Alison Chang: TV and Film That Stayed With Me in 2021
Hi guys! I’m Alison Chang, and I’m currently an assistant editor in feature films working in Los Angeles. Kent and I met when we both participated in the Jubilee Media Film Fellowship Program in LA in 2017, and it’s been great to stay connected over the years through our similar passions and tastes in film. I’ve always admired the thought and attention that Kent puts in his reviews, so I was honored to be asked to write a guest post!
My love for film and television stems from a young age - I grew up watching the Academy Awards every year like it was the Super Bowl - so it’s a dream come true for me to now be working in the industry and talk about my favorites with other film lovers. I get drawn to themes that involve mental health, family dynamics, and taking a leap of faith, some which you’ll see on this list.
The pandemic dramatically affected both the number of trips I could make to the theater and the amount of films released this year, so I decided to make my list a mix of streaming television and movies. When it came to making my final decisions, I decided to narrow it down to those that left a deep impression on me and were available to watch either theatrically or streaming in the US beginning in 2021. There were a handful of 2021 films I really hoped to see but didn’t get a chance to watch yet, so I might be inclined to amend this list later.
One thing that surprised me is the amount of comedy that made it to the final list, as I’m usually more of a dramatic series watcher. It’s probably not a surprise due to the events of the last two years, but it just comes to show how important stories and media can play a role in managing and even helping us navigate our lives and emotions, a big reason why I love stories and love being a part of telling them. If you'd like to connect further, feel free to check out my Portfolio or reach me on Instagram. Now without further ado, here is my list in chronological release order!
The Soul (Netflix)
A neo-noir mystery set in futuristic Asia and based on the novel Yihun Youshu by Jiang Bo, a head detective (Chang Chen) along with his wife who also works on the police force, (Janine Chang) investigate a crime involving a wealthy billionaire victim while simultaneously battling a cancer diagnosis. I try to go into films as blind as possible, and this was a story that each time I assumed it was going in one direction, something completely unexpected would happen and change my mind time and time again. Sometimes too many twists and turns results in a story going off the rails, but I found myself entertained and satisfied with how everything pays off here.
Mare of Easttown (HBO)
A crime drama set in a small town in Pennsylvania, the kind where everyone knows each other because no one ever manages to get out. Mare Sheeran (Kate Winslet) is a detective on the Easttown police force and a beloved long-term resident of the town, whose frank and hard-to-approach exterior will be challenged not only by the central plot’s case, but by a past that she still holds onto. Suspense, emotion, and plot all are excellently executed, with knockout performances by Kate Winslet (of course) and Evan Peters playing the awkwardly adorable county detective assigned to work with Mare, creating an unexpected but endearing buddy-cop pairing that gives levity to the heavier beats in the murder mystery.
Bo Burnham: Inside (Netflix)
Comedian, director (Eighth Grade, one of my favorite films), and actor (Promising Young Woman) Bo Burnham invites us into his literal space during the first year of the pandemic. A self-reflective comedy special filmed and set entirely within the confines of his studio apartment as he spends months in quarantine, Inside is art house film, confessional, and musical all in one with equal parts social commentary, self-deprecating humor, and much appreciated vulnerability about the loneliness, fear, and mental health challenges that isolation during the pandemic reveals. You'll laugh, cry, and maybe feel a little less alone navigating these weird pandemic times. And there’s gonna be at least one song from his medleys you’re sure to get stuck in your head.
Dave - Season 2 (Hulu)
I like a lot of comedian-created eponymous television dramedy series such as Ramy and Awkwafina is Nora from Queens, but my favorite such season for 2021 goes to the sophomore outing of Dave. Dave follows events inspired by rapper Lil’ Dicky’s (real name Dave Burd) real-life journey throughout his hip-hop career. Season 2 starts after the events of Season 1 Dave’s first big break, and l was excited about what it had to say regarding the consequences of fame for Dave, a character whose unabashedly neurotic narcissism is both his reason for success and cost of his closest relationships.
Ted Lasso - Season 2 (Apple TV+)
I regrettably did not join the Ted Lasso train until late in 2021, but I am now proudly team UFC Richmond, the European football team that American football coach Ted Lasso becomes head coach of, despite having no professional experience in what the Americans call “soccer”. Ted Lasso pulls a similar tug on my heart as one of my favorite television series, Parks and Rec, for having one of the most lovable ensemble casts of characters on television and an overall wholesome message of empathy and redemption that is such an important reminder especially on discouraging hard days. Season 2 fleshes out the lives of fan favorites and introduces new characters who challenge Ted’s kill-them-with-kindness worldview, with an overarching development that has me screaming internally as we wait for Season 3.
Squid Game (Netflix)
A show that almost needs no introduction at this point, Squid Game swept the whole world last year as the South Korean television drama about financially destitute participants who are offered a chance to win a life-changing cash prize by playing children’s games, but those who do not follow the rules or lose the games suffer terrible consequences. I actually don’t watch K-dramas regularly at all, but two episodes in and I found myself unable to stop at any episode that ended in a gripping cliffhanger (which was almost all of them). What puts it at the top of my list is the devoted attention to the characters. Although I could generally predict where the story was going, I developed the kind of attachment and empathy for each of the main players that made me want to watch exactly how the plot would unfold.
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Adapted from its 1967 novel of the same name, we watch the changing lives of two rancher brothers in 1920’s Montana when the younger one marries and brings home a widower and her son. You’ll want to watch for the breathtaking cinematography shot in beautiful New Zealand, Benedict Cumberbatch’s successfully repulsive performance as the insufferable and abusive elder brother, and to find out the chilling reason why the film gets its title.
C’mon C’mon (A24)
I’m not sure why this film is flying under the radar as we enter awards season, but I loved the story and performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Gabby Hoffman as Johnny and Viv, siblings once estranged but brought together by a last-minute emergency resulting in Johnny becoming his nephew Jesse’s (Woody Norman) temporary caretaker. It’s a wonderfully heartfelt windstorm of uncle and nephew stumbling but growing together as they learn how to put real, tangible words to the individual traumas that they don’t know how to express, and the impact of a mother’s love on the entire family.
Pen15 - Season 2, Part 2 (Hulu)
The final half of the final season of Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle’s love letter to their awkward pre-teen selves in the early 2000’s ends just as childhood does - too quickly. Amongst all the excellent episodes, my favorite is one centered on Maya’s mom while paying wonderful homage to the visual style of Japanese romance dramas. As the series approached its close, it seemed to act almost as the older sister the girls needed but never had - a sister to introduce them to the highs and very dark lows that await them in adolescent womanhood, but also a sister to reassure them that the memories of youthful discovery and the devotion that is the cornerstone of Anna and Maya’s friendship - and of the show - will be a part of them forever.
