Criterion Collection by Decade (2020s), a list by Adam McGready

7.1

/35635/

70

/1531/

70

/677/

3.7

/85962/

98

/348/

78

/132/

83

/51/

3.5

age 15+

In the aftermath of Cassius Clay's defeat of Sonny Liston in 1964, the boxer meets with Malcolm X, Sam Cooke and Jim Brown to change the course of history in the segregated South.

83

82

7.4

/9348/

72

/477/

72

/142/

4.1

/7544/

95

/110/

76

92

/37/

4.0

age 16+

Follow young Cora’s journey as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. After escaping her Georgia plantation for the rumored Underground Railroad, Cora discovers no mere metaphor, but an actual railroad full of engineers and conductors, and a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil.

75

6.8

/6528/

68

/293/

67

/118/

3.8

/26727/

98

/132/

51

/43/

91

/23/

3.5

age 14+

Fox Rich, indomitable matriarch and modern-day abolitionist, strives to keep her family together while fighting for the release of her incarcerated husband. An intimate, epic, and unconventional love story, filmed over two decades.

81

7.4

/7591/

72

/410/

71

/137/

3.9

/37717/

99

/101/

78

/37/

89

/28/

3.5

age 13+

With this inventive portrait, director Kirsten Johnson seeks a way to keep her 86-year-old father alive forever. Utilizing moviemaking magic and her family’s dark humor, she celebrates Dr. Dick Johnson’s last years by staging fantasies of death and beyond. Together, dad and daughter confront the great inevitability awaiting us all.

81

7.0

/675/

69

/37/

65

/10/

3.7

/2812/

100

/22/

100

/2/

89

/5/

3.5

A man and a woman in Lagos want to escape their everyday lives, but extricating themselves is no easy task. Two stories narrated with tenderness and restraint that only fleetingly touch, the dream of migrating to Europe floating above them all the while.

74

6.9

/1783/

67

/84/

68

/42/

3.6

/6608/

97

/76/

72

/11/

75

/16/

3.0

Reunited after a 17-year separation, Walter, an Angolan immigrant, is joined in the U.S. by his wife and teenage daughter. Now absolute strangers sharing a one-bedroom apartment, they discover a shared love of dance that may help overcome the emotional distance between them.

85

7.7

/120952/

75

/3718/

74

/1687/

4.1

/829299/

96

/252/

86

/207/

91

/47/

4.0

age 16+

The chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

84

7.5

/75244/

75

/2757/

74

/1427/

4.2

/360182/

97

/216/

78

/269/

91

/42/

4.0

age 15+

Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.

72

6.8

/775/

70

/31/

76

/14/

3.7

/3955/

97

/35/

33

/1/

3.5

A spiritual journey into the highlands of Harar, immersed in the rituals of khat, a leaf Sufi Muslims chewed for centuries for religious meditations – and Ethiopia’s most lucrative cash crop today. A tapestry of intimate stories offers a window into the dreams of youth under a repressive regime.

83

7.7

/182152/

77

/5951/

77

/2736/

4.2

/780425/

97

/287/

90

/473/

82

/37/

3.5

age 15+

Metal drummer Ruben begins to lose his hearing. When a doctor tells him his condition will worsen, he thinks his career and life is over. His girlfriend Lou checks the former addict into a rehab for the deaf hoping it will prevent a relapse and help him adapt to his new life. After being welcomed and accepted just as he is, Ruben must choose between his new normal and the life he once knew.

79

6.8

/220444/

67

/6793/

67

/2866/

3.7

/495830/

94

/366/

76

/28/

89

/58/

4.0

age 15+

A domineering but charismatic rancher wages a war of intimidation on his brother's new wife and her teen son, until long-hidden secrets come to light.

82

7.3

/6070/

74

/331/

67

/114/

3.9

/34555/

98

/135/

79

/17/

87

/31/

4.0

age 15+

Experience the iconic rock band's legacy in the first major documentary to tell their story. Directed with the era’s avant-garde spirit by Todd Haynes, this kaleidoscopic oral history combines exclusive interviews with dazzling archival footage.

85

7.3

/1667/

73

/53/

74

/43/

4.1

/8236/

100

/38/

91

/3/

91

/11/

4.0

Amongst the mountains of Lesotho, an 80-year-old widow winds up her affairs and makes arrangements for her burial. But when her village is threatened with resettlement due to the construction of a reservoir, she finds a new will to live and ignites a spirit of resistance within her community.

71

6.6

/11473/

65

/384/

62

/232/

3.6

/50791/

84

/164/

53

/32/

80

/32/

3.5

age 16+

An English-German filmmaking couple retreat to Fårö for the summer to each write screenplays for their upcoming films in an act of pilgrimage to the place that inspired Ingmar Bergman. As the summer and their screenplays advance, the lines between reality and fiction start to blur against the backdrop of the Island's wild landscape.

71

7.2

/211822/

69

/8126/

70

/2687/

3.7

/843676/

72

/285/

80

/71/

63

/47/

3.0

age 15+

A celebrity model couple are invited on a luxury cruise for the uber-rich, helmed by an unhinged, alcoholic captain. What first appears Instagrammable ends catastrophically, leaving the survivors stranded on a desert island in a struggle of hierarchy.

83

7.4

/20415/

73

/800/

71

/436/

4.1

/145941/

97

/219/

81

/39/

93

/37/

4.0

age 10+

After the death of her beloved grandmother, eight-year-old Nelly meets a strangely familiar girl her own age in the woods. Instantly forming a connection with this mysterious new friend, Nelly embarks on a fantastical journey of discovery which helps her come to terms with this newfound loss.

80

7.6

/16279/

74

/678/

75

/251/

4.0

/86920/

92

/167/

75

/210/

83

/34/

3.5

age 14+

A cinematic odyssey featuring never-before-seen footage exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey.

64

5.3

/8996/

56

/571/

53

/218/

3.1

/28609/

91

/148/

67

/58/

72

/30/

2.5

age 15+

Aisha, a Senegalese immigrant who takes a job as a nanny for a wealthy white family in New York City, finds herself consumed by unsettling visions and a growing rage.

84

7.6

/141888/

75

/5961/

80

/3215/

4.0

/649555/

96

/298/

90

/575/

79

/49/

4.0

age 11+

During the rise of fascism in Mussolini's Italy, a wooden boy brought magically to life struggles to live up to his father's expectations.

81

7.5

/9107/

72

/384/

72

/154/

4.2

/61059/

95

/145/

64

/19/

91

/34/

4.0

The life of internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin is told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.

76

6.8

/6188/

66

/221/

62

/192/

3.8

/33201/

95

/138/

57

/22/

91

/37/

4.0

A novelist attends the trial of a woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, her own family history, doubts, and fears about motherhood are steadily dislodged as the life story of the accused is gradually revealed.

83

7.6

/203789/

75

/8056/

75

/3074/

4.1

/1378363/

96

/287/

91

/63/

86

/44/

3.5

age 14+

A woman is suspected of her husband's murder, and their blind son faces a moral dilemma as the sole witness.

86

7.9

/97881/

79

/4005/

77

/1730/

4.3

/710849/

96

/186/

93

/34/

80

/38/

4.0

age 12+

Hirayama is content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and taking photos of trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the world.

73

6.7

/16817/

63

/684/

65

/396/

3.6

/89219/

96

/160/

64

/61/

85

/30/

3.0

The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.

75

7.0

/681/

66

/28/

68

/17/

3.7

/10356/

94

/52/

78

79

/12/

3.0

Virginia Woolf's 1928 novel "Orlando: A Biography" follows the centuries-spanning life of a young nobleman who awakens to find that they are a woman. Almost a century after its publication, Paul B. Preciado claims that fiction has become reality and Orlando's story lies at the root of all contemporary trans and non-binary life.

77

7.2

/2350/

71

/60/

66

/45/

3.6

/11310/

98

/55/

81

/6/

82

/24/

3.0

This unique cinematic experience dives deep into an artist’s work and reveals his life path, inspiration, and creative process. It explores his fascination with myth and history. Past and present are interwoven to diffuse the line between film and painting, allowing the audience to be completely immersed in the remarkable world of one of the greatest contemporary artists, Anselm Kiefer. Wim Wenders shot this unique portrait over the course of two years in stunning 3D.

77

7.1

/10848/

69

/348/

68

/226/

3.7

/52075/

91

/126/

74

/13/

82

/28/

3.5

Self-important author Leon joins his best friend on a summer holiday near the Baltic Sea to complete his novel. When they arrive, they find their house is already occupied by a carefree woman who challenges Leon to open up. Meanwhile, forest wildfires rage around them and impending disaster looms.

74

6.6

/4722/

67

/302/

67

/366/

3.6

/27569/

98

/44/

82

/11/

68

/12/

3.0

Sylvie, a nearly sixty-year-old woman, has fallen in love with Michel, a thug she marries in prison. The couple dream of starting again with a clean slate by opening a flower shop. But Sylvie’s son Abel, convinced that Michel will fall into a life of crime, disapproves of this relationship.

70

6.9

/1741/

66

/92/

69

/29/

3.5

/13437/

84

/74/

58

/4/

62

/18/

3.5

Victor Fleming’s 1939 film The Wizard of Oz is one of David Lynch’s most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch’s work.

82

7.7

/19036/

76

/669/

76

/793/

4.1

/56246/

91

/107/

96

/34/

78

/28/

3.5

An epic journey of friendship and self-discovery set in the breathtaking Italian Alps, The Eight Mountains follows over four decades the profound, complex relationship between Pietro and Bruno.

80

7.0

/5379/

68

/232/

68

/77/

3.6

/18505/

99

/88/

82

/38/

87

/19/

4.0

age 14+

Against the darkening backdrop of New Delhi's apocalyptic air and escalating violence, two brothers devote their lives to protecting one casualty of the turbulent times: the bird known as the black kite.

74

7.1

/3571/

67

/96/

68

/87/

3.6

/9632/

87

/85/

63

/6/

78

/20/

3.5

In Belgium today, a young boy and an adolescent girl who have travelled alone from Africa pit their invincible friendship against the difficult conditions of their exile.

82

7.2

/5053/

72

/156/

67

/122/

3.9

/20003/

99

/110/

77

/9/

93

/29/

4.0

Iranian director Jafar Panahi, who has been barred from leaving the country, arrives at a village on the Iran-Turkey border to supervise a film based on a real-life couple seeking passports to Europe being shot in Turkey, but both his stay and the production run into trouble.

74

7.1

/9407/

68

/315/

67

/188/

3.9

/39260/

92

/75/

75

/26/

81

/21/

2.5

In the late 19th century, a young Danish priest travels to a remote part of Iceland to build a church and photograph its people. But the deeper he goes into the unforgiving landscape, the more he strays from his purpose, the mission and morality.

83

7.6

/76793/

74

/2949/

74

/954/

3.9

/659470/

96

/275/

91

/67/

90

/53/

3.5

age 15+

One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry, which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life.

82

7.4

/258407/

72

/11001/

71

/2854/

3.8

/2228755/

93

/352/

85

/490/

91

/62/

4.0

age 17+

A young sex worker from Brooklyn gets her chance at a Cinderella story when she meets and impulsively marries the son of an oligarch. Once the news reaches Russia, her fairytale is threatened as his parents set out to get the marriage annulled.

79

7.1

/13221/

70

/454/

68

/206/

3.9

/97599/

100

/158/

71

/62/

93

/35/

3.5

In Mumbai, Nurse Prabha's routine is troubled when she receives an unexpected gift from her estranged husband. Her younger roommate, Anu, tries in vain to find a spot in the city to be intimate with her boyfriend. A trip to a beach town allows them to find a space for their desires to manifest.

79

6.9

/6607/

67

/232/

70

/290/

3.6

/32148/

93

/72/

93

/25/

85

/16/

3.5

In the last days of the Second World War, a deserting soldier disrupts a tranquil and isolated mountain community. For one family, his arrival brings excitement and romance, but tragedy lies in wait.

76

7.1

/164674/

70

/5779/

70

/2853/

3.7

/919365/

75

/320/

76

/313/

75

/57/

4.0

age 15+

The staff of an American magazine based in France puts out its last issue, with stories featuring an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student riots, and a kidnapping resolved by a chef.

87

7.9

/120109/

78

/7250/

81

/2547/

4.1

/948994/

97

/196/

98

/216/

87

/31/

4.0

age 6+

A solitary cat, displaced by a great flood, finds refuge on a boat with various species and must navigate the challenges of adapting to a transformed world together.

77

7.0

/180593/

68

/7674/

69

/3230/

3.4

/386483/

87

/63/

85

/134/

70

/55/

4.0

age 16+

An ambitious carnival man with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychologist who is even more dangerous than he is.

65

5.7

/7981/

53

/523/

58

/189/

3.0

/63585/

75

/187/

51

/22/

72

/37/

4.0

age 17+

Inconsolable since the death of his wife, Karsh, a prominent businessman, invents a revolutionary and controversial technology that enables the living to monitor their dear departed in their shrouds. One night, multiple graves, including that of Karsh’s wife, are desecrated, and he sets out to track down the perpetrators.

80

30

7.0

/210/

75

/10/

75

/3/

3.8

/1572/

100

/9/

88

/1/

An immersion into the surreal and dreamlike world of painter, photographer and filmmaker Man Ray (1890-1976), one of the most prolific American visual artists, through four of his short films, brought to life by the atmospheric music of SQÜRL.

87

8.2

/5779/

81

/340/

76

/81/

4.3

/27415/

97

/143/

85

/46/

93

/28/

4.0

age 12+

A filmed version of David Byrne's Broadway show, a unifying musical celebration that inspires audiences to connect to each other and to the global community.

65

5.7

/3173/

57

/115/

59

/45/

3.2

/16531/

77

/149/

67

/271/

65

/32/