Over the course of the last 12 years, the Seventh Art has offered some of the greatest masterpieces of the 21st century as a whole. From comedies to horror movies to arthouse dramas, the best films that have come out from 2014 to the present are proof that cinema is alive and well in the modern day—as creative, original, and ever-evolving as it has always been.
Whether it’s an underrated gem or a huge Oscar-winning release, the best films from this period of time should all be considered essential viewing by people who love cinema. These masterpieces aren’t just great: They’re about as perfect as a movie can possibly come to perfection, flawless beyond any kind of nitpicking that viewers may engage in. No film is truly without fault, as enjoyment of movies is almost entirely subjective; but by any strict metric imaginable, these are perfect films.
10
‘La Cocina’ (2024)
The world of modern Mexican filmmakers is one filled to the brim with artistic voices that are typically criminally underappreciated outside their country, and Alonso Ruizpalacios is no exception. In 2024, he made his Hollywood debut with the Mexican-American co-production La Cocina, a dramedy about dreams and desperation colliding among the staff of a bustling Times Square kitchen.
It’s a two-and-a-half-hour-long character epic with a sprawling thematic scope yet a profoundly intimate scale, taking place entirely within the single location of the restaurant. It’s an intelligent, nuanced deconstruction of the American dream executed with the utmost sense of urgency and energy, culminating in a showstopping third act that’s unlike anything else audiences have seen during the 2020s. If there’s any film that proves that Ruizpalacios deserves to be an internationally-recognized talent, it’s this one.
9
‘The Handmaiden’ (2016)
No one makes thrillers quite like Park Chan-wook‘s, and the South Korean auteur’s steamy erotic psychological thriller The Handmaiden is easily one of his best. People who love thrillers packed with plot twists should look no further than this elegant period gem, a rousing adaptation of the 2002 Welsh novel Fingersmith. It’s one of the best international movies of the 2010s as a whole.
As seductive and sumptuous as it is visually gorgeous and delightfully labyrinthine, The Handmaiden is bolstered by some perfect writing, a perfect score, and perfect performances. Its study of gender roles and the nature of desire is accompanied by one of the most enthralling revenge tales that cinema has told during the last 12 years.
8
‘Paddington 2’ (2017)
Those who say that Paddington 2 is one of the greatest films ever made aren’t being ironic. Paul King‘s feel-good family comedy truly is one of the most perfect movies of the last 9 years, a rousing celebration of hope, kindness, empathy, and community. The film is as hilarious as it is charming, pure hopecore bliss that shows just how much cinema can make people smile.
The bombastic performances are all amazing, Hugh Grant‘s villainous turn in particular standing out as one of the most memorable comedic performances of the 2010s. It’s a pink-toned cuddly masterpiece capable of making people laugh and cry in equal measure. It’s the type of film that should make anyone want to become a better person, and it would truly take a heart of stone to even want to try and find any flaws in it.
7
‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (2019)
Female filmmakers have been responsible for several of the greatest films of the last dozen years so far, and Céline Sciamma‘s Portrait of a Lady on Fire is right up there as one of the best. This exceptional period romance drama is led by Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, whose beautifully subtle yet immensely powerful performances are the driving force of the entire film.
But even setting aside its two flawless lead performances, Portrait of a Lady on Fire would still be absolutely beyond reproach. It’s one of the best romance movies directed by women, as well as the first female-directed film to win the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Gorgeously artful in its visuals, pacing, and thematic depth, it’s undoubtedly one of the greatest European films of the 21st century so far.
6
‘Get Out’ (2017)
The movie that showed Jordan Peele was not only a hilarious sketch comedian, but also one of the most exciting new voices in Hollywood horror, was the Oscar-winning Get Out. On the basis of one of the best screenplays of any American movie of the last 12 years, Peele crafted a dark horror dramedy that’s equal parts scary, amusing, and thought-provoking.
Anchored by the greatest performance of Daniel Kaluuya‘s career, Get Out is a powerfully provocative yet thoroughly enjoyable commentary on the commodification of Black bodies carried out by performative, elite white liberals. It may sound like a very specific metaphor, but the dramatic and thematic juices that Peele is able to squeeze out of such a premise is a true spectacle to behold.
5
‘Moonlight’ (2016)
Entirely deserving winner of the 2017 Best Picture Academy Award, Moonlight is one of the most perfect A24 movies ever distributed by the studio. This beautifully profound tryptich about the Black and gay experiences in the United States is not just one of the most beautiful coming-of-age films in recent years, but also a masterpiece that breaks the pattern of “queer misery” dramas that have plagued Hollywood for so long.
Full of genuinely unforgettable visuals, it’s a film that never fetishizes or exoticizes its subject.
Beautifully performed, beautifully written and directed, and full of genuinely unforgettable visuals, it’s a film that never fetishizes or exoticizes its subject. Instead, it’s a poignantly raw yet beautifully sincere character drama that finds in a very specific kind of story plenty of universally relatable themes to connect with. Despite its slow pacing, it’s a perfect film incapable of leaving anyone cold after the credits roll.
4
‘Arrival’ (2016)
He was already a well-established filmmaker by the time 2016 rolled in, but it was Arrival which proved that Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve was a powerhouse in the world of making sci-fi movies. He has only kept further demonstrating that time and time again in the years since, but only once has he been better than he was with his first venture into the genre.
Arrival is one of the most unique alien invasion films and one of the most perfect sci-fi movies of the 21st century. It’s a beautiful, meditative study of identity, memory, language, and communication told through the vehicle of a perfectly-executed sci-fi tale. With Amy Adams at her absolute (and most Oscar-snubbed) best, it’s one of the most flawless sci-fi films of the 21st century so far.
3
‘Whiplash’ (2014)
It was Damien Chazelle‘s sophomore feature effort as a director, Whiplash, that really put him on the map as one of Hollywood’s most exciting young directors. This psychological drama about artistic obsession which makes big band jazz seem absolutely terrifying is, plain and simple, one of the most exciting drama movies of all time.
Based on the 2013 short film of the same name, which Chazelle also directed, Whiplash is as intense as it is emotionally riveting. It’s a true roller coaster ride in cinematic form, boosted by the flawless performances delivered by Miles Teller and J. K. Simmons. Finding any significant flaws in it is just about as hard as pleasing Terence Fletcher.
2
‘Dune: Part Two’ (2024)
Arrival ran so Dune: Part Two could soar. 2021’s Dune was already great enough, and irrefutable proof that there’s no sci-fi filmmaker working today quite like Denis Villeneuve. But what the Quebecois auteur and his team achieved in this sequel, based on one of the most seminal sci-fi novels in the history of the genre, is something truly generational.
Dune: Part Two is nothing short of one of the best sci-fi movies of all time, a perfect marriage between Herbert’s imagination and Villeneuve’s boundless creativity. It’s visually stunning, it has some phenomenal performances, the writing is absolutely flawless, and Hans Zimmer‘s score is a powerhouse. There are book purists who might point to certain elements of Villeneuve’s adaptation that they didn’t love, but in a vacuum, this is as perfect as science fiction cinema gets.
1
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ (2015)
After thirty years away from the franchise (and the action genre as a whole) and two Happy Feet movies, George Miller made his high-octane return to Max Rockatansky’s world with Mad Max: Fury Road. This soft reboot is one of the best action movies of the last 80 years, a masterpiece of the genre a hundred times better than its three predecessors combined.
The action sequences? Non-stop injections of adrenaline strung one after the other relentlessly. The visuals? Beyond impressive, relying largely on practical effects and real props rather than just soulless CGI. The world-building? Surprisingly over-the-top yet complex for an action film. There’s simply nothing to complain about when watching Fury Road, even for those who don’t typically enjoy sci-fi action flicks. This one is just that perfect.