Year in Review: 20 Best Movie Posters
Monday, January 4, 2021 at 12:04PM by Nathaniel R
The Year in Review party continues. Contrary to those headshots against monochrome backgrounds titles you see while scrolling through Netflix, the movie poster as an artform is not dead. It just has diminished in popularity and might soon be evolving. The upright rectangle has been the norm for almost a century, probably because it was just-right for magazines and newspapers. But both of those modes of information-distribution are outmoded. The standard shape might still continue in dominance, though, given that it's also the shape of a phone but who knows. But we digress. The 20 best movie posters for 2020 films after the jump...
20 [TIE] RELIC and SAINT FRANCES recognize the visual allure of stained glass which is not something you regularly see on movie posters though only Relic literally connects to its movie given that that decorative door, as Jason says, serves as a mythical demarcation line between the real world and allegory. Plus the mold is perfect for the haunted house atmosphere.
19 FAREWELL AMOR
We love a poster in shades of our favourite color. For once the mix of different sized faces doesn't feel like a crutch to include all the stars but a statement about their connection and disconnection within one family unit. Remember when Murtada interviewed the stars?
15 [TIE] PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD, ON THE ROCKS, EMMA., and ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Sometimes all you really need to sell are the actors or the icons they're playing or both. As these one character, two character, three character, and four character posters do so well. The best of these is the David Copperfield poster for the fun energy and details of its scattered papers.
14 KAJILLIONAIRE
A hodgepodge collage that gets at the details and eccentricities and plot points, some as offputting as this color scheme, in Miranda July's latest inimitable art instillation masquerading as a movie.
13 THE ASSISTANT
A chillingly quiet poster, which immediately recalls both the passive trap of the hard-working protagonist and displays the nameless women in headshots (of course) who she rightly worries for in the course of her demeaning days on the job.
12 SWALLOW
I get that the thumbtack was the right horrifying to imagine choice, but I really wish it had been the battery or the marble, as those scenes in the movie are more brilliantly shot. The bold color of the poster is, thankfully not a misdirection, from this saturated vibrant movie which would surely have had a dour color palette with a lesser auteur and design team.
11 THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
They've already announced a feature film remake of this compelling documentary where art and life touch each other.
10 BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Is it a cheap comic gag? 100%. Is it also perfect for Sacha Baron Cohen's confrontational comedy, a smart marketing technique to recall the first outrageous hit movie, and a distillation of the movie's high concept plot? Yes x 3.
09 BEANPOLE
Sometimes all you need to do in poster art is pick a vivid image from the film that is even more hypnotically enticing when removed of all context.
08 GUNDA
This visually startling farm doc has won critical praise for its refusal to anthropomorphize animals. The inky blacks and bright whites of the cinematography are a key to the film's alien creatures affect. The titular pig is nearly abstracted here in silhouette.
07 WONDER WOMAN 1984
The gaudiness. The neon. The colors. The Totally Awesome 80s. We were sold by the title and the teaser poster alone even if the film wasn't half as 80s-loving as we'd hoped.
06 MANK
Was the typing in a snow globe fan art or official poster? It's so hard to follow online these days. Regardless it's clever and it's even better than the also super (if a smidge too busy) illustrated montage poster.
05 EMA
That Pablo Larraín's toxic dance-adjacent relationship drama led with this stunning world-on-fire pregnant image in its teaser poster sold our ticket immediately. The movie has visual and sonic wonders so it's not false advertising even if it's a lot to deal with emotionally.
04 TENET
Tenet had so many posters it was hard to keep track of which was which or even if any of them were "the poster". But they deployed this disorienting diagonal axis effect beautifully, sometimes as not quite accurate mirrors and other times merely as a cool visual technique.
03 NOMADLAND
The original teaser poster with its license-plate titling was beautifully designed but it was also arguably a touch glib, making the plight of its displaced houseless protagonists (and by extension all such people) a touch too hip while also removing the humanity. The second poster, a serenely matter-of-fact snapshot of an unglamourous woman just living her life erases that problem, and sells both the unacceptable economic predicament, the excellent cinematography, Frances McDormand's starpower, and the spirited resilience of people just like Fern.
02 PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
We love a poster where the actual title is the draw like collectable pop-art. That this hopeful title reads like a threat when scrawled across a mirror in hot pink lipstick, while the protagonist is out of focus -- she could be anyone -- is a fierce proclamation of the movie's modus operandi.
01 SHE DIES TOMORROW
Whether you think Amy Seimetz sticky contagious nightmare is a molasses-paced drag that would have made a perfect 23 minute short or a brilliant intangible evocation of society's current collective insanity spiral (we think it's a little bit of both), the poster is both superb and movie-specific: haunting, off, and upsetting... with its dread rippling outward and morphing in the surreal colored siren lights of a death wish.
Reader Comments (14)
I immediately thought of Beanpole when I saw the title to this post. And it was probably 50% of the reason I saw it. And was rewarded! One of my faves of the year.
I would have added First Cow to the top 10.
That EMA poster is my favorite of the year. I'm vexed that I haven't seen the movie yet. I'm also a little shocked not to see any posters for Kaufman's I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS on this list.
A few others to consider...
-Palm Springs
-Dick Johnson is Dead
-Ammonite
-The 40-Year-Old Version
It doesn't hurt that the person in the Beanpole poster looks like Tilda Swinton.
The marketing for Promising Young Woman has been outstanding, and the poster wins this for me. That said - I have no interest in seeing Wonder Woman 1984, but that's a great poster, and the colors and depth in the one for EMMA. are very well done - both are very eye-catching and instantly present the case for their films.
Considering how bad so many movie posters are, especially US film posters, it's nice to see this collection of very nice work.
Swallow is no. 1 for me, but I like Promising Young Women and WW84 a lot, too.
My quick reactions on seeing these again:
1) I love how Anya Taylor-Joy's face is framed by the two Ms in EMMA.
2) How much THE ASSISTANT has stayed with me - I keep thinking about it
3) How I need to see SWALLOW but I'm squeamish about the concept (and that thumb tack isn't helping!)
4) How radical it is (and shouldn't be) to see women's underwear like that in a movie poster (NOMADLAND).
I love The Kiss of the Promising Young Woman poster.
A movie that I mentioned in the comments also has a beauty poster: Cidade Passaro (Shine Your Eyes)
I haven't watched Ya No Estoy Aquí (I'm No Longer Here) but I like the poster. Yesterday I watched El Cazador (Young Humter) I like that poster too and the film is terrific, my favorite from Marco Berger until now.
I loved both of the PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN posters, actually.
EMA is described as a "toxic dance-adjacent relationship drama ... [that's] a lot to deal with emotionally."
I don't remember it being particularly disturbing. just remember really liking it. And, yeah, it's VERY strong visually.
I really love the posters for Nomadland, Tenet and Farewell Amour.
I like the one for On the Rocks for the actors' expressions, but the martini glasses clash with the title. Sigh.
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