15. Past Lives (Dir. Celine Song)
Celine Song delivered the best directorial debut of the decade with Past Lives. This poignant drama follows a pair of childhood friends who reunite decades after one immigrates to the United States from South Korea. The three leads, Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro, are exceptional, creating three characters rich with depth, whom the audience almost instantly feels they know. Lee, in particular, is perfect as Nora Moon, an immigrant playwright forced to confront her past, heritage, and how her choices have shaped the life she now lives. Song shows brilliant restraint with the melodrama, holding it back until an unforgettable ending.
14. Spiderman Across the Spiderverse (Dir.Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse rises to and surpasses the challenge of being the follow-up to one of the best and most influential animated films of the last decade, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Across the Spider-Verse pushes the animation medium forward by fearlessly combining art styles and delivering animation so detailed and well-realized that it feels unlike anything seen before. It’s not all style, though, Across the Spider-Verse also delivers a heartfelt coming-of-age story about accepting yourself and finding community.
13. Drive My Car (Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
The Japanese indie that took award season by storm back in 2021, Ryusuke Hamaguchi 3 hour slow-burn drama is a moving feature about The Japanese indie that took award season by storm in 2021, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s 3-hour slow-burn drama is a moving exploration of finding peace after loss. The film follows Yusuke, a recently widowed actor, who forms a bond with his driver while working on a stage production. A true achievement in subtle direction, Drive My Car showcases the importance of human interaction, no matter how small.
12. Bones and All (Dir. Luca Guadagnino)
Only Luca Guadagnino could make a film about two young cannibals driving around the 1980s Midwest into an incredibly romantic story about two young outsiders forced to come to terms with their past. A film that combines Luca’s two interests, romance and horror, Bones and All is a fully unique work of art that is gory and moving. Timothée Chalamet continues to rise as one of the signature movie stars of his era, able to lead major blockbusters and awards-targeted biopics, but it’s projects like this that truly showcase his talent as a performer. Taylor Russell does not shy away from the challenge of the subject matter or co-lead delivering an equally magnet performance of a young woman trying to find herself in a bizarre and dreamlike landscape.
11. The Power of the Dog (Dir. Jane Campion)
Jane Campion’s anti-Western, set in 1920s Montana, follows two brothers, Phil (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George (Jesse Plemons), as they navigate complex emotional terrain after George marries a widow, Rose (Kirsten Dunst). Meticulously directed, Campion creates a quiet but haunting examination of masculinity, jealousy, and how people exert power over each other. Benedict Cumberbatch delivers a career-best performance as Phil, a terrifying man who hides behind a mask of charisma. Real-life couple Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst are both incredible in portraying Rose and George, who bear the brunt of Phil’s attacks. The standout of the supporting cast is Kodi Smit-McPhee as Peter, Rose’s sensitive and intelligent son, who serves as Phil’s foil throughout the film. The evolution of their tense relationship is both subtle and gripping, culminating in a quietly explosive confrontation
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