AHFW’s Top 20 Films of 2020: #13 ‘Sorry We Missed You’

13. “Sorry We Missed You” – Winston Churchill said, “Never give in.  Never, never, never.”  For Abbie and Ricky Turner (Debbie Honeywood and Kris Hitchen), that’s easier said than done.  Abbie’s an at-home care worker who runs herself ragged all over Tyne and Wear, England, and Ricky works for a delivery company – with long hours and tricky stipulations – that treats him like an indentured servant.  With debt climbing higher than their eyeballs, no free time, but plenty of exhaustion, this family of four suffers the consequences of dire…

AHFW’s Top 20 Films of 2020: #14 ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’

14. “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” – Director/writer Eliza Hittman places Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and Skylar (Talia Ryder) on an uneasy journey from rural Pennsylvania to New York City.  For these teenagers, they embark on this impromptu trip with no chaperones, and they attempt to navigate The Big Apple’s urban minefield of subway logistics, heavy foot traffic, and cold concrete so that Autumn can have an abortion.  Hittman explains during a March 2020 interview, “I was just thinking about a way to create an atmosphere of hostility towards these young women…

AHFW’s Top 20 Films of 2020: #15 ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’

15. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” – Anyone semi-coerced into meeting their boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s parents will painfully relate to Jessie Buckley’s character in director/writer Charlie Kaufman’s uncomfortable feature.  This 20-something (Buckley) is “thinking of ending things” with her relatively-new beau Jake (Jesse Plemons), but she agrees – for some reason – to have dinner with his mom (Toni Collette) and dad (David Thewlis) after a long, sketchy drive in the driving snow.  Jake and his folks don’t offer much comfort at their homestead, as Kaufman introduces idiosyncrasies, fears, and…