The Best of 2021
Still from Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog
“The best of culture in a year of abundance.”
In 2021, culture has come back in full force. Albums and tv series incubated in isolation, and a flurry of long-delayed films were released to eager audiences. In a year where the culture seemed to flourish, we are also proud of all we’ve accomplished over the past twelve months—publishing 25 profiles and as many features. A couple of highlights stand out, so if you haven’t yet, add our profile of artist Shirin Neshat, our feature on albums to sleep or soothe psychic anxiety, and our visual round-up of therapy interiors on screen to your reading list. Dig in, too, to all that the passerbuys community has been watching, reading, and listening to.
best films of 2021
1. The Power of the Dog dir. Jane Campion
recommended by Marina Sulmona, @96tilnicole, and @jean.catherine
Upon the first watch of Jane Campion’s slow, simmering 1920’s Montana-set drama The Power of the Dog, one might startle at its pacing. Upon the second watch, one might find new meaning in the cruelty with which a rancher treats his brother’s new wife and her son. A film that, as time continues to pass, will sit, linger, and creep in the back of your mind.
Available to Stream on Netflix
2. Dune dir. by Denis Villeneuve
recommended by Ly Ngo, Natasha Mead, and @jean.catherine
Denis Villeneuve’s take on a novel that’s been famously hard to translate to screen ever since the book’s release benefits from the contemporary technologies it has at its disposable: Dune (2021), is grand and staggering, its scenery sure to impress even the skeptics. And if the lore intrigues you, follow it up with Jodorowsky’s Dune, a 2013 documentary on what could have been, should the cult filmmaker have had his shot at making his LSD-tinged spice in space tale.
3. The Souvenir Part II dir. by Joanna Hogg
recommended by Clémence Polès and Marina Sulmona
Joanna Hogg’s follow-up to her 2019 film The Souvenir rounds out the story of Julie’s (Honor Swinton Byrne) time in film school, untangling the loss of the turbulent relationship at the core of Hogg’s first part. It’s a rarity when two films fit as well together as they do apart.
4. West Side Story dir. by Steven Spielberg
recommended by Natalie Guevara and Camille Bertrand
In the world of West Side Story, the tale of the Jets and Sharks pantomimes another old story, that of Romeo and Juliet’s Capulets and Montagues. When old stories get passed down amongst generations in the popular consciousness, survival often requires evolution—and Steven Spielberg’s 2021 version does just that, right in the correct places, all the while maintaining the spirit of what makes the versions that came before so special.
5. Compartment No. 6 dir. by Juho Kuosmanen
recommended by Clémence Polès
A train trip taken by a young woman veering away from one fizzling love towards a different kind of intimate connection. In Compartment No. 6, Juho Kuosmanen’s filmmaking is unobtrusive, and its veracity is gripping.
More of our favorite films include Petite Maman dir. by Céline Sciamma (recommended by Marina Sulmona and @amazonfelix), CODA dir. by Sian Heder (recommended by Abby Pucker and @jean.catherine), The Hand of God dir. Paolo Sorrentino (recommended by Marina Sulmona), Azor dir. Andreas Fontana (recommended by Camille Bertrand), France dir. Bruno Dumont (recommended by Cleménce Polès), Flee dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen (recommended by Abby Pucker), The Velvet Underground dir. Todd Haynes (recommended by Marina Sulmona), Ailey dir. Jamila Wignot (recommended by Natalie Guevara), Summer of Soul dir. Questlove (recommended by Caitlin McMullen), The French Dispatch dir. Wes Anderson (recommended by Ly Ngo), Spencer dir. Pablo Larraín (recommended by @darshulga), Bantú Mama dir. Ivan Herrera (recommended @amazonfelix), and Shiva Baby dir. Emma Seligman (recommended by @jean.catherine).
best books of 2021
1. Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
recommended by Natalie Guevara and Marina Sulmona
This isn’t the first time we’ve written about Marlowe Granados’ splashy, inquiring novel that tracks twenty-one-year-old protagonist Isa Epley’s escapades over the course of a summer in NYC. More than just glitz and grit, Granados’ novel is layered: it perceptively gets at the heart of what it means (and takes) to project an image of oneself to the world as a young woman. “In terms of fiction, I really had a blast reading Happy Hour. I’m aspiring to that zesty lifestyle in 2022,” proclaims Natalie Guevara.
Read Happy Hour
2. Animal by Lisa Taddeo
recommended by Lyndsey Butler and Kerrilynn Pamer
Lisa Taddeo’s first novel (and follow up to her NY Times bestseller, Three Women) packs a punch. It’s a fiercely bleak story about a woman who ventures to Los Angeles’ hills to unearth a life and childhood of trauma. A no holds barred story about female rage, power, and abuse.
Read Animal
3. Mike Nichols: A Life by Mark Harris
recommended by Natalie Guevara and Marina Sulmona
A deep and vividly detailed portrait of a life. At surface, Mike Nichols might be remembered as the man who helmed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Graduate, for the plays he brought from screen to stage, or for his improv work with Elaine May. In Mark Harris’ biography of the creative force, all of these storylines—along with his star-studded friendships with the likes of Jacqueline Kennedy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Leonard Bernstein—get intimately interwoven with mastery and nuance.
Read Mike Nichols: A Life
4. Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman by Val Kilmer
recommended by Ly Ngo
A clever book of poetry written by action movie star Val Kilmer proves the many multitudes we all hold. In the words of Cher, “A true Renaissance man. He is always creating, preparing even though he’s unaware.”
Read Cowboy Poet Outlaw Madman
5. Girlhood by Melissa Febos
recommended by Clémence Polès
Melissa Febos’ Girlhood blends memoir, investigative reporting, and scholarship to develop a canonical text on “the transitions into and away from girlhood, toward a chosen self.” Clémence Polés reflects: “Reading this as I head into my mid-thirties and am trying to unlearn or call out toxic behaviors that are second nature to me has been extremely therapeutic. There’s tremendous intimacy reading Febos’ work, not just from the rawness of the stories themselves, but in the style, where it feels like you’re reading straight from her psyche, unfiltered, unprocessed.”
Read Girlhood
For the full list of titles, visit our Bookshop. Load up your reading list with the following, too: Misfits by Michaela Coel (recommended by Georgie Greville), Wayward by Dana Spiotta (recommended by Georgie Greville), Klara and The Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro (recommended by @louischeslaw), Horse Girls by Halimah Marcus (recommended by Kerrilynn Pamer), Viendra le temps du feu by Wendy Delorme (recommended by Camille Bertrand), Everything Now by Rosecrans Baldwin (recommended by Julia Corsaro), Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad (recommended by Kerrilynn Pamer), Leaving Isn't the Hardest Thing by Lauren Hough (recommended by Lindsey Tramuta), Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (recommended by Kerrilynn Pamer), The Joy of Basketball by Ben Detrick and Andrew Kuo (recommended by Caitlin McMullen), The Premonition by Michael Lewis (recommended by @instamatata), and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (recommended by @jean.catherine).
best albums of 2021
1. Jubilee by Japanese Breakfast Club
recommended by Camille Bertrand, @magreymailer, and @jean.catherine
Michelle Zauner of Japanese Breakfast has had a profound year. Months after the release of her first book, an autobiographical recounting of her upbringing, heritage, relationship with her mother, and the ways they all shaped her, comes her third album, Jubilee (Dead Oceans). Its title is reflexive of the kind of album it is—vibrant, filled with lush horns, triumphant—and the moment it was released in. As Zauner has mentioned in interviews and Pitchfork claims, “Jubilee would be a celebration of joy after years of feeling defined by her writing about grief, following the loss of her mother to cancer in 2014.”
Listen to Jubilee
2. Sour by Olivia Rodrigo
recommended by Marina Sulmona, Clémence Polès, and @jean.catherine
Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour (Geffen Records) is the moment. Uniting millennials who grew up on Alanis and Avril with their Gen-Z counterparts, Rodrigo’s debut album is perfectly pop-punk. It’s got ballads (i.e., “drivers license”) and bravado (i.e., “Good 4 U”) alike and serves up teen anguish you’ll want to soak in for years to come, even if, for you, being 18 is a distant memory.
Listen to Sour
3. Promises by Floating Points,London Symphony Orchestra,and Pharoah Sanders
recommended by Camille Bertrand and Ariel Roman
A sublime symphony of sounds. Composed by Floating Points, London Symphony Orchestra, and Pharoah Sanders, Promises (Luaka Bop, Inc) is sweeping and stirring. Aptly described by Pitchfork as “a celestial event”—and much like one, a record like this is a rarity that shouldn’t be missed. It "gets my #1 vote," says Ariel Roman.
Listen to Promises
4. Solar Power by Lorde
recommended by Eva Berezovsky and Marina Sulmona
As its title suggests, Lorde’s third album, Solar Power (Universal Music New Zealand Limited), is more sunny and earthy than its predecessors. It’s an album that feels (at least by comparison) relaxed, like it was dreamt up in nature (i.e., New Zealand). But die-hard Lorde fans fear-not, it’s still got the depth and murmurs of existential woe she’s known and loved for.
Listen to Solar Power
5. to hell with it by PinkPantheress
recommended by Cleménce Polès
The 20-year-old British songstress who goes by PinkPantheress struck a chord of fame on TikTok, but her sheer talent and tantalizing voice prove she’s on the scene to stay. To hell with it (Parlophone Records Limited) is an ethereal first record, filled with whip-quick video-gamey tracks topped with soft, soothing vocals.
Listen to to hell with it
Find our favourites from each album rounded up in this playlist, and then keep the music playing with Mercurial World by Magdalena Bay (recommended by Camille Bertrand and @cal.donia), TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES by Snoh Aalegra (recommended by Eva Berezovsky and @jean.catherine), Heaux Tales by Jazmine Sullivan (recommended by Natalie Guevara), Once Twice Melody by Beach House (recommended by Ly Ngo), 30 by Adele (recommended by Tina Bhojwani), Chemtrails Over the Country Club by Lana Del Ray (recommended by Natasha Mead), Far In by Helado Negro (recommended by Ariel Roman), QALF infinity by Damso (recommended by Cleménce Polès), Public Storage by Hana Vu (recommended by Ly Ngo), Civilisation by Orelsan (recommended by Camille Bertrand), Wildest Dreams by Majid Jordan (recommended by Ly Ngo), Where Have All The Flowers Gone? by Deb Never (recommended by Ly Ngo), Blue Alibi by Mica Levi (recommended by Cleménce Polès), Colourgrade by Tirzah (recommended by Ariel Roman), The Turning Wheel by Spelling (recommended by @wahngie), Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma by Topaz Jones (recommended by @cal.donia), and Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler, the Creator (recommended by @jean.catherine).
best television of 2021
1. The White Lotus (HBO)
recommended by Karolyn Pho, Natalie Guevara, Clémence Polès, Eva Berezovsky, georgie greville, Marina Sulmona, Camille Bertrand, Jessica Assaf, and @imliliaamdoune
One of the year’s most discussed and debated HBO releases, Mike White’s The White Lotus, zooms in on the antics of wealthy vacation-goers at a resort that shares a name with the show. As soon as you press play, you’ll learn that it’s not all surface, sun, and serenity—right from the start, class and race power dynamics are at play. Our favorite part? All of the love it rightly brought Jennifer Coolidge for her endlessly entertaining portrayal of Tanya (if you can’t get enough of her, read Cleo journal’s love letter to the actor from a couple of years back).
2. Hacks (HBO Max)
recommended by Natalie Guevara, Lyndsey Butler, Marina Sulmona, Camille Bertrand, and @jean.catherine
With her snappy and categorically millennial disposition, Hannah Einbinder’s Ava goes to bat with the legendary Jean Smart playing seasoned and feisty female comedian Deborah Vance in HBO’s two-hander. Off the heels of momentary internet success (and a subsequent cancellation), Ava reluctantly packs her bags for Las Vegas to modernize Vance’s material. Together, the stubborn duo elucidate what it really takes to be a woman in comedy as they work towards something that might resemble friendship. “Nobody is doing it like HBO!” as Natalie Guevara puts it.
Available to Stream on HBO Max
3. Succession (HBO)
recommended by Karolyn Pho, Natalie Guevara, Marina Sulmona, Tina Bhojwani, and @jean.catherine
Succession’s third season might feel familiar, with Murdochesque patriarch Logan Roy’s children still vying for the position as his successor (and still putting all the reasons they couldn’t handle the title on display). Like season one, it ends with a wedding—which viewers know far from connotes a fairytale ending for the Roys. Perhaps the most rapturous component of this season, though, is watching each character and actor that portrays them at the peak of their game. Just the right amount of suspense (and, as always, laughs) keep us coming back for more.
4. How To with John Wilson (HBO)
recommended by Clémence Polès, Camille Bertrand, and Caitlin McMullen
Last year, we were introduced to John Wilson’s “How to” series and were instantly taken by his endearing approach to puzzling the small bits of life that make us human. We described it as “a bit peculiar (in the best way possible), sharply perceptive, and unexpectedly tender,” and that all still rings true in its second season, where John ponders topics like how to “throw out your batteries” or “remember your dreams.”
5. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
recommended by georgie greville and Marina Sulmona
After 20 years, Larry David doing Larry David still hasn’t gotten old. This season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, a show about David’s inane but (sometimes) relatable idiosyncrasies, arches around his scheme to get out of the hot water he finds himself in after not abiding by a pool-gate bylaw in the first episode. Comedy, cringe, and eye-rolls ensue.
More shows to stream over the long winter nights include What We Do In The Shadows (recommended by Ariel Roman and Puno Dostres), Nine Perfect Strangers (recommended by Karolyn Pho and Eva Berezovsky), Mare of Easttown (recommended by Natalie Guevara and Lindsey Tramuta), Maid (recommended by Abby Pucker, Tina Bhojwani, and @imliliaamdoune), Call My Agent! (recommended by Marina Sulmona), Big Mouth (recommended by Lindsey Tramuta), Pen15 (recommended by Marina Sulmona), Scenes from a Marriage (recommended by Jessica Assaf), The Great (recommended by Karolyn Pho), The Boulet Brothers' Dragula (recommended by Georgie Greville), I Hate Suzie (recommended by Georgie Greville), Sex, Love and Goop (recommended by Jessica Assaf), Cowboy Bepop (recommended by Ly Ngo), and The Sex Lives of College Girls (recommended by @imliliaamdoune).
Words by Marina Sulmona