With all the focus on whether movie theaters can survive the pandemic and when we’re finally going to get to see all those postponed blockbusters, it would be easy to overlook the many worthwhile movies that were, in fact, released during the summer of 2020. Audiences may not have enjoyed them in the kind of collective experience so many of us love about the cinema, but in their own way they negate the claim that this year has been entirely bad for the movies.
From a documentary about the ACLU to a horror movie about Zoom, a reimagining of the Joan of Arc story to a comedy about a sexual awakening in Catholic school, here are 17 excellent movies released this summer (or, in a few cases, in the spring after theaters began to shut down) and where you can stream them now.
Lucky Grandma
Lucky Grandma follows one of the most unlikely heist leaders in recent memory: a frail, chain-smoking 80-year-old widow from New York’s Chinatown. But she’s a lot feistier and more resourceful than she appears, when she finds herself on the run from local gangsters after swiping an unattended bag of money that belongs to them. Writer-director Sasie Sealy stuffs the movie with big laughs and chaotic action sequences—and Tsai Chin, half a century removed from playing a Bond girl in You Only Live Twice, is electric and unpredictable as the titular octogenarian.—Andrew R. Chow
The Cuban
Ema
Jackie director Pablo Larraín invites us into the captivating world of a dancer named Ema in the colorful port city of Valparaiso, Chile. The titular character, played in a stunning performance by Mariana di Girolamo, is enduring (and sometimes fueling) a fiery split from her partner and choreographer Gastón (Gael García Bernal). Less a picture of domestic bliss and more a collage of mutual torment, the couple is eventually revealed to have adopted a son, Polo, and given the boy up after a nasty incident that irrevocably harmed a family member. Larraín deliberately delays the introduction of Polo, but it is Ema who commands the attention throughout, the camera trained on her striking blonde mullet and streetwear uniform, as Nicolas Jaar’s mesmerizing reggaeton-inspired soundtrack pulses on.—Suyin Haynes
Watch it on MUBI in select countries
The Last Tree
The second feature from British writer-director Shola Amoo, The Last Tree is a sensitive exploration of what it means to navigate unfamiliar cultures, and how an uprooted childhood can transform a life. Set in the early 2000s and drawing from Amoo’s own experiences, the film follows Femi, a young British boy of Nigerian descent, as he moves in with a white foster mother in rural Lincolnshire, in the country’s north. His idyllic childhood in the countryside comes to an abrupt end as his mother comes to take him back to London, and we follow him through adolescence in his struggle to find and settle into his identity, eventually arriving in Lagos in search of his family. The beautiful cinematography and soundtrack balance the anguish in Femi’s story with tenderness, making this a profoundly affecting watch.—Suyin Haynes
Watch it in virtual cinemas
La Llorona
Babyteeth
Joan of Arc
Selah and the Spades
Spaceship Earth
The Go-Gos
Yes, God, Yes
High school can be confusing, and grappling with one’s burgeoning sexuality, even more so. But trying to make sense of all these new desires against the backdrop of a Catholic education that preaches abstinence and purity, at least for the protagonist of writer-director Karen Maine’s raunchy but heartfelt semi-autobiographical comedy Yes, God, Yes, really takes the wafer. Stranger Things‘ Natalia Dyer plays Alice, a teenager who attends a Catholic school retreat where she confronts her own feelings of lust, and the shame she’s made to feel about them. Along the way, she collects some valuable life lessons about the secrets and hypocrisy of even the most apparently righteous among us, who are, after all, still only human.—Eliza Berman
The Fight
Boys State
Disturbing, fascinating and a little bit sad, the documentary Boys State is an apt encapsulation of the current state of American democracy. Centering on a program from the American Legion for teenagers interested in pursuing careers in government (there is also a Girls State), the film follows more than a thousand boys who come together in Texas to sharpen their political chops and build a mock government over the course of a week. Amid the hundreds of 17-year-olds, the filmmakers train their cameras on a few key figures: Steven, the progressive son of Mexican immigrants who finds himself at odds with his more conservative peers; the precocious René, who wows everyone with a groundbreaking speech; and Ben, a conservative and Ronald Reagan fan. Much like witnessing an actual election cycle, watching the boys organize political parties and campaign for the top office of governor—which involves a fair amount of political undermining—inspires both hope and dread for the future.—Mahita Gajanan
Watch it on Apple TV+
Host
As pandemic lockdowns set in across the world, some hoped that the long isolation would spark creative endeavors that would define the era. Writer-director Rob Savage not only found that spark, but decided to use the lockdown as a film set all its own. The result, co-written with Gemma Hurley, and Jed Shepherd, is Host, which is not only one of the best horror movies of the year, but also an intimate look at creativity, film production and a shared global culture in the throes of a rampaging virus. Clocking in at an extraordinarily tight 57 minutes, Host is completely set within a Zoom call between a group of friends who decide to hold a remote seance with the help of a professional medium. Whether through technological limitations, misplaced intentions or some other demonic plans, the botched seance lets something evil into their world and things take a socially distant turn for the worse. Like Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity before it, Host reflects the world that brought it into being. It’s a technological milestone, a historical record and a spotlight for the pervasive fears triggered by isolation.—Peter Allen Clark
Watch it on Shudder
First Cow
For the past 25 years, Kelly Reichardt has left her mark on cinema by crafting very small, very quiet movies that contain profound depths of emotional resonance. Her latest release, First Cow, received a very small, very quiet release in early March as theaters began shutting down due to the coronavirus, but the movie’s July VOD release allowed many to catch up with one of her strongest films. As trappers, traders and merchants tried to survive the wild Oregon Territory of the 1820s, two unlikely friends hatch a plan involving a local settlement’s very first cow. An awkward cook from the East Coast and a wanted explorer from China find themselves not only supporting each other’s dreams, but crafting a deep friendship as the West’s many dangers creep ever closer. In some ways, First Cow can be seen as a hybrid of two of Reichardt’s most successful films: Meek’s Cutoff, which followed a group of desperate pioneers trying to find their way through the Oregon Trail, and Old Joy, which tracks two old friends slowly realizing that life has led them on very separate paths. But First Cow takes a softer view of its main characters, pitted not against each other, but against a cruel, unjust world, relying only on each other for survival and support. It’s primarily concerned with the kindness of strangers and the importance of friendship, a welcome balm during a time of isolation and fear.—Peter Allen Clark
Rent it on Amazon
The Vast of Night
The small but stellar Vast of Night uses its quiet, unassuming energy to deliver a very special sci-fi movie that subverts all expectations with a riveting story. Set in the 1950s in a romanticized small town, where the local high school basketball game is enough to empty the town’s few streets, The Vast of Night follows two young characters as they slowly unravel the mystery of a bizarre radio signal. A teenage girl, working the town’s telephone exchange, and a teenage boy, manning a radio station’s evening shift, discover that the signal has jogged the memory of several nearby residents, leading down a path that changes everything about their lives. The script is whip-smart, with patter that’s equally charming and relatable. Its two main actors, Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, nail the roles, showing chemistry with the camera and each other. And the direction knows exactly when to get flashy and when to sit still, letting the viewer stew in the film’s more meditative moments. Patterson brought The Vast of Night into being after years of writing, shooting and editing. And he left us with not only one of the best indie movies of 2020, but also a glimpse at what this budding talent may deliver next.—Peter Allen Clark
Watch it on Amazon Prime Video
The High Note
