The Quiet Girl
The Quiet Girl tells a beautifully crafted story about the impact of love and its importance in children as they develop within a deeply moving narrative that’s sure to stick with you, earning its spot among the film greats.
Three Colors: Blue
The intentionality of Kieslowski combined with the emotionally engaging, well-acted attempt at listlessness from Binoche carry Three Colors: Blue to a place of cinematic greatness.
Le Cercle Rouge
Jean-Pierre Melville has given audiences a heist film rife with metaphysical and existential questions, which still entertains even those looking for just another heist movie, which is a feat worthy of a place among the greats.
Elevator to the Gallows
In Elevator to the Gallows, Louis Malle combines crime thriller with the comedy of errors to give us an entirely new take on what crime films can be, elevated even more by some excellent filmmaking and a beautiful jazz score from Miles Davis, all of which work together to earn it a spot among the greats.
Son of Saul
While Son of Saul is not quite as ubiquitously digestible as Spielberg’s Schindler’s List or Benigni’s Life Is Beautiful, it still offers yet another unique and impactful take on the Holocaust that goes beyond showcasing its horrors or garnering sympathy for its victims to celebrate the will of those who lived through it, earning this film also a spot among the greats.
I Vitelloni
For me, the stories told in I Vitelloni present a universally relatable look at young adulthood and the changes that the world forces on us, offering the best and worst ways to handle those changes, which certainly earns it a spot among the all-time greats.
The Hidden Fortress
Kurosawa’s The Hidden Fortress is a well-put-together film that holds up all the better thanks to its familiar story with innovative beats and filmmaking tricks and a charismatic lead in Toshirô Mifune, which earns it a spot of greatness.
Beauty and the Beast (1946)
Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast offers a familiar but fresh take on the timeless fairy tale, delivering production excellence and compelling character arcs that earn the film a place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Son of the White Mare
Son of the White Mare offers a visually engaging and traditionally enriching exploration of folklore and the stories of the steppe peoples, earning a spot among the Greatest Films of All Time as it does so.
The Seventh Seal
Altogether, The Seventh Seal offers a rich examination of death, mortality, human relationships, and religion without doing too much to answer any of its posed questions, instead offering partial answers and stunning visuals to engage the audience and earn a place of greatness along the way.
Maborosi
Maborosi is a beautifully made film that invites its audience to live with its characters, particularly its protagonist, in their lives and the grief and loneliness that they are processing in order to better appreciate such moments in our own lives, fully earning it a place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
The First Slam Dunk
The First Slam Dunk tells a story of gripping drama and emotion through a beautiful visual medium with a cast of memorable characters, arguably earning the title of best basketball movie ever and definitely a place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Perfect Days
With a pitch-perfect leading performance from Koji Yakusho and a message of appreciation for the everyday and taking joy in the very act of living, it’s easy to see how Perfect Days earns its spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Monster
By framing its story around the nature of relationships and perceptions, Monster invites its audience to better appreciate and accept the “others” in our lives and to seek to consider others’ circumstances before slapping them with labels or accusations, a sentiment more than deserving of a place of greatness.
Io Capitano
Thanks to the dynamic and enthralling performance of Seydou Sarr, Matteo Garrone’s vision for Io Capitano is brough to full fruition, earning the film a place among the all-time greats.
The Eternal Memory
The intricate work done by Maite Alberti to weave together three potentially independent themes and stories into a single narrative revolving around this one couple in The Eternal Memory makes it an impressive documentary and one of the Greatest Films of All Time.