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RD Harrison’s Top 10 Films and TV Shows Discovered During 2021
My top ten picks for 2021 reflect these past few years. Still reeling from the aftermath of a frightening pandemic in 2020 and buoyed by the concerted effort of the brave, determined and stalwart few to bring truth, hope and normalcy to 2021, I decided to go back to lists of suggested films from friends over the years. In wanting to be reassured of a safer, more equitable future for many of us, I discovered I chose movies with themes illustrating the perilous struggle of the one against the many. The good-hearted and kind-intentioned individual living in truth and upholding justice for those who might otherwise be lost or forgotten. In these movies, the aforementioned characters are flawed but driven, inherently, to do uphold principles of fairness and right for the voiceless, the young, the old, the deceased. And most, if not all, succeed.
RD Harrison’s Top 10 Films and TV Shows Discovered During 2021
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013, Dir. Jim Jarmusch)
Lushly filmed, and starring Tom Hiddleston and the ever-inventive chameleon Tilda Swinton, this is a dystopian future world where the humans are monsters, and the vampires are the civilized, cultured and loving beings. When speaking to her husband of centuries, Tilda’s dulcet tones are warm, playful and doting, juxtaposed against the pale, coldness of her skin. Long ago, these lovers, vampires, decided to be part of life, not death. Never killing for sustenance; instead, enjoying the voluptuous delights of music, travel, and friendship. With a cheeky nod to Shakespeare and company, played by the great John Hurt, it is a luxuriously languid character study with a few surprises, both clever and ethereally sad.
The Fall (UK TV series, 2013-2016)
Headed by Gillian Anderson’s sterling portrayal of British Inspector Stella Gibson, and an equally compelling antagonist in Belfast’s Jamie Dornan, The Fall is a police procedural, an exposé on the psychology of the criminal mind, with a sexy feminist’s viewpoint on competing for respect and authority in a male-dominant work culture. “A woman once asked a man why mean feel threatened by women. He answered that men were afraid that women would laugh at them. When that same woman asked a group of women why women feel threatened by men, they answered that women were afraid the men might kill them.” This statement underscores the story, as the women use their wits, training and experience to bring a killer to justice.
Save Me (UK TV series, 2018)
A “kitchen sink” drama worthy of being one of the best of its genre, standing with those from the 50s and 60s in Great Britain. Written by and starring the great Lennie James, of The Walking Dead fame, it is an original script with great themes of love, loss, sin and redemption. James’ Nelly is supported by a terrific ensemble cast as his charming ne’er-do-well drifts through each day with laughter, a pint and a woman or two putting up with the casualness of his life. Until his daughter, estranged from him, decides to answer “his” texts and visit him, but never arrives at her destination. This absentee father’s paternal instinct ignites as Nelly starts to piece together what happened to his daughter. Fueled by newfound purpose, he dives into the seedy underbelly of his working class neighborhood to find her. Not for everyone, the adult situations are handled matter-of-factly and with great sensitivity.
Save Me Too (UK TV series, 2018)
Continuing the masterful plot and character development, we delve deeper into the seedy world of kidnapping and sex-trafficking as Nelly continues to look for his daughter. It is many months later and friends, seeing how obsessed he is and fearing the worst, want Nelly to give up. Alienating people who care about him as he single-mindedly continues, he never stops. As stated in Fallen, there is one purpose in life for each person, and only the person will know when that moment comes to rise to the challenge. Nelly’s moment comes toward the end of the series, and it isn’t just finding and saving his daughter. Or himself. It is a deeper, richer, grace-full call to action that life gives him.
Fallen (1998, Dir. Gregory Hoblit)
Fallen is a remarkably prophetic vision of our present times. Made 22 years ago, it succinctly reflects the insidious nature of evil and how easily it spreads like a contagion. In the story, the demon moved from being to being by touch; today, we have social media reaching out and “touching“ us. Denzel Washington’s understated performance as an ordinary “Everyman” caught in an extraordinary circumstance is a master class in acting. The plot is a well constructed amalgam of thriller, murder mystery, supernatural, religious and good vs evil themes. And it is true, all that is needed for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. Fortunately, this good man does everything he can.
Blow the Man Down (2019, Dir. Bridget Savage Cole – Danielle Krudy)
In a small fishing village in Maine, two sisters disagree on what to do about the house they inherited. While they debate the future over the course of days, one sister runs into an unsavory local character and a fatal accident occurs, propelling the sisters into the deep, dark secrets of the village as they try to hide their own. Cleverly punctuated by sea shanties sung by local fisherman as a Greek Chorus to the story, the real backbone of the village is revealed in its local women, firmly entrenched in a soft, round middle to senior age that belies the still-fiercely sardonic wit of the once young and feisty “pillars” of the community. In the final scene, the town’s women sing the last shanty and the sisters come to understand the true nature of the sisterhood that supports them.
Midnight Special (2016, Dir. Jeff Nichols)
Opening scenes of Midnight Special imply it is a fast-paced action-thriller but, as the tale unfolds, the pathos of a father trying to protect his son, the unfailing loyalty of a best friend willing to go to any lengths to do the right thing, and a boy who is so special the government wants to explore and employ his special talents. Protecting the boy is only part of the men’s mission; there is a place of safety they need to reach.
Roadblocks are at almost every turn, with the goal becoming more and more unattainable. While car chases, shootouts and escapes in the night ensue, the close relationships between father, mother, son and friend are revealed as important as seeing the protagonists reach safety. Watching Michael Shannon’s Roy worry about his son’s welfare has a visceral impact that transcends whether one is old, young, has children or doesn’t. It’s an immensely engrossing journey and although the ending may seem anticlimactic, it is a most satisfying ending, knowing a parents’ role is to do what is best for their child.
The Good Neighbor (2016, Dir. Kasra Farahani)
A cautionary tale about assuming we “know” our neighbors through observation and filling in the narrative of what we think is going on. A treatise on the subversive nature of social media and the further corruption of corrupt youth that believe a picture has only one explanation. That an assumption or opinion is the truth. Two boys set out to find evidence that their older neighbor, grumpy and distant, has killed his wife. They break into his house and set up cameras to watch his actions, ultimately leading to the boys getting trapped in the house with him. What happens next is a shocking twist but, to the laser-focused observer, the clues have been there all along.
Mystery Road (2013, Dir. Ivan Sen)
An aboriginal detective resolutely stays the course in solving the death of a young aboriginal girl, a classmate of his estranged daughter’s. Clearly a man of principles in a dusty town of criminals, with or without a badge, that only care about the next high or the next paycheck and will go to great lengths to protect that status quo. Reminiscent of Gary Cooper in High Noon, Aaron Pederson’s Jay Swan methodically performs his duties, asking questions, investigating crime scenes and enduring the indifference of whites and aboriginals alike. A shootout with the town’s bad guys highlights his lone status as the seeker of truth and justice, even when no one else cares. In the end, all that matters is integrity.
A Dark Place (2018, Dir. Simon Fellows)
A sanitation worker, who appears to be on the spectrum, is the unconventional hero of this story. He intelligently and doggedly puts facts together while not getting support from the town’s authorities or the missing boy’s family. Andrew Scott is terrific as Donald Devlin, embodying all the quirks and strengths of a man who is aware of himself, his town and his place in that town. Undeterred, he remembers the little boy in the window, waving to him every week, and is appalled by the lack of urgency and care about the boy’s disappearance. He asks the questions police should ask, ponders the odd responses from the boy’s mother and slaps them all in the face by stating, “You didn’t care about him…because it was easier not to!” Donald does not give up, and the ending, like Andrew Scott’s wonderful acting, is a revelation.
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