10 Essential Movies of the 2010s, Ranked

The factors that make a film essential viewing certainly include its quality and reputation. But, for a film to truly represent its time and place, and mark itself as required viewing for film lovers, it has to possess a little extra something. For some films, like Mad Max: Fury Road, that extra something is the film’s status as one of the greatest and most incomparable pieces of action filmmaking, period.

But alternatively, other outings like The Hunt and Call Me by Your Name offer something different in the way of necessity and importance. These smaller films may not have redefined their genres, but the mark they left either defined a significant portion of cinema’s future, or encapsulated something unique and timely about the human condition. While they differ wildly, these films of the 2010s are all absolutely and uniquely essential.

10

‘Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)’ (2014)

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu

Washed up actor Riggan Thomas (Michael Keaton) has been unable to surpass or equal the success he had in the late 80s when he starred in a trilogy of superhero films as the titular Birdman. Desperate to leave his superhero reputation behind, Riggan seeks credibility and recognition by writing, directing and starring in a Broadway adaptation of a short story by Raymond Carver.

While the film itself may not be remembered as iconic or essential by all those who viewed it, the impact Birdman had on cinematic trends is still being felt today. The broad strokes of the plot very closely mirrored the real life career of Michael Keaton, who, at the time, was mostly remembered for playing Batman in Batman and Batman Returns. The film Birdman functioned much like Riggan‘s Carver adaptation for Keaton, whose career picked up after the film and led to starring roles in films like Spotlight. The meta nature of the film, and the surrounding emphasis on the ‘comeback’ arc started a trend which has since been taken even further by films like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which has Nicolas Cage play himself.

9

‘The Hunt’ (2012)

Directed by Thomas Vinterberg

Lucas (Mads Mikkelsen) is a respected and beloved member of his tight-knit community in rural Denmark. He is particularly adored by the town’s children, who he nurtures through his work at the local kindergarten. However, his good standing and glowing reputation begin to crumble when he is accused of a crime. Unsure of his guilt or innocence, the small town is tense and divided.

The ever loosening distinction between fact and fiction are brought to bear in The Hunt. The Danish film touches upon the irrelevance of truth, the proliferation of gossip and the power of rumor, and explores how these factors play out when thrust upon a person. As morality and logic crash into each with growing frequency, complex and adult films like The Hunt become more essential everyday. Although the film starts more conversations than it resolves, its desire to leave its audience guessing, questioning and arguing is its most impressive feature.

8

‘Call Me by Your Name’ (2017)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) spends the summer of 1983 in rural Northern Italy, where his father (Michael Stuhlbarg) works as an archaeologist. During this time, Elio’s father invites 24-year-old archaeological graduate student, Oliver (Armie Hammer) to stay with the family. Living and spending their days together, Oliver and Elio become close, and their chemistry ultimately develops into something romantic.

Call Me by Your Name was nominated for four Academy Awards in 2018, including Best Picture and a Best Actor nomination for Chalamet. It wasn’t the first time a queer love story had received Academy attention, with Moonlight winning Best Picture just a year earlier. But, the impact that Call Me by Your Name has had on cinema continues to reverberate. In addition to launching Chalamet as the official ‘it-boy’ of the 2020s, the widespread success of the film launched director Luca Guadagnino into the mainstream. But, the director’s success hasn’t hindered his artistic credibility. Guadagnino, who is openly gay, continues to create engaging and singular stories of romance and tension. His 2024 film Challengers is likely to receive several Oscar nominations in the coming days, and his most recent feature Queer has received rave reviews for the performance of its lead, Daniel Craig.

7

‘Hereditary’ (2018)

Directed by Ari Aster

After the death of her mother, Annie (Toni Collette) reckons with the nature of their troubled relationship. Although her own mother was aloof, difficult and troubled, Annie seems to be more present for her own children, Charlie (Milly Shapiro) and Peter (Alex Wolff). But, when a catastrophic tragedy befalls them, the cracks in the family’s functioning begin to show through.

‘Elevated horror’ officially entered the chat in 2018 with Ari Aster‘s grueling and jaw-dropping debut feature, Hereditary. While genre, and horror in particular, has long been used as a vessel to explore the darker sides of life and humanity, the 2010s put more of an emphasis on this trend than any previous era. In addition to being one of the decades best horror outings, and featuring a career best performance from Toni Collette, Hereditary also acts as the blueprint for what a ‘classy’ horror film should look like for years to come.

6

‘Knives Out’ (2019)

Directed by Rian Johnson

Famed private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has been called to investigate the death of Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer), an author and publishing tycoon famous for his many mystery novels. While conducting interviews at the eclectic Thrombey estate, Benoit Blanc meets and interviews a range of people with the means or motive to have killed Harlan. The suspects include his nurse Marta (Ana de Armas), his daughter Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis), his son Walt (Michael Shannon) and his grandson Ransom (Chris Evans).

Other films of the 2010s may have a more scathing and prestigious interpretation of the ‘eat the rich’ ethos, but few films are as biting, sharp, creative and engaging as Knives Out. The combination of a taut screenplay and deft directorial hand from Rian Johnson, and the impeccable ensemble cast combine to create the best whodunnit of the decade.

5

‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (2019)

Directed by Céline Sciamma

In late 18th century France, painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned by a wealthy family to paint a portrait of their daughter, Héloïse (Adèle Haenel). Héloïse is due to be married off to a nobleman, but has refused to sit for prior portraits her family have arranged, as she doesn’t wish to be married. Marianne is asked to act as a companion to Héloïse, and to paint her portrait in secret.

Patient and careful passion is rendered beautifully through the metaphor of a painting in Portrait of a Lady on Fire. The French film from writer and director Céline Sciamma was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes and received widespread critical acclaim for its portrayal of queer romance in the 18th century. While period romances are a dime a dozen, singular and powerful works like Portrait of a Lady on Fire prove that the right storyteller can make anything feel new and essential.

4

‘Arrival’ (2016)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is haunted by her daughter’s death, and thinks of her regularly while working as a linguistics professor. When twelve alien spacecraft arrive at different locations across the planet, Louise is recruited by the United States military to try and communicate with one of the crafts, which hovers above Montana. Louise’s life experiences and grief inform her work and help her learn to communicate with the aliens.

Arrival overcame the typical limitations that hinder the success of other genre films by being undeniably spectacular. The emotional and complex science-fiction film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture. While anyone who saw Arrival upon its release could tell the film would become an instant classic, few could have predicted the impact it would have on the future of blockbuster science-fiction. The success of Arrival cemented director Denis Villeneuve as a master of sci-fi storytelling. The director’s next two projects involved reinventing sci-fi royalty, with Blade Runner 2049 and Dune. Arrival‘s legacy is still impacting cinema in the 2020s, which is, so far, a decade of Villeneuve dominance and the return of blockbuster science-fiction.

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3

‘Get Out’ (2017)

Directed by Jordan Peele

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is a black photographer in his twenties. His girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) is white, and wants Chris to meet her family for the first time. The pair travel to upstate New York to meet Rose’s parents (Catherine Keener and Bradley Whitford) and brother (Caleb Landry Jones). Rose’s family is affluent, and while they seem hospitable and welcoming, some of their offhanded comments and pleasantries give Chris pause.

In Get Out, microaggressions and the Black American experience form the foundation for one of the century’s most recognized, evocative and essential pieces of horror filmmaking. The film from Jordan Peele achieved every measure of modern success after its release, from memes, to box office dominance and mainstream awards recognition. But the most influential and essential of its successes was the broad cultural conversation it invited. By taking the subtle and blatantly overt ways racism seeps into all corners of life and packaging it up into a thrilling and effective horror classic, Get Out ensures that neither it nor its message will be easily forgotten.

2

‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)

Directed by George Miller

Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) continues to survive in the ravaged wasteland left behind after society’s collapse. Max is found and captured by the War Boys, a gang of mercenaries who are loyal to the cult leader Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). While trying to escape, Max crosses paths with Furiosa (Charlize Theron), one of Joe’s lieutenants. Furiosa is on the run, having betrayed Joe. With their goals aligned, Max and Furiosa begrudgingly join forces.

Mad Max: Fury Road is undoubtedly one of the most exceptional pieces of action filmmaking to grace cinema screens. Moreover, the George Miller film is widely considered to be one of the best of the century. Obviously, such a lauded film should be an essential piece of its time and place. But what exactly is it that makes Mad Max: Fury Road so incomparable? The action masterpiece takes everything cinema can be and tears it down to its absolute base function, which is using the moving image to communicate. After establishing and perfecting this feat, George Miller builds it all back up with artisan muscle cars, spectacular stunt work and singular world-building.

1

‘Parasite’ (2019)

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

The Kim family live on the edge of poverty and share a small basement apartment in Seoul. When a friend suggests that the family’s son, Ki-woo (Choi Woo-shik), lie about his education to take over a job as a tutor for a wealthy family’s daughter, he does so. When Ki-woo arrives at the home of the Park family, he is stunned by the lavish excesses of their lifestyle. Sensing that the family is naive, Ki-woo works to get his sister (Park So-dam), mother (Jang Hye-jin) and father (Song Kang-ho) jobs on the Park family’s staff.

After winning the Palme d’Or with a unanimous vote, and securing the Best International Feature Film and Best Picture awards at the Oscars, Parasite‘s reputation as a critical and commercial homerun is undeniable. While the Bong Joon-ho film is essential viewing for the reasons already mentioned, the film’s astute and timely class commentary and the deserved attention it garnered for Korean cinema are equally noteworthy.