Top 25 Films of the 2010s
I do believe that life moves in cycles. At the beginning of the decade, I had taken a step back from most aspects of theater and dove headfirst into writing. I got to travel, speak on panels from anywhere to one to hundreds of people at a time, interview some of the most amazing people in the entertainment industry, and learn firsthand how ruthless publishing can be. By the end of the decade, my writing became far more sporadic, as theater became my full-time career, albeit behind the scenes instead of on the stage. I still write, though the projects I’m working on don’t always match the format I’ve settled into at Sketchy Details.
One thing I always try make it a point to do, no matter how busy my schedule, is a year-end wrap-up. I have a few more 2019 features to take in before I commit to a Best Films of 2019 list. However, I’ve seen enough to comfortably evaluate what I believe to be the best 25 of the decade.
These lists can change with perspective, and you’ll notice that a heavy concentration of the list comes from the early years of the decade; none of the entries are from this year*. Over time, this can change significantly, as films I labeled the best of their given year have been pushed aside for films lower on the yearly roundup or ones that never made the initial cut at all. 25 felt like the right number, though it still comes at the exclusion of any animated or documentary features. It is by choice, obviously, as I write and edit everything at this site; I just wish it could have gone differently. I can’t think of one narrative film (or even experimental film) I would remove from this list in place of excellent documentaries like Blackfish and 13th or strong animated features like Moana or Mirai.
I also, by intention, excluded short films from the list. It narrowed down the field significantly, though it does come at the expense of “World of Tomorrow,” what I believe to be one of the finest sci-fi stories of all time.
I also go by US release date (not counting festivals), so some of these films may be better known as 2009 releases in other countries.
Without further ado, here are the Top 25 films of the 2010s, ranked. Statistics and fun facts follow.
*The Nightingale, The Farewell, and Parasite were considered for this list, but it truly is a matter of perspective and they have that fresh new film glow to them still. I had yet to see Little Women while developing this list.
25) XX (2017)
XX makes the list for one very specific reason. The short film “The Box” could, if released on its own, easily top this list. It is one of the most spectacular horror films I’ve ever witnessed. Writer/Director Jovanka Vuckovic, adapting from the Jack Ketchum story, turns the sound of cutlery hitting a plate and chewing into the stuff of nightmares. It is existential horror with no easy answer, as the contents of the titular box are never revealed, only the horrifying consequences of viewing them. The other segments from Karyn Kusama, Roxanne Benjamin, and St. Vincent are solid as well, though leading with “The Box” and framing with Sofia Carillo’s haunting stop-motion animation definitely set the tone. Original review.
Content warning: eating disorders, violence against children
24) Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
Mostly remembered for Elizabeth Olsen’s starring turn as the titular characters (her real name plus aliases she adopts throughout the story), Martha Marcy May Marlene is a thought-provoking mystery about a young woman trying to find herself after escaping a cult. Writer/director Sean Durkin’s narrative is surprising and sensitive in equal measure, never casting blame upon the titular character for falling prey to the cult, while not making excuses for her behavior while trying to reintegrate into society. Original review.
Content warning: violence against women, sexual assault, mental illness
23) Krisha (2016)
Krisha is a weird film and I love it. It is the story of Krisha, played by actor Krisha Fairchild, trying to make amends with her family after losing touch because of her history of self-destructive and abusive behavior. She’s trying. She really is. But the things that kept her away are the things that cause her to turn to vice and disruption again and again in her life. This is as low budget and indie as low budget and indie get, with a wild original score from Brian McOmber. Trey Edward Shults pulls quadruple duty as writer, director, editor, and actor in the film and succeeds at all of them. Original review.
Content warning: addiction, mental illness
22) Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
Darkly comedic romance films contained in a genre framework are my jam. There aren’t many of them, but I haven’t met one I don’t love. This is the rare apocalypse movie that doesn’t pull its punches and it just works. Keira Knightley and Steve Carell are perfectly matched as two strangers trying to make their way home to the people they most want to see when the end of the world is confirmed to be mere hours away. It’s a fun, funny journey filled with an excellent ensemble. Writer/director Lorene Scafaria (now better known for Hustlers) crafted the standout end of the world/apocalypse film in a decade filled with apocalyptic dystopias. Original review.
21) Another Earth (2011)
Another Earth is part of the one-two punch that launched Brit Marling as one of the finest new voices in science fiction (it and The Sound of My Voice debuted the same year at the Sundance Film). She cowrote the film with writer/director Mike Cahill and it’s just a beautiful exploration of what is possible with imaginative storytelling. Two lives are changed forever in one car accident that occurs when a duplicate Earth is discovered floating above our own. Yes, we see the second Earth, but the focus is on how the lives of ordinary people are impacted by a discovery that changes the course of human history. It’s clever, it’s emotional, and it’s honest to its core. Original review.
Content warning: violence against women and children
20) Revenge (2018)
I’m a big fan of the New French Extremity. Writer/director Coralie Fargeat leads what might be the best of the entire movement in Revenge. It is a revenge film that weaponizes gender roles against the viewer and the villains. It is stunningly beautiful, shocking in its stark portrayal of violence, and filled with so much nuance that is too often lost in horror. The New French Extremity fears no gray area, and Fargeat has no element of this story she is unwilling to address. Original review.
Content warning: violence against women, sexual assault
19) The Lobster (2016)
Writer/director Yorgos Lanthimos has his own vision of what cinema can be. In four films (Dogtooth, The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Dear, and The Favourite), he has established himself as a director obsessed with the absurdity of ritual, respect, and societal expectations. The Lobster, for me, is his most successful film, imagining a dystopian future where adults who cannot find and maintain a romantic partner are sent to a rehabilitation camp to find a mate. If they fail, they are told they will be transformed into an animal of their choosing (how…kind) because animals do not have the intellectual baggage that prevents them from meeting the only real objective of life: procreation. It is brutal satire, touching romance, and a sprawling sci-fi dystopian rolled into a character study of a man who just isn’t good at understanding or expressing his emotions. Original review.
Content warning: self-harm, suicide
18) A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2015)
A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence is a film meant to create a reaction. It’s provocative. It’s silly, sad, infuriating, joyful, and unsettling in equal measure. This is not a film that it easy to sit through. Roy Andersson wants to challenge your understanding of narrative cinema and make you question the human experience. Original review.
Content warning: racial violence, violence against women and children, animal abuse
17) A Dark Song (2017)
I’ll take a fascinating horror concept over a safe film any day. A Dark Song is a claustrophobic horror film about a woman embarking on a seemingly endless ancient ritual with the guidance of an expert for the chance at achieving one wish. It is a slow, repetitive film of cycle and changing expectations. Even the most mundane details could drastically alter the fate of the two characters in the story. The production design, the editing, and the performances sell this one-house horror film in wonderful ways. Writer/director Liam Gavin’s feature length debut shows the measured hand of a true master of suspense and misdirection. Original review.
16) Obvious Child (2014)
Obvious Child is one of those films that just pops into my head every so often. It could be a joke from comedian Jenny Slate’s stand-up sets contained in the film. It could be a visual, or a dialogue exchange, or even a story beat I never quite expected. Writer/director Gillian Robespierre finds a deep well of material to draw from in this romantic comedy about a stand-up comedian dealing with an unplanned pregnancy. Nothing comes easy in this story and everything is earned by the end. Original best of list.
Content warning: abortion
15) I Am Love (2010)
I don’t think anyone anticipated I Am Love receiving only one Oscar nomination; it wasn’t fair. Many of us were predicting Tilda Swinton could win the Award for her performance in this marvelous Luca Guadagno film. But it was the Costume Design by Antonella Cannarozzi that was recognized with a nomination. Frankly, it’s surprising that this film did not hit in Art Direction, Editing, and Hair and Makeup. The visual palette of the film does as much heavy lifting to sell the story as Tilda Swinton’s masterful performance as a woman driven to temptation by the most spectacular meal she has ever experienced. Original review.
14) The Devil’s Carnival (2012)
Director Darren Lynn Bousman, writer/composer Terrance Zdunich, and composer Saar Hendleman’s horror musical provides a unique spin on hell narratives, anthology films, and circus horror. The style of the film is so perfect to tell these stories, creating believable, personalized hells for the three unfortunate souls starring in tonight’s main attractions. The songs are so catchy and performed so well by the cast that you have to imagine most (if not all of them) were cast specifically to sing these songs. I mean, singer/songwriter Emilie Autumn was most definitely cast to sing my favorite song in the film, “Prick! Goes the Scorpion’s Tail,” though the rest of the cast nails the nuance of the style and storytelling in this music hall horror spectacular. Original review.
Content warning: violence against women, sexual assault
13) Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
When I taught film full-time, Beasts of the Southern Wild was the film I knew I had to end the semester with. The screenplay by Lucy Alibar and director Benh Zeitlin proves the importance of structure, planning, and dialogue in the success of a film. Hushpuppy (Academy Award nominee Quvenzhane Wallis) leads the tale in voiceover, allowing Zeitlin to paint with beautifully crafted images of the Bathtub in montage. The simple story allows the cast to shine in slice of life moments that could so easily bog down a more ambitious production. Not that Beasts of the Southern Wild is unambitious as a feature. This is masterful visual storytelling and editing in action. The high school students loved it, by the way, far more than any other short or feature length film we studied while they learned about the craft of filmmaking. Original review.
12) Moonlight (2016)
Writer/director Barry Jenkins crafts a beautiful story of identity. The clear three-act structure serves the story well, building a believable universe that earns the final moments of the film. The acting and cinematography are spectacular. I don’t put much stock into what films wind up winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards since I so often disagree. However, there is a strong reason why this is the only Best Picture winner of the decade to make my list. It’s just so well made and unique in its tone and perspective. Original best of list.
Content warning: drug use, homophobia
11) The Witch (2016)
The opening sequence of The Witch is a masterclass in visual storytelling. You see the family outcast from society, travel into the unknown, set up a home, and encounter the true dangers of their new life firsthand. It is then that writer/director Robert Eggers breaks perspective to let the audience know there cannot be a happily ever after. Imagine if The Crucible was the horror story it easily could be. Witchcraft, possession, false accusations, unjust trials, and straight up murder are the substance of that story. Now put all of that on the backs of one small family struggling to survive and drop it into a world where witches are real. The Witch is shocking and brutal in the best ways possible. Original best of list.
Content warning: violence against women and children
10) Young Adult (2011)
Young Adult came out at the right time to have a profound impact on me. The story of a ghostwriter losing a long-time contract and consequently suffering from a severe mental health episode was relatable content to me. That writer Diablo Cody did not vilify Mavis Gary (a should-have-been Academy Award-winning turn from Charlize Theron) for actively lashing out against other people while in an extreme depressive episode is unheard of in cinema. Cody’s strength as a writer lies in three areas: story structure, a signature style, and empathy. Young Adult is a harrowing, honest exploration of a creative mind struggling for stability. Original review.
Content warning: mental illness, self-harm, addiction
9) Get Out (2017)
When Jordan Peele announced his post-Key & Peele plans to direct original horror films, I don’t think many people took him seriously; I did. I saw his horror sketches on Key and Peele and knew he had a strong vision for the genre. Get Out proves his immense skill as a writer and director, crafting a horror film exploring race in America unlike anything we’ve ever seen before.
Content warning: surgery, animal abuse, violence against women, suicide
8) Short Term 12 (2013)
Writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton spins gold while adapting his short film “Short Term 12” as a feature. The story of a young woman working with at-risk teenagers in a group foster-care facility is beautifully handled. Brie Larson is a gifted emotive actress, able to balance the energy of any of her younger scene partners who were directed to really reach for extreme shifts in emotion, mood, and focus during their scenes. It is rare to see a character in such a protective role for other people’s children and it’s just inspiring to see. The main conflict of the film is literally caring too much to the point of endangering your own well-being, an important message that rarely (if ever?) is approached in a sincere way onscreen. Original review.
Content warning: implied violence against children, mental illness
7) Certified Copy (2011)
So Juliette Binoche and William Shimell travel through Tuscany on a journey of self-discovery and academic inquiry. That’s it. That’s the film. Abbas Kiarostami’s film is beautiful, thought-provoking, and unpredictable. It is a story of how we assume different facets of identity to blend into different areas of society, explored by two academics who meet at a book signing/Q&A for an academic study of the value of copies versus original works. It’s a meta-text on art, film, identity, and navigating a world where honesty and truth can be merely an imitation of someone else’s intentions. Original review.
6) Mother (2010)
No, not Mother! Mother. Writer/director Bong Joon-ho’s crime thriller about a mother trying to defend her developmentally delayed son from a murder charge is equal parts chilling and heartbreaking. Hye-ja Kim’s titular performance as the Mother is enough on its own to make this film a must-see. The film has a perfectly bleak style, numb tone, and unpredictable plot. Original review.
Content warning: violence against women
5) Winter’s Bone (2010)
Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone came out of nowhere with a startling neo-noir film set in the Ozark Mountains. The expressive language of noir, with its shadows and shifting perspectives, slowly bleeds into the story, turning a naturalistic slice of life film about a teenage girl struggling to care for her family into an overwhelming world of inky black shadows, secrets, and mystery. It’s clever, beautiful, and deeply upsetting.
Content warning: plot centers on drug use/drug dealing, addiction, violence against children, mental illness
4) Carol (2015)
How do I love Carol? Let me count the ways. The acting is phenomenal. The production design is beautiful. The story of forbidden love between a 1950s housewife and a much younger department store clerk is heartbreaking. You want these two women to be together because they are so clearly meant to be together; the world disagrees. I don’t know what we did to deserve a film like Carol, but it was a lovely Christmas present that year. Original review.
Content warning: homophobia
3) Holy Motors (2012)
You will never see another film quite like Holy Motors. Imagine a film like A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence or Noriko’s Dinner Table with a clear through line. These are narratives that can and do go anywhere, changing style, theme, and form scene by scene. The actors repeat, but the purpose and intention change moment to moment. Holy Motors is far more consistent while hitting on even wider styles. This is the story of a day in the lives of Monsieur Oscar, as he is always himself but the version of himself that he needs to be to fulfill the wants and needs of those around him. Writer/director Leos Carax expertly weaves together such a bizarre and wonderful array of scenes into something that still flows as a narrative film. Original review.
Content warning: suicide
2) Tangerine (2015)
Tangerine is a tense, fast, and honest drama. It is the embodiment of the spirit of independent filmmaking in the modern age. Writer/director Sean Baker shot the entire film on an iPhone and it looks amazing. Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor anchor the story of a sex worker seeking revenge on her pimp with such unexpected warmth that you don’t want the story to end. Tangerine never overstays its welcome, boiling the 88-minute film down to its bare essentials to sell its own slice of life revenge Christmas drama character study. Original review.
Content warning: pornographic content, transphobia
1) American Mary (2013)
From the moment I first saw American Mary, I knew I found something special. Body horror all too often vilifies the people who have been changed; here, writers/directors Jen and Sylvia Soska celebrate them. The ensemble cast of characters who visit the infamous American Mary to undergo extreme body modifications through surgery are treated as people. The monsters are the humans who take advantage of others, who betray their trust, who act like certain people deserve to be treated as the other. It is a modern spin on the Frankenstein story, where the doctor and the monster are one in the same and the result of a society all too obsessed with power and control. Original best of list.
Content warning: sexual assault, violence against women, surgery
Fun facts and Stats:
Ranking
My favorite years for film are 2011, 2012, and 2016. Each year is featured four times on my list, or 48% of the total list.
My weighted favorite year for film is 2013. The formula for this calculation is: (sum of ranks achieved in a year)/lowest possible sum of ranks. Only one film can be in first place (1 point); two films can be in first and second (3 points); three films can be in first, second, and third place (6 points); and four films can be in first, second, third, and fourth place (4 points). The lowest average rank is the weighted rank of the year. 2013 scored 3 out of 25; 2018 came in last with a weighted rank of 20 out of 25; 2019 does not receive a weighted rank as no films made the list.
The median favorite year is also 2013, based on the following variant stem and leaf plot.
2010: 5, 6, 16
2011: 7, 10, 21, 24
2012: 3, 13, 14, 22
2013: 1, [8]
2014: 16
2015: 2, 4, 18
2016: 11, 12, 19, 23
2017: 9, 17, 25
2018: 20
Casting
With cast overlaps, XX shares the most cast members with other films, featuring four performers in Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Another Earth, and American Mary. Martha Marcy May Marlene also overlaps with three other films, featuring three performers in Young Adult, Winter’s Bone, and Carol.
10 actors appear in two films each: Melanie Lynskey (XX, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World); Craig Wedren (XX, Another Earth); Jen Soska (XX, American Mary); Sylvia Soska (XX, American Mary); Louisa Krausse (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Young Adult); John Hawkes (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Winter’s Bone); Sarah Paulson (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Carol); Patton Oswalt (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Young Adult); Jake Lacy (Obvious Child, Carol); and Keith Stanfield (Short Term 12, Get Out).
Music
Three music credits are shared over multiple films. Four films use Beethoven’s compositions (The Lobster, Obvious Child, Mother, and Tangerine). Two films use Dmitri Shostakovich’s compositions (The Lobster, Holy Motors). Kylie Minogue also features in both The Lobster and Holy Motors.
Six films feature music performances (Holy Motors, Short Term 12, The Devil’s Carnival, A Pigeon…, Martha Marcy May Marlene, XX). Seven if you count that final sequence in The Witch, which is included in the released soundtrack.
Themes and Style
The most prevalent theme in my top 25 is the search for identity, featured as a major theme in 19 of the 25 films (American Mary, Tangerine, Holy Motors, Carol, Winter’s Bone, Certified Copy, Short Term 12, Young Adult, Moonlight, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Devil’s Carnival, I Am Love, Obvious Child, A Dark Song, A Pigeon…, The Lobster, Seeking a Friend…, Martha Marcy May Marlene, and XX).
Six films are about writing or have major plot elements that hinge on writing (Another Earth, Obvious Child, Young Adult, Short Term 12, Certified Copy, American Mary).
Six films are not in the English language (Revenge, A Pigeon…, I Am Love, Certified Copy, Mother, Holy Motors).
The most prevalent genre is Drama with eight films (Martha Marcy May Marlene, Krisha, I Am Love, Moonlight, Short Term 12, Certified Copy, Carol, Tangerine). One film campaigned for awards as Comedy but claimed to actually be a Documentary (Get Out).
Seven films on the list received Academy Award nominations (The Lobster, I Am Love, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Moonlight, Get Out, Winter’s Bone, Carol). Of those, two won Academy Awards (Moonlight, Get Out).
The most shocking thing about the list for me was the lack of Tilda Swinton. I’m not going to do a best performances of the decade list, but she would easily receive the most mentions: I Am Love, Only Lovers Left Alive, Snowpiercer, Okja, and Suspiria.
