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Top Ten Films of the 2010s List

The 2010s were my first decade where film became one of my favorite hobbies and areas of interest. It’s the only decade that I extensively followed and researched as I started watching movies at the beginning of it. Thus, I have watched around a thousand films from this ultimately excellent decade for film that proved to be very diverse in terms of genres, the emergence of foreign films as serious contenders, and of course the many great indies made on a shoestring budget. For my top ten list with five honorable mentions, I chose to only include the very best of the best, the crème of the crop if you will, so these are all some of the best films of their respective years, but consequently not all years were represented equally with 2012 unfortunately being left out entirely while 2011, 2014 and 2018 dominated. So without further ado, here’s my list.

10. Her

This was an amazing decade for the romance genre as evidenced by a couple ending up on my personal list. This 2013 romance is also a science fiction film, and it succeeds at both genres easily. It is genuinely heartfelt, and perfectly acted by both Joaquin Phoenix and especially Scarlett Johansson whose voice performance here is one of the greatest in voice over history. The romance that develops between the two is genuine, real and at the end of the day deeply touching and raising many thought-provoking questions about the nature of their relationship. The film presents a very near, plausible future, which made it all the more powerful and affecting. It’s also beautifully shot, scored and directed. It’s going to become an even greater classic in the future; I have no doubt about it.

9. Project Nim

My ninth place goes to a documentary film, and not just any documentary, but my favorite that I have seen so far without any doubt. It is about a 1970s research experiment in which a family raised a chimpanzee as a human child and tried to teach him a limited sign language. I have always been fascinated with this subject matter – animal intelligence, the question of whether or not chimpanzees will be like humans, and the ethics of such conducted experiments. This is a very complex movie that never vilifies any side, but showcases just how brutal these animals can be while also being genuinely smart. It also shows how humans conducting these experiments are immoral for Nim’s life was basically forever altered and destroyed because of it. It’s a deeply moving film that also never stops being fascinating and very clever.

8. Shoplifters

Shoplifters made an indelible emotional impact on me when I saw it at a film festival in Belgrade. I was so moved by its ending that I ended up crying, and that rarely happens to me in films these days. But this film is indescribably moving and impactful as it beautifully showcases just how potent non-biological families can be, and that those can be just as great as the biological ones. The film also offers a painful look at the newly emerged poverty in Japan. The first half is a wonderful build-up and the second half is all pay-off with a giant heart to it. The characters are dynamic and oh so real as this family felt very much alive. The performances are uniformly excellent while the direction from Hirokazu Kore-eda is fantastic.

7. A Separation

With complex themes beautifully explored, amazing performances across the board and many hard-hitting, powerful scenes, A Separation is very tightly edited and directed. This drama is difficult but also essential to watch fueled by a brilliant script and fantastic dialogue. It is a very complex film which doesn’t give us easy answers, but portrays life as it is – messy and complicated. It rightfully won its Oscar, being the best foreign Oscar winner in history, and it remains the most quintessential, best example of how potent and powerful Iranian cinema has truly become. ‘The Salesman’ was also a fantastic film (one of the best of 2016 for sure), but this one remains the magnum opus when it comes to the filmography of its brilliant director Asghar Farhadi.

6. How to Train Your Dragon

The Dragon franchise is my second favorite after the Apes series. The third movie was a beautiful conclusion, the second one is the darkest chapter, but the original remains the greatest of the trilogy in my opinion. This is where DreamWorks Animation reached its peak, which I doubt they will ever reach again. The animation is beautiful, the flight sequences are spectacular, the score is just so amazing and the emotional investment is very strong. It is also populated with wonderful, superbly developed characters with Hiccup in particular being one of the best animated characters ever created. Its world-building is also terrific as is the simple, sweet nature to it. It remains a timeless piece of animation, and one of the greatest animated films in history.

5. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Easily the finest blockbuster of the decade gets the sixth spot on my list. As I have said above, the Apes franchise is my favorite, in particular this new trilogy. The third movie was such a grounded, wonderful conclusion whereas the first entry was a terrific beginning that instantly intrigued me. But the middle chapter is actually the best one in this instance for a variety of reasons. Evil is born along with evolution and it is a necessary negative aspect that comes from intelligence and leads all wars; the society needs to have cooperation and trust in order to progress – those are the themes that drive this highly sophisticated outing that is also moving in its third act and highly entertaining in its action scenes. It’s a film that truly has it all.

4. Wrinkles

Wrinkles (Arrugas) has to be the most underrated animated film of the decade. It is respected by the critics, but little known by audiences, which is an utter shame. This film is to me the ultimate, best so far depiction of the elderly and in particular the retirement homes. It never stops being extremely realistic in the depiction of their plight, and in particular focusing on Alzheimer’s disease with that last scene being so heartbreaking that it made me cry the first time I saw it. But the genius in this film lies in its varied tone as it also features some very light, enjoyable, even comedic sequences, all truly wonderful. The characterization is also fantastic, and in particular the central friendship is bound to move anyone while that flashback scene is one of the most purely romantic things that I have ever seen. It’s a true gem of a film.

3. Border

Exiting the theater after the showing of Border, I was both perplexed and in awe. I was at a loss of words. That’s how much it impacted me. This masterpiece of a film should never be discussed in terms of plot as any mention of it can be regarded as a major spoiler. Yes, it should be shrouded in secrecy as even its genre is a twist itself. This Swedish miracle was unfortunately disregarded by some for being too weird, but I hugely respected it weirdness and its unprecedented originality – the authenticity that you simply rarely see anymore, and thus we all need to appreciate it more. The film’s so well acted, shot and made overall while it’s intricately plotted, actually very sophisticated and unexpected at its every turn. It needs to be seen to be believed is all I’m saying.

2. The Lunchbox

The Lunchbox is another film that I thankfully got the opportunity to see on the big screen and actually very late in the game, last year to be precise. And I was simply floored by it. In a decade full of great romances, this has to be the greatest of them all. This Indian towering achievement benefits from its great approach of being very much Indian in its many details and surroundings, but highly universal thematically speaking, and that mix is to be sought after by all foreign films in my book. The epistolary approach to it made me feel as if I was reading a great novel. The characters are so rich and simply wonderful whereas the humor is phenomenal as it made me laugh multiple times. It’s both funny and romantic, both entertaining and very deep. It’s the definition of a clever, all-encompassing crowd-pleaser that should be seen literally by everyone.

1. Boyhood

Boyhood is a brilliant, truly groundbreaking movie in its 12-year filming period which resulted in the protagonist literally growing up before our very eyes. However, that’s not the most brilliant aspect to this masterpiece. Its themes and realism are. Unlike all other coming-of-age movies, Boyhood truly gets what it’s like growing up, growing old and how passage of time and memory truly work in us humans as it portrays not the regular, important events of one’s life, but the more minor, but still significant moments that are meaningful and help shape a person. It is one of the smartest films ever made as it explores passage of time, regrets, life disappointments, unrealistic expectations, nihilism and so much more in a brutally honest manner. Patricia Arquette is revelatory with that scene of hers where she breaks down in tears over how her life is moving so fast being so tragic how real and raw it is. Boyhood is Richard Linklater’s magnum opus that only gets better upon subsequent viewings. It truly is one of the greatest movies in film history, and the only possible choice for me to top this list.

Honorable Mentions:

Portrait of a Lady on Fire – This French lesbian romance was the best film of 2019 without any doubt. It’s a very moving, highly romantic film that benefits from excellent performances, superb direction and high realism at display. It’s also gorgeously shot and very much timeless in its appeal.

Room – Room is stupendously acted by Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson. It succeeds as a very moving drama, but also as an intense thriller of sorts as many of its scenes are very disturbing. It’s a high-concept film that worked in its entirety, and it was undoubtedly the very best movie of 2015.

Three Billboards – Three Billboards is such a crazy dramedy that is very authentic in its tone and approach. I found the performances all spectacular while it deals with its subject matter in a very powerful way. It was somewhat of a polarizing movie, but I was entertained, amused and satisfied throughout. It was my favorite film of 2017.

Logan – This one grew on me. At first, I loved it, but I did not adore it. Now, I have come to believe that it’s the greatest superhero film in history, and one of the best blockbusters overall, period. The film’s beautifully acted, shot and directed. It serves as a powerful western drama of sorts, and simply a perfect conclusion for the character of Wolverine.

Lion – Lion was my favorite film of 2016. I realize that not many people loved it as much, but I was moved so much by its ending, and I found the entire first half genuinely riveting. It’s a story that really happened, but was made for movies, and they truly created one epic drama for the ages.