Barack Obama’s Favorite Movies Of 2021

During his presidency, Barack Obama started a tradition of releasing year-end lists consisting of movies, books, songs, and TV shows. With another year impacted by a global pandemic, Mr. Obama felt that the selections on his list of favorite 2021 movies each told a powerful story, all deserving of a spotlight for their place in art history currently being created.

Each film gracing this list carries an element of political, social, or class-based aspect carried out with beautiful cinematography and heart-wrenching plotlines, making it a perfectly blended list for the former President to release.

Pig

Michael Sarnoski’s Pig follows the iconic Nicolas Cage in one of his best recent movies as a nomadic former-master chef who lives out his days hunting in Oregon with his farmyard companion. Cage’s only tether to happiness is crushed when his companion is stolen, sending him on a downward spiral of revenge.

Pig is such a compelling film because it has an essential message that is delivered with gut-wrenching precision. All of its main characters had lost something important to them, and the final act of Pig shows that no matter how they try to replace it, that feeling is only temporary and that hole in the heart will always remain.

C’mon C’mon

The beautifully told C’mon C’mon by writer-director Mike Mills shows us Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny, a documentarian traveling the country interviewing kids about their fears and the future. With an emphasis on childhood innocence, the film does a great job at centralizing the worries of these kids as valid and legit; treated with the respect they deserve.

The depiction of Johnny with his nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) provides a heartwarming onscreen performance fit for any father, uncle, or any person with a younger counterpart in their life. Their relationship represents the significance of pondering life and the complicated feelings surrounding it, especially when Johnny doesn’t want to.

West Side Story

The classic 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story has since been adapted into an Academy Award-winning film in 1961 and now a new rendition of the film was released in 2021. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the 2021 adaptation follows the same story of the Jets vs. the Sharks but introduces changes ranging from new characters to a remixed song placement; with certain notable songs in the film carrying an extra layer of sorrow.

The innocence of Maria carried over into this rendition of the film, allowing her to be the most likable character in West Side Story. Almost every character in this edition of the film has more candor surrounding their personalities and expressions than in the 1961 film. Classic tales will always hold space in the hearts of movie fans everywhere, especially musical fans.

The Last Duel

Ridley Scott’s medieval drama The Last Duel is surely a period piece, basing its screenplay on Eric Jager’s book of the same title. The overall storyline follows the story of Sir Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris friends to foes trope, culminating into a bloody duel after Carrouges’ wife accuses Le Gris of raping her.

The story is intriguing to anyone who views it because the commentary present throughout the film highlights the ways in which the disregard for women within existing systems and societies exists today. The actual “last duel” seems like the end but really it’s the means to the end, with the prior plot leading up to it being the overall issue at hand, an overruling system of patriarchy.

The Power Of The Dog

The acclaimed director of The Piano returned with another film, The Power Of The Dog, to add to Jane Campion’s abundant list of notable TV shows and movies. Based on Thomas Savage’s novel of the same title, The Power Of The Dog plays on the tightrope of masculinity. With the stunning performances by Benedict Cumberbatch as prideful and brute-like Phil and Jesse Plemons as George, Phil’s complete opposite of a brother.

Taking the viewers on a journey through what it means to be a man in this society, the film is in itself an analysis of its characters and their world as relevant to their perspective. The film provides more with each twist and turn, allowing for an enriching experience enveloped in this Western plot.

The Card Counter

Oscar Isaac stars in the casino escapade, The Card Counter, written and directed by Paul Schrader and executively produced by Martin Scorsese himself. The film follows William Tell, an ex-military investigator turned gambling card counter who is plagued by ghosts of his pasts and a magnet for trouble in his future.

Serving as a true full-circle moment for the film’s ending to land the protagonist back in the circumstances that haunted him, The Card Counter serves its role as a solid gambling film blended with a storyline of trauma and violence, all making for a great cerebral movie.

Old Henry

If any other Western was to land on this list, the expectation may fall on Jeymes Samuel’s The Harder They Fall, but Mr. Obama went with Potsy Ponciroli’s Old Henry. Starring Tim Blake Nelson as Henry, Old Henry shows an Oklahoma Territory farmer in the early years of the 20th century who simply wants to live out his days without any intrusion from the outside world.

Like any good Western, Ponciroli does an amazing job of creating a slow build of tension, blanketed with somewhat stunning moments of violence. The film taps into the mystery of secrets and the overall yearning for security, showing the protagonist in situations he’d rather not be in, but is more than capable of handling.

Judas And The Black Messiah

Daniel Kaluuya has no shortage of powerful roles and his adaptation of Chairman Fred Hamilton does not fall short. Shaka King’s Judas And The Black Messiah quickly shows its cards as a film about the impact of Chairman Fred on The Black Panthers, while placing appropriate centralization on LaKeith Stanfield’s role as Bill O’Neal and his position in the infiltration of the organization and the murder of Chairmen Fred.

This film is integral in history giving the public the first film with an all-Black production team to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar and for the former president, storytelling is key — especially in regard to Black bodies.

The Tragedy Of Macbeth

Being particularly drawn to starring in crime thrillers, Denzel Washington’s appearance in A24’s The Tragedy Of Macbeth adds yet another role under the belt of one of the most versatile actors with a 40+ year catalog that expands to almost every genre. Existing as an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Washington plays the title character who receives a prophecy from three witches claiming he will one day be king.

The consumption of Macbeth by his own paranoia and a literal blood hunger for power is brought on screen in this black and white film — emulating the cruciality of classicism in terms of plot and adaptation. Washington carries such an engrossing performance sure to capture viewers and fans of this classic tale.

Passing

Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut appeared with her rendition of the 1929 novel, Passing, by Nella Larsen. The novel and film intrinsically focus on the biracial experience of particularly Black women in the 1920s, with the setting now pertaining to New York City. Following Irene’s life of occasionally passing and then having it intertwine with Clare’s life of someone who has been passing for years, throws viewers in a spiral of rational fear for both of them and their safety.

Coloring the film in black and white aided the old-fashioned sensibility essential to the film, also allowing for a timeless aspect of storytelling to envelop the film. Beautifully crafted and considered, the film brings the novel to life in ways to allow its original themes and messages to burst through.

About The Author