In the Oscar-winning 2020 film Nomadland — about a woman in her 60s who lives out of her trailer, like a modern-day nomad — another character, also a nomad, says: “One of the things I love most about this life is that there’s no final goodbye. I’ve met hundreds of people out here and I don’t ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, ‘I’ll see you down the road.’ And I do.”

I thought of that line, and it made me weep, as I wrote this, my last Always at the Movies column.

Over the years, this space has become like a second home, where I connect with thousands of readers and share the great passion of my life: the movies. I have written about entertainment trends, great actors and great films, but also the soft spots: enduring fault lines and dubious industry practices. I’ve shared here my hopes and dreams for Indian cinema.

Now, at the end, as I move on to pilot The Hollywood Reporter - India, I leave you with a few final recommendations, films from this year that will enrich your life, if you can make the time to engage with them.

For me, nothing matches the high of a good movie. So I’d like to end on that high.

* Ullozhukku (Undercurrent): This Malayalam film explores an unusual bond between a woman and her mother-in-law. Anju (played by Parvathy Thiruvothu) was forced into her marriage. Her husband is ailing and soon dies. It is at this point that she and her mother-in-law Leelamma (Urvashi) begin to discover new truths about each other. Debutant director Christo Tomy weaves a deeply moving tale about family, acceptance and the solidarity between women. Both leads are stellar. Ullozhukku is currently in theatres.

* Godzilla Minus One: I never imagined I would cry at a Godzilla movie, but, with incredible skill, writer-director Takashi Yamazaki threads emotional heft into the tale of a gigantic creature who flattens and destroys with each step. The intimate human drama offsets the de rigueur sequences of the monster pulverizing people and cities. It also isn’t hard to see why the film won an Oscar for visual effects. Expect shock, awe and catharsis. Godzilla Minus One is streaming on Netflix.

* Bramayugam (The Age of Madness): Writer-director Rahul Sadasivan creates a masterful portrait of power, corruption and how these ultimately poison everyone they touch. Most of the tale is set in the decrepit house of a monstrous landlord, played by the great Mammootty in fearsome mode (I was frightened of his teeth!). Rahul tells his story in black-and-white, which elevates the drama and the horror. You can watch the film on Sony Liv.

* Inside Out 2: There has been some debate about Pixar over-simplifying the inner workings of our heads and reducing anxiety to a cartoonish phenomenon (literally and metaphorically). But I was utterly seduced by this revisit to Riley’s brain. She is now 13. Puberty has hit. She has braces, a pimple and new emotions, including the aforesaid Anxiety, Embarrassment (who is adorable), and my favourite, the languidly weary Ennui (voiced in a French accent by Adèle Exarchopoulos). Nothing truly terrible happens. Riley’s hormones remain in a PG-13 space. And yet, with charm and eloquence, Inside Out 2 reminds us that as we grow older, we must choose joy. And that is always worth hearing. Inside Out 2 is now in theatres.

* Hit Man: This movie is a many-splendored thing. It is a sparkling comedy about a university professor who pretends to be a professional assassin so he can help the local police entrap people who are willing to pay to have someone murdered. This goes swimmingly until he falls in love with a client. The film is a smouldering romance with two attractive leads, Glen Powell and Adria Arjona. But beneath the wit and charm, it is also about the casual, seething violence of America. Director Richard Linklater masterfully mixes the laughs in with something darker and more sinister, so one comes away both delighted and uneasy. And that’s a lethal combination. You can watch Hit Man on Netflix.

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