2020 Review catch-up - Rebecca, Bad Education, Plus One, Proxima & Villains

With 2020 being one of the strangest on record, it has been a tough year for cinema as a whole. Films slated for a Spring release are still sitting on the shelves whilst so many films ended up being distributed through streaming platforms.

With Christopher Nolan doing his best to tempt people back into the cinemas with his blockbuster Tenet, there has been a concerted effort from filmmakers and fans to continue their passion in whatever format is available. But with less mainstream movies forthcoming there has been an unintended side effect where smaller indie films have used the streaming route to increase their presence. In the face of less competition it hasn’t been ideal, BUT there has been some new opportunities for new and emerging filmmakers willing to take a risk.

With all the above in mind, there’s no doubt that with a glut of online and home releases since March, you may have missed some of these gems. Yet being online, (if you have the right service) you still have the chance to catch them before the year’s out. And before you decided on your own top 10s of the 2020 as well of course! We’ve been unable to cover everything ourselves too, so this latest blog showcases some of the films that may have passed you by throughout the year.

Bad Education (2020) Dir. Cory Finley / To rent on Amazon Prime

From the director of Thoroughbreds (one of our favourite films of 2018) comes a true story based upon the corruption and cover up of financial irregularities at an American school. Hugh Jackman is public school superintendent Frank Tassone who uncovers that Pam Gluckin (Allison Janney) is dipping into the public funds to maintain a lavish lifestyle for her and her family. As Jackman and fellow teachers conspire to try and brush this under the carpet without fuss, student Rachel Bhargava who volunteers for the school paper begins to investigate and uncovers a larger plot involving the hidden life of Jackman’s authority figure too. The experienced Jackman and Janney are great, but it’s Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) playing the plucky pupil that is the underrated star here. The actress brings an underlying determination in her refusal to give up – as her wide-eyed innocence is slowly removed to be replaced with threats and blackmail. The film entertainingly delves into corruption and the projecting of a public image with fantastic performances from a strong cast who play their roles to perfection. ★★★★

Plus One (2020) Dir. Jeff Chan & Andrew Rhymer / Netflix

Whilst another rom-com with a two-word title beginning with P that had a couple who re-appeared at weddings got most of the attention this year (Palm Springs), you’d do worse than catching this low-key indie film starring Maya Erskine and Jack Quaid. They play old friends Alice Mori and Ben King who agree to attend a season of weddings as each other’s “plus ones” in order to fend off the questions of enquiring friends and families. After making the most of a multitude of annoying nuptials, the inevitable drink and good times lead to a complicated personal relationship developing. The leads help carry what is a pretty standard concept with nuanced and believable performances. The tight script doesn’t let up and the situations develop naturally over time, and ones that will resonate with anyone in their twenties. Maya Erskine especially handles the film’s comedy, dramatic and vulnerable moments so fittingly that I look forward to her in future films. With a few surprising emotional beats in addition, Plus One should be seen by more people and is one of the best romantic comedies of the year. And can hopefully get even just some of the praise from the more well-known Palm Springs. ★★★★

Proxima (2020) Dir. Alice Winocour / Available on DVD Nov 23^rd 2020

This French drama stars Eva Green as a put-upon astronaut in training who has to fight her dismissive colleagues at a Russian training centre whilst balancing the delicate relationship she has with her young daughter. Preparing for a year-long ISS visit, the film has Green as a last-minute replacement for the space mission led by an arrogant American played by Matt Dillon. His obvious disdain is just one of many battles she faces alongside her snobbish ex-husband, her daughter’s troubles at school and her own sense of self-worth. Shot at the real facilities of the European Space Agency, the training preparation scenes are scarily naturalistic which complement the simple and intimate handheld filming style. Proxima weighs up the professional with the personal incredibly well, with Green’s astute astronaut succeeding against all odds. But the real heart of the film lies with her wrestling with her daughter (an excellent Zélie Boulant-Lemesle as Stella) who is upset her mother is leaving. A teary-eyed ending is a tense moment of love, separation and admiration and Green’s compelling central performance is an astounding joy. In the end, the space-themed Proxima is both a down-to-earth drama and an exploration of the heavy gravity faced while being a role-model mother in tough circumstances. ★★★★

Villains (2020) Dir. Dan Berk / To rent on Amazon Prime & Google Play

Bill Skarsgård and Maika Monroe play on-the-run criminals Mickey and Jules whose car breaks down on their escape to Florida and who decide to head to a nearby home in search of gas. Here in this isolated house they discover a chained girl in the basement yet before they can alert the authorities, the parents George and Gloria return to their residence to be questioned by the intruders. Forcing them to release the girl, the feral young prisoner bites Mickey and the couple are soon captured in a role reversal, leaving them at the whims of the deranged parents. Part violent slapstick, part black comedy, the mix of delinquency and the domestic setting is an interesting two-hander, done with a fair amount of tongue in the film’s cheek. With gunshots, drugs and cruelty, Villains has enough carnage to serve its mostly B-movie audience without (too much) exploitation during its nefarious narrative. And at 88 minutes, it’s also a swift dark mix of bloodshed and brawling and kudos goes to veterans Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Donovan as the delightfully sleazy parents. Mostly for Saturday-night genre fans, Villains concludes as an amusingly comedic thriller with enough punchy performances to paper over the low-budget cracks. ★★★ ½

Michael Sales