Every year, newest first

1. 2026
   Fjord 2026WinnerComing soon
2. 2025
   It Was Just an AccidentWinnerNot reviewed yet
3. 2024
   Anora 2024WinnerSean Baker’s comedy about a Brooklyn stripper who marries an oligarch’s son is fast, loud and much funnier than its premise suggests, and Mikey Madison carries every minute of it. The middle hour runs about twenty minutes long. We recommend it anyway.Fi1m 84
4. 2023
   Anatomy of a Fall 2023WinnerJustine Triet’s courtroom drama refuses to say whether Sandra Hüller’s novelist pushed her husband, and is the better for it. Hüller is remarkable, the script is exact, and the 151 minutes could lose ten without anyone noticing.Fi1m 86

   • Perfect Days 2023Fi1m 83
5. 2022
   Triangle of Sadness 2022WinnerRuben Östlund’s comedy about the super-rich contains one sequence, a captain’s dinner in a storm, as funny as anything we have seen in years. Around it sits a long, blunt film that repeats a point it made in the first ten minutes.Fi1m 66

   • Close 2022Fi1m 75
6. 2021
   TitaneWinnerNot reviewed yet
7. 2019
   Parasite 2019WinnerBong Joon Ho makes a family con funny enough to compromise our judgement, then gives us good reason to regret it. The plotting and performances make this an unusually gripping thriller, despite occasional overemphasis in the music and writing.Fi1m 91
8. 2018
   Shoplifters 2018WinnerHirokazu Kore-eda’s drama about a household surviving through theft is tender, funny and quietly troubling. We recommend it warmly, with one reservation: a few stretches linger after their point has landed.Fi1m 89

   The Image BookWinnerNot reviewed yet
9. 2017
   The SquareWinnerNot reviewed yet
10. 2016
    I, Daniel Blake 2016WinnerKen Loach’s welfare drama presses its case too hard at times, but Dave Johns and Hayley Squires give it warmth and stubborn humour. We recommend it, with a warning that its distress is difficult to shake.Fi1m 82
11. 2015
    DheepanWinnerNot reviewed yet
12. 2014
    Winter SleepWinnerNot reviewed yet
13. 2013
    Blue Is the Warmest ColourWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Blue Is the Warmest Color 2013WinnerAdèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux make this three-hour romance worth the commitment. Kechiche’s close attention to everyday life is moving, though the extended sex scenes test the patience his actors have earned.Fi1m 82
14. 2012
    Amour 2012WinnerMichael Haneke’s *Amour* is a painful, deeply affecting account of a marriage under the strain of illness. Its strict restraint sometimes feels oppressive, but Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva make the couple worth staying with.Fi1m 88

    • Rust and Bone 2012Fi1m 81
15. 2011
    The Tree of Life 2011WinnerTerrence Malick’s family drama earns its cosmic scale through the force of its childhood scenes. We recommend it warmly, though some passages repeat themselves long after the point is clear.Fi1m 84
16. 2010
    Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past LivesWinnerNot reviewed yet
17. 2009
    The White Ribbon 2009WinnerMichael Haneke’s village mystery is a patient, deeply unsettling study of adults teaching children to fear authority. Its severity can become repetitive, but the performances and Christian Berger’s black-and-white photography make the long scrutiny worth enduring.Fi1m 86
18. 2008
    The ClassWinnerNot reviewed yet

    • Gomorrah 2008Fi1m 84
19. 2007
    4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days 2007WinnerCristian Mungiu makes the practical business of obtaining an illegal abortion almost unbearably tense. Anamaria Marinca holds our attention throughout; the pressure sometimes feels excessive, but we would still urge people to see it.Fi1m 91
20. 2006
    The Wind That Shakes the BarleyWinnerNot reviewed yet
21. 2005
    L'EnfantWinnerNot reviewed yet
22. 2003
    Elephant 2003WinnerGus Van Sant makes an ordinary school day painfully absorbing in *Elephant*. We recommend its patient attention to the pupils, though its portrayal of the perpetrators sometimes feels too thin to justify the scrutiny.Fi1m 81

    2004WinnerNot reviewed yet
23. 2002
    The Pianist 2002WinnerRoman Polanski’s Holocaust drama is powerful and patient, with Adrien Brody making the effort of staying alive painfully visible. The early family dialogue is stiff, but the film’s restraint makes its violence harder to bear.Fi1m 87
24. 2001
    The Son's RoomWinnerNot reviewed yet
25. 2000
    Dancer in the Dark 2000WinnerBjörk makes Lars von Trier’s punishing musical worth the distress. The songs give Selma a life beyond her suffering, though the script’s contrivances make us resist some of the tears it demands.Fi1m 71
26. 1999
    RosettaWinnerNot reviewed yet
27. 1998
    Eternity and a DayWinnerNot reviewed yet
28. 1997
    The EelWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Taste of Cherry 1997WinnerAbbas Kiarostami makes a deeply moving drama from a man’s search for help with his planned suicide. The repeated conversations can test patience, but Homayoun Ershadi gives us someone worth staying with.Fi1m 86
29. 1996
    Secrets & Lies 1996WinnerMike Leigh’s family drama is funny, painful and worth an uninterrupted evening. Brenda Blethyn and Marianne Jean-Baptiste make these difficult conversations matter, even when the writing spells out feelings we have already understood.Fi1m 88
30. 1995
    Underground 1995WinnerEmir Kusturica’s *Underground* has enough black comedy and forceful staging to reward a patient viewer. Its 170 minutes also contain too much repetition, and its people often struggle to matter as much as its spectacle.Fi1m 66
31. 1994
    Pulp Fiction 1994WinnerTarantino’s second film is loud, long and pleased with itself, and it also has some of the sharpest talk in any crime film of its decade. Travolta and Jackson carry it, the middle hour flags, and it is still worth your evening.Fi1m 82
32. 1993
    Farewell My Concubine 1993WinnerChen Kaige’s drama makes its long span of Chinese history painfully personal, with Leslie Cheung giving its troubled relationships their force. The plotting sometimes pushes too hard, but the performances warrant all 171 minutes.Fi1m 85

    The Piano 1993WinnerJane Campion’s absorbing, unsettling romance gives Holly Hunter a woman whose silence never diminishes her force. Michael Nyman’s music sometimes presses harder than the performances need, but the film’s attention to Ada’s desires makes its intensity worthwhile.Fi1m 88
33. 1992
    The Best IntentionsWinnerNot reviewed yet
34. 1991
    Barton Fink 1991WinnerThe Coens’ Hollywood comedy is funny, unnerving and sharply acted, with John Turturro and John Goodman especially good. Its treatment of the unhappy writer grows a little repetitive, but the uncomfortable laughs are worth an evening.Fi1m 83
35. 1990
    Wild at Heart 1990WinnerLynch’s lovers-on-the-run romance is funny, frightening and carried by Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern. Its detours sometimes become tiresome, but their chemistry keeps us interested when the film starts enjoying its own oddness too much.Fi1m 78

    1991WinnerNot reviewed yet
36. 1989
    sex, lies, and videotape 1989WinnerSteven Soderbergh’s first film puts four people in a Louisiana house, adds a video camera, and lets them talk themselves into trouble. It is small, exact and quietly funny, and it has kept; only the technology has aged.Fi1m 83
37. 1988
    Pelle the ConquerorWinnerNot reviewed yet
38. 1987
    Under the Sun of SatanWinnerNot reviewed yet
39. 1986
    The Mission 1986WinnerRoland Joffé’s historical drama has the scenery, music and conviction to hold us, but Robert Bolt’s script leaves its people underdeveloped. Jeremy Irons supplies some of the feeling the writing misses.Fi1m 64
40. 1985
    When Father Was Away on BusinessWinnerNot reviewed yet
41. 1984
    Paris, Texas 1984WinnerWim Wenders makes a deeply moving drama from a drifter’s attempt to reunite his family. Harry Dean Stanton gives it an uncomfortable honesty, though the patient pace occasionally asks more than it needs to.Fi1m 88
42. 1983
    The Ballad of Narayama 1983WinnerShōhei Imamura’s *The Ballad of Narayama* is a harsh, moving drama, carried by Sumiko Sakamoto’s unsentimental performance. The comparisons between villagers and animals grow insistent, but the family’s predicament deserves the attention the film asks of us.Fi1m 82
43. 1982
    Missing 1982WinnerCosta-Gavras’s first American film sends Jack Lemmon into a country under martial law to find his son, and Lemmon is superb: patient, polite and slowly boiling. The staging sometimes overreaches and Vangelis’s theme is played too often, but the anger holds.Fi1m 80

    YolWinnerNot reviewed yet
44. 1981
    Man of IronWinnerNot reviewed yet
45. 1980
    All That Jazz 1979WinnerBob Fosse’s film about a director dancing himself into the grave is vain, brilliant and often hard to like, and it is one of the few films about show business that knows exactly what the business costs. Roy Scheider carries it on a cigarette and a cough.Fi1m 84

    KagemushaWinnerNot reviewed yet
46. 1979
    Apocalypse Now 1979WinnerFrancis Ford Coppola’s war film is frightening, absorbing and worth the discomfort. We recommend it without hesitation, though its later stretches sometimes labour over thoughts that the fighting has already made horribly clear.Fi1m 92

    The Tin DrumWinnerNot reviewed yet
47. 1978
    The Tree of Wooden ClogsWinnerNot reviewed yet
48. 1977
    Padre PadroneWinnerNot reviewed yet
49. 1976
    Taxi Driver 1976WinnerMartin Scorsese’s crime drama makes a lonely man’s company frightening through Robert De Niro’s restraint and Bernard Herrmann’s music. We recommend it strongly, with one reservation: its attention to Travis leaves too little room for everyone else.Fi1m 92
50. 1975
    Chronicle of the Years of FireWinnerNot reviewed yet
51. 1974
    The Conversation 1974WinnerFrancis Ford Coppola turns repeated listening into gripping suspense, with Gene Hackman making the loneliness hurt. A few plot decisions feel over-arranged, but this is a thriller we would recommend without hesitation.Fi1m 92
52. 1973
    The HirelingWinnerNot reviewed yet

    ScarecrowWinnerNot reviewed yet

    1974WinnerNot reviewed yet
53. 1972
    The Mattei AffairWinnerNot reviewed yet

    The Working Class Goes to HeavenWinnerNot reviewed yet
54. 1971
    The Go-BetweenWinnerNot reviewed yet
55. 1970
    M*A*S*H 1970WinnerRobert Altman’s *M*A*S*H* is a funny, bloody war comedy worth seeing for its actors and its unruly sound. Its indulgence of the surgeons’ bullying makes some of the laughter difficult to share.Fi1m 72
56. 1969
    if.... 1968WinnerLindsay Anderson’s school-rebellion drama is angry, funny and observant, with Malcolm McDowell giving its defiance a persuasive face. The surreal passages sometimes lose force, but the bullying and institutional absurdity remain sharply drawn.Fi1m 82
57. 1967
    BlowupWinnerNot reviewed yet

    1968WinnerNot reviewed yet
58. 1966
    The Birds, the Bees and the ItaliansWinnerNot reviewed yet

    A Man and a WomanWinnerNot reviewed yet
59. 1965
    The Knack ...and How to Get ItWinnerNot reviewed yet
60. 1964
    The Umbrellas of CherbourgWinnerNot reviewed yet
61. 1963
    The LeopardWinnerNot reviewed yet
62. 1962
    O Pagador de PromessasWinnerNot reviewed yet
63. 1961
    The Long AbsenceWinnerNot reviewed yet

    ViridianaWinnerNot reviewed yet
64. 1960
    La dolce vitaWinnerNot reviewed yet
65. 1959
    Black OrpheusWinnerNot reviewed yet
66. 1958
    The Cranes Are FlyingWinnerNot reviewed yet
67. 1957
    Friendly Persuasion 1956WinnerWilliam Wyler’s Quaker family drama is cosier and broader than its subject deserves, but when it turns to whether a peaceable man may fight it is honest, and Anthony Perkins, as the son who has to decide, is the best thing in it. Worth an evening.Fi1m 72
68. 1956
    The Silent WorldWinnerNot reviewed yet
69. 1955
    MartyWinnerNot reviewed yet
70. 1954
    Gate of HellWinnerNot reviewed yet
71. 1953
    The Wages of Fear 1953WinnerHenri-Georges Clouzot makes a truckload of nitroglycerine frightening enough to justify every cautious mile. We recommend this hard, patient thriller, though its long wait in town tests the nerves rather differently from the journey.Fi1m 90
72. 1952
    OthelloWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Two Cents Worth of HopeWinnerNot reviewed yet
73. 1951
    Miracle in MilanWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Miss JulieWinnerNot reviewed yet
74. 1949
    The Third Man 1949WinnerCarol Reed’s mystery is gripping, funny and alert to the harm friendship can excuse. Joseph Cotten makes its writer worth caring about, though a few relationships deserve more space amid the intrigue.Fi1m 92
75. 1947
    Antoine and Antoinette (Best Psychological & Love Film)WinnerNot reviewed yet

    Crossfire (Best Social Film)WinnerNot reviewed yet

    Dumbo (Best Animation Design)WinnerNot reviewed yet

    The Damned (Best Adventure & Crime Film)WinnerNot reviewed yet

    Ziegfeld Follies (Best Musical Comedy)WinnerNot reviewed yet
76. 1946
    Brief Encounter 1945WinnerDavid Lean’s romance makes falling in love feel ordinary and frightening, with Give Johnson giving Laura’s anxiety painful weight. Alec is less fully drawn, but this is still a film we would urge a stranger to see.Fi1m 90

    The Last ChanceWinnerNot reviewed yet

    The Lost Weekend 1945WinnerBilly Wilder’s account of four days in the life of a New York drunk is still frightening, still honest and, in Ray Milland’s hands, still hard to look away from. The last few minutes ring false, and the film seems to know it.Fi1m 82

    María CandelariaWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Men Without WingsWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Neecha NagarWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Pastoral SymphonyWinnerNot reviewed yet

    The Red MeadowsWinnerNot reviewed yet

    Rome, Open City 1945WinnerRoberto Rossellini’s war drama remains frightening because its people are such good company. Anna Magnani gives it warmth and temper; the villains and the music sometimes insist too much, but the suffering is hard to shake.Fi1m 89

    TormentWinnerNot reviewed yet

    The Turning PointWinnerNot reviewed yet