As we end a truly extraordinary year of movie-going (or movie-staying, maybe), and to add to our comprehensive array of Best of 2020 coverage, Be Reel assesses which directors broke through their indie roots to become household names, distinct voices, and burgeoning auteurs in 2020.
READ MORE: The 25 Best Films Of 2020
In order, we look back on these breakout directors, some of whom have arguably already broken out before (Sean Durkin being the most obvious), but are also re-emerging after a long time in the wilderness. Others were arguably already there and on the cusp (Leigh Whannell, Eliza Hittman) and now have unquestionably broken through to the other side.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Performances Of 2020
- Leigh Whannell’s “The Invisible Man,” which opened up doors to remake “Wolfman” and “Escape from New York” in the near future;
- Kitty Green’s “The Assistant,” which observantly posits we should all remain working remotely;
- Jason Hehir’s “The Last Dance,“ which seemed to get half the country through April and May;
- Garrett Bradley’s transfixing “Time,” a doc in which Fox Rich’s steadfast love takes on incarceration;
- Sean Durkin‘s “The Nest,” pitting the horrors of late-’80s capitalism against a family drama;
- “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” Eliza Hittman’s unsparing abortion odyssey;
- And Josephine Decker‘s literary phantasmagoria “Shirley.”
In all seven cases, we ask what these filmmakers did to define their voices in 2020 and what we hope to see from them in the future, no matter the scale. Happy holidays, everyone.
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As always, Be Reel is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The Playlist Podcast, The Discourse, The Fourth Wall, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and now on Spotify. To listen on this page, you can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe, and drop us a comment or a rating as we do appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
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