The New York Times has compiled a list of the 100 best films of the 21st century. The rating was based on votes from over 500 film industry professionals from around the world — directors, actors, screenwriters, film critics, and other artists. Among those surveyed were Oscar winners such as Pedro Almodóvar, Sofia Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, and others.
The list was topped by the film Parasite (2019), a profound social satire about the gap between the rich and the poor. This film became the first non-English language film in history to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 2020, as well as the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. HBO is currently working on a series adaptation of the film.
Other iconic works from the last 25 years also made it into the top ten:
- 2nd place — Mulholland Drive by David Lynch (2001): a neo-noir mystery about an actress and a woman with amnesia, full of symbolism and riddles.
- 3rd place — Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood (2007): an epic about the cruel world of capitalism and the greed of oil tycoons.
- 4th place — Wong Kar-wai’s In the Mood for Love (2000): an exquisite art house story of forbidden love.
- 5th place — Moonlight by Barry Jenkins (2016): a trilogy about a black boy growing up in a harsh environment.
- 6th place — No Country for Old Men by the Coen brothers (2007): a dark thriller about fate, violence, and moral choices set in the Texas desert.
- 7th place — Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind by Michel Gondry (2004): the story of a couple who erase their memories of each other after breaking up but cannot forget their feelings.
- 8th place — Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017): a horror film with a sharp social subtext that addresses the issue of racism in modern America.
- 9th place — Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki (2002): a visual extravaganza about a girl in a magical world, considered the pinnacle of animation art.
- 10th place — The Social Network by David Fincher (2010): the story of the creation of Facebook — a dramatic saga about ups and downs, betrayals, and the technological era.
The full list can be viewed here.
The New York Times editorial team also invited users who disagree with the selection of prominent directors and producers to compile their own top ten films of the 21st century using a special form on the website.