Your Thanksgiving Break Watch List

A curated selection from the SSFS Film Club

As Thanksgiving break approaches, Antonio Traini (26′) and Bennett Hazelwood (26′) from the Film Club have recommended their top 10 films of the 2020s worth watching over the holiday.

From award-winning dramas to visually stunning animations, these selections highlight the best cinema has offered this decade.

10

The Holdovers

Alexander Payne · 2023

“Without a doubt, the standard for modern holiday movies.”
— SSFS Film Club

Starring Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Dominic Sessa, this heartwarming holiday movie follows a curmudgeonly history teacher at a New England prep school who remains on campus during Christmas break to supervise held-over students. He forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but troubled student.

It was nominated for five Oscars and won two Golden Globes, with Giamatti taking Best Actor (Musical/Comedy) and Randolph winning Best Supporting Actress.

9

Past Lives

Celine Song · 2023

“A heartfelt and painful rumination on your past and future with others.”
— SSFS Film Club

Starring Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, this bittersweet romantic drama follows Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends separated when Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they reunite for one fateful week to confront notions of love and destiny.

The film was nominated for two Oscars—Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay—and received multiple Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Drama) and Best Director.

8

Challengers

Luca Guadagnino · 2024

“A masterful modern rom-com with a riveting thriller hidden inside of it.”
— SSFS Film Club

This romantic sports drama starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist follows Tashi, a former tennis prodigy turned coach who is married to a champion on a losing streak. Her strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against his former best friend, who is also Tashi’s ex-boyfriend.

The film received four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Motion Picture (Musical/Comedy), and won Best Original Score.

7

Tár

Todd Field · 2022

“An examination of how the ego and accolades can warp perception and behavior.”
— SSFS Film Club

Starring Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, and Noémie Merlant, this psychological drama centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the very first female director of a major German orchestra.

Directed by Todd Field, the film received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay, and won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama (Cate Blanchett).

6

The Batman

Matt Reeves · 2022

“A tonal beauty with excellent reimaginations of classic characters.”
— SSFS Film Club

Starring Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz, this standalone Batman film set outside the DCEU follows Bruce Wayne as he investigates Gotham’s deep-rooted corruption — and his family’s ties to it — after the Riddler begins murdering key political figures.

The film received three Oscar nominations: Best Sound, Best Makeup & Hairstyling, and Best Visual Effects.

5

All Quiet on the Western Front

Edward Berger · 2022

“A Great War movie, an even better antiwar movie.”
— SSFS Film Club

A young German soldier whose eagerness to serve his country quickly fades when he witnesses the horrors of combat on the Western Front during World War I.

Starring Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, and Daniel Brühl, it received nine Oscar nominations and won four, including Best International Feature, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score.

4

Sinners

Ryan Coogler · 2025

“The history of the blues, African American culture, and vampires in this nuanced action-packed allegory set in 1930s Black Mississippi.”
— SSFS Film Club

This supernatural horror film starring Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, and Miles Caton follows twin brothers who return to their 1930s Mississippi hometown to escape their troubled past, only to discover a metaphysical evil awaiting them. It blends horror with the history of the blues and African American culture.

While Oscar consideration is pending for 2026, it has already won Best Horror Movie at the Critics’ Choice Super Awards and swept major categories at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, including Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Score.

3

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert · 2022

“One of the weirdest, most creative movies that fits in every film genre.”
— SSFS Film Club

Starring Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu, this wild multiverse adventure follows a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who is swept into an insane adventure in which she alone can save the world by exploring alternate universes and connecting with the lives she could have led.

The film received eleven Oscar nominations and won seven, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Editing.

2

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson · 2023

“One of the most visually stunning movies ever that continues Miles Morales’ story wonderfully.”
— SSFS Film Club

Starring Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, and Oscar Isaac, this animation follows Miles Morales as he travels across the multiverse and encounters a team of Spider-People from different dimensions. When the heroes clash over how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself at a crossroads.

The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and BAFTAs.

1

Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve · 2024

“A work that brings out countless incredible performances from great actors while retaining fantastic visual direction and theming throughout.”
— SSFS Film Club

starring Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Rebecca Ferguson, Dune: Part Two (2024) is the sequel to Dune (2021), based on Frank Herbert’s novel. Paul Atreides unites with the Fremen on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future.

The film received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and won Best Sound and Best Visual Effects.

Detailed reviews and analysis of each film will be published in next month’s edition.

Happy watching, and enjoy your Thanksgiving break!