unpredictable originality (I never had any idea what was coming next). I can’t tell you what I’m Thinking of Ending Things is about, but the heart of the story (a psychological thriller?) is a young couple’s visit to the man’s parents (they live on a farm somewhere in New York) during a snowstorm.

The Social Dilemma

Another must-see documentary on Netflix, Jeff Orlowski’s The Social Dilemma is an informative and entertaining look at the dangers of social media. Featuring interviews with former leaders in companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter as well as a dramatization of one family’s experience with social media, The Social Dilemma provides a fresh look at ideas that have been written about for many years but have not really been taken seriously. It does so in a way that doesn’t talk down to people but is relatively easy to follow, which is quite the feat. Whether people will be induced to wake up to the fact that they are in the ‘matrix’ before computer algorithms take over the world remains to be seen.