The 2020s have been one of the most transformative decades in Hollywood history. When the Covid-19 pandemic froze the global box office for months on end, studios had to think outside the box and reimagine traditional release models. The years saw the rise of streaming platforms while independent studios proved that they, too, could compete with mainstream franchises through stories that struck a chord with audiences.
The 2020s continue to redefine how truly inclusive and diverse cinema can be. If you’re having trouble deciding where to start, here is a list of 10 of the greatest movies from the decade that are meant to be revisited again and again.
10
‘The Power of the Dog’ (2021)
Jane Champion’s The Power of the Dog is a Western psychological drama that adapts Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel of the same name. The story is set in 1920s Montana and follows rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), whose brother George (Jesse Plemons) gets married to Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and brings her home along with her teenage son Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). However, that’s when Phil’s quiet dominance over their lives turns into something much darker than anyone sees coming. The film could have been a slow-burning character study about loneliness, but Cumberbatch’s performance is both restrained and unhinged, which gives the film its edge.
He is perfectly complemented by Dunst’s Rose, a woman struggling with grief and isolation as Phil psychologically torments her family. However, Smit PcPhee emerges as the film’s breakout star who really holds his own against the impressive ensemble cast. Champion doesn’t tell the story with the beats of a traditional Western. She leaves out the shootouts and really lets the silence talk. Every scene feels carefully crafted against a gorgeous mountainous backdrop. By the time the final act rolls around, you are hit with a revelation so devastating that it makes you rethink everything that has been unfolding on the screen. Power of the Dog is not an easy watch by any means, but if you stick with it, the payoff is beyond anything else.
9
‘After Yang’ (2021)
After Yang is a science fiction drama that explores the bond between humans and machines. Now, the idea is nothing new and is essentially the backbone of the genre. However, Kogonada’s approach to it feels delicate, intimate, and extremely personal. The film, adapted from Alexander Weinstein’s short story Saying Goodbye to Yang, is set in a future where families can purchase android companions known as technosapiens. However, when one of these androids, Yang (Justin H. Min), suddenly stops working, his family —Jake (Colin Farrell), Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith), and their adopted daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja), are forced to confront the loss.
The setup sounds pretty simple in theory, but in reality, the film is a slow-burning exploration of identity itself. As Jake grows desperate to repair Yang, he discovers a hidden memory bank that records all of the android’s experiences, and that proves to be one of the most touching moments of the film. In these moments, the family stops seeing Yang as a machine designed to serve them, but rather as a being with his own experiences. The concept is brilliant, and while the pacing of the film is slow, it’s so inviting that you just can’t stop watching. Farrell delivers a surprisingly nuanced performance and makes you feel right at home in a world that feels futuristic yet still familiar. The film’s idea of presenting technology not as a threat but as a mirror breaks the traditional rules of sci-fi, and the fact that it asks larger questions about life and relationships through the narrative is nothing short of brilliant. After Yang is a film that stays with you long after the credits roll for all the right reasons.
8
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
Oppenheimer is obviously one of the defining films of the decade. The film follows the rise and fall of theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), whose work on the Manhattan Project led to the creation of the atomic bomb. The Christopher Nolan masterpiece uses the director’s signature non-linear storytelling to deliver a three-hour epic that is intellectual and emotional at the same time. The story moves at a relentless pace from Oppenheimer’s early academic years to the intense race to build the bomb. Murphy delivers the performance of a lifetime with Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., and Florence Pugh rounding out the ensemble.
Nolan’s decision to film in both color and black-and-white represents the film’s subjective and objective perspectives, which is the kind of storytelling that people write books about. Every detail in the film feels deliberate, and the Trinity Test sequence, achieved entirely with practical effects, might just be one of the greatest feats the director has ever orchestrated. Oppenheimer’s balance of technical brilliance and the human tragedy that anchors the story is meticulous. The film explores the cost of obsession and how men driven by ambition ultimately destroy not only themselves but also the world around them. Oppenheimer is dense, exhausting, and overwhelming, but that’s exactly what makes the film so timeless.
7
‘Dune: Part One’ (2021)
Dune: Part One, directed by Denis Villeneuve, attempted to adapt one of the most complex novels of the 20th century, and while many thought the attempt would be futile, it ended up surprising everyone with its brilliance. The story is set in a future feudal galaxy where noble houses conflict over control of the desert planet Arrakis. The film follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), heir to House Atreides, who finds himself in a web of political betrayal and mystical prophecy. When his family is destroyed, Paul and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), have no choice but to flee and find refuge among the Fremen.
Instead of rushing through the plot, Villeneuve treats the story with a lot of care and seriousness. He manages to build a constant air of mystery and awe where every shot contributes to the story. Hans Zimmer’s beautiful yet haunting score only adds to Dune: Part One’s intensity and immerses you in this otherworldly land where empires exploit both people and natural resources. What’s really great about the film is how it makes the spectacle feel grounded and real. Even though we’re transported to a distant future filled with spaceships and unimaginable technology, the realism of it all makes everything feel strangely relatable. Dune: Part One is the perfect example of how sci-fi can be used to explore the very human elements of fear, progress, and power.
6
‘Spider‑Man: Across the Spider‑Verse’ (2023)
If Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) redefined what an animated superhero film could be, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse somehow went even further. The sequel expands everything that made the first film such a hit, from the visuals to the story and the character arcs. The film picks up with Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) still juggling school, family, and his secret superhero life, but this time around, the stakes feel a little higher. When a new threat looms over the Spider-Society, Miles has to come to terms with the fact that being Spider-Man might require him to challenge the very idea of destiny.
The film’s animation is just as dynamic as its predecessor, but what’s interesting is how each Spider-Person’s world has its own visual identity. From Gwen Stacy’s watercolor universe to the chaotic sketchbook style of Spider-Punk’s London, the film is a visual treat. However, beneath all that, you have a story that will resonate with viewers of all ages. Miles remains one of the most relatable heroes in modern cinema. He is an awkward teenager still trying to find his place in the world, and his evolution feels personal because of how the story explores the cost of growing up. At a time when the superhero genre feels repetitive and generic, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse goes to show that taking creative risks always pays off.
5
‘Sinners’ (2025)
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners was the summer blockbuster that no one saw coming. The film is a Southern Gothic epic that flips the vampire genre on its head in the best possible way. The story is set in 1932 Mississippi and follows twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” Moore, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who return home to open a juke joint for their community using dirty money. However, their plans are crushed when the devil crashes their opening night. The film is part period drama and part musical, a mix that technically shouldn’t work but translates beautifully on the screen.
You have to appreciate Coogler for pacing the film in a way that feels slow and immersive before erupting into absolute chaos. Every detail of Mississippi feels lived-in and lends itself beautifully to the storytelling. B. Jordan is obviously the emotional anchor of the film and delivers two distinct performances as Smoke and Stack. The way Coogler uses vampires as a metaphor for systems that have profited off of Black life, art, and labor is genius. Sure, many might agree that the film’s final act was a bit too rushed, but even then, you can’t deny the impact Sinners has had and will continue to have on modern filmmaking.
4
‘All of Us Strangers’ (2023)
All of Us Strangers is a film that’s hard to forget. The story, adapted loosely from Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers, follows Adam (Andrew Scott), a lonely screenwriter from London who begins a relationship with his neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal). As their bond deepens, though, Adam also finds himself drawn back to his childhood home, where he finds his parents alive and exactly as they were before a fatal car crash three decades earlier. Now, the plot could have easily veered off into Uncanny Valley territory, but the film is less about the supernatural and more about grief and the way memories blur together until the past and present become heartbreakingly inseparable.
The whole thing unfolds like a dream where everything feels surreal and too real at the same time. Scott and Mescal’s chemistry is the best part of All of Us Stranglers and is perhaps the only thing grounding this ghost story in something tangible. The scenes between Adam and his long-dead parents are devastating, and their conversations about the past, being gay, growing up, and simple things like tea are dripping with so much meaning that you feel a sense of emptiness when it’s all over. Visually, All of Us Strangers feels like it’s suspended in time, and that’s what makes it an essential watch.
3
‘The Father’ (2020)
The Father is a near-perfect film that depicts dementia perfectly. The story focuses on Anthony (Anthony Hopkins), an aging man grappling with dementia, and his daughter Anne (Olivia Colman), who struggles to care for him while trying to live her own life. The Father is a heartbreaking exploration of the relationship between a parent and child and what happens when the tables are turned. Hopkins delivers a shocking performance, not because he exaggerates his character’s slow mental decline, but because of how he is shown to be resisting it. Anthony is proud and occasionally cruel as he tries to hold on to the last shreds of his dignity. One moment, he is the most charming man you will ever meet, and the next, he is lashing out in confusion and fear because his mind betrays him.
Coleman perfectly complements Hopkins and brings a quiet strength to her portrayal of Anne. You can tell that she is exhausted, but what really hits you is the weight she carries, of loving someone who no longer recognizes you. Florian Zeller’s direction is simple, but that’s what really shines the spotlight on the film’s story and the brilliant performances that make it what it is. The Father takes place mostly in a single apartment, which really captures Anne’s internal struggle and the feeling of being stuck. By the time the film reaches its climax, you can’t hold the tears back as Anthony grieves the gradual loss of his very identity. The Father could have been another generic exploration of aging, but the way the film blends genres is extremely powerful and worth several watches.
2
‘Anora’ (2024)
Sean Baker’s Anora begins like a neon-highlighted fairytale and turns into something much rawer than one would expect. The film stars Mikey Madison in a career-defining performance as Ani, a Brighton Beach stripper who impulsively marries Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch. That leads to a high-stakes chase as Ivan’s parents sent henchmen to track him down and bring him back home because they disapprove of Ani. Anora is shot with the intense energy of a street thriller, but beneath that, you have the grounded story of a girl who has to completely rethink her idea of love and survival.
Ani is in for a rude awakening when she is hunted and then ultimately discarded by the world that she thought she could outsmart. The film addresses class and sex work in a way that will remind you of Pretty Woman (199), but in a much more realistic way. Baker’s narrative never judges or questions Ani’s decisions, because we know everything she does is to survive. Even when her decisions are messy and chaotic, they come from a place of instinct. Anora is definitely not the easiest watch, but it will make you question everything about the systems that we all exist within.
1
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ (2022)
It’s rare for a film to incorporate practically every genre in its narrative, but the way Everything Everywhere All at Once does so is nothing short of brilliant. The film stars Michelle Yeoh as Evelyn Wang, a laundromat owner who has to connect with parallel universe versions of herself to save the world from imminent doom. From being a martial arts master to a movie star and even a rock sitting on a cliff, Evelyn explores every what-if situation out there, and in the middle of it all, she has to confront all the regrets, fears, and relationships that have defined her life. The way the film blends absurdist comedy with science fiction, action, and family drama without ever losing sight of the narrative showcases Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s sheer brilliance.
It’s shocking that a story about quantum leaps and infinite possibilities still centers kindness and empathy over everything else, and Yeoh manages to convey that with unbelievable finesse, with all the different versions of her character. Stephanie Hsu completely steals the show as Evelyn’s daughter, turned multiverse God, while Jamie Lee Curtis as the IRS agent Deirdre Beaubeirdre stuns in every universe. It’s no wonder that Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of A24’s biggest hits, because even with its grand spectacle, the film still manages to convey the importance of small, human moments that make us all who we are.