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The Best Movies Directed By Women of the 21st Century

For Women’s History Month, Rotten Tomatoes is commemorating the work of women directors throughout the 21st Century. Our guide to the 270 best-reviewed movies by women filmmakers since 2000 includes documentary marvels like Nanfu Wang’s One Child Nation and Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson as well as unforgettable narrative features like Marielle Heller’s Can You Ever Forgive Me? and Ava DuVernay’s Selma. The movies on the list cover an expansive breadth of topics, characters, and stories. They dispel the fallacy that women directors can only tell one type of story, one gorgeous image after moving story after another.

Women have been shaping cinema since its earliest days. Silent era pioneers like Alice Guy-Blaché and Lois Weber blazed a trail as influential as their male counterparts; screenwriters like Francis Marion and editors like Margaret Booth were celebrated for their work, and Booth would go on to be one of the most influential voices on the MGM Studio lot. But as the film business became more lucrative, women were largely and unceremoniously pushed out of the creative and decision-making side of filmmaking. While many broke through with incredible work — among them Dorothy Arzner, Elaine May, Agnès Varda, and Kathryn Bigelow, who became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker — the decades after the silent era and through the end of the 20th century saw filmmaking, especially in the mainstream, increasingly dominated by men. 

The past two decades have seen some great movement, though, and some major milestones hit (that Oscar win for Bigelow; Patty Jenkins’ historic work on Wonder Woman). The directors on this list include Lulu Wang, whose touching movie The Farewell won critical and industry acclaim, as well as Céline Sciamma for her latest film, Portrait of a Lady on Fire. (Now, if only the Academy would acknowledge their efforts…). There’s also Waad Al-Kateab, who with fellow director Edward Watts, brought her searing personal experience of the Syrian conflict to viewers around the world in For Sama, and Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, who took audiences with her back to 1990s Chile in her coming-of-age drama Too Late to Die Young. Sabaah Folayan’s feature debut Whose Streets? sits near Agnès Varda’s final documentaries Varda by Agnès and Faces Places.

To make the list, we looked at the top Certified Fresh films rated 90% and above directed by women since 2000, including those in directing teams. Among 2023’s additions include Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall and Celine Song’s Past Lives (each nominated for the 2024 Best Picture Oscar), Kelly Fremon Craig’s Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret., Emma Seligman’s Bottoms, Raine Allen Miller’s Rye Lane, Sammi Cohen’s You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, and Adele Lim’s Joy Ride.

Enjoy the following list as a guide to some of the best movies by women directors so far this century. No two movies are alike in their ability to entertain, inform or reach us. – Monica Castillo 


Page 1: Movies from 2020-present | Page 2: Movies from 2010-2019 | Page 3: Movies from 2000-2009


#1

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#1
Adjusted Score: 112150%
Critics Consensus: A smart, solidly crafted procedural that's anchored in family drama, Anatomy of a Fall finds star Sandra Hüller and director/co-writer Justine Triet operating at peak power.
Synopsis: For the past year, Sandra, her husband Samuel, and their eleven-year-old son Daniel have lived a secluded life in a... [More]

#2

Past Lives (2023)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#2
Adjusted Score: 112823%
Critics Consensus: A remarkable debut for writer-director Celine Song, Past Lives uses the bonds between its sensitively sketched central characters to support trenchant observations on the human condition.
Synopsis: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Two... [More]

#3
Adjusted Score: 111684%
Critics Consensus: Effervescent and refreshingly frank about the travails of puberty, this long-awaited adaptation does full justice to Judy Blume's seminal novel.
Synopsis: For over fifty years, Judy Blume's classic and groundbreaking novel Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. has impacted generations... [More]

#4

Bottoms (2023)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#4
Adjusted Score: 102204%
Critics Consensus: Propulsive and over-the-top, Bottoms is an instant high school comedy classic that feels both current and nostalgic.
Synopsis: BOTTOMS, a refreshingly unique raunchy comedy, focuses on two girls, PJ and Josie, who start a fight club as a... [More]

#5

Rye Lane (2023)
Tomatometer icon 98%

#5
Adjusted Score: 105246%
Critics Consensus: Good news, rom-com fans: Anyone looking for a smart, funny, and heartwarming new addition to the canon can find it waiting on Rye Lane.
Synopsis: Yas (Vivian Oparah) and Dom (David Jonsson), two twenty-somethings both reeling from bad break-ups, connect over the course of an... [More]

#6
Adjusted Score: 94661%
Critics Consensus: A coming-of-age comedy that sidesteps simple nostalgia, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah finds fresh humor in adolescent anxiety -- and suggests a bright future for star Sunny Sandler.
Synopsis: Stacy and Lydia are BFFs who've always dreamed about having epic bat mitzvahs. However, things start to go comically awry... [More]

#7

Joy Ride (2023)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#7
Adjusted Score: 101907%
Critics Consensus: Joy Ride isn't afraid to shock with its gross-out gags, but this road trip's real surprise is how successfully it blends its raunchy humor with real heart.
Synopsis: The hilarious and unapologetically explicit story of identity and self-discovery centers on four unlikely friends who embark on a once-in-a-lifetime... [More]

#8

Reality (2023)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#8
Adjusted Score: 99094%
Critics Consensus: Reality's narrow scope and gripping fact-based story add up to a riveting showcase for Sydney Sweeney in the title role.
Synopsis: On a Saturday afternoon, in June 2017, Reality Winner, a 25-year-old in cut-off jeans, is confronted at her Georgia home... [More]

#9

The Starling Girl (2023)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#9
Adjusted Score: 96378%
Critics Consensus: Sensitively and intelligently crafted by writer-director Laurel Parmet, The Starling Girl is a well-told coming-of-age story centering around a young woman's struggles with her spiritual faith.
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Jem Starling struggles to define her place within her fundamentalist Christian community in rural Kentucky. Even her greatest joy... [More]

#10

Scrapper (2023)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#10
Adjusted Score: 99992%
Critics Consensus: Like a cold treat on a hot day, Scrapper delivers two scoops of a sweet father-daughter dramedy best consumed when in need of a hug.
Synopsis: This vibrant and inventive father-daughter comedy follows Georgie (Lola Campbell), a resourceful 12-year-old girl who secretly lives alone in her... [More]

#11
#11
Adjusted Score: 106146%
Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and above all entertaining, You Hurt My Feelings finds writer-director Nicole Holofcener as sharply perceptive as ever.
Synopsis: From acclaimed filmmaker Nicole Holofcener comes a sharply observed comedy about a novelist whose long standing marriage is suddenly upended... [More]

#12

How to Have Sex (2023)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#12
Adjusted Score: 104545%
Critics Consensus: A powerful debut for Molly Manning Walker, How to Have Sex authentically captures female adolescence and friendship with sobering effervescence.
Synopsis: Three British teenage girls go on a rites-of-passage holiday -- drinking, clubbing and hooking up, in what should be the... [More]

#13

birth/rebirth (2023)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#13
Adjusted Score: 100796%
Critics Consensus: Firmly rooted in classic horror, Birth/Rebirth uses a familiar framework to tease at fundamental fears from a chillingly relatable angle.
Synopsis: Rose (Marin Ireland) is a pathologist who prefers working with corpses over social interaction. She also has an obsession --... [More]

#14

Four Daughters (2023)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#14
Adjusted Score: 99899%
Critics Consensus: Four Daughters' unique approach to documenting real-life horror is a formal gamble that only underscores the bravery and resilience of its subjects.
Synopsis: This riveting exploration of rebellion, memory, and sisterhood reconstructs the story of Olfa Hamrouni and her four daughters, unpacking a... [More]

#15

Earth Mama (2023)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#15
Adjusted Score: 99525%
Critics Consensus: Heavy yet hopeful, Earth Mama is a moving look at single motherhood on the margins that features outstanding work from writer-director Savanah Leaf and star Tia Nomore.
Synopsis: With two children in foster care, Gia, a pregnant single mother pitted against the system, fights to reclaim her family.... [More]

#16

Shayda (2023)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#16
Adjusted Score: 101737%
Critics Consensus: An understated yet impactful story of female empowerment, Shayda establishes first-time feature filmmaker Noora Niasari as a remarkably assured talent.
Synopsis: SHAYDA, a brave Iranian mother, finds refuge in an Australian women's shelter with her six-year-old daughter. Over Persian New Year,... [More]

#17

A Thousand and One (2023)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#17
Adjusted Score: 103708%
Critics Consensus: A tribute to parental devotion and a testament to Teyana Taylor's talent, A Thousand and One presents a heart-wrenching portrait of perseverance in the face of systemic inequity.
Synopsis: A THOUSAND AND ONE follows unapologetic and free-spirited Inez (Teyana Taylor), who kidnaps six-year-old Terry from the foster care system.... [More]

#18

Girl Picture (2022)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#18
Adjusted Score: 100390%
Critics Consensus: Sensitively written and beautifully acted, Girl Picture captures the whirlwind of teenage emotions without sacrificing narrative maturity and depth.
Synopsis: Best friends Mimmi and Rönkkö work after school at a food court smoothie kiosk, frankly swapping stories of their frustrations... [More]

#19

Till (2022)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#19
Adjusted Score: 106537%
Critics Consensus: Till reframes an historically horrific murder within a mother's grief, brought heartwrenchingly to life by Danielle Deadwyler's tremendous performance.
Synopsis: Till is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice... [More]

#20

Sissy (2022)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#20
Adjusted Score: 99391%
Critics Consensus: Sissy weaves timely themes into its rich blend of horror and dark humor, topped off by terrific work from a talented cast led by Aisha Dee.
Synopsis: Cecilia and Emma were tween-age BFFs who were going to grow old together and never let anything come between them,... [More]

#21

Turning Red (2022)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#21
Adjusted Score: 110990%
Critics Consensus: Heartwarming, humorous, beautifully animated, and culturally expansive, Turning Red extends Pixar's long list of family-friendly triumphs.
Synopsis: In "Turning Red", Mei Lee is a confident, dorky thirteen-year-old torn between staying her mother's dutiful daughter and the chaos... [More]

#22

The Woman King (2022)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#22
Adjusted Score: 109215%
Critics Consensus: All hail Viola Davis! The Woman King rules.
Synopsis: The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom... [More]

#23
Adjusted Score: 105464%
Critics Consensus: Sexual awakening stories aren't in short supply, but Good Luck to You, Leo Grande proves you can still tell one with a refreshing -- and very funny -- spin.
Synopsis: In GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE, two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson (Love, Actually) embodies the candor and apprehension... [More]

#24

Aftersun (2022)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#24
Adjusted Score: 109402%
Critics Consensus: Led by Frankie Corio's tremendous performance, Aftersun deftly ushers audiences to the intersection between our memories of loved ones and who they really are.
Synopsis: At a fading vacation resort, 11-year-old Sophie treasures rare time together with her loving and idealistic father, Calum (Paul Mescal).... [More]

#25

Hatching (2022)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#25
Adjusted Score: 99857%
Critics Consensus: A message movie in a hard horror shell, Hatching perches between beauty and revulsion -- and establishes director Hanna Bergholm as a bright new talent.
Synopsis: In HATCHING, 12-year-old gymnast, Tinja (Siiri Solalinna), is desperate to please her image-obsessed mother, whose popular blog 'Lovely Everyday Life'... [More]

#26

Piggy (2022)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#26
Adjusted Score: 95973%
Critics Consensus: Brought hauntingly to life by Laura Galán's committed performance, Piggy deftly deploys genre thrills in service of sharp social commentary.
Synopsis: With the summer sun beating down on her rural Spanish town, Sara hides away in her parent's butcher shop. A... [More]

#27

Deadstream (2022)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#27
Adjusted Score: 92571%
Critics Consensus: Proof that there's still life in the found-footage gimmick, Deadstream is a scarily good bit of B-movie fun.
Synopsis: After a public controversy left him disgraced and demonetized, a washed up internet personality tries to win back his followers... [More]

#28

Nanny (2022)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#28
Adjusted Score: 98667%
Critics Consensus: Led by Anna Diop's strong central performance, the smartly disquieting Nanny is a promising debut for writer-director Nikyatu Jusu.
Synopsis: In this psychological horror fable of displacement, Aisha (Anna Diop), a woman who recently emigrated from Senegal, is hired to... [More]

#29
Adjusted Score: 90045%
Critics Consensus: With a hopeful tune, The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future basks in magical realism to deliver a compelling family drama swathed in a powerful environmental fable.
Synopsis: When thousands of fish die in a polluted river in southern Chile, Magdalena, a woman long-deceased, emerges amongst their lifeless... [More]

#30
#30
Adjusted Score: 91460%
Critics Consensus: Narratively subtle and beautifully acted, You Can Live Forever finds soulful drama at the intersection of sexual orientation and religious faith.
Synopsis: In the early '90s, gay teen Jaime is sent to live with her devout Jehovah’s Witness relatives after the death... [More]

#31
#31
Adjusted Score: 92693%
Critics Consensus: A delightfully unique tribute to the transporting power of cinema, Leonor Will Never Die marks director/co-writer Martika Ramirez Escobar as a talent to watch.
Synopsis: Leonor Reyes was once a major player in the Filipino film industry after creating a string of successful action films,... [More]

#32

The Unknown Country (2022)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#32
Adjusted Score: 93930%
Critics Consensus: Lily Gladstone's outstanding performances powers The Unknown Country through some narrative drift to its ultimately profound destination.
Synopsis: Reeling from a devastating loss, Tana (Lily Gladstone) is pulled back into the world by an unexpected invitation to her... [More]

#33

Chile '76 (2022)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#33
Adjusted Score: 93338%
Critics Consensus: Chile '76 is an intriguing historical noir that radiographs Pinochet's patronizing and patriarchal society through the eyes of a steely bourgeoise woman who dares to take a stand.
Synopsis: Chile, 1976. Carmen heads off to her beach house to supervise its renovation. Her husband, children and grandchildren come back... [More]

#34
#34
Adjusted Score: 93985%
Critics Consensus: Other People's Children perceptively explores motherhood outside traditional biological confines and delivers sobering truths with an ample side of levity.
Synopsis: Rachel is 40 years old, with no children. She loves her life: her high school students, her friends, her ex,... [More]

#35

War Pony (2022)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#35
Adjusted Score: 95162%
Critics Consensus: With subtlety and authenticity, War Pony tracks the lives of two young Indigenous men and cements the two women behind the lens, Riley Keough and Gina Gammell, as talents to watch.
Synopsis: At 23, Bill (Jojo Bapteise Whiting) just wants to make something of himself. Whether it's siphoning gas, delivering goods or... [More]

#36

Falcon Lake (2022)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#36
Adjusted Score: 95927%
Critics Consensus: Moody, sensitive, and subtly layered, Falcon Lake captures the intoxicating horror of young love.
Synopsis: A shy teenager on a summer vacation experiences the joy and pain of young adulthood when he forges an unlikely... [More]

#37

Revoir Paris (2022)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#37
Adjusted Score: 96688%
Critics Consensus: Further distinguished by Virginie Efira's superb performance, Revoir Paris explores trauma's aftermath with devastating tenderness.
Synopsis: After an idyllic date night full of red wine and a late-night motorcycle ride home, Mia (Virginie Efira) stops at... [More]

#38

Saint Omer (2022)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#38
Adjusted Score: 101140%
Critics Consensus: A gut-punching contemplation of a woman's immigrant experience, Saint Omer puts a mother on the stand and the audience in the jury box to find humanity in the inhumane.
Synopsis: Saint-Omer court of law. Young novelist Rama attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her... [More]

#39

Women Talking (2022)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#39
Adjusted Score: 106693%
Critics Consensus: While Women Talking sometimes forsakes entertaining drama in favor of simply getting its points across, its message is valuable -- and effectively delivered.
Synopsis: Do nothing. Stay and fight. Or leave. In 2010, the women of an isolated religious community grapple with reconciling a... [More]

#40

Blue Jean (2022)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#40
Adjusted Score: 101791%
Critics Consensus: Bridging times past with issues that are still current, Blue Jean resonates intellectually and emotionally thanks to thoughtful direction and authentic performances.
Synopsis: England, 1988 -- Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government is about to pass a law stigmatizing gays and lesbians, forcing Jean, a... [More]

#41

Amanda (2022)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#41
Adjusted Score: 96578%
Critics Consensus: A is for Amanda, an amusingly absurd coming-of-age comedy that offers poignant observations and positions director Carolina Cavalli as a talent to watch.
Synopsis: Born into an upper-class family with a doting mother who foots the bill for her indolent lifestyle, 24-year-old combative Amanda... [More]

#42
#42
Adjusted Score: 101910%
Critics Consensus: A bone-chilling body horror, Huesera offers genre fans a twisted take on What to Expect When You're Expecting.
Synopsis: Valeria's joy at becoming a first-time mother is quickly taken away when she's cursed by a sinister entity. As danger... [More]

#43

Klondike (2022)
Tomatometer icon 98%

#43
Adjusted Score: 99402%
Critics Consensus: Klondike offers a bleak portrait of a war-torn Ukrainian village with the mordant wit of someone who understands that for civilians, the mundanities of life must go on.
Synopsis: July 2014. Expectant parents Irka and Tolik live in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border, disputed... [More]

#44

Alcarràs (2022)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#44
Adjusted Score: 95455%
Critics Consensus: While it may lack a narrative punch, Alcarràs captures this rural world and its heritage with a gripping sense of nostalgia for things forever gone.
Synopsis: In a small village in Catalonia, the peach farmers of the Solé family spend every summer together picking fruit from... [More]

#45

Vesper (2022)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#45
Adjusted Score: 93922%
Critics Consensus: More visually impressive than narratively engaging, Vesper rewards patient viewers with immersive world-building and intelligent ideas.
Synopsis: After the collapse of Earth's ecosystem, Vesper, a 13-year-old girl struggling to survive with her Father, must use her wits,... [More]

#46

One Fine Morning (2022)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#46
Adjusted Score: 100842%
Critics Consensus: Finely wrought to a fault, One Fine Morning presents a subtle, well-acted look at life and love.
Synopsis: Sandra, a young mother who raises her daughter alone, pays regular visits to her sick father. While she and her... [More]

#47

She Said (2022)
Tomatometer icon 88%

#47
Adjusted Score: 103335%
Critics Consensus: Although She Said struggles to add cinematic flair to its fact-based story, it remains a worthy, well-acted tribute to journalistic integrity.
Synopsis: Two-time Academy Award® nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, An Education) and Zoe Kazan (The Plot Against America limited series,... [More]

#48

Pray Away (2020)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#48
Adjusted Score: 93641%
Critics Consensus: Pray Away presents a compassionate picture of the damage wrought by so-called conversion therapy -- on its subjects as well as its proponents.
Synopsis: Five evangelicals in the 1970s break away and form Exodus International, a group that claims that gay people can become... [More]

#49

Shiva Baby (2020)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#49
Adjusted Score: 104544%
Critics Consensus: A ruefully funny calling card for debuting director Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby transcends its sitcom setup with strong performances and satisfying insights.
Synopsis: While at a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student has an awkward encounter with her sugar daddy... [More]

#50

Together Together (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#50
Adjusted Score: 97408%
Critics Consensus: Together Together explores love and parenthood from unexpected angles, capturing a broad spectrum of emotions through Patti Harrison and Ed Helms' starring performances.
Synopsis: When young loner Anna is hired as the gestational surrogate for Matt, a single man in his 40s who wants... [More]

#51

V/H/S/94 (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#51
Adjusted Score: 92719%
Critics Consensus: V/H/S/94 gets the franchise back on track with a gory buffet of shorts that should delight horror anthology fans.
Synopsis: A Shudder Original Film, V/H/S/94 is the fourth installment in the hit horror anthology franchise and marks the return of... [More]

#52

Ailey (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#52
Adjusted Score: 93420%
Critics Consensus: Ailey pays invigorating tribute to its subject's brilliant legacy -- and offers a tantalizing introduction to the rest of a fascinating story.
Synopsis: Alvin Ailey was a trailblazing pioneer who found salvation through dance. AILEY traces the full contours of this brilliant and... [More]

#53

Martyrs Lane (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#53
Adjusted Score: 91695%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted by its young leads, Martyrs Lane tells a slow-burning ghost story that gathers real emotional weight.
Synopsis: In this unsettling ghost story, Leah, 10, lives in a large, old house with her family but can't quite work... [More]

#54

Passing (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#54
Adjusted Score: 102528%
Critics Consensus: While Passing's delicate approach has a dampening effect on its story, debuting director Rebecca Hall makes the most of an impressive cast -- and handles thorny themes with impressive dexterity.
Synopsis: In 1920s New York City, a Black woman finds her world upended when her life becomes intertwined with a former... [More]

#55
#55
Adjusted Score: 96330%
Critics Consensus: Drawing on another terrific performance from Honor Swinton Byrne, The Souvenir Part II continues its story with profound emotional complexity and elegant storytelling.
Synopsis: In the aftermath of her tumultuous relationship with a charismatic and manipulative older man, Julie begins to untangle her fraught... [More]

#56

El Planeta (2021)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#56
Adjusted Score: 96318%
Critics Consensus: El Planeta taps into real-life economic anxiety to present a darkly humorous glimpse of life spent teetering on the edge of financial ruin.
Synopsis: Amidst the devastation of post-crisis Spain, mother and daughter bluff and grift to keep up the lifestyle they think they... [More]

#57
Adjusted Score: 99444%
Critics Consensus: Like the show whose groundbreaking creation it commemorates, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is as enlightening as it is purely entertaining.
Synopsis: Street Gang will take us inside the minds and hearts of the Sesame Street creators to help us understand not... [More]

#58
Adjusted Score: 101091%
Critics Consensus: An affecting profile of screen legend Rita Moreno, Just a Girl is at once a sharp critique of the industry's crushing inequities and a beautiful homage to an artist who never backed down despite the odds.
Synopsis: Over a 70+ year career, Rita Moreno defied both her humble upbringing and relentless racism to become a celebrated and... [More]

#59

Plan B (2021)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#59
Adjusted Score: 98021%
Critics Consensus: Plan B doesn't overplay its timely message -- and it doesn't have to, thanks to a sharp, funny script and the sparkling chemistry between its charming stars.
Synopsis: After a regrettable sexual encounter, a straight-laced student and her best friend have 24 hours to hunt down a Plan... [More]

#60

In the Same Breath (2021)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#60
Adjusted Score: 98073%
Critics Consensus: Gripping and clear-eyed, In the Same Breath captures history as it's being written -- and governmental failures as they amplify worldwide tragedy.
Synopsis: IN THE SAME BREATH recounts the experiences of people on the ground in the earliest days of the novel coronavirus... [More]

#61

The Novice (2021)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#61
Adjusted Score: 96743%
Critics Consensus: A remarkable first feature for writer-director Lauren Hadaway, The Novice paints a thrilling -- and disturbing -- portrait of obsession.
Synopsis: Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan) plays Alex Dall, a queer college freshman who joins her university's rowing team and undertakes an obsessive... [More]

#62

I'm Your Man (2021)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#62
Adjusted Score: 101871%
Critics Consensus: With a thought-provoking concept brought to humorous life by a pair of well-matched leads, I'm Your Man is an AI rom-com whose intelligence is anything but artificial.
Synopsis: In order to obtain funds for her research, Alma (Maren Eggert) is persuaded to participate in an extraordinary study. For... [More]

#63

Petite Maman (2021)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#63
Adjusted Score: 107858%
Critics Consensus: Small in narrative scope but deeply impactful, Petite Maman is a delicate, powerfully acted meditation on grief.
Synopsis: Céline Sciamma continues to prove herself as one of the most accomplished and unpredictable contemporary French filmmakers with her follow... [More]

#64

The Rescue (2021)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#64
Adjusted Score: 100605%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The Rescue chronicles the enthralling, against-all-odds story that transfixed the world in 2018: the daring rescue of twelve boys and... [More]

#65

Attica (2021)
Tomatometer icon 100%

#65
Adjusted Score: 102025%
Critics Consensus: Attica revisits the titular riot with intelligence, compassion, and anger, presenting a version of events that honors history as much as it exemplifies the art of documentary filmmaking.
Synopsis: During the summer of 1971, tensions between inmates and guards at the Attica Correctional Facility are at an all-time high.... [More]

#66

Becoming Cousteau (2021)
Tomatometer icon 98%

#66
Adjusted Score: 100234%
Critics Consensus: As visually thrilling as it is edifying, Becoming Cousteau pays fitting tribute to a pioneering explorer and environmental advocate.
Synopsis: Adventurer, filmmaker, inventor, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist: For over four decades, Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his explorations under the ocean... [More]

#67

Julia (2021)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#67
Adjusted Score: 100767%
Critics Consensus: Befitting the culinary aesthetic favored by the brilliant chef it honors, Julia uses fresh, simple ingredients to create a sumptuous documentary feast.
Synopsis: JULIA tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food,... [More]

#68

Hive (2021)
Tomatometer icon 100%

#68
Adjusted Score: 103042%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by Yllka Gashi's outstanding performance, Hive leads viewers on one woman's fact-based quest for self-determination in a patriarchal society.
Synopsis: HIVE is a searing drama based on the true story of Fahrije (Yllka Gashi), who, like many of the other... [More]

#69
Adjusted Score: 101695%
Critics Consensus: Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror takes a fascinating deep dive that'll leave like-minded viewers making numerous new additions to their streaming queues.
Synopsis: WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED is the first feature-length documentary on the history of folk horror, exploring the phenomenon from... [More]

#70

CODA (2021)
Tomatometer icon 94%

#70
Adjusted Score: 109115%
Critics Consensus: CODA's story offers few surprises, but strong representation and a terrific cast -- led by Emilia Jones' brilliant performance -- bring this coming-of-age story vividly to life.
Synopsis: Seventeen-year-old Ruby (Emilia Jones) is the sole hearing member of a deaf family -- a CODA, child of deaf adults.... [More]

#71
#71
Adjusted Score: 112726%
Critics Consensus: Brought to life by a stellar ensemble led by Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog reaffirms writer-director Jane Campion as one of her generation's finest filmmakers.
Synopsis: Severe, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally beguiling. All of Phil's romance, power and fragility is trapped in the past... [More]

#72

Happening (2021)
Tomatometer icon 99%

#72
Adjusted Score: 107270%
Critics Consensus: A tough but rewarding watch, Happening puts a personal face on an impossibly difficult choice and its heart-rending aftermath.
Synopsis: France, 1963. Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she falls pregnant,... [More]

#73

Hellbender (2021)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#73
Adjusted Score: 99719%
Critics Consensus: Hellbender stirs a boiling cauldron of adolescent angst, serving up a coming-of-age story with dark horror overtones.
Synopsis: A teen and her mother live simply in a home in the woods, spending their time making metal music. A... [More]

#74

Neptune Frost (2021)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#74
Adjusted Score: 100693%
Critics Consensus: Bursting with ideas and ambition, Neptune Frost is difficult to describe -- and just as hard to resist.
Synopsis: In an otherworldly e-waste camp made of recycled computer parts, a subversive hacking collective attempts a takeover of the authoritarian... [More]

#75

The Pink Cloud (2021)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#75
Adjusted Score: 95234%
Critics Consensus: An eerily relevant debut from writer-director Iuli Gerbase, The Pink Cloud reaches into the emotional fault lines of pandemic life and comes away with striking observations about human behavior.
Synopsis: A mysterious and deadly pink cloud appears across the globe, forcing everyone to stay home. Strangers at the outset, Giovana... [More]

#76

The Fallout (2021)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#76
Adjusted Score: 93773%
Critics Consensus: Empathetic and well-acted, The Fallout uses the aftermath of teen trauma to grapple with the experience of grief.
Synopsis: Bolstered by new friendships forged under sudden and tragic circumstances, high schooler Vada (Jenna Ortega) begins to reinvent herself, while... [More]

#77
Adjusted Score: 95737%
Critics Consensus: Narratively challenging and visually haunting, We're All Going to the World's Fair adds a uniquely ambitious and unsettling entry to the crowded coming-of-age genre.
Synopsis: Late on a cold night somewhere in the U.S., teenage Casey (Anna Cobb in her feature debut) sits alone in... [More]

#78

Murina (2021)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#78
Adjusted Score: 95473%
Critics Consensus: A coming-of-age story with a uniquely sunny noir spin, Murina deftly explores dark themes against a deceptively idyllic setting.
Synopsis: Tensions rise between restless teenager Julija and her oppressive father Ante when an old family friend arrives at their Croatian... [More]

#79

Anaïs in Love (2021)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#79
Adjusted Score: 92881%
Critics Consensus: The main character may be hard to like, but Anaïs in Love offers a well-acted and breezily humorous take on its admittedly well-worn themes.
Synopsis: ANAIS IN LOVE is a buoyant French comedy from filmmaker Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet. Boasting a playfully magnetic performance by star Anaïs... [More]

#80

Clara Sola (2021)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#80
Adjusted Score: 94288%
Critics Consensus: Discomfiting and dreamy, Clara Sola brings a sensual surreality to a story of oppressed autonomy, with debuting star Wendy Chinchilla Araya providing a mesmerizing focal point.
Synopsis: In a remote village in Costa Rica, 40-year-old Clara endures a repressively religious and withdrawn life under the command of... [More]

#81
Adjusted Score: 106412%
Critics Consensus: The Forty-Year-Old Version opens a compelling window into the ebbs and flows of the artist's life -- and announces writer-director-star Radha Blank as a major filmmaking talent with her feature debut.
Synopsis: Radha, a down-on-her-luck NY playwright, is desperate for a breakthrough before 40. But when she foils what seems like her... [More]

#82
#82
Adjusted Score: 104324%
Critics Consensus: Totally Under Control does a commendable job of distilling current events into a clear-eyed overview that's as engaging as it is enraging.
Synopsis: Public health officials discuss the U.S. government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.... [More]

#83

Miss Juneteenth (2020)
Tomatometer icon 99%

#83
Adjusted Score: 107332%
Critics Consensus: Like a pageant winner walking across the stage, Miss Juneteenth follows a familiar path -- but does so with charm and grace.
Synopsis: A former beauty queen and single mom prepares her rebellious teenage daughter for the "Miss Juneteenth" pageant.... [More]

#84

Kajillionaire (2020)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#84
Adjusted Score: 102141%
Critics Consensus: Whether you see Kajillionaire as refreshingly unique or simply bizarre will depend on your cinematic adventurousness -- and fans of writer-director Miranda July wouldn't have it any other way.
Synopsis: Two con artists have spent 26 years training their only daughter to swindle, scam and steal at every turn. During... [More]

#85
Adjusted Score: 113043%
Critics Consensus: Powerfully acted and directed, Never Rarely Sometimes Always reaffirms writer-director Eliza Hittman as a filmmaker of uncommon sensitivity and grace.
Synopsis: Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support, Autumn and her cousin, Skylar, travel across state lines... [More]

#86

Athlete A (2020)
Tomatometer icon 100%

#86
Adjusted Score: 102684%
Critics Consensus: Harrowing yet essential viewing, Athlete A shines an unforgiving light on horrific abuses -- as well as the culture that allowed them to continue unabated for years.
Synopsis: Reporters from The Indianapolis Star expose Dr. Larry Nassar's sexual abuse of young gymnasts.... [More]

#87
Adjusted Score: 103114%
Critics Consensus: An absorbing and affectionate tribute to a unique individual, Mucho Mucho Amor should prove fascinating for Walter Mercado fans as well as first-timers.
Synopsis: Puerto Rican astrologer and psychic Walter Mercado discusses his life, career and post-fame seclusion.... [More]

#88
Adjusted Score: 103103%
Critics Consensus: All In: The Fight for Democracy lives up to its title as a galvanizing rallying cry for voters to exercise -- and preserve -- their right to be heard.
Synopsis: Filmmakers Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes examine the history of voter suppression and the activists who fight for the rights... [More]

#89
#89
Adjusted Score: 104201%
Critics Consensus: Dick Johnson Is Dead celebrates a life with bittersweet humor and grace, offering a deeply resonant perspective on mortality in the bargain.
Synopsis: A filmmaker and her elderly father stage his death in various ways to help them face his inevitable demise.... [More]

#90

Relic (2020)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#90
Adjusted Score: 105601%
Critics Consensus: Relic ratchets up its slowly building tension in an expertly crafted atmosphere of dread, adding up to an outstanding feature debut for director/co-writer Natalie Erika James.
Synopsis: A woman links her mother's increasingly volatile behavior to an evil presence at their family's decaying country home.... [More]

#91

One Night in Miami (2020)
Tomatometer icon 98%

#91
Adjusted Score: 118429%
Critics Consensus: A hauntingly powerful reflection on larger-than-life figures, One Night in Miami finds Regina King in command of her craft in her feature directorial debut.
Synopsis: On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest... [More]

#92

Les Nôtres (2020)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#92
Adjusted Score: 91578%
Critics Consensus: Les Nôtres deftly hits expected beats to tell a story of betrayal whose finely calibrated direction and performances make it all the more harrowing.
Synopsis: To the tight-knit community of Sainte-Adeline, Quebec, Magalie appears as a normal suburban high school sophomore surrounded by friends. But... [More]

#93

Beginning (2020)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#93
Adjusted Score: 93255%
Critics Consensus: A striking debut from director/co-writer Dea Kulumbegashvili, Beginning grapples convincingly with complex ideas while offering a brilliant showcase for star Ia Sukhitashvili.
Synopsis: A missionary's life spirals out of control after extremists burn down a Jehovah's Witnesses church in a remote Georgian village.... [More]

#94

Beans (2020)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#94
Adjusted Score: 93377%
Critics Consensus: Beans opens a compelling window into the indigenous coming-of-age experience -- and serves as an affecting debut for Kiawentiio.
Synopsis: Twelve-year-old Beans is on the edge: torn between innocent childhood and reckless adolescence; forced to grow up fast and become... [More]

#95
Adjusted Score: 93374%
Critics Consensus: Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation lives up to its title with an absorbing and revealing look at a pair of American literary giants.
Synopsis: The work, lives, and personal journeys of iconic American artists Truman Capote and Tennesee Williams coalesce with creative combustion in... [More]

#96

Holler (2020)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#96
Adjusted Score: 95605%
Critics Consensus: It's hard not to hear echoes of similarly desperate stories, but Holler drowns them out with strong performances and palpable empathy.
Synopsis: In a forgotten pocket of Southern Ohio where American manufacturing and opportunity are dying up, a determined young woman finds... [More]

#97

My Octopus Teacher (2020)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#97
Adjusted Score: 94763%
Critics Consensus: A heartwarming look at the way a meaningful bond can transcend just about any barrier, this documentary will leave you asking your friends to come and see My Octopus Teacher with you.
Synopsis: A diver swims with an octopus that lives in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa.... [More]

#98

True Mothers (2020)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#98
Adjusted Score: 92825%
Critics Consensus: True Mothers uses an intractable conflict to explore the bonds of parenthood with director/co-writer Naomi Kawase's usual sensitivity and grace.
Synopsis: An adopted son's mother receives an unexpected visit from the boy's biological mother.... [More]

#99

Wildfire (2020)
Tomatometer icon 95%

#99
Adjusted Score: 96579%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by the believable bond between its leads, Wildfire tells a heartfelt and realistic story of sisters peering into their family's past.
Synopsis: Two reunited Irish sisters uncover secrets from their mother's past.... [More]

#100

Wildland (2020)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#100
Adjusted Score: 94578%
Critics Consensus: Wildland reaches past the familiar tropes of its gangster drama setup to tell an evocative and refreshingly original coming-of-age story.
Synopsis: Following a car accident, which kills her mother, 17-year-old Ida moves in with her estranged aunt and her aunt's grown... [More]

#101

Lucky (2020)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#101
Adjusted Score: 96237%
Critics Consensus: A rich blend of thrilling horror and sharp social commentary, Lucky acts as a bloody good calling card for director Natasha Kermani and writer-star Brea Grant.
Synopsis: A self-help book author finds herself stalked by a threatening figure who returns to her house night after night. She... [More]

#102
#102
Adjusted Score: 95439%
Critics Consensus: Led by Alec Utgoff's impressive starring performance, Never Gonna Snow Again blends elements of sci-fi, satire, and surreal drama with an assured hand.
Synopsis: On a gray, foggy morning outside a large Polish city, Zhenia (Alec Utgoff), a masseur from the East, enters the... [More]

#103
Adjusted Score: 96456%
Critics Consensus: Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President warmly -- and tunefully -- highlights a rarely explored facet of the 39th U.S. President's tenure.
Synopsis: A portrait showing how Jimmy Carter's lifelong passion for music gave him an unexpected edge as a presidential candidate. Through... [More]

#104

Spring Blossom (2020)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#104
Adjusted Score: 94763%
Critics Consensus: An enchanting debut for writer-director-star Suzanne Lindon, Spring Blossom captures first love with fittingly delicate beauty.
Synopsis: Suzanne (Suzanne Lindon) is sixteen. She is bored with people her own age. From the outside, everything appears lovely in... [More]

#105

I Blame Society (2020)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#105
Adjusted Score: 92009%
Critics Consensus: Spurts of dark humor gush out of I Blame Society's satirical approach to filmmaking and celebrity culture, prodded by sharp societal observations from writer-director-star Gillian Wallace Horvat.
Synopsis: The lines between art and real life begin to blur when an ambitious filmmaker realizes she's good at getting away... [More]

#106

I Carry You With Me (2020)
Tomatometer icon 97%

#106
Adjusted Score: 101877%
Critics Consensus: A remarkable feature debut for director Heidi Ewing, I Carry You with Me finds universally resonant themes in a specific, richly detailed time and place.
Synopsis: Based on true love, this decades spanning romance begins in Mexico between an aspiring chef (Armando Espitia) and a teacher... [More]

#107

Slaxx (2020)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#107
Adjusted Score: 99175%
Critics Consensus: A slim-cut slice of bizarre horror, Slaxx effectively balances quirk with gore -- and has the good sense to get out before its oddball premise starts showing its seams.
Synopsis: A possessed pair of jeans is brought to life to punish the unscrupulous practices of a trendy clothing company. Shipped... [More]

#108
#108
Adjusted Score: 100482%
Critics Consensus: A slow-burning descent into desperation, Identifying Features uses one shattered family's ordeal to offer a harrowing look at the immigrant experience.
Synopsis: A middle-aged woman embarks on an increasingly dangerous journey to locate her son, who's gone missing after leaving Mexico to... [More]

#109

Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)
Tomatometer icon 100%

#109
Adjusted Score: 104035%
Critics Consensus: Quo Vadis, Aida? uses one woman's heartbreaking conflict to offer a searing account of war's devastating human toll.
Synopsis: Bosnia, July 11th 1995. Aida is a translator for the United Nations in the small town of Srebrenica. When the... [More]

#110

The Stylist (2020)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#110
Adjusted Score: 91579%
Critics Consensus: A slasher with flair and crafty patience for the kill, The Stylist marks writer-director Jill Gevargizian as an uncommonly sharp genre filmmaker.
Synopsis: We all dream of being someone else... but for Claire (Najarra Townsend, Contracted), that dream goes from an obsession to... [More]

#111

Slalom (2020)
Tomatometer icon 100%

#111
Adjusted Score: 102807%
Critics Consensus: Led by Noée Abita's outstanding central performance, Slalom offers a moving account of oppression and abuse in the guise of mentorship.
Synopsis: This riveting, Cannes-selected #MeToo drama from debut filmmaker Charlène Favier follows the relationship between a teenage ski prodigy and her... [More]

#112

Nomadland (2020)
Tomatometer icon 93%

#112
Adjusted Score: 119139%
Critics Consensus: A poetic character study on the forgotten and downtrodden, Nomadland beautifully captures the restlessness left in the wake of the Great Recession.
Synopsis: A woman embarks on a journey through the American West after losing everything during the recession.... [More]

#113
#113
Adjusted Score: 115587%
Critics Consensus: A boldly provocative, timely thriller, Promising Young Woman is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Emerald Fennell -- and a career highlight for Carey Mulligan.
Synopsis: Nothing in Cassie's life is what it appears to be -- she's wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she's living a... [More]

#114

Stray (2021)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#114
Adjusted Score: 99421%
Critics Consensus: Stray takes a patient, meditative look at the lives of Istanbul's stray dog population -- and uncovers truths of the human condition in the process.
Synopsis: STRAY explores what it means to live as a being without status or security, following three strays as they embark... [More]

#115

Gagarine (2020)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#115
Adjusted Score: 97763%
Critics Consensus: Balancing whimsy-tinged magic realism against serious themes of community and displacement, Gagarine is as bracingly original as it is ultimately poignant.
Synopsis: Teenager Youri (gifted newcomer Alseni Bathily) has lived his whole life in the tight-knit community of Gagarine, even being named... [More]

#116

Tove (2020)
Tomatometer icon 90%

#116
Adjusted Score: 91517%
Critics Consensus: Tove's conventional approach to depicting the life of a singular talent is offset by Alma Pöysti's outstanding performance in the title role.
Synopsis: Helsinki, 1945. The end of the war brings a new sense of artistic and social freedom for painter Tove Jansson.... [More]

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