Year-End Lists

IndieWire: The Best Documentaries of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2015]

• All In: The Fight for Democracy
  Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortés
• Athlete A
  Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk
• Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
  Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
• Boys State
  Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
• City Hall
  Frederick Wiseman
• Collective
  Alexander Nanau
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• Dick Johnson Is Dead
  Kirsten Johnson
• Gunda
  Viktor Kosakovskiy
• Mayor
  David Osit
• The Mole Agent
  Maite Alberdi
• 76 days
  Hao Wu, Weixi Chen and Anonymous
• The Social Dilemma
  Jeff Orlowski
• Time
  Garrett Bradley
• The Truffle Hunters
  Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw

David Sims: The 10 Best Films of 2020, as published by The Atlantic

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018]

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
3. The Nest
   Sean Durkin
4. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
5. Mank
   David Fincher
6. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
7. Bacurau
   Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
8. Tenet
   Christopher Nolan
9. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
10. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee

This list contributes to:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2020

Justin Chang: The Best Movies of 2020, as published by The Los Angeles Times. Visit the Times to see how Chang's choices are presented in pairs: "As has become standard practice, I’ve listed my favorite titles as a series of thematic pairings. Treat them as double bills, or just as another reminder that art never takes place in a vacuum."

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Vitalina Varela
   Pedro Costa
2. Time
   Garrett Bradley
3. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
4. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
5. Martin Eden
   Pietro Marcello
6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
7. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
8. Collective
   Alexander Nanau
9. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
10. Beanpole
    Kantemir Balagov

10 honorable mentions (in no particular order)

• The Assistant
  Kitty Green
• The Invisible Man
  Leigh Whannell
• I Was at Home, But
  Angela Schanelec
• Relic
  Natalie Erika James
• Small Axe: Lovers Rock
  Steve McQueen
• Small Axe: Mangrove
  Steve McQueen
• Mank
  David Fincher
• Tesla
  Michael Almereyda
• The Nest
  Sean Durkin
• Tenet
  Christopher Nolan

And 15 more close to my heart

• Bad Education
  Cory Finley
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• David Byrne's American Utopia
  Spike Lee
• Driveways
  Andrew Ahn
• The 40-Year-Old Version
  Radha Blank
• Fourteen
  Dan Sallitt
• Kajillionaire
  Miranda July
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
  George C. Wolfe
• Proxima
  Alice Winocour
• She Dies Tomorrow
  Amy Seimetz
• Sound of Metal
  Darius Marder
• The Vast of Night
  Andrew Patterson
• A White, White Day
  Hlynur Pálmason
• The Wild Goose Lake
  Diao Yinan
• Wolfwalkers
  Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

This list contributes to:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2020

Ed Gonzalez: Best Films of 2020, as published by Slant Magazine

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2012 • 2011]

1. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
2. To the Ends of the Earth
   Kiyoshi Kurosawa
3. Tommaso
   Abel Ferrara
4. The Cordillera of Dreams
   Patricio Guzmán
5. The Grand Bizarre
   Jodie Mack
6. Welcome to Chechnya
   David France
7. Space Dogs
   Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter
8. Ghost Tropic
   Bas Devos
9. Time
   Garrett Bradley
10. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross

Honorable Mention

• Another Round
  Thomas Vinterberg
• First Cow
  Kelly Reichardt
• Fourteen
  Dan Sallitt
• I'm Thinking of Ending Things
  Charlie Kaufman
• Small Axe: Lovers Rock
  Steve McQueen
• Pahokee
  Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan
• Possessor
  Brandon Cronenberg
• Small Axe: Red, White and Blue
  Steve McQueen
• This Is Not a Movie
  Yung Chang
• Zombi Child
  Bertrand Bonello

This list contributes to:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2020

Slant Magazine: The Best Films of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
2. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
3. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
4. The Grand Bizarre
   Jodie Mack
5. Vitalina Varela
   Pedro Costa
6. To the Ends of the Earth
   Kiyoshi Kurosawa
7. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
8. Time
   Garrett Bradley
9. Fourteen
   Dan Sallitt
10. The Cordillera of Dreams
    Patricio Guzmán
11. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
12. David Byrne's American Utopia
    Spike Lee
13. Space Dogs
    Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter
14. The Wild Goose Lake
    Diao Yinan
15. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
16. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
    Eliza Hittman
17. Collective
    Alexander Nanau
18. Tommaso
    Abel Ferrara
19. Yourself and Yours
    Hong Sang-soo
20. Zombi Child
    Bertrand Bonello
21. Tesla
    Michael Almereyda
22. The Whistlers
    Corneliu Porumboiu
23. Sorry We Missed You
    Ken Loach
24. Welcome to Chechnya
    David France
25. The Wolf House
    Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña
26. Ghost Tropic
    Bas Devos
27. The Twentieth Century
    Matthew Rankin
28. This Is Not a Movie
    Yung Chang
29. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
30. Liberty
    Albert Serra
31. Another Round
    Thomas Vinterberg
32. Possessor
    Brandon Cronenberg
33. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson
34. The Painter and the Thief
    Benjamin Ree
35. Joan of Arc
    Bruno Dumont
36. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
37. Ham on Rye
    Tyler Taormina
38. Donbass
    Sergei Loznitsa
39. Shirley
    Josephine Decker
40. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
41. Pahokee
    Ivete Lucas and Patrick Bresnan
42. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
43. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
44. I Was at Home, But
    Angela Schanelec
45. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
46. Small Axe: Red, White and Blue
    Steve McQueen
47. Boys State
    Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
48. Heimat is a Space in Time
    Thomas Heise
49. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
50. On the Rocks
    Sofia Coppola

The Economist: The Best Films of 2020

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019]

• About Endlessness
  Roy Andersson
• Never Rarely Sometimes Always
  Eliza Hittman
• Collective
  Alexander Nanau
• Dark Waters
  Todd Haynes
• Host
  Rob Savage
• I'm Thinking of Ending Things
  Charlie Kaufman
• Small Axe: Lovers Rock
  Steve McQueen
• Nomadland
  Chloé Zhao
• The Personal History of David Copperfield
  Armando Iannucci
• Pinocchio
  Matteo Garrone
• Rocks
  Sarah Gavron
• Spaceship Earth
  Matt Wolf
• True History of the Kelly Gang
  Justin Kurzel
• Uncut Gems
  Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
• Wolfwalkers
  Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart

Sight & Sound Poll: The Best Films of 2020, a poll of over 100 contributors, published by Sight & Sound Magazine

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
2. Time
   Garrett Bradley
3. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
4. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
5. Saint Maud
   Rose Glass
6. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
7. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
8. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
9. Rocks
   Sarah Gavron
10. Days
    Tsai Ming-liang
11. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
12. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
13. Small Axe: Mangrove
    Steve McQueen
14. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
15. Shirley
    Josephine Decker
16. David Byrne's American Utopia
    Spike Lee
17. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
18. The Woman Who Ran
    Hong Sang-soo
19. Wolfwalkers
    Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart
20. Kajillionaire
    Miranda July
21. The Year of the Discovery
    Luis López Carrasco
22. Possessor
    Brandon Cronenberg
23. The Inheritance
    Ephraim Asili
24. Undine
    Christian Petzold
25. Babyteeth
    Shannon Murphy
26. The Disciple
    Chaitanya Tamhane
27. His House
    Remi Weekes
28. Les Misérables
    Ladj Ly
29. Little Women
    Greta Gerwig
30. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
31. Ema
    Pablo Larraín
32. Host
    Rob Savage
33. Limbo
    Ben Sharrock
34. Mank
    David Fincher
35. Mogul Mowgli
    Bassam Tariq
36. Relic
    Natalie Erika James
37. She Dies Tomorrow
    Amy Seimetz
38. Tenet
    Christopher Nolan
39. The 40-Year-Old Version
    Radha Blank
40. The Personal History of David Copperfield
    Armando Iannucci
41. About Endlessness
    Roy Andersson
42. Another Round
    Thomas Vinterberg
43. Birds of Prey
    Cathy Yan
44. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
    Jason Woliner
45. Clemency
    Chinonye Chukwu
46. Collective
    Alexander Nanau
47. Richard Jewell
    Clint Eastwood
48. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
49. The Truth
    Hirokazu Kore-eda
50. The Vast of Night
    Andrew Patterson

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• Caitlin Quinlan: Best Films of 2020
• Sight & Sound Poll: Christina Newland: The Best Films of 2020
• Sight & Sound Poll: Ela Bittencourt: The Best Films of 2020
• Sight & Sound Poll: Elena Lazic: Best Films of 2020
• Sight & Sound Poll: Jonathan Rosenbaum: Ten Best Films of 2020
• Sight & Sound Poll: Jordan Cronk: Top Ten Films of 2020
• Sight & Sound Poll: Jourdain Searles: Best Films of 2020

Lindsey Bahr: Best Films of 2020, as published by Associated Press

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
2. Kajillionaire
   Miranda July
3. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
4. Collective
   Alexander Nanau
5. Mank
   David Fincher
6. On the Rocks
   Sofia Coppola
7. Tenet
   Christopher Nolan
8. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
9. Promising Young Woman
   Emerald Fennell
10. Eurovision
    David Dobkin

Jake Coyle: Best Films of 2020, as published by Associated Press

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. Small Axe
   Steve McQueen
3. Mank
   David Fincher
4. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
5. Minari
   Lee Isaac Chung
6. David Byrne's American Utopia
   Spike Lee
7. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
8. Soul
   Pete Docter
9. Collective
   Alexander Nanau
10. Sound of Metal
    Darius Marder

Honorable mentions

• The Nest
  Sean Durkin
• Nomadland
  Chloé Zhao
• The 40-Year-Old Version
  Radha Blank
• Promising Young Woman
  Emerald Fennell
• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
  George C. Wolfe
• Let Them All Talk
  Steven Soderbergh
• The Dissident
  Bryan Fogel
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• Palm Springs
  Max Barbakow
• Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
  Jason Woliner

Owen Gleiberman: Best Movies of 2020, as published by Variety

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2012]

1. Small Axe: Mangrove
   Steve McQueen
2. Sorry We Missed You
   Ken Loach
3. Mank
   David Fincher
4. The Outpost
   Rod Lurie
5. The Trial of the Chicago 7
   Aaron Sorkin
6. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
7. The Prom
   Ryan Murphy
8. Minari
   Lee Isaac Chung
9. The Invisible Man
   Leigh Whannell
10. David Byrne's American Utopia
    Spike Lee