1Roma
Afonso Cuarón's Oscar-winning Roma is a gorgeous, sweeping story. The 1970s-set film follows Cleo, an indigenous Mexican woman working as a housekeeper for a wealthy family. She has to navigate tensions between the family members, her own issues at home, and sociopolitical upheaval in Mexico.
2To Leslie
In 2022, To Leslie premiered to critical acclaim at SXSW, making waves for its unconventional word-of-mouth awards campaign—which earned its star, Andrea Riseborough, an Oscar nomination.
3Born on the Fourth of July
This blistering anti-war drama—starring a young Tom Cruise!—is a phenomenal film in Oliver Stone's resume. Cruise plays Ron Kovic, tracking his childhood and adolescence, to his military service in Vietnam, and eventual transition to anti-war activism.
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4The Power of the Dog
In 2021, The Power of the Dog made a huge splash, due to Jane Campion's stellar direction and realization of the revisionist western setting. The Power of the Dog also features great performances from Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
5Phantom Thread
Paul Thomas Anderson's haute couture period romance about a fashion designer and his muse features one of Daniel Day-Lewis's best performances. It also marked his final acting role. Beyond Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread is dripping in style and tension—and absolutely worth the watch, if you missed it.
6All Quiet on the Western Front
All Quiet on the Western Front is a phenomenal adaptation of the harrowing WWI book of the same name. It tracks a young soldier on the German side of combat, whose dreams of becoming a war hero quickly fade. Eventually, his goal to just make it out of the horrifying trench warfare alive. All Quiet on the Western Front also added new scenes that weren't in the book, dramatizing the armistice negotiations that ended the Great War.
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7Titanic
What is there to say about Titanic that you don't already know? It's one of the greatest romance stories ever told. Watch (or rewatch!) it right now—or whenever you have over three hours to spare.
8Frances Ha
At least one dramedy deserves recognition on this list! Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach's collaboration is still equally delightful and moving, bolstered by Gerwig's effortless charm as the aimless dancer Frances Halliday.
9The Irishman
The Irishman is one of Martin Scorsese's most epic crime stories yet—which is really saying something. In the film, veteran Scorsese collaborators Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino absolutely shine. The rest of the ensemble cast is just as strong, with stellar turns from Jesse Plemons, Ray Romano, Anna Paquin, and Bobby Cannavale.
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10Still Alice
This heartbreaking drama won Julianne Moore an Oscar for her portrayal of a professor who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
11The King
This war drama is a loose adaptation of various plays of Shakespeare's Henriad. The King features some great fight scenes, political intrigue, and family drama centered around Henry V. Plus, Timothée Chalamet delivers an impressive performance as the young king.
12Mudbound
Dee Rees's first film for Netflix is an incredible exploration of racism and PTSD in 20th-century Mississippi. The film's director of photography, Rachel Morrison, was the first woman to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
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13The Kindergarten Teacher
Maggie Gyllenhaal's presence in anything elevates its quality—and she fired on all cylinders in this unsettling starring role. In The Kindergarten Teacher, she plays a teacher who develops an obsession with a five-year-old student who she believes is a poetry prodigy.
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