

Without the limitations of an assigned seat, viewers are granted access to all sorts of angles. “We all understand Lee to be clever and creative with his direction, and his talent only burns through even more here. What the critics are saying: “I’d always been jealous that I couldn’t see the stage production of this, but after seeing the film, I almost feel more privileged than the live audiences who attended,” writes 21-year-old Brighton-based writer and creative Yazz James. What it’s about: A filmed version of The Talking Heads frontman David Byrne’s Broadway show that inspects contemporary American life and urges viewers to connect with others as a response.
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What the critics are saying: 17-year-old Rosario Asenjo called this movie “tension-filled, gripping, riveting, and highly uncomfortable.” She says, “ Black Bear and its leads bring this disruptive, at times bewildering, though deeply fascinating story to life, with incredible performances all around and sharp writing that allows for an intense viewing.”ĭavid Byrne’s American Utopia (dir. But basically Audrey Plaza plays an actress-turned-director who goes to a lakehouse to write a screenplay. What it’s about: Trust me, you want to go into this blind. “ Birds of Prey is a beautiful homage to Harley as a comic book character, seriously capturing the best of her energy and making sure it seeps into every member of the audience.”īlack Bear (dir. What the critics are saying: “There is no politeness, no forcing women next to each other for the sake of empowerment there are only complicated and real relationships involving plenty of bickering, anger, and care,” writes 20-year-old Jenna Kalishman, whose writing can be found at Film Daze, Alma, and here at Lithium. What it’s about: Harley Quinn of Suicide Squad fame is back to prove that she is the only salvageable character in the DC Extended Universe by teaming up with unsung heroes to defeat a narcissistic crime boss. I felt an intense boost of journalistic vigor in the immediate aftermath of the film that I was able to apply at my own school newspaper.”īirds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) (dir. She says, “Newspaper writer Rachel is barely the intended show-stealer of this star-studded film, but recognizing that the story is a product of her meticulous work makes it all the more rewarding to watch. What the critics are saying: 17-year-old Lydia Smith favors movies set in high school, and she was particularly thrilled upon seeing a young female journalist bust open a scandal of this magnitude. What it’s about: The superintendent of a stunning school district is caught in an embezzlement scheme accidentally uncovered by a student journalist. It has the best ending of any film this year if you can get through it without tearing up, hats off to you.

It’s easy to graft your own experiences onto hers and find yourself reliving the high (and low) points of your high school years. “It taps into the ubiquitous feelings of youth - want, disinterestedness, hope, insecurity - and offers a surprisingly fresh take. What the critics are saying: “From the get-go it asks the viewer, ‘Are you on-board or not?’” says 20-year-old Dimitri Keogh. What it’s about: A teenage girl with a terminal illness falls in love with a small-time drug dealer, to the disapproval of her parents.

Here are the best movies of the year, according to Gen-Z critics around the globe, which you can watch now. 2020, with its lack of run-of-the-mill summer blockbusters, shined a light on more independent cinema, and it would be a shame if what is labeled best are titles we can’t see until next year.

While you can’t fight fire with fire, one of the primary ways the inaccessibility of film criticism can be combated is through more film criticism - watch films and write about them, even in smaller online nooks. Many are starting to ask who exactly benefits from this kind of list after all, even when most festivals went digital because of the pandemic, invites to anyone who isn’t from The New Yorker were scarce. This elitism trickles down even to seemingly innocent things like end-of-the-year movie round-ups, where in-house critics of well-off publications have a habit of listing festival-exclusive titles that no one but fellow established critics have seen. The nepotism and sheer inaccessibility of both fields blinked bright red anytime I considered being a part of it, warning that I was entering precarious territory. I’ve always viewed film criticism - and really, the film industry in general - as behind an impenetrable sheen.
