Best Films of the 21st Century
A vibrant map of the new millennium’s aesthetic and social anxieties, proving that the art of the moving image remains as vital as ever.
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1
Dogville (2003)
A radical cinematic experiment using a minimalist stage set to deliver a scathing critique of human nature and societal hypocrisy.
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2
Naqoyqatsi (2002)
The final installment of the Qatsi trilogy, using digitally altered imagery to explore the shift from nature to a technologically mediated world.
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3
The White Ribbon (2009)
A chilling, monochrome investigation into the roots of authoritarianism and the birth of evil within a pre-WWI German village.
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4
Mulholland Drive (2001)
A surreal and haunting masterpiece that deconstructs the Hollywood mythos within a dreamlike, neo-noir labyrinth.
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5
There Will Be Blood (2007)
A titanic exploration of greed, faith, and the American dream, featuring a monumental performance by Daniel Day-Lewis.
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6
Sin City (2005)
A groundbreaking visual achievement that perfectly translates the stark noir aesthetics of Frank Miller’s graphic novels to film.
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7
The Turin Horse (2011)
A radical, minimalist epic that captures the slow and inevitable entropy of existence with mesmerizing visual gravity.
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8
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003)
A meditative and visually flawless Buddhist parable reflecting on the cyclical nature of human life and redemption.
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9
Distant (2002)
A minimalist and beautifully shot meditation on urban alienation and the existential drift between two cousins in Istanbul.
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10
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
A faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the final years of Hollywood's Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.
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11
The Man Without a Past (2002)
A deadpan and deeply humanist story about resilience, community, and starting over in the face of absolute loss.
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12
The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005)
A gritty and energetic character study of a man torn between a life of brutal crime and the sensitive art of the piano.
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13
Parasite (2019)
A masterful, genre-bending thriller that offers a sharp and visceral critique of class inequality through an impeccably constructed narrative.
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14
Saraband (2003)
A master's final, philosophical work revisiting the complex family themes and existential concerns of his earlier masterpieces.
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15
Spirited Away (2001)
A visually stunning and imaginative animated journey that serves as a profound allegory for growth and identity.
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16
Divine Intervention (2002)
A surreal and darkly comic series of minimalist sketches depicting the absurdity and tension of life under occupation.
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17
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
A stark and harrowing masterpiece of realism that chronicles a difficult moral choice in late-Communist Romania.
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18
The Piano Teacher (2001)
An unsettling and intellectually rigorous study of repressed desire, power dynamics, and the limits of the human psyche.
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19
One Battle After Another (2025)
An epic American action-thriller inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland, following an ex-revolutionary who is brought back into conflict.
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20
Son of Saul (2015)
A visceral and immersive cinematic experience that provides a devastatingly close-up perspective on the industrial horror of the Holocaust.
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21
Edi (2002)
A poignant and visually thoughtful Polish drama about redemption and spiritual dignity found on the fringes of society.
81 more films in this collection
The full ranking of 102 films, with reviews, quotes and trivia for every entry, is available inside the Film Canon app.