My 50 Favorite Films of the Decade: 2010-2019

I was a bit of a latecomer to loving movies.  I first got really interested in film around 2007 when I was a teen, but it wasn't until the start of this decade that I truly started watching films avidly.  And as the definition of who can make movies and how they can make them has expanded, there has been so much cinema to consume, and I've tried my best to soak it all up.  There are still blindspots on my list -- I wish there were more international films on it, as well as films directed by women and people of color -- but I think it still represents many different genres and styles.

The rules: My albums list had a limit of only one album per act, but that felt a little restrictive for films, so I loosened it up to have a maximum of two films per director.  There are a few examples of that on this list.  Did I make the right choice?  Who can say, I love my auteurs!  A small change from my year end lists is that I always use the American theatrical release date of a film to determine its eligibility.  Since that's a little harder to track and remember as time goes by, I'm just going by the year listed on IMDB, which will sometimes be the year before the theatrical release if the movie premiered at a festival.  With that in mind, the eligibility window is a world premiere between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2019.  This doesn't factor in often, but one example is Dogtooth, which had a theatrical release in 2010 but is not eligible because its world premiere was in 2009.




20 Honorable Mentions (alphabetical order)
Ad Astra (2019, Directed by James Gray)
Another Year (2011, Directed by Mike Leigh)
Columbus (2017, Directed by Kogonada)
Ex Machina (2014, Directed by Alex Garland)
Get Out (2017, Directed by Jordan Peele)
Little Birds (2011, Directed by Elgin James)
Mistress America (2015, Directed by Noah Baumbach)
Mustang (2015, Deniz Gamze Erguven)
Nymphomaniac (2013, Directed by Lars von Trier)
Personal Shopper (2016, Directed by Olivier Assayas)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010, Directed by Edgar Wright)
Somewhere (2010, Directed by Sofia Coppola)
Snowpiercer (2013, Directed by Bong Joon-ho)
Spring Breakers (2012, Directed by Harmony Korine)
Two Days, One Night (2014, Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
Under the Silver Lake (2018, Directed by David Robert Mitchell)
Us (2019, Directed by Jordan Peele)
War Horse (2011, Directed by Steven Spielberg)
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013, Directed by Martin Scorsese)
The World's End (2013, Edgar Wright)

50. The Act of Killing (2012, Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer)

Great documentarians know the right moments to probe their subjects and when to just sit and let the camera do its thing.  Joshua Oppenheimer displays both gifts masterfully, as he follows around a crew of men who used to be a part of the Indonesian execution squads responsible for mass killings in the 1960s.  The harrowing information and emotions he unearths makes for difficult but ultimately important cinema.

49. Anomalisa (2015, Directed by Charlie Kaufman)

When I first saw this movie, I described it as "like Charlie Kaufman deciding to adapt a Chris Ware comic that doesn't actually exist."  If that alone doesn't justify its place on this list, I don't know how to help you.

48. Victoria (2015, Directed by Sebastian Schipper)

Shooting a movie in one continuous take seems like a cheap gimmick.  But in the case of Victoria, it enhances this story of young people involved in a whirlwind night gone wrong.  The fact that it never lets the viewer take a break from the reality of the moment is the key to making it such a thrilling ride.

47. The Raid (2011, Directed by Gareth Evans)

Do you love action movies but find yourself getting impatient during the bits between the punching?  Well The Raid is the film for you.  Not only does it cut away every inch of fat to give you almost non-stop fighting, but the actual fighting it does give you is some of the most brutal, masterfully choreographed action ever put onscreen.

46. The Social Network (2010, Directed by David Fincher)

Film is generally known as a director's medium, but The Social Network belongs in equal part to writer Aaron Sorkin and director David Fincher.  The former's tight, memorable dialogue and the latter's precise shot composition melds to create a portrait of a difficult man and his era-defining creation with a level of depth that rises above the rote parameters of your standard biopic fare.

45. They Came Together (2014, Directed by David Wain)

Wet Hot American Summer was the ultimate camp movie parody, and most of the gang involved with that did the same again for romcoms with They Came Together.  The daffy style of comedy on display here is not for everyone, but for those who key into its Dadaist joke construction and absurd plotting, it's sublime.

44. Meek's Cutoff (2010, Directed by Kelly Reichardt)

Playing Oregon Trail was harrowing enough, but Meek's Cutoff makes the famous trek to the future Beaver State seem like even more of an arduous task.  Kelly Reichardt's neo-western shows off her usual formal rigor terrifically in this tense, simmering tale of mistrust and hardship.

43. It Follows (2014, Directed by David Robert Mitchell)

The Carpenter-esque mastery of sight and sound in It Follows is chilling enough, but it's the anxieties about youth, sex, and death that make it such a transcendent horror movie.

42. Frances Ha (2012, Directed by Noah Baumbach)

Noah Baumbach had always been incisive and razor-sharp in examining his characters, but there's an extra buoyancy to the films he's made with Greta Gerwig.  Frances Ha is their best work yet, a funny and moving ode to being in your 20s and not quite having it all figured out.

41. The Immigrant (2013, Directed by James Gray)

The slow death of the mid-budget adult drama has been creeping onward for the last few years, but its last gasp has still produced some all-timers.  Take James Gray's The Immigrant, a fascinating and layered tale of a woman who's willing to risk it all to make it in America after arriving on Ellis Island.  The film's complexities are involving at every turn, culminating in a final shot for the ages.

40. Short Term 12 (2013, Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton)

Short Term 12 may be the Dazed and Confused of its era, in that it's amazing to think about how much success everyone in it -- director Destin Daniel Cretton, stars Brie Larson, Lakeith Stanfield, Rami Malek, Kaitlyn Dever, and Stephanie Beatriz -- has had since, but also because the film itself is such a perfect moment in time.

39. Ricki and the Flash (2015, Directed by Jonathan Demme)

This list is full of films that have and will show up on other people's decade lists, so Ricki might be the biggest outlier.  Jonathan Demme's collaboration (in his final narrative film before his death) with Diablo Cody received a middling response, which is a real shame, because it shouldn't be missed.  It's a messy and soulful work about family relationships strained by years of mistakes and failures, and the difficult journey to forgiveness.

38. Mission: Impossible -- Fallout (2018, Directed by Christopher McQuarrie)

Like the smiling Scientologist star at its center, the Mission: Impossible series will not die.  Over the course of six films, it has grown more confident and audacious, culminating in Fallout, a setpiece delivery machine that is a landmark in American action cinema.

37. Widows (2018, Directed by Steve McQueen)

Widows could've just been a distaff version of the conventional, gritty heist flick and it would have been a solid movie.  However, it elevates itself by being a portrait of a city and its people titled off their axis, giving the heist much more stakes and flavor in the process.

36. Little Women (2019, Directed by Greta Gerwig)

Louisa May Alcott's classic novel got another retelling, and this one deserves to be considered a classic in its own right.  The 2019 adaptation feels so fresh and warm and simply alive, finding new angles to the story and operating with an agility that's become a signature in all of the films Greta Gerwig has worked on.  Little Women has a way of sneaking up on viewers, moving you in ways you don't even realize until you're completely shattered.

35. Night is Short, Walk on Girl (2017, Directed by Masaaki Yuasa)

The best animated films tell stories in a way only its specific medium can, and Night is Short, Walk on Girl is a fantastic example of that.  Gonzo auteur Masaaki Yuasa uses the malleability of animation to joyous effect, while telling the hilarious and sneakily philosophical story of intersecting lives during one night in Japan.

34. Enough Said (2013, Directed by Nicole Holofcener)

James Gandolfini was one of our greatest actors, and it's still a tragedy that he's not with us anymore.  But at the very least, he gave us one last pantheon performance in Enough Said.  The film is the work of three greats -- Gandolfini, comedy legend Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and indie genius Nicole Holofcener -- fusing beautifully in this tender romantic comedy meets slow-speed farce.

33. The Tree of Life (2011, Directed by Terrence Malick)

Previously known for the long periods between his films, Terrence Malick became downright prolific this decade.  Tree of Life, the work that kicked off this fertile period, is still his best: an almost religious rumination on grace, chaos, and the way they wrestle with one another throughout the universe.

32. Moonlight (2016, Directed by Barry Jenkins)

In its journey through the life of Chiron from childhood to adulthood, Moonlight examines masculinity, queerness, and blackness with an astonishing level of intimacy and passion.  It's a film that radiates beauty from every inch of the frame.

31. The Nice Guys (2016, Directed by Shane Black)

Rewatchability is an underrated quality when it comes to assessing movies.  Sure, incredible films can exist as a once-and-never-again experience, but there's something wonderful about a film that gives you joy over and over again.  Buddy cop noir comedy The Nice Guys might be the most rewatchable film of the 2010s -- its chaotic series of incidents and loony interplay between its leads gets more entertaining each time around.

30. Looper (2012, Directed by Rian Johnson)

Time travel narratives are endeavors only for those who are extremely brave or extremely foolish, but Rian Johnson had the confidence and style to pull off a great one with Looper.  And dorks still nitpicked the logic of it!

29. First Reformed (2017, Directed by Paul Schrader)

Paul Schrader already gave us the definitive film about a man whose loneliness turns to madness in 1976 when he wrote Taxi Driver, but First Reformed is its spiritual cousin, updated to reflect today's anxieties.  It's an absolutely despairing film, but its unflinching bleakness is what makes it so brilliant.

28. The Irishman (2019, Directed by Martin Scorsese)

Let's hope Martin Scorsese has many more films left in him, but if it had to be, The Irishman would be a hell of a closing statement.  For the first time in a while, Scorsese returned to a genre responsible for so many of his previous classics and gave it the heaviness of a full life lived and years of crucial decisions and regrets.  Haunting and spellbinding all at once, The Irishman will be admired for years to come like the epics of Classic Hollywood.

27. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019, Directed by Quentin Tarantino)

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is an entire buffet and you can pick what you want from it.  You can enjoy it as an ode to the golden age of Hollywood, a wistful musing on aging and obsolescence, a caustic revision of history, a luxuriation on the pure art of writing and acting, or some combination of those options.  Not every movie feels like such a complete ecosystem, but Tarantino's latest does so with an enviable ease.

26. Lady Bird (2017, Directed by Greta Gerwig)

There's a reason why so many people's entire personality has become liking Lady Bird.  It's because it feels like such a special and personal work, one of the most artful, charming, and fleet-footed coming-of-age films we've ever gotten.

25. Please Give (2010, Directed by Nicole Holofcener)

All of Nicole Holofcener's films are about people wrestling with themselves, and Please Give offers her most compelling spin on that, tackling her pet themes of personal image, communication, and sisterhood while also telling a tale about what it truly means to be charitable.

24. Whiplash (2014, Directed by Damien Chazelle)

With each film, Damien Chazelle establishes himself more firmly as one of Hollywood's most talented directors, but his best work so far is still the one that first broke him through.  Whiplash is a pummeling experience not just because of Chazelle's assured direction, but the twin dragon forces of Miles Teller and JK Simmons playing out a riveting physical and psychological duel.

23. Manchester By the Sea (2016, Directed by Kenneth Lonergan)

One of the most powerful things about cinema is that it can transport us to different worlds, but sometimes it can also provide insight into real life.  Manchester By the Sea is a fantastic example of that.  It's stacked with tragedy, telling a story about a man with a dark past who must take care of his nephew after his brother dies, and it feels not melodramatic but achingly human.  That ability to find the truthful emotion at the core of any situation makes Kenneth Lonergan one of the greatest dramatists in the world right now.

22. Paterson (2016, Directed by Jim Jarmusch)

It's fitting that Paterson centers around a man who writes poetry, an artform that can feel a little ineffable, because the quality of this film can be hard to nail down in words.  On the surface, it's uneventful, but it moves with a quiet grace, unearthing beauty and depth in the mundane.

21. The Edge of Seventeen (2016, Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig)

The 2010s saw an influx of coming-of-age movies about teenage white girls, but thanks to Hailee Steinfeld's superstar performance as the endlessly layered Nadine, The Edge of Seventeen was the best of the bunch.

20. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013, Directed by The Coen Brothers)

If you had to pick a film that epitomizes each of the four seasons, Inside Llewyn Davis would certainly be a top choice for winter.  Though it might be the most downcast of the Coen Brothers' work, this Homeric tale of a struggling musician might be their best as well.

19. Gone Girl (2014, Directed by David Fincher)

There's something about the combination of the meticulousness of David Fincher's directorial style with the airport fiction stories he chooses to work with that creates such a perfect blend.  Gone Girl is by far his best marriage of those contrasts, a twisty treat that riffs on everything from gender roles, to the American media complex, to the prison of married life.

18. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018, Directed by Barry Jenkins)

How do you follow up your masterpiece?  For Barry Jenkins, the move was to show people his real masterpiece.  Though it may not have received the fanfare of Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk is a gorgeous refinement of Jenkins' woozy intimacy.

17. Certain Women (2016, Directed by Kelly Reichardt)

Certain Women found America's most unsung director trying her hand at a series of short stories, which only allowed her to pack even more quiet grace into the frame.  Some called it minor, but it feels more like a minor miracle.

16. Support the Girls (2018, Directed by Andrew Bujalski)

It's hard to make the struggles of the working class feel fun to watch, but Support the Girls turns the ins and outs of working at a "breastaurant" into a screwball comedy.  Never has the soul-crushing experience of being at a dead-end job felt so joyous.

15. Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (2017, Directed by Rian Johnson)

The Force Awakens delivered us pleasures by reminding us what we love about the Star Wars franchise, but The Last Jedi astounded because it gave us what we didn't know we needed.  Rian Johnson's turn behind the wheel was more nuanced, character-focused, and thoughtfully explored what it means to wield The Force.  It created a deep schism within the fandom, but challenging works often do.

14. Toy Story 3 (2010, Directed by Lee Unkrich)

Though time has had some different ideas, in 2010 it seemed like Toy Story 3 was the conclusion of the saga of Woody and friends.  And what better way to send off the series that put Pixar on the map than by doing what they do best, providing a nimble and wrenching ode to growing up.

13. Sicario (2015, Directed by Denis Villeneuve)

Sometimes a movie feels like the perfect synthesis of its component parts.  That's what happened in 2015 when director Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins, screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, and actress Emily Blunt joined forces to make the high-art crime classic that is Sicario.  The less said about its sequel, the better though.

12. Annihilation (2018, Directed by Alex Garland)

The pure sensory experience of seeing Annihilation in theaters left an imprint that remains to this day.  But it's the tightness of its script and ideas that makes this modern sci-fi classic hold up on repeated viewings.

11. Parasite (2019, Directed by Bong Joon-ho)

Class conflict was the topic on everyone's mind as the decade came to a close, and it bled into cinema as a result.  Bong Joon-ho's Parasite was the best of the bunch by far, channeling that sense of social unrest into his unpredictable thriller of the haves and the have nots.  The film pulls off the impossible with ease, simultaneously unleashing elegant visual moves to convey its themes while also being a riot on a pure entertainment level.

10. The Hateful Eight (2015, Directed by Quentin Tarantino)

Quentin Tarantino has long been one of the premiere writers of dialogue, and this near-three hour parlor room sequence was the perfect vehicle for his skills.  The beautiful way that words fly in The Hateful Eight was a given, but the way its old-western nastiness reflected the mood of our time continues to surprise with how much it sticks with you.

9. Inside Out (2015, Directed by Pete Docter)

Just when people thought Pixar had lost it, they came back with one of their best efforts ever with Inside Out.  What remains stunning is its tonal balance, effortlessly flitting between the joy of its imagination and the sadness of its look at the internal life of a preteen girl.

8. Boyhood (2014, Directed by Richard Linklater)

Yes yes, it took 12 years to make, but pointing to that fact as if that's only reason why people praise it is a reductive assessment that's poisoned a portion of the internet.  The scope of Boyhood is impressive but it's Linklater's eye for the small moments that occur in the process of growing up that makes the movie resonate with so many filmgoers.

7. Stories We Tell (2012, Directed by Sarah Polley)

All movies are in some ways a reflection of the filmmaker's soul, but Sarah Polley made that even more blatant with her gorgeous family portrait/documentary hybrid.  Stories We Tell provides some moving introspection regarding Polley's own lineage, but it also unearths some fascinating general ideas about family, perspective, and the things we tell ourselves and others in order to make sense of it all.

6. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, Directed by George Miller)

Every generation has an action movie that completely changes the game, and Mad Max: Fury Road is just carrying the legacy of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Terminator 2 before it.  Filmmakers are still trying to catch up to the glorious symphony of bodies and machines that George Miller concocted five years ago.

5. Inherent Vice (2014, Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson)

Paul Thomas Anderson's adaptation of Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice had such a languid and hazy vibe that many people didn't mesh with it initially.  But hopefully now that its buzz has settled in, everyone can appreciate it for the electric, gorgeous, deeply somber gem that it is.

4. Phantom Thread (2017, Paul Thomas Anderson)

With every new film, Paul Thomas Anderson sheds off the reckless abandon of his wunderkind days and becomes more controlled and austere.  He brought his A-game once again as he teamed with Daniel Day Lewis for the latter's swan song from acting.  It's hard to tell if the couple in Phantom Thread bring out the best in each other, but PTA and DDL certainly do.

3. Margaret (2011, Directed by Kenneth Lonergan)

It was filmed in 2005 so it almost doesn't count as being a film of this decade, but Margaret got an official release in 2011, so it qualifies.  The long gestation period thankfully didn't hinder the greatness of the film.  It's the kind of masterpiece we don't get as often these days -- it's messy and flawed, but it's a towering work of art nonetheless.

2. Before Midnight (2013, Directed by Richard Linklater)

The latest installment in Richard Linklater's once-every-nine-years series offered another glimpse into the lives of Jesse and Celine, and it was just as lovely and heartrending as ever.  Midnight is all about the work it takes to maintain a marriage, but it ultimately finds beauty in that struggle.

1. Melancholia (2011, Directed by Lars von Trier)

Lars von Trier has long been one of cinema's biggest provocateurs, but in 2011 he put all of his impish notions aside to make a no-nonsense film about depression and the apocalypse.  It resulted in not only the best work of his career, but the best film of the decade.


Farewell to a decade of film.  Leave your thoughts below, as well as any lists you may have.  If you want to read a longer ranked list of films that missed the cut, as well as some more data, you can find it on this Google doc.