Important Films from 2021 to Watch Right Now

In yet another year dominated by coronavirus news and movies struggling hard to get enough showings in cinemas worldwide, 2021 still managed to give us quite a few key films. The impact of these films will not only likely be felt for years to come, but with the Oscars coming up in a couple of months you’ll sure be hearing about them a lot nowadays as well. 

The Last Duel

Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel’ is based on a true story about how a woman within the 14th century society struggled to be believed in regards to being sexually assaulted. Watching this film can be difficult for a lot of people due to the subject matter and the way the story is told in three parts, at times showing the same scenes two or three times just from different perspectives. However, by the end having watched how this woman, Marguerite de Carrouges, has received so much hatred for coming forward with her truth about how she was raped, it really brings into perspective how much society really hasn’t evolved that much even now in the 21st century. A lot of the same misogynistic sentiments that were thrown at her at the time are still very much apparent and can be found anywhere today as well, and that is beyond sad to comprehend yet unfortunately very real. 

Together Together

Nikole Beckwith’s ‘Together Together’ tells a story of a single man who wants to have a kid on his own and is ready to choose a surrogate. The connection that forms between him and the surrogate mother throughout the movie is deeply heartwarming and this kind of story does not get told often. It is so refreshing to watch this kind of non-toxic movie with such positive messages being told. Patti Harrison and Ed Helms have incredible chemistry and it is so obvious that Patti herself is a huge star in the making. This movie could not have come out even merely a decade ago, never mind anytime earlier in Hollywood’s troubled history with telling any story with somewhat of an outside perspective. Hence why, we are so lucky to have gotten this film in 2021 and hopefully more like it to come in the near future. 

Spider-Man: No Way Home

This movie made 1 billion dollars in the blink of an eye, and there is a good reason for it. The expectations were incredibly high to begin with and so much mystery was aligned with it months before it came out. Now that most of the world has gone to the cinema to witness this historic film event, the general consensus is that ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is an absolute joy and you can’t miss it if you love the character of Spider-Man, or if you’re just a fan of big blockbusters. 

Bo Burnham’s Inside

Bo Burnham is one of the best and most talented comedians in the world. In 2021, he treated us with a very real, haunting, and perhaps even a little depressing special ‘Inside’. He captured what life was like living in quarantine during that first year of COVID perfectly well. In fact, it was so well captured that most people got a lot of those same depressive and anxious feelings back watching it. Feelings of uncertainty and just being overall lost in what’s going on around the world during this global “event” all shown on screen during these 87 minutes. The album that came out of this special also became a hit itself as Burnham writes some of the funniest yet relatable lyrics any one person can. This special will perhaps always be remembered as one of the few good things to come out of early COVID quarantine. 

Dune

Dune is an incredible cinematic achievement that needs to be seen on the big screen in order to be truly felt. Adapting such a big story is always a challenge, but Denis Villeneuve does a great job at it. In a few years, Parts Two and Three will come out therefore watching this movie is a must if you don’t want to miss on one of the biggest cinematic events to come. 

The Power of the Dog

Here is a movie that is sure to sweep at the 2022 Oscars in a couple of months. Expect a lot of nominations, including certain noms for Best Director for Jane Campion and Best Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch. It’s a story that explores brotherhood, marriage, sexuality and more in a very thoughtful and slow-burning manner. It came out on Netflix early December and everyone should watch it so you don’t miss the year’s potential Best Picture winner. 

There are a lot of films that came out on festivals but are not available for the general public yet. These films should be watched whenever possible due to the great public reception they’ve received so far. Such titles include movies like C’mon C’mon, Belfast, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Spencer, Drive My Car, Licorice Pizza, Petite Maman, Titane, and The Lost Daughter. Make sure to check out when these films come out to a theatre near you or on streaming services so you can check them out for yourself. 

Picture: Shutterstock

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