20 Best Films Of 2021

Fran Kranz, better known as loveable stoner Marty from The Cabin in the Woods, makes an extremely impressive debut as writer-director in Mass.

This brutal drama focuses on two sets of parents meeting up to discuss the fallout of a school shooting - one being the parents of the shooter, the other the parents of a victim.

To be clear, this is not a pleasant sit as it shouldn't be - it deals with raw, draining emotions for all of its 110 minutes, but is wrought with such compassion and authenticity that it quickly becomes difficult to look away.

All four leads actors - Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton - deliver stellar performances as the afflicted parents, though it's surely Ann Dowd who rises to the top with an Oscar-worthy turn that's easily the finest of her storied career.

Mass by its nature will turn a lot of viewers off, but those willing to hold firm throughout will find one of the most dramatically outstanding films of the year.