Nightmare Alley Is 2021’s Best Picture

2021 is one of the more diverse years for cinema in recent memory, boasting a number of amazing films that differ wildly from each other in genre, tone, aesthetics—any attribute you can imagine. How does one weigh the high energy musical excellence of West Side Story against the tense novelty of Spencer, the nuance of The Power of the Dog against the epic, high concept grandeur of Dune? At the same time, one film set itself apart in a crowded field for its technical successes, the caliber of its performances, and one of the hardest hitting endings of the last decade. The best picture of 2021: Nightmare Alley.

The film follows Stanton Carlisle (a career best Bradley Cooper), a gent with a troubled past who finds himself on the run. Arriving at a traveling carnival, Stan’s quick thinking opportunism easily brings him into the carnival fold under the wing of owner Clem Hoately (Willem Dafoe). Stan falls for fellow performer Molly (Rooney Mara) while working with clairvoyant Madame Zeena (Toni Collette), learning a set of new mind-reading tricks. He soon goes on the road for himself, performing “spook shows” for the rich and powerful where he claims to have actual supernatural power in an effort to scam them out of money. It’s a noir film, so all does not go according to plan… Stan finds himself in a downward spiral of risk, vice, and danger.

Any proper neo-noir needs a strong visual profile, and Nightmare Alley has it in every frame. Visually, the film is an absolute treat. Tamara Deverell’s rich production design adds a depth and richness to the worldbuilding, exhibiting a world layered with both beauty and malice. Combined with Dan Laustsen’s gorgeous cinematography and you have a world where the shadows are menacing but nowhere near as threatening as the carnival lights. It’s all shiny and bright with a seedy, grimy underbelly (and that’s before you know how deep the grime goes). On visual and technical levels it’s easily one of the year’s strongest entries.

The performances are impeccable. Bradley Cooper’s Stanton Carlisle is the pivotal example of the ever-hustling gent, a man looking to escape his past and build his future but with ambition and ego where his scruples should be. It’s an incredible and nuanced performance that demonstrates the wide extent of Cooper’s range. Cate Blanchett’s Lilith Ritter is also a highlight, with the intelligent viciousness and charisma to match her Biblical namesake, while the other players all excel in their respective roles.

Thematically, Guillermo del Toro is taking major risks here. He’s often contrasted the monsters (often with better and more complex natures that contradict their monstrous forms, as in Cronos, Hellboy, or The Shape of Water) against the depths of decidedly human monstrosity, but here he showcases directly the myriad ways in which a monster can be made of man. It’s a bold and impactful vision that, frankly, really works. And the ending… that ending! It’s a nosedive of a descent for Stan with gorgeously constructed poetic symmetry, a thoroughly moving rise and fall showcasing the pitfalls and depths of ambitious corruption. There are a number of affecting finales in recent cinematic memory, but without giving anything away no film leaves as big an impact as Nightmare Alley.

Altogether Nightmare Alley is a wonderfully directed, adeptly performed, smartly written, and technically accomplished cinematic outing by one of genre cinema’s brightest filmmakers. Its a film that asks bold questions, takes big swings, and breaks hearts as it shows the dirty underside of the bright, bright lights. It’s also a tremendous addition to neo-noir canon, and one we’re lucky to have. And last (certainly not least), it’s the year’s best picture.