You can find some bits of info here and there regarding what some people long ago thought might happen by the 2020s, though it’s usually to do with technological and broader societal things, rather than movies. Let’s stick to movies. Or maybe not, because maybe there’s a reason people don’t want to predict where cinema will go, or how the films of one’s time might be seen decades later. It could well be too hard to know, and one risks looking kind of silly if they say a currently great movie will still be seen as great in many decades’ time.
But if you go ahead far enough, you enter a future you probably won’t be around to see, so if you’re wrong, it’s a bit like, “Oh well?” That’s the attitude taken with the following ranking, which is a fairly speculative/subjective look at what could well still hold up in 100 years. It’s happened with some movies from the 1920s, because Metropolis is honestly still a pretty great watch, as is the first Nosferatu, and some of the early Charlie Chaplin movies, like The Kid and The Gold Rush, among other great silent films. So, it’s not impossible that some people (even if they’re just futuristic film buffs) in the 2120s might well still find value in watching the following movies.
7
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
On a technical front, there’s a good chance most of Christopher Nolan’s movies will remain impressive as the decades march on, since he’s famous for only using CGI when he really has to, and CGI is something that can age a movie more than expertly done practical effects. That sounds like a snobby thing to say, but if you look at something like 1982’s The Thing, that still looks impressively gross, visceral, and horrifying, in the mid-2020s just as it would’ve been back in the early 1980s. That’s the best of the best, sure, but then you fast-forward to the 1990s, and plenty of movies that went a bit hard on CGI hold up worse, even if they’re technically newer.
Oh wow, sidetracked. Anyway, Oppenheimer isn’t as effects-heavy as something like The Thing, but there was still quite a bit that needed to be achieved, as far as spectacle was concerned. It’s a movie about the development of the first atomic bomb, and the way it doomed humanity to continually fear more destruction on the level of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, near the end of the Second World War. Truthfully, if nuclear-related fears go away entirely, and the angst Oppenheimer inspires feels laughable or far-fetched in that idealistic future, that’ll be a good thing overall. Not for the movie, since it won’t pack the same punch, but humanity could probably deal with that as a trade-off, you know? Oppenheimer being both a historical movie and a time capsule for a 1940s to 2020s kind of anxiety would be nice.
6
‘One Battle After Another’ (2025)
A movie very loosely based on a Thomas Pynchon novel, with that writer being one of the most singular and ahead-of-his-time (or out of anyone’s time?), One Battle After Another could also endure. It’s not as guaranteed as some of those best Pynchon novels, and novels are very different from movies, and there are arguably more things that can age a movie than a book, but still. There’s an energy to One Battle After Another that seems promising for its chances of holding up, and that energy, plus its strange tone, kind of makes it feel like it could be ahead of its time.
That being said, One Battle After Another very intentionally reflects the present day, making fun of certain individuals, groups, and ideologies in a broadly satirical way that could be funny decades from now, or could well be confusing for watchers in the future. How the comedy will be received in 100 years is anyone’s guess (would people in 1964 have known that Dr. Strangelove would still be funny 60+ years later?), but the more action-packed and thrill-heavy parts of One Battle After Another are likely to hold up. Well, likelier to hold up. There’s a lot here, so some parts of it should endure, one would think/hope.
5
‘Past Lives’ (2023)
Aesthetically, Past Lives might not really hold up, because there’s something to how the film looks and feels that screams 2020s, which isn’t a bad thing nowadays at all, but could make it feel dated later on. Or that could be wrong. But if it’s not wrong, then Past Lives is still worth mentioning here because it’s about a very human and relatable struggle: grappling with what could’ve been. It’s specifically about two childhood friends who never got the chance to become more than friends, and what happens when they suddenly reunite, albeit one of them is married to someone else.
That all sounds like it could lead to something spicy and melodramatic, but Past Lives keeps things restrained, grounded, and largely subtle, maybe feeling like a slightly less arthouse In the Mood for Love. Celine Song’s Materialists, which she did after Past Lives, is unlikely to hold up as well, and will probably feel like even more of a cinematic time capsule, though the simultaneous rawness and gentleness of Past Lives (yep, it does manage to do both, somehow) could well contribute to it feeling timeless. Time will tell and all.
4
‘Flow’ (2024)
Flow could’ve been released 100 years ago and appreciated pretty well, though the bright colors and the style of animation would’ve thrown people a little. But it’s a silent film, and the visual storytelling is really effective, so that puts it kind of in line with films of old, and helps Flow also feel distinctive and kind of out of time today, in a good way, and so maybe that feeling will stick around a century from now. Unless the animation just looks way too jarring or primitive in the 22nd century, Flow will still, at the very least, remain watchable and coherent, since it’s about a flood that puts a cat and a few other animals on a raft, and they’re forced to work together if they want to stand a chance of surviving.
Both Flow and Robot Dreams serve as good reminders that filmmakers are still doing interesting things within the world of animation.
From there, Flow is kind of charming, and also somewhat intense at times, given it’s basically a post-apocalyptic (or post-disaster, maybe) film, albeit a colorful and quite cute one. It would make for a good double feature with Robot Dreams, too, which is another simple and dialogue-free animated movie that proves to be surprisingly moving, all the while also remaining suitable for all ages. Both serve as good reminders that filmmakers are still doing interesting things within the world of animation, and hopefully, such films will age well and continue holding up and stuff.
3
‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (2023)
There were quite a few emotionally taxing movies released in 2023, including the aforementioned Oppenheimer, and then also Killers of the Flower Moon. This one takes place about a century ago, with a story that’s largely (though not exclusively) set in the early 1920s, with the narrative involving crimes committed against the Osage people to obtain the oil-rich land they collectively held the rights to. It’s uncompromising in its exploration of widespread and systematic murder, and that’s why it ends up being particularly heavy and intense on an emotional front.
With Martin Scorsese, he’s got a good track record of films holding up over several decades (see Taxi Driver and Raging Bull for two of his earliest and best pictures), so that’s a good sign for Killers of the Flower Moon having some longevity. It was well-received in 2023, but maybe not as well-received as some of his classics that have stood the test of time, since they came out a long time ago. But there’s a power and confidence to Killers of the Flower Moon that’ll likely make it continue to feel impactful, and if it’s more appreciated some decades from now, compared to how it’s seen right now, then it wouldn’t be the first Scorsese film to be held in higher regard once some time’s passed.
2
‘The Worst Person in the World’ (2021)
The Worst Person in the World is a bit like a coming-of-age movie, but more mature. At least the characters are a little older than the ones you’d find in more traditional coming-of-age movies, though immaturity and not feeling one’s age are among the anxieties explored here. It’s about taking a while to find yourself, and generally surviving the transition from one’s more carefree 20s to the slightly more daunting decade that is one’s 30s.
And barring some terrible Logan’s Run-esque situation in the future where people don’t live past the age of 30, the stuff unpacked in The Worst Person in the World should hopefully remain relevant and cathartic to see on screen, in some capacity. Corny as it might sound, it’s the kind of film that can let you know you’re not alone with struggles that not many movies have explored before, or at least haven’t explored as much as movies that look at teenage struggles or crises of a midlife variety.
1
‘Perfect Days’ (2023)
The reason for Perfect Days to be here is that nowadays, it already feels quite far removed from how everyday life is for most people. In this movie, there’s a man who lives a rather solitary life, but he seems to find enjoyment from it regardless, with his daily routine involving work as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, and then various other things he does post-work, including chores, recreational activities, and socializing. And if you watch Perfect Days, you just watch him do all that. There’s a bit more going on regarding how his old life might’ve been, and why he could be running from it, but the “drama” is still fairly mild and low-key.
It’s a hangout movie where some of the time, you’re really just hanging out with one guy, with the silence being filled in by his excellent taste in music. It’s a relaxing and oddly moving film, and one of the best Wim Wenders (who is a bit underrated, overall) has ever directed. There’s something weirdly hypnotic and unusual about Perfect Days now, and if life for most people continues to get more hectic, stressful, and work-heavy, maybe the peace found within this film will resonate even more than it does when you watch it nowadays, just a couple of years on from its initial release.
