Year-End Lists

Joshua Rivera: The Best Movies of 2020, as published by The Verge, in no particular order

• The Assistant
  Kitty Green
• Bill & Ted Face the Music
  Dean Parisot
• Small Axe: Lovers Rock
  Steve McQueen
• The Invisible Man
  Leigh Whannell
• Birds of Prey
  Cathy Yan
• First Cow
  Kelly Reichardt
• La Llorona
  Jayro Bustamante
• Boys State
  Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
• Dick Johnson Is Dead
  Kirsten Johnson
• Da 5 Bloods
  Spike Lee

Ela Bittencourt: The Best Films of 2020, as submitted to the Sight & Sound Poll, "some films that made this year less sufferable and more humane"

1. This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
   Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
2. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
3. Days
   Tsai Ming-liang
4. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
5. The Calming
   Song Fang
6. letter to a friend
   Emily Jacir
7. Sertânia
   Geraldo Sarno
8. The Year of the Discovery
   Luis López Carrasco
9. Never Gonna Snow Again
   Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert
10. Shiva Baby
    Emma Seligman

This list contributes to:

• Sight & Sound Poll: The Best Films of 2020

Barack Obama: Favorite Movies of 2020, as posted to Twitter

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

• Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
  George C. Wolfe
• Beanpole
  Kantemir Balagov
• Bacurau
  Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
• Nomadland
  Chloé Zhao
• Soul
  Pete Docter
• Small Axe: Lovers Rock
  Steve McQueen
• Collective
  Alexander Nanau
• Mank
  David Fincher
• Martin Eden
  Pietro Marcello
• Let Him Go
  Thomas Bezucha
• Time
  Garrett Bradley
• Boys State
  Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
• Selah and the Spades
  Tayarisha Poe
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht

Jourdain Searles: Best Films of 2020, as submitted to the Sight & Sound Poll

[see also 2023 • 2021 • 2010s • 2019 • 2017 • 2016]

1. She Dies Tomorrow
   Amy Seimetz
2. Shirley
   Josephine Decker
3. Time
   Garrett Bradley
4. Kajillionaire
   Miranda July
5. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Miss Juneteenth
   Channing Godfrey Peoples
7. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
8. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
9. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
   Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
10. Birds of Prey
    Cathy Yan

This list contributes to:

• Sight & Sound Poll: The Best Films of 2020

Ty Burr: Best Movies of 2020, as published by The Boston Globe

[see also 2022 • 2021 • 2010s • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
2. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
4. Palm Springs
   Max Barbakow
5. The Painter and the Thief
   Benjamin Ree
6. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
7. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
8. Bacurau
   Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
9. City Hall
   Frederick Wiseman
10. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
    Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross

Runners-up

• The Assistant
  Kitty Green
• Beanpole
  Kantemir Balagov
• Boys State
  Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
• Collective
  Alexander Nanau
• Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
  Nicole Newnham and James LeBrecht
• David Byrne's American Utopia
  Spike Lee
• Dick Johnson Is Dead
  Kirsten Johnson
• Driveways
  Andrew Ahn
• The Father
  Florian Zeller
• Ghost Tropic
  Bas Devos
• Gunda
  Viktor Kosakovskiy
• Ham on Rye
  Tyler Taormina
• Mank
  David Fincher
• Martin Eden
  Pietro Marcello
• Minari
  Lee Isaac Chung
• Miss Juneteenth
  Channing Godfrey Peoples
• The Nest
  Sean Durkin
• One Night in Miami
  Regina King
• Possessor
  Brandon Cronenberg
• Promising Young Woman
  Emerald Fennell
• She Dies Tomorrow
  Amy Seimetz
• Shirley
  Josephine Decker
• Sound of Metal
  Darius Marder
• Time
  Garrett Bradley
• The Vast of Night
  Andrew Patterson

Caroline Siede: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2021 • 2019]

1. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
2. The Vast of Night
   Andrew Patterson
3. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
4. The 40-Year-Old Version
   Radha Blank
5. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
6. Beanpole
   Kantemir Balagov
7. Sound of Metal
   Darius Marder
8. Birds of Prey
   Cathy Yan
9. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
10. Minari
    Lee Isaac Chung
11. One Night in Miami
    Regina King
12. Time
    Garrett Bradley
13. Babyteeth
    Shannon Murphy
14. The Personal History of David Copperfield
    Armando Iannucci
15. The Assistant
    Kitty Green

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020

Vikram Murthi: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2021 • 2019 • 2018]

1. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
2. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
3. The Assistant
   Kitty Green
4. A White, White Day
   Hlynur Pálmason
5. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
   Charlie Kaufman
6. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
7. The Grand Bizarre
   Jodie Mack
8. Collective
   Alexander Nanau
9. Tesla
   Michael Almereyda
10. Mank
    David Fincher
11. Fourteen
    Dan Sallitt
12. Martin Eden
    Pietro Marcello
13. City Hall
    Frederick Wiseman
14. Bacurau
    Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
15. Ham on Rye
    Tyler Taormina

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020
• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2020

Noel Murray: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also The 10 Best Documentaries of 2022 • The 10 (or 11) Best Documentaries of 2021 • The Best Films of 2021 • The Best Films of 2019 • Top 15 Films of 2018 • Best Films of 2017 • The Best Films of 2016 • The Best Films of 2015 • Top 15 Films of 2014 • 15 Best Films of 2012 • Best Films of 2011]

1. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
2. Dick Johnson Is Dead
   Kirsten Johnson
3. The Whistlers
   Corneliu Porumboiu
4. Kajillionaire
   Miranda July
5. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
6. Small Axe: Lovers Rock
   Steve McQueen
7. Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
   George C. Wolfe
8. Soul
   Pete Docter
9. Mank
   David Fincher
10. Nomadland
    Chloé Zhao
11. Da 5 Bloods
    Spike Lee
12. Sound of Metal
    Darius Marder
13. The Assistant
    Kitty Green
14. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
15. The Nest
    Sean Durkin

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020
• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2020

Beatrice Loayza: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2019]

1. Martin Eden
   Pietro Marcello
2. Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
   Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross
3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always
   Eliza Hittman
4. An Easy Girl
   Rebecca Zlotowski
5. Small Axe: Mangrove
   Steve McQueen
6. Cuties
   Maïmouna Doucouré
7. Sibyl
   Justine Triet
8. Bacurau
   Kleber Mendonça Filho and Juliano Dornelles
9. Swallow
   Carlo Mirabella-Davis
10. Sound of Metal
    Darius Marder
11. Tesla
    Michael Almereyda
12. Vitalina Varela
    Pedro Costa
13. The Climb
    Michael Angelo Covino
14. The Invisible Man
    Leigh Whannell
15. The Nest
    Sean Durkin

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020

Jesse Hassenger: The Best Films of 2020, as published by The A.V. Club

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

1. Kajillionaire
   Miranda July
2. The Vast of Night
   Andrew Patterson
3. First Cow
   Kelly Reichardt
4. Straight Up
   James Sweeney
5. Da 5 Bloods
   Spike Lee
6. Nomadland
   Chloé Zhao
7. The Invisible Man
   Leigh Whannell
8. Palm Springs
   Max Barbakow
9. The Assistant
   Kitty Green
10. Mank
    David Fincher
11. The Climb
    Michael Angelo Covino
12. On the Rocks
    Sofia Coppola
13. Let Them All Talk
    Steven Soderbergh
14. I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Charlie Kaufman
15. Weathering with You
    Makoto Shinkai

This list contributes to:

• A.V. Club: Best Films of 2020