BY: Amanda Jane Stern

Sure, 2020 has been a very strange year. Who expected us to be living through a pandemic? While we’ve all been stuck in our homes for the majority of the year, we’ve been looking for different ways to entertain ourselves. Thankfully, we’ve had a slate of wonderful movies that came out. Below we have rounded up the top films of 2020 and where you can watch them. Please note that this list only comprises movies that have already been released to some sort of home video streaming service.

 

AMAZON PRIME

Sound of Metal

Riz Ahmed gives a powerhouse performance in this drama about a heavy-metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing.

 

First Cow

Kelly Reichardt’s moving drama follows two friends (John Magaro and Orion Lee) who steal milk from a wealthy neighbor’s prized dairy cow in order to strike it rich.

 

Small Axe

This isn’t so much one movie as it is an anthology series of five movies all co-written and directed by Steve McQueen.

 

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

Sacha Baron Cohen is back with a sequel to his 2006 mockumentary, and this time he has a teenage daughter (Maria Bakalova) just as funny as he is.

 

NETFLIX

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

This film adaptation of the August Wilson play follows Ma Rainey (Viola Davis) as she goes toe-to-toe with her white manager. This was Chadwick Boseman’s last film.

 

The Trial of the Chicago 7

Aaron Sorkin’s historical drama follows the eight men put on trial for conspiracy to incite violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

 

Mank

David Fincher’s technically masterful film delves into the backstory of the writing of Orson Welles’ timeless classic Citizen Kane.

 

Da 5 Bloods

Spike Lee’s war drama follows five African-American Vietnam war veterans who return to Vietnam in search of buried treasure and their fallen squad leader’s remains.

 

I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Charlie Kaufman’s psychological thriller follows a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who travels with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis).

 

The 40-Year-Old Version

Radha Blank wrote, directed and starred in this semi-autobiographical comedy about a down-on-her-luck playwright who decides to become a rapper.

 

HBO MAX

Never Rarely Sometimes Always

Eliza Hittman’s timely drama follows a teenage girl (Sidney Flanigan) who has to travel to NYC from rural Pennsylvania to obtain an abortion.

 

The Invisible Man

Elisabeth Moss stars in this adaptation of the H.G. Wells’ story as a woman stalked by her supposedly dead ex-boyfriend.

 

HULU

The Assistant

Kitty Green’s claustrophobic film follows a young assistant (Julia Garner) at a production company who comes to realize her boss’s predatory behavior.

 

Palm Springs

Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star in this time-loop comedy as two people who get stuck reliving the same wedding over-and-over again.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire

This steamy lesbian period drama follows a painter sent to capture the beauty of a woman on an island. The French film is the perfect thing to keep you company.

Shirley

This thriller follows a fictionalized version of horror writer Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) who preys upon a young couple for inspiration. 

 

VOD

Kajillionaire

This quirky Miranda July picture follows a family of con artists whose dynamic is threatened when they bring in a new person.

 

Ammonite

This romantic drama follows a potentially fictionalized romance between real-life paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and the wealthy Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan).