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Best and Worst Films from November 2020

Best Films from November 2020:

3. Knife in the Water

This month was European Cinema Month for me, so there were many deserving films that could have landed here such as ‘Kontroll’ and ‘H-8’, but eventually I went with this Roman Polanski debut that was just so gorgeously composed in its shots and visually sumptuous and sensual. The plot is simplistic, but the suspense is great and the entire film operates beautifully in its artistic merits.

2. Heidi

This is by far the best adaptation of its famous source material coming from Switzerland itself. Everything here worked, from the stunning-looking Alps to the characterization to the excellent arc for the grandpa himself. The movie is endearing, fun and utterly charming in look and feel. I loved every second of it.

1. The Goat Horn

The Goat Horn ended up being the best film I watched this month, which came as a surprise, but this Bulgarian movie is a classic of historical fiction as it presents its time period in brutal, realistic fashion. The revenge and gender norms themes are greatly explored while the cinematography is remarkable and the acting is outstanding. It’s a very atmospheric, almost silent movie that really works.

Worst Films from November 2020:

3. Grbavica

Grbavica is everything I expected it would be, but also objectively a weak movie, politics aside. The first half is pretty good, but the second half became overwrought, very on-the-nose in dialogue and simply unsubtle in character interactions. It was just all sorts of messy.

2. The Kid with a Bike

This is yet another Dardenne brothers flick that I did not care for in the slightest. It has its tender moments, but most of it was difficult to believe as its various scenarios were implausible and silly. It tries to be moving, but fails miserably.

1. Borat Subsequent MovieFilm

Of course this terrible sequel gets the top spot in the worst section. I hated this movie. It has its moments, but most of it was not just politically biased, but also painfully unfunny and obvious. The character of Borat was simply destroyed here and it was tragic to witness.