John Waters’ favourite movies from the 2020s
Fondly called the ‘Pope of Trash’ by fans worldwide, John Waters is nothing short of a living legend. Having transformed the landscape of American independent cinema through truly transgressive masterpieces such as Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos, Waters is one of the boldest and most original artistic voices in the history of the cinematic medium.
Although he hasn’t been active as a filmmaker in recent years, Waters is still a part of the current discourse surrounding modern cinema due to his regular commentaries on contemporary movies. The Hairspray director listed some of his favourite films from the 2020s, compiled in a mega list on IMDb. From Aaron Sorkin to Joel Coen, it’s a selection that champions both acclaimed works and underrated gems.
While talking about Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, Waters said: “Watch these two empowering real-life contempt-of-court docudramas together as a double feature. One goes back to 1969, when American white radicals actually had a sense of humor and used it as comic terrorism, and the other shows there was nothing funny about the West Indian immigrants who, a year later in the U.K., refused to stop marching and kicked ass. Afterward, go out and film yourself getting arrested at a protest rally. Then you’ll be the best movie of the year.”
The director also spoke highly of Quentin Dupieux’s brilliant superhero satire Smoking Causes Coughing: “Can a movie be both stupid and effete yet unironic? Only the French can pull that off, and this moronic auteur of ignoramuses does it again. Brilliant performances and dumbbell dialogue equal a superhero movie for idiots that surpasses all the tedium of Hollywood blockbusters.”
Waters included the black comedy Sick of Myself as well: “A pair of narcissistic Norwegian lovers can’t stop competing for the public’s attention. He’s a sculptor who uses furniture he steals as material, and she takes recalled poison medication on purpose to make her skin break out in rashes and boils so she can become a model with disabilities. No, it’s not Female Trouble, but it’s just as nuts. Pretty? Pretty? Pretty fucked up!”
One of the stand-out additions to Waters’ list is the 2020 coming-of-age comedy Dinner in America, featuring an anarchic vision of the bizarre suburban culture deeply embedded in the country’s identity. Following the misadventures of two misfits who set out to challenge the rotting structures of a flawed society, it’s an urgent sociopolitical vision.
Waters commented: “A wonderfully nasty, politically incorrect punk-rock romantic comedy with great performances that somehow got canceled when it was screened at Sundance in 2020. Finally it was released this year, and nobody in the US seemed to notice except director Sean Baker, who sent me a screener, for which I’m eternally grateful.”
Check out the full list below.
John Waters’ favourite movies:
- The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin, 2020)
- Mangrove (Steve McQueen, 2020)
- American Murder: The Family Next Door (Jenny Popplewell, 2020)
- The Human Voice (Pedro Almodóvar, 2020)
- The Hunt (Craig Zobel, 2020)
- Saint-Narcisse (Bruce La Bruce, 2020)
- Mandibles (Quentin Dupieux, 2020)
- Dinner in America (Adam Rehmeier, 2020)
- The Tragedy of Macbeth (Joel Coen, 2021)
- Red Rocket (Sean Baker, 2021)
- Bruno Reidal, Confession of a Murderer (Vincent Le Port, 2021)
- Detainee 001 (Greg Barker, 2021)
- The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (Kristina Lindström and Kristian Petri, 2021)
- France (Bruno Dumont, 2021)
- Everything Went Fine (François Ozon, 2021)
- Vortex (Gaspar Noé, 2021)
- Summer of Soul (Questlove, 2021)
- Annette (Leos Carax, 2021)
- Bones and All (Luca Guadagnino, 2022)
- Smoking Causes Coughing (Quentin Dupieux, 2022)
- Will-o’-the-Wisp (João Pedro Rodrigues, 2022)
- Sick of Myself (Kristoffer Borgli, 2022)
- Eo (Jerzy Skolimowski, 2022)
- Peter von Kant (François Ozon, 2022)
