"You can be not fine."

Such a tremendously beautiful and gentle film. The lovely score by "The National" guys and black and white cinematography from Robbie Ryan do such a great job of matching the calm, sentimental tone. This is a movie about relationships with real people. It's about being honest with emotions and feeling things. It's about parenting and listening. It's about hope. So naturally, I found it extremely affecting. Joaquin being able to do something like this and "Joker" both so flawlessly is the perfect example of what all-time talent looks like. Then there's Woody Norman, who gives one of the most absolutely brilliant and nuanced child performances that I've ever seen. The interview segments with kids talking about their views of the future and what they want it to look like were an extreme highlight and at times warmed my heart and at others wrecked me, and they culminated in one of the best credit sequences you'll ever see. It's a must to sit through them. I do think there are some unfortunate lulls and some repetition that ultimately kept me from having a fully engaged and overwhelming emotional experience, but that's only a slight knock. This is definitely one of the best films of 2021 and I hope it receives plenty of publicity and love so that it can find its way into the homes of as many families as possible.

2021 Awards Cycle Ranked