20. “Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006)
Part historical drama, part fantasy, part adventure story and part heartbreaking evocation of the terrors and trials of lonely, misunderstood childhood, Guillermo del Toro‘s “Pan’s Labyrinth” is undoubtedly the beloved, impish Mexican director’s masterpiece — the high watermark for his lovely, sad and strange sensibilities. In the immediate aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, Ofelia (an outstanding Ivana Baquero) moves to her new forested home with her pregnant mother to live with her stepfather, a sadistic Captain tasked with tracking down anti-Franco rebels. In parallel, or perhaps only in isolated Ofelia’s imagination, a fairy story unfurls in the magical realm beneath the forest, before the two strands intertwine toward tragedy and transcendence. It would be a winning, intoxicating story even if it didn’t build to its high-wire balancing-act finale. But poised with a dancer’s grace between opposing forces of good and evil, between soaring joy and plunging despair, we get the perfectly miraculous ending to a miraculous film.
19. “4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days” (2007)
The Romanian New Wave is one of the most exciting things to happen to cinema in the 21st century, and its greatest triumph is the raw, unsparing Palme d’Or winner “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” from director Cristian Mungiu. Set in the dying years of Communist Romania, it sees college student Gabita (Laura Vasiliu) fall pregnant, and enlisting her friend Otilia (Anamaria Marinca) in obtaining an abortion. Virtually a procedural in the level of patient detail in which it tells the story, it’s less a pro-choice polemic than a portrait of life under Ceausescu, a bleak and bruising movie showing the indignities suffered by young women in a society that doesn’t value them (a recurring theme for the director, as he’d show with follow-up “Beyond The Hills”). Anchored by two phenomenal central performances (plus a chilling one by Vlad Ivanov as the abortionist), it’s a film, like all of Mungiu’s so far, that’s very hard to shake.
18. “Reprise” (2006)
Within seconds of his debut “Reprise,” it was clear that Norwegian director Joachim Trier was going to be a shot in the arm for cinema. And while his follow-ups “Oslo August 31st” and “Louder Than Bombs” were both stunning, he’s yet to top his incredibly rich, highly distinctive debut. The film tracks the friendship between twentysomethings Erik (Espen Klouman Høiner) and Phillip (Anders Danielsen Lie), both aspiring authors who submit their novels simultaneously, only to see Philip’s be accepted, and he himself going on to great success, but also a nervous breakdown. Appropriately for the subject matter, it’s a thrillingly novelistic, literary kind of movie, one that comes across as if a Dave Eggers or a Jonathan Safran Foer had gone into filmmaking rather than literature, feeling dizzy with the possibility of the form and the swagger of youth. But for all the restless bells and whistles, it’s a highly soulful and substantial film at its heart, too.
17. “Eden” (2014)
Mia Hansen-Løve‘s brilliantly bittersweet and insightful story of nearly-but-not-quite making it is set against the backdrop of the Paris-based EDM scene that spawned Daft Punk, but if it’s similar to any film, it’s to the Coen Brothers‘ similarly lovely anthem for the also-rans “Inside Llewyn Davis,” which may be set far away in place and time, but also deals in the consolations and disappointments of stopping just one tier below the top. Told with truth and thrumming sense of the vibrancy of youth, but also with a clear-eyed idea of just how transient, short-sighted and self-centered youth can be, it unsurprisingly uses music to pulsating effect, but it’s about much more than that: The Parisian electronica scene becomes emblematic of any tribe that gives you a sense of belonging, a way to define yourself, and to which you give your whole loyalty unthinkingly, without realizing that it most likely won’t ever be able to quite return it.
16. “Certified Copy” (2010)
Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami is so consistently interesting we really could have chosen any of his post-2000 titles, but while his minimalist “Ten” is a remarkably powerful and contained mini-masterwork and “Like Someone In Love” a fascinating culture clash of Iran-meets-Japan, it’s “Certified Copy” that we simply love the most. Partly it’s for its sparkly Juliette Binoche turn — as so often the actress seems even more surefooted and magnetic in a role that is inherently mysterious, and she won Best Actress in Cannes for her trouble — but mostly the film displays a mischievous intellectual playfulness: a two hour-long twinkle in the eye. An elegant puzzle wherein we’re never quite sure of the relationship between the protagonists (Binoche and opera singer turned occasional actor William Shimell) somehow from this shifting-sands footing, Kiarostami delivers profound insights into the ephemeral nature of interaction and how the observer influences what is observed.
i like everything of this list except the number one. volver is not even top 10, I think that Like Someone In Love is the best movie of this century, and is not debatable. period.
I’ll take Certified Copy over Like Someone In Love any day.
Did I miss something? Is Almodovar’s ‘Talk To Her’ not on this list? You’re nuts.
Only one film per director, which winds up excluding a lot of great films. But I do appreciate that they spread the love and gave a lot of films and filmmakers some more exposure and recognition.
Head On, Wild Tales, Talk to Her, Carlos, The Great Beauty, The Best of Youth.
Maybe it’s finally catching up to people that it’s a film about a guy who rapes a woman who’s in a coma/unconscious, one that never condemns the act, indeed one that suggests, in the end, it was all for the best–she comes out of her coma! gets a miracle rape baby to raise! This wouldn’t be a good week for that film to be on a list like this.
It’s not on the list when it’s much better than Volver (no. 1 on the list).
Pleasently surprised to see “Volver” as the number one film on here but I’m kind of liking the idea. As one of my favorite directors ever, Pedro can do no wrong. Also as spanish being my first language “I’m So Excited” was absolutely hilarious. Maybe the subtitles didn’t translate well for you guys.
Did “Pheonix” not make it on there?
Yes I agree that Phoenix should definitely be here, as should The Turin Horse, The Tribe, House of Tolerance, La Sapienza, Humanité (released here in 2000), Touch of Sin, Child’s Pose, Les chansons d’amour, Mysteries of Lisbon, The Milk of Sorrow, Crimson Gold, The Day He Arrives, Import/Export, Les amants réguliers,The Barbarian Invasions, Audition, Stray Dogs, Police Adjective, The Strange Little Cat, Post Tenebras Lux, Gomorrah, Eureka (Yurîka), etc. I also would switch out Volver for Talk to Her. In fact any of Almodovar’s films from this century (other than I’m So Excited, obviously), I find myself rewatching. Especially Talk to Her, The Skin I’m In and Bad Education. I have never returned to Volver. Maybe I will.
I kept waiting for Werckmeister Harmonies to appear on the list. It is utterly mesmerizing (if you have the patience for it) and I would personally have it in the top 10. I think Cache is the perfect choice for a Haneke film and I might have put it in the number one spot. Also glad you recognized Kurasawa’s Pulse, a chilling and haunting film that doesn’t go away. Great list overall with excellent choices for any serious film-goer but a futile endeavour trying to rank them in any order.
Volver is deservedly number one.
And what about Okuribito (Departures)?
Loved the list. I screamed at my screen with the number 3 ’cause I thought you forgot that film. But no Entre Les Murs (The Class)? Wow, that’s heavy
Honestly can’t really disagree with the list a lot of great films but I was a bit disappointed that “A Prophet” didn’t make the cut or wasn’t even included in the honorable mentions, it has to be considered one of the best crime films ever made
Not sure if I missed it but Audiard’s “A Prophet” is without question one of the best. Very surprised to see this excluded. Even his newest Dheepan is worthy of a lower spot. Besides that, Certified Copy is Top 10 and Let The Right One In is much deserving of a higher spot on this list, IMO.
I would be tempted to rank Tabu by Gomes higher. I would have Castaing-Taylor’s and Paravel’s Leviathan somewhere high on this list. And perhaps Godard’s Adieu au Langage
Love Exposure!
You had Edgo of Heaven in your also rans, but Head-On towers over most of this. Also sorry not to see any mention of The Best of Youth. Otherwise, you guys are pretty good with the subtitled stuff.
No Amelie (2001)???
is this list a joke
A Prophet (or Rust and Bone for director Jacques Audiard), The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Oslo August 31st, The Broken Circle Breakdown, & The Secret In Their Eyes were all films I was hoping to see on the list, also surprised to see Amelie missing. I would have had Amour on there too, but the “only one film per director” kept it from the list. Overall though, I tip my hat to the list, it’s a nice starting point for film fans looking to enter the world of international cinema.
Broken Circle Breakdown was stunning as was After the Wedding
I would argue “A Prophet” definitely deserved to be on the list. So did “The White Ribbon”. Also think a case could be made for the original version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “The Secret in their Eyes.” “Persepolis” deserved to make the main list.
I would have moved “Incendies” much higher on the list. I was blown away by that film.
Not bereft until the fall at all. Right Now, Wrong Then is released on the 24th of June.
Amélie should have been on there somewhere…
Interesting list, really.
Not bad!
I would have liked to see Martyrs make the cut, especially since the list doesn’t shy away from controversial films.
Tell no one? Or did I miss it. Brilliant film I though no?
Great list, terribly our of order. I would have put Embrace Of The Serpent right near the top.
pls do a list of the best scores of the 21st century so far
thank u very much, goodbye
ly playlist xo
There should have been at least a movie from Nuri Bilge Ceylan. Winter Sleep, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Three Monkeys…
Distant is his masterpiece, with Once Upon a Time in Anatolia a close second–a virtual tie.
Post Tenebras Lux
Response to this list: http://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/a-response-to-the-50-best-foreign-language-movies-of-the-21st-century-so-far?intcid=mod-latest
– Terrible list by NY-guy. Typical smug + self-indulgence; focus on ‘relevant mediocrity’ that no one will remember after three months. This list with all its faults is still incomparably better, most people will find something here that they like – films that inspire and films that will be remembered. But anyway, that kind of cultural racism is representative considering who published it.
I liked the list, especially to see Two Days One Night and Volver in it.
A list that doesn’t include Jia Zhang Ke can’t be taken seriously.
A notable title missing form this: Spirited Away, by Hayao Miyazaki.
Agreed! It’s Top 10 and so many people agree with that!
Honestly can’t take this list seriously with no mention of Amelie or Departures. And no Intouchables either.
Three of the most rubbish foreign films of the new century. Clearly, you like treacle.
Ok professor.
I love this list and agree wholeheartedly with pretty much all of it. If there was room for more I would add The Piano Teacher, Girlhood, Pure, A Wolf At The Door and Lust Caution.
Girlhood is #33.
Though ‘White Material’ seems to perfectly suit the ‘characteristic post-colonial film’ identity, M Haneke’s ‘Cache’ still is the most typical example of the burden, a post-colonial democracy bears.
Moreover, Srdan Golubovic ‘Klopka’ is a very clear film about the prospects in a post-communist serbian society, for the likes of Cristi Puiu and Cristian Mungiu.
No list of 21st century foreign language films is complete without the Tabárez classic, Merchants of the Undead Sea. Or how about Cogan’s Arugula? This list is gibberish.
The man without the past by Aki Kaurismäki
I’d love to see at least an ‘also ran’ for Or: My Treasure. Hard to watch, but wonderful central performances.
I want to add two Hungarian movies, Taxidermia (2006) and Kontroll (2003), and a French one Une nouvelle amie (2014)
I found it laughable that ‘Like someone In Love” was the 3rd best film on the list. I just watched it, and it’s at best Average.. wow.. what a let down..
Are you referring to this list? No. 3 on this list is a Korean film.
Laughable having ‘Volver’ at number 1. Around 25 films on this list are better than it.
No anime? That’s a problem.
Being a person who doesn’t expect (or even really want) someone else’s list to look exactly like mine, I absolutely loved this list. It led me to a few things I wasn’t familiar with, doubled my desire to see quite a few I haven’t gotten to yet, and reminded me of the pleasure I found when watching the ones I had already seen. What else could you want from a list like this? I love Volver at number one. I’ve been expecting this film to eventually receive the acclaim it deserves–nice way to start! I also loved the one director-one film rule, since it allowed you to spread the wealth a little more. It seems silly to complain that A Prophet and Lust, Caution are not on here (although I would have put them both) when their directors are mentioned for other films and those films are at least considered. All in all, thanks for a great afternoon’s activity!
Too many notable missing pieces to be taken 100% serious:
– Rust and Bone
– A Prophet
– Amelie
– The Intouchables
– A Secret in Their Eyes
– Battle Royale
…..but with that being said, I appreciate having some unseen foreign films to add to the list.
La Haine (1995)
Home (2008)
The great beauty (2013)
A prophet (2009)
My fav foreign films.
Yeah, as many have mentioned here, `A Prophet’ is the most baffling omission – it’s probably my favorite foreign language film of this new century. (Rust & Bone, Read my Lips, also great). It seems animation didn’t make the cut, but `Spirited Away’ feels like it should be here. And `Hero’ – for all the debate on its politics – is one of the most visually beautiful films in existence. I also think more recent films `Embrace of the Serpent’, `Theeb’, `Force Majeure’ are worthy, but maybe they need more time to sink in. Fantastic list overall, love the article.
Any Top 50 list that does not include “Secret In Their Eyes”, “Mustang” or “Lady Vengeance” (or fails to even mention “The Club” as an Honorable Mention), but puts “Dogtooth” in the top ten, is someone’s idea of a joke.
Tangerines (aka Mandariniid).
I don’t agree with Volver being number 1; Talk To Her is much better.
And yes, Spirited Away is much better than half of the films on the list.
Farhadi’s About Elly is also deserving.
Only 1 scifi fantasty or horror? WHAT THE FUCK!@!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No mention anywhere of Gegen die Wand (Head-On) from Fatih Akin. Birol Unel’s performance is amazing.
Ah … contrary to your claim, the Second World War did NOT end when Hitler died. Remember those pesky Japanese? You know … those guys who kept fighting even after copping the first atomic bomb? Yeah … them…
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Headhunters,
Departures.
After the Wedding (2006)
This writer got “The Lives of Others” wrong. Sebastian Koch plays a well-known PLAYWRIGHT. He does not play a composer in the film.
El Orfanato…. Great movie, scary but not a slasher movie at all. Love it.
7/50
I’d actually seen slightly more than I thought I would have.
Um…Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty?
Forgot Valhalla Rising. Mads at his best.
Wonderful list, and I now have a number of new films on my “to watch” list. Was glad to see the likes of The Hunt make the list. I do think that, as newcolour pointed out, the omission of Spirited Away is a pretty egregious oversight as it’s universally regarded, rightly so, as a masterpiece. I would also vigorously advocate for the inclusion of Winter Sleep, Secret in Their Eyes, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. And I’m also not too comfortable with Crouching Tiger barely making the list at #42. But that said, I’m not here to denigrate the list – eloquent, sound arguments were made for each entry and I discovered some new-to-me films to watch, so thanks!
No one mentioned Lars von Trier? I think “Melancholia” should be in this list.
Also my special mention: Mar adentro by Alejandro Amenábar, Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom by Ki-duk Kim, Plemya by Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, Kis Uykusu by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Stellet Licht by Carlos Reygadas.
Garbage list…
Blacks Game
A Prophet
Baskin
The Last Circus
2046
The World of Kanako
The Grandmaster
All Deserve to be on it….
Great list! A couple more:
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter and Spring
Atanjuarat – The Fast Runner
The Best of Youth
Napapiirin sankarit (2010) (Finland) AKA “Lapland Odyssey”
Matando Cabos (2004) (Mexico) AKA “Killing Cabos”
Vi är bäst! (2013) (Sweden) AKA “We Are The Best”
Best foreign movie ever is Jean De Florette
I think is a great list but also I think there’s great filmes that not listed (Even in the “not mentioned”) such as
– Spirit away
-Night Watch
-White god
-Libanky
-Neon Bull
-La teta asustada
-The secret in their eyes
-Io sono l’amore
– 7 boxes
– Wild tales
-REC (spanish version )