Chosen Not by Fans, But by Pros Like King: 5 Best Films of the 21st Century According to 500 Filmmakers
The list was compiled by actors, directors, and writers: from Sofia Coppola to Stephen King — this isn’t just another random top list.
The New York Times summed up the cinematic achievements of the 21st century so far. More than 500 people — from Julianne Moore, Pamela Anderson, and Pedro Almodóvar to Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, Ari Aster, and Nicholas Sparks — named the films they believe defined the era.
Among the chosen are stories of pain, loneliness, love, and class warfare. The full list includes 100 titles; here, we offer a selection of five — the best of the best.
Parasite (2019)
Bong Joon-ho’s social thriller became the first non-English-language film to win the Oscar for Best Picture — and deservedly so. Beneath its dark satire of class inequality lies a metaphor for modern Korean reality. With an 8.5 rating on IMDb and a flawlessly structured plot, Parasite became more than a sensation — it was a diagnosis of the times.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
David Lynch’s puzzle about memory, desire, and identity breakdown still sparks debate. Mulholland Drive walks the line between dream and reality, pulling viewers deeper with each scene into a hypnotic world where the past is just an editing trick. IMDb rating — 7.9.
There Will Be Blood (2007)
In this film, Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis are torn apart by the clash of faith and capitalism. There Will Be Blood is a film where every monologue sounds like a manifesto, and Plainview’s gaze burns through the screen and across centuries. On IMDb — 8.2, and it remains one of the darkest yet greatest cinematic revelations of the 21st century.
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Wong Kar-wai’s work is a delicate symphony of unspoken words. Every movement here is like a kiss that never happened. 1960s Hong Kong, silk dresses, and the silence between the characters made In the Mood for Love a benchmark of melancholic aesthetics. Rating — 8.1 on IMDb.
Moonlight (2016)
Barry Jenkins’s Oscar-winning film is a coming-of-age chronicle of a Black teenager in America, where strength doesn't mean cruelty and love doesn’t always bring salvation. Moonlight is meditative, quiet, and therefore painfully honest. IMDb rates it 7.4.
