 DECEMBER 31 • 2020 | 33

Talking Heads frontman, 
directed by Spike Lee, puts you 
in the audience for Byrne’s rol-
licking live show (which I had 
the pleasure of seeing in-per-
son in the Before Times). The 
impeccable musicianship of 
his backing band, the intricate 
choreography and the passion-
ate calls to make a better world 
all survive intact on the screen. 
As does the genius of “Once in 
a Lifetime.”
Where to watch: HBO Max.

#6: NEVER RARELY 
SOMETIMES ALWAYS
“What’s important for me is 
to show the pain that young 
people go through in navi-
gating their identity,” writ-
er-director Eliza Hittman said 
when the JN interviewed her 
earlier this year. And that pain 
is felt intensely — though 
never overwhelmingly — in 
Hittman’s naturalist drama, 
which follows a pregnant 
Pennsylvania teenager (incredi-
ble newcomer Sidney Flanigan) 
as she hops a Greyhound to 
New York City with her cousin 
in order to obtain a legal abor-
tion. Delicately understated 
and never heavy-handed, Never 
Rarely Sometimes Always puts 
us in this young woman’s head 
as she weighs the consequences 
of every decision she makes. 

It’s a film that will linger for a 
long time.
Where to watch: HBO Max; 
also available for rental.

#7: BAD EDUCATION
Fair warning: This caustic sat-
ire of wealthy suburban school 
districts might occasionally hit 
a little too close to home. But 
this real-life cautionary tale 
about a massive fraud scheme 
cooked up by a bunch of Long 
Island public school adminis-
trators is too juicy not to enjoy. 
Hugh Jackman is terrific as 
the two-faced superintendent, 
while Allison Janney and Ray 
Romano round out an excel-
lent supporting cast. Fans of 
Election won’t want to miss 
this.
Where to watch: HBO.

#8: CITY HALL
If Bad Education (not to men-
tion all of 2020) leaves a bad 
taste in your mouth regarding 
taxpayer-funded institutions, 
the latest documentary from 
master filmmaker Frederick 
Wiseman (who was raised in a 
Jewish family) will restore your 
faith. A lovingly detailed explo-
ration of Boston City Hall, the 
film uses its leisurely four-hour 
runtime to document the many 
civil servants trying to make 
their residents’ lives just a little 

bit more manageable … and 
the residents with the passion 
to try and make their city bet-
ter.
Where to watch: Detroit 
Public TV Passport.

#9: THE 40-YEAR-OLD 
VERSION
No, not the Steve Carell sex 
comedy … but it just might be 
funnier. New York playwright 
Radha Blank writes, directs 
and stars in this uproarious 
autobiographical story about 
what you do when you reach 
middle age brimming with 
unfulfilled potential. Fed up 
with the obtuse white produc-
ers who keep shutting her voice 
out of the theater world, Radha 
instead finds a second calling 
— and new awakening — as 
a rapper named “RadhaMUS 
Prime.” And even though she 
may not feel lively, the New 
York she inhabits (shot in gor-

geous black-and-white) sure 
does.
Where to watch: Netflix.

#10: REWIND
One of the JN’s most-read 
online stories of the year was 
my review of this poignant 
and personal documentary, in 
which director Sasha Neulinger 
chronicles his years of recovery 
from horrific sexual abuse he 
suffered at the hands of his 
own relatives — one of whom 
was a prominent cantor in 
New York City. Although often 
understandably critical of the 
institutional forces that pro-
tected his abuser from conse-
quences, Neulinger also finds a 
way to reaffirm his own Jewish 
faith through strength and 
survival. Rewind is both devas-
tating and wonderous.
Where to watch: Amazon 
Prime, Kanopy or Detroit 
Public TV Passport; also avail-
able for rental.

MY NEXT FIVE:
11. Minari (releasing in 
February)
12. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
(Netflix)
13. Time (Amazon Prime)
14. The Personal History of 
David Copperfield (available 
for rental)
15. Crip Camp (Netflix)

GOOD MOVIES TO WATCH 
WITH KIDS:
Wolfwalkers (on Apple TV+)
Soul (on Disney+)
Over the Moon (on Netflix) 

HBO

Bad
Education

DAVID LEE/HBO

COURTESY OF JOHN SOLEM

Rewind

