My final selection for best musical moments in a 2021 film comes from another movie I’ll be writing about in more detail later this month — CODA, the second feature from writer/director Sian Heder.
CODA is the story of Ruby, a hearing daughter of deaf parents who develops a passion for singing that doesn’t fit her parents’ expectations. It’s an oft-told tale of a young person fighting to forge an identity outside of a constrictive environment, but given a fresh and emotionally resonant twist.
Last month, I spent a week on songs from the Disney hit Encanto, the soundtrack of which has become an unlikely chart-topper.
The movie features some excellent tunes, beautifully animated, including the pop culture phenomenon ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ and ‘Surface Pressure,’ a catchy anthem for the over-burdened.
I covered five standout tracks, but I left one out so I could include it in this week’s lineup of my favorite musical moments in the films of 2021.
The Danish film Flee made history a few weeks back when it became the first movie ever nominated for Best Documentary, Best International Feature, and Best Animated Feature. It’s as unique and fascinating as that intersection of qualities suggests.
I will have more to say about Flee when I get to my top ten list, but for now I want to highlight one of my favorite scenes from the film and another of my favorite musical moments from last year.
The 2021 movie year was chock full of musicals, and today’s memorable music moment comes from my favorite of them — Steven Spielberg’s take on the classic stage show West Side Story.
I watched Robert Wise’s 1961 version a couple of years ago, during my quest to see the 25 musicals deemed essential by the American Film Institute. The film placed at #2 on that list, but I wasn’t a fan. I did, however, love Rita Moreno’s Oscar-winning portrayal of Anita, easily the highlight of that film.
I’ve delayed my year-end movie posts as long as I can, hoping to fit in the last few titles on my watchlist. I managed to catch a couple of them, but I’m still missing some key films, including multiple Oscar nominees Drive My Car and The Worst Person in the World.
I can’t wait forever, though, so over the next four weeks I will offer up my favorite musical moments on screen last year, my favorite performances, and then my personal top ten list. That will take us right up to Oscar night, finally putting the 2021 film year to bed three months into 2022.
This week, I’ll cover the musical moments.
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