Top 500 (2018)

F.W. Murnau | USA

Not quite as strong as Sunrise, but City Girl once again proved that Murnau could do Hollywood dramas without losing his touch for creating beautiful imagery.

Tomas Alfredson | Sweden

Came out in the height of my obsession with vampires and only made it stronger. Definitely a better love story than Twilight.

Nicolas Roeg | Australia | UK

Animal slaughter aside (who wants to see Kangaroos get killed?), it’s a raw portrait of the wild Australian life, where two lost kids are accompanied by an aboriginal. At times unpleasant but always bold.

Terry Gilliam | USA

One of the best to smoke and trip the f out on. I just want whatever Johnny Depp was on for the shooting of this.

Emilio Fernández | Mexico | USA

La Perla is a Mexican pearl. It explores the ignorant peasants and hierarchy of late 40s Mexico, and also reminds us that greed is never good.

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

Possibly the bleakest of all Ozu’s films. One of those situations where everything goes wrong and you just wonder how all the characters remain so calm and arent suicidal. Ozu truly mastered the art of emotional manipulation.

Hiroshi Shimizu | Japan

One thing early Japanese cinema suffered from was dull cinematography, but Shimizu takes a fairly simple story and raises the bar with a lyrical visual style, capturing the heart of its characters, era and city.

Anthony Minghella | USA

This is all about the erotic endeavors of Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Thomas, but the sand dunes were real pretty too.

Robert Altman | USA

The most un-musical musical. Represents the rising anxiety and conflict of the 70s up to its cumulative conclusion. Undoubtedly an essential in American cinema.

Roman Polanski | France | Germany | Poland | UK

Polanski is better at terrifying people than most, and with a WW-2 film he terrified its audience in portraying the worst type of human suffering. It may be less polished than Schindler’s List, but equally tormenting.

Jerome Robbins | USA

Hollywood musicals are among my least favorite things, but who can really be mad at this? It’s so pretty and witty and gaaaay.

Larry Clark | USA

AIDs and confused (I stole this one from someone). Just a tip; don’t watch this with your mom unless she’s really cool.

Orson Welles | France | Iran | West Germany

Its part documentary about forged art and part Orson Welles fucking with narrative structure. A high note for him to go out on and a sneak peak into Welles’ mind.

Sergei Parajanov | Soviet Union

I know that i’ve used the word lyrical before but that’s exactly how one would describe the atmosphere in this film. A majestic sight of Soviet Ukraine flooded with color and song.

Sergey Solovev | Soviet Union

Russians teens in summer camp going through the frustration and the yearning of experiencing love for the first time. Gee, who knew Russians could do something this tender about adolescent love?

Mikio Naruse | Japan

A study on female independence in a male predominant society where the superficial was most valued. A film that teaches to us keep going when dealt with bad circumstances.

Richard Linklater | USA

Who knew that a film about a bunch of frat boys partying could be this damn charming? One of Linklater’s lighter, simpler films that merely exists to bring 80s nostalgic joy into the world.

Paul Thomas Anderson | USA

As polarizing as PTA can be, his films are preeeetty entertaining. I mean, an action-y film involving a porn star/musician/criminal known for his big dick? Good times.

Robert Bresson | France

The most simplistic director takes on Camelot starring one of King Arthur’s knights. Pretty much the most realistic and mundane film you’ll ever see about knights.

Steve McQueen | USA | UK

Sooo… slavery sucked. Painful to watch is an understatement.

William A. Wellman | USA

First Oscar winner remains one of the best to me. Strong cast, dazzling cinematography, impressive aerial shots, and a sweet bromance.

Uli Edel | West Germany

Based on the true story of the title character. This was the first film about drugs that I ever saw as well as my introduction to David Bowie, so it holds a special place in my heart.

Ridley Scott | UK | USA

Baby alien bursting out of that one guy’s chest is a fond childhood memory. Ridley Scott combined the horror and space genre flawlessly and the alien designs were epic *fanboys.

Zhang Yimou | China

Of all these martial arts flicks “Hero” is my favorite. It uses a similar style of Rashomon in retelling the same story multiple times, and uses a different color setting for each. And it is freaking gorgeous. How many times have you witnessed a chick fight slap down involving leaves?

Jean-Luc Godard | France

Godard’s breakout film widely regarded as a French New-Wave essential. It’s definitely essential but for me it is more of a stepping stone in cinema rather than a personal favorite.

Roman Polanski | UK

Polanski taking on sexual repression leading to violence, starring Catherine Denueve as the emotionally stilted-hormoned crazed girl. It plays as one long unpleasant nightmare.

Sergio Leone | Italy | West Germany | Spain

Spaghetti westerns make me hungry, especially ones with an awesome baddie like this one.

Don Hertzfeldt | USA

One that caught me by surprise, at first its a cleverly animated comedy that suddenly morphs into a horrifying film about schizophrenia. Be prepared to shed tears over a stick figure.

Dušan Makavejev | France | Canada | West Germany

Yep, I prefer this over The Godfather Part II… come at me. Sweet Movie is all about sexual liberation, sweets and all that is good about uncensored cinema. I do have to warn that it may or may not give you cavities.

Vincent Gallo | USA

Cinematography to DIE for. Main character/Vincent Gallo is a bit off-putting, but he earns it by having Christina Ricci tap-dancing. A bit of a masturbatory film for cinephiles tbh.

Jean Renoir | France

Renoir is a master of French cinema whose work I should probably like more, but one can’t deny the relevancy of Rules of the Game and its analysis on the despicable, selfish nature of high class societies of the late 30s.

Jean-Luc Godard | France

Godard’s first playful and colorful film with a great cast starring the gorgeous Anna Karina. Neon lights never looked this good.

Sean Penn | USA

I once shared a similar sentiment of wishing to travel (the world) alone, but nature is scary. Loved this deeply flawed film since I saw it, and the line that stood out to me the most said “Happiness is only real when it is shared”.

Chris Marker | France

A dreamlike meditation on film, people and different cultures. Could’ve done without a Giraffe getting brutally slaughtered though.

Alf Sjöberg | Sweden

Sweet Swedish Summer madness. The original Mommy dearest.

Roman Polanski | USA

When they finally get to Chinatown SHIT GOES DOWN. Also… she’s my sister and my daughter!

Orson Welles | USA

May be Welles’ most underrated film imo, witness a Shakespearean shot “Ivan The Terrible” style with its lavish sets and dreamy atmosphere. A million times better than the same year’s Hamlet.

Teinosuke Kinugasa | Japan

The greatest Japanese silent is a meditation on insanity. Great for house parties and nightmares.

Roberto Rossellini | Italy

Six separate stories, about different perspectives and ideologies before the end of WW2. Possibly the most beautiful of Rossellini’s neo trilogy, but also the least impactful as we only got to know these stories for 20 minutes each.

Masaki Kobayashi | Japan

If you dig Samurais look no further, as it offers the sword fights you asked for along with the complexity of Japanese culture.

Charles Chaplin | USA

Chaplin cooks and eats a shoe. A sensation to behold.

Satyajit Ray | India

A standard 19th century Indian love triangle, a delicate and passionate film exploring the life of a bored housewife that falls for her husband’s youthful brother-in-law. The emotions within Ray’s films are universal and earned.

Keisuke Kinoshita | Japan

For never was a story of more woe than this of Masao and his Tamiko. A reminiscing tale of impossible love. Also a contender for best film title ever, oui?

Martin Scorsese | USA

If The Godfather and Scarface had a lovechild it would be Goodfellas, a fun gangster flick but I prefer its parents.

Quentin Tarantino | Germany | USA

Killing Nazi’s should be an Olympic sport. Nazis playing The Name Game is an aesthetic I didn’t know I needed in my life.

Paweł Pawlikowski | Poland | Denmark | France | UK

A fairly strong nun-story somewhat reminiscing “Diary of a Country Priest”, but its real strength lies in composing some of the most beautiful images of the 21st century. I must borrow Pawlikowski’s eyes for my film.

Paolo Sorrentino | Italy | France

A tribute to Italian cinema and Fellini, and while its visual style is uneven, it more often than not is superb. This film makes me want to go a dance club.

Lee Chang-dong | South Korea

Learning poetry at an old age. Both somber but hopeful, and does not shy away from uncomfortable and painful situations.

Stanley Kramer | USA

Escaped prisoners Sidney Poitier and a white man chained together to create one of the most homoerotic films of its time. Skip Who’s Coming To Dinner, this is a better film.

Jim Sharman | UK | USA

First caught this on tv when I was a kid and thought it was a dirty movie, but turned out it was just a group of grown ups dressed in women’s clothing and… singing. Tres bizarre but I love it.

Peter Greenaway | UK | Netherlands

Greenaway’s most bonkers, feminist and entertaining film. It really should be titled “Women Easily Drowning Men”.

Arthur Penn | USA

Not sure if its right to call this a guilty pleasure (a film about a young Helen Keller, a guilty pleasure?) but it kiiind of is. Patty Duke was such a talented young girl, and her “revelation” of awareness is an incredible scene.

Quentin Tarantino | USA

My favorite Tarantino in style and story. The animated sequence of O-Ren’s childhood is a thing of beauty.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder | West Germany

Fassbinder’s pessimistic view on love and humanity could be seen by how he portrayed them in his films, but he was also the first to portray gay and lesbian relationships as if they were like any other doomed heterosexual couple. In his films the most innocent and pure, in this case Fassbinder himself, fall prey to the manipulative vultures of the world.

John Cassavetes | USA

Explosive, non-stop chaotic performances. The characters in this film, as unlikable as they can be, beg you to root for them. Gena Rowlands is the high point of the film.

Michael Curtiz | USA

A true classic Hollywood picture. War never looked as good as looking into Ingrid Bergman’s glittering eyes. The one scene in which they sing La Marseillaise in spite of the Germans never fails to give me goosebumps.

Spike Jonze | USA

A portal to the mind of John Malkovich? Malkovich himself going through that same portal into his own mind? An insane concept that somehow… worked.

Seijun Suzuki | Japan

A Japanese assassin who whistles and sings? Where was this film all my life? Its style is nearly too slick for mere mortals.

Terrence Malick | USA

One of those films you love so much, and go online to read reviews and mostly find negativity. It’s true that Malick can’t do wrong in my eyes. I was mesmerized by its visual perfection and its brief tender, explosive moments that take me on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I believe more than ever that Malick’s cinematic language is only made for a few.

Stanley Kubrick | UK | USA

Me rove this rong time (kill me). A tale of two cities; man driven insane at military training camp, the rest losing their morality in the midst of the Vietnam war.

Brian De Palma | USA

If this film were an object it would be a giant penis. Tony Montana is a drug lord I can get behind.

Kenji Mizoguchi | Japan

Mizoguchi’s most beloved film, is part supernatural love story and part period drama. A haunting tale that inspired Japanese ghost fables for decades to come.

Krzysztof Kieslowski | France | Poland | Switzerland

The lightest of the color trilogy, a passionate tale of revenge. Great performances and some surprisingly funny moments.

Stephen Chbosky | USA

I understand that it suffers from much of the indie cliches et all, but Come on Eileen is my jam! This movie is based on my life and I won’t apologize for it!

Joseph L. Mankiewicz | USA

The entire cast is strong, but this is all Bette Davis. Not giving her and Gloria Swanson a tied victory is the biggest Oscar blunder. A perfectly fine film on acting, competition and deception.

Sam Raimi | USA

Technically not a sequel but a supreme version of the original that provides plenty of laughs and scares. Every b-horror flick needs to take notes from this one.

Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

Eisenstein was making masterful revolutionary war epics decades before the rest of the world caught on. Long live Soviet Russia etc.

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

Ozu’s final film is lighter, more colorful and simpler than the rest of his work and also serves as one reminiscing his body of work (most notably Late Spring). A bittersweet goodbye to a master of cinema.

Wolfgang Petersen | West Germany

A claustrophobic submarine war epic seen from the perspective of the Germans, condensed into a three-hour film but also available as miniseries (which I haven’t seen yet). An impressive and unpleasant experience.

George Lucas | USA

A time of adolescent innocence and groovy cars. A nostalgic piece of a time in America that has long passed, but damnit it looked like a swell time indeed.

Michael Haneke | France | Austria | Germany

Isabelle Huppert’s performance is an all time favorite, as the masochist cougar who becomes obsessed with her pupil. Explores the darkness of sexual repression.

Kaneto Shindô | Japan

Vengeful ghost/cat ladies were never this sympathetic. Hits you out of nowhere with the feels, and it looks sooo good. Shindô redefined the horror genre with this and Onibaba.

Peter Greenaway | Netherlands | UK | France | Luxembourg

Greenaway’s most unique film, who even knew calligraphy could be so damn sexy? For acquired tastes perhaps but I applaud anything that can be this lavishing in style.

Alfred Hitchcock | USA

Grant and Bergman are the screen couple we all needed in our lives.

Louis Malle | France | Italy | West Germany

One of the best coming of age/sexual awakening films about a French kid who really loves his mother.

Gaspar Noé | France | Belgium

Pornographic art. Love is an incredibly underrated film about love, the complexity of relationships, unfaithfulness, jealousy, passion, sexual liberation. There’s so much going on in this film, including ayahuasca and fatherhood. Some critics simply shunned it for the explicit sexual content but there’s a great deal more to it than that.

Park Chan-wook | South Korea

Hands down the best of the Vengeance Trilogy. Fun little revenge tale with enough violence, humor and romance to keep everyone happy.

Marcell Jankovics | Hungary

This Hungarian animated folktale opened my third eye with its a colorful psychedelic animation. You can pause at any given point in this film, make a screenshot, print it and hang it on your wall.

Patty Jenkins | USA | Germany

Congratulations to Charlize Theron for inventing “acting” what an accomplishment indeed. Always enjoyed biographical films on serial killers, and was nice to see one about Aileen Wuornos through her best and worst. Can’t help but feel compassionate regardless of the things that she did.

Robert Bresson | France

Poignant Bresson on a man driven to become a pickpocket. There’s beauty to be found in this simplistic film that lacks sentimentality and begs the viewer to find empathy.

Carl Theodor Dreyer | Germany | France

Dreyer making a film about vampires right after Joan of Arc was an interesting choice, and ended up being his most visually aesthetic piece. A good option right after viewing Nosferatu.

Victor Sjöström | Sweden

Sjostrom was Bergman’s cinematic godfather and therefor he is my grandfather!? This makes sense in my head. Phantom is a cinematic triumph in many ways, and its influence can be seen in the works of Bergman, Dreyer, Kubrick among others.

Kar Wai Wong | Hong Kong

In the Mood for Rainy Empty Gloomy Love. Wong is a hopeless romantic.

Arthur Pen | USA

An anti-establishment 30s love/crime story that needs no introduction.

Theodoros Angelopoulos | Greece

Angelopoulos’ attempt at a larger international audience starring Harvey Keitel and Erland Josephson about a director looking for missing reels of a film. Like typical Angelopoulos however, this is a nostalgic journey full of symbolism.

Luis Buñuel | France | Italy

First Buñuel/Deneuve collaboration about lady who turns prostitute with deep masochistic cravings. A bold provocative sensitive Buñuel.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

Toshirō Mifune plays a cocky wandering Samurai in the midst of a gang war in a small village. It inspired the spaghetti western remake “A Fistful of Dollars” which is also pretty great, but Yôjinbô is a fine example of Kurosawa nailing the Samurai genre and crafted a worthy sequel with “Sanjuro”.

Jean-Pierre Dardenne | Luc Dardenne | Belgium | France

I worship Dardenne’s simple visual style. La Promesse deals with a young kid promising to protect a windowed illegal immigrant from his own father while keeping a pivotal secret from her throughout the film. The characters are so real you almost forget that you’re watching a film.

Kenji Mizoguchi | Japan

A darker Mizoguchi about a post-war Japan where women were forced into prostitution. A fairly cruel portrayal of the time, showing the unforgiving gangs of prostitutes beating other women, all shot in a neo-realism style.

David Lynch | France | USA

An actually creepy Lynch that makes me want to pull out my Nine Inch Nails CDs. Includes one of the sexiest sex scenes and best baddies in cinema.

Ken Russell | UK

Sex crazed masturbating nuns, exposing the corrupt catholic church, 17th century torture devices with unjust burning at the stake; these are a few of my favorite things.

Hayao Miyazaki | Japan

Miyazaki at his lightest, most innocent and hopeful. Totoro is among his greatest creations, and this film reminds us that holding onto our inner child and thinking with our heart is key in life.

Todd Solondz | USA

Dawn represents that awkward child no one understands and was trapped in the hopelessness of childhood. I adore this film and sometimes I don’t even know why, maybe it’s the magic of Dawn who is painfully awkward but also very funny and lovable.

Dennis Hopper | USA

The ultimate hippy/anti-American establishment film. It was even anti-conventional editing and broke much of the film grammar that US was so afraid to break. Does feel awkward in parts but the heart of Easy Rider was born to be wild. Ps the Venture Bros season 1 finale did a great spin on its ending.

Alfred Hitchcock | USA

The cheap looking sets hurt the film, but the sharp dialogue and great characters elevate it. The film succeeds at instilling a claustrophobic dread, as well as the simple pleasures of voyeurism. Oh and Grace Kelly.

Luchino Visconti | Italy

I prefer Visconti’s contemporary films over his period pieces, but The Leopard was one of his best. A retelling of the loss of aristocratic power in Italy through the eyes of Burt Lancaster.

Stanley Kubrick | UK | USA

First saw this before I even knew who Kubrick was, and what stuck with me the most was the eerie piano music when Cruise was being followed. Years later came my obsession with Kubrick, and that remained my favorite moment of the film. And the sex cult.

Grigori Aleksandrov | Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

Eisenstein’s agricultural masterpiece. Not quite as hailed as his other work, but just as fascinating of viewing to me. Highly glorifying farm life and depicting its uglier side of the meat industry (wether intentional or not). Plus there’s a cow/bull wedding.

John Landis | USA

Even with the somewhat disappointing ending, this is the type of Hollywood drama/romance that does things to me. Nearly every single flashback destroys me and Streep’s performance is at least top five worthy.

Richard Linklater | USA

What going through a bad acid trip must feel like and i’m all for experiencing crazy shit, but A Scanner Darkly did make me question my sanity. The rotoscoping was pretty cool.

Aleksandr Dovzhenko | Soviet Union

Plowing and farming never again looked this beautiful. Pure Soviet cinematic bliss and they sure loved their plowing.

Katsuhiro Ôtomo | Japan

Best anime that is geared towards action, explosions, motorcycles, telekinesis, giant creepy teddy bears and Japanese X-men. Good for traumatizing kids.

Luis Buñuel | Mexico

Surrealist Buñuel locks up a group of rich snobs inside a house and slowly breaks down their character to their core. He’s exceptional at building plots that in reality don’t make any sense but within the world of his films they do.

Daniel Ribeiro | Brazil

The Brazilian Call Me By Your Name. The chemistry between the two actors was genuine, and the fact that one of them was blind made their attraction more sincere. Love is blind etc.

Francis Ford Coppola | USA

A bonafide legend no doubt, but it surprises me to see it basically on every number one of every single film site. Is it truly so incredible that the consensus is for it to be number one by default? For me it is cinematically and thematically not that special.

Carlos Reygadas | Mexico | France | Netherlands

One of the most unique visual experiences of the past decade. It’s as if you were looking through the eyes of someone else. And they’re all random, interrupted, strange moments.

Joon-ho Bong | South Korea

A South Korean crime-suspense family drama that is about a mother willing to do anything to protect her child, and naturally things get out of hand. “Mother” hooked with Kim Hye-ja dancing in its opening sequence.

Jean-Luc Godard | France

My introduction to Godard and the French New-Wave was bizarre. I despised its animal cruelty at the time, but was mesmerized by the sheer playfulness of the film. It prepared me for the traffic jams of LA.

Denis Villeneuve | USA

A sequel I didn’t know I needed, it’s rare for me to enjoy a futuristic sci-fi let alone a sequel over 30 years after the original. But it was a riveting ride full of surprising cameos. A thing of beauty, and like the original, criminally underrated. Can’t wait for part three by the time i’m sixty.

Pedro Almodóvar | Spain

Almodóvar is another director whose films I enjoy but not adore, the reason why The Skin I Live In is an exception is because I was genuinely flabbergasted by its plot twist. Say no to rape.

Pier Paolo Pasolini | Italy | France

There certainly are problematic aspects to this film, but the mere fact that it exists and was filmed over 40 years ago in Arabic Africa, to me is incredible. Pasolini was brave and if you look past the semi-inappropriate underaged nudity, there’s a really beautiful story.

Bob Fosse | USA

Singing Nazis, threeways and Liza Minnelli. Did I mention singing Nazis? One to watch wit ze family.

Francis Ford Coppola | USA

I get that gothic vampire films get a bad rap for being cliched, but Coppola’s Dracula has got to be the most ambitious of its kind. With the exception of Keanu’s accent, it is a vampire lover’s wet dream.

Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Taiwan

A meditation on childhood in 80s Taiwan. Perhaps Hou’s most simple and accessible film. It highly resembles the classic styles of Shimizu and Ozu which one can’t go wrong with.

Luis Buñuel | France | Italy | Spain

Inception meets the Hunger Games. Plays as an ironic nightmare of a group of people whose sole goal is to have dinner but are constantly interrupted. Just gets more and more ridiculous overtime.

Orson Welles | Morocco | Italy

My favorite of the Welles’ Shakespeare adaptions. A combination of his incredible visual style, alongside his emotional anguish.

Steve McQueen | UK | USA

McQueen and Fassbender make an excellent pair in this male version of Nymphomaniac alongside a stellar performance by Michelle Williams. Makes me miss New York and its filth more than ever.

Jacques Demy | France | West Germany

Positives: beautiful, moving, best looking musical in existence. The negatives: makes me mad that I wasn’t born French. Oh l’amour, l’amour, l’amour toujours!

Michel Gondry | USA

A charming, unique little mental film with great acting, dialogue and a visual style. The subconscious mind is a cheeky bastard.

Paul Thomas Anderson | USA

I drink your milkshake! A decent story heightened tremendously by its performances. Lewis and Paul Dano? Legends only.

Robert Bresson | France

Bresson’s simplistic and emotionally blank style combined with adolescent rage and rebellion made for an interesting combination. Visually the most beautiful of the colored films he directed.

Abel Gance | France

While undeniably melodramatic and overlong at times, it is impossible to overlook its cinematic achievements and relevancy within the history of film. Its elegant and innovative style is merely a preview of what Abel Gance would later do with Napoleon.

Luis Buñuel | Mexico

Frightening in the sense that my mother found herself in a similar situation with a seemingly flawless man who was purely an evil, obsessive, narcissistic bastard. So it hits close to home as well as for many women throughout history.

Luc Besson | France

Another childhood favorite i’m not able to let go of. Name a more iconic duo than Léon and Matilda i’ll wait. Also listen to Alt-J’s “this is from Matilda”.

Martin Scorsese | USA

De Niro IS a Raging Bull. His performance alongside Scorsese’s directing made this a great film. But I can’t say that i’m as into the story as into everything else.

Maren Ade | Germany | Austria

Rarely does a film have me burst out laughing multiple times but Toni Erdmann did that. Great father/daughter story. Sandra Hüller singing from the top of her lungs is my aesthetic.

King Vidor | USA

One of the greatest Hollywood films of the 1920s, it is practically a crime that one can’t find this in great quality anywhere. One to make you laugh and cry for its full duration.

Federico Fellini | Italy | France

Based on bits and pieces from Fellini’s childhood, which if you’re at all familiar with his bodywork is bound to be absurd yet delightful hysteria.

Brian De Palma | USA

Name one more iconic prom i’ll wait. Corny in pieces but the ending is horror movie heaven.

Kenji Mizoguchi | Japan

The 47 Ronin was a near 4-hour Samurai film with virtually not a single sword fight and most relevant plot points happening off-screen, and Mizoguchi earned every single moment.

Nicholas Ray | USA

YOU’RE TEARING ME APART LISA! The classically cursed film that doomed its three leads to die horrible deaths and low-key inspired the legendary Tommy Wissau.

Kô Nakahira | Japan

The sexual awakening in two brothers who fall for the same dame. Significantly more fashionable and youthful compared to other Japanese films of its time.

David Lynch | USA

Cooler than Elvis Presley, but that’s what you get with Nic Cage and Laura Dern in a totally screwball Lynch, which peaks at an infamous lipstick scene. Plenty of fun Twin Peaks cameos too.

Samuel Fuller | USA

Forget One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest, this is the nuthouse film to watch. It fits the fun exploitive b genre, but tackles the dark subconscious of the type of men 60s America had thrown to the wayside, including a self-hating black man. A wild trip to be had.

David Lean | UK | USA

The desert scenes are more beautiful than anything on national geographic. The rest of the film is fairly beautiful but not as much as its desert scenes. Solid story.

Pedro Costa | Portugal

An astonishing debut that despite its simplistic story feels out of this world. A film you can easily get lost in its silent beauty, mainly notable for the brotherly love.

Jean-Luc Godard | France

One of the Frenchiest Godards exploring gender and sexuality relying heavily on the improvisation of its great cast. Godard was having fun with it and it shows on screen.

Steven Spielberg | USA

Plays with all of my damn emotions. Everyone in the cast brought their A-game, rarely have I ever wanted someone to succeed more than Whoopi’s character but what a crushing journey it was. But also hopeful, and lovely and at times with the Spielberg cheese.

Stevan Riley | USA

Easily the most unique and profound biographical documentary, using Brando’s recorded memoirs and a 3-D animated face he got digitized before passing. Very surreal, as if Marlon himself had come back from the dead to tell his story.

F.W. Murnau | Weimar Republic

Pride is one of humanity’s biggest shortcomings. Emil Jannings’ performance, alongside the incredible cinematography make this a 20s standout. Some have an issue with the ending, but I think we all deserve a break sometimes.

Lars von Trier | Denmark | France | Italy | Netherlands | Spain | Sweden

Dogma 95 was a film movement where no artificial lights or any type of effects and music was allowed. The Idiots is an explosive film depicting a group of adults pretending to be mentally handicapped for their own personal self-expression. A zany film pushing the boundaries of filmmaking.

Norman Ferguson | James Algar | Samuel Armstrong | Ford Beebe Jr. | Jim Handley | T. Hee | Wilfred Jackson | Hamilton Luske | Bill Roberts | Paul Satterfield | Ben Sharpsteen | USA

The film that got me into classical music. Genuine little animated gem that all parents should watch with their kids.

Roberto Rossellini | Italy

Powerful film on faith and humility. Two standout scenes include St. Francis embracing a leper, and one where he is used as human jump rope. Rossellini made great religious films that remained predominantly unbiased.

Frantisek Vlácil | Czechoslovakia

While not quite as beautiful as Marketa Lazarová, this was a worthy follow up. Equally atmospheric and impressive in scale about an escaped monk set in the relentless middle ages. Get ready for a Ramsay Snow type of ending.

François Truffaut | France

Exceptional for really capturing what it’s like to make a film. Not as stylized as Fellini’s or Godard’s perspectives on filmmaking 10 years prior to this, but if anything it reassures me that i’ve picked the right profession.

Stanley Kubrick | UK | USA

Reedrum reedrum reeeedrum!. The Shining surpasses the horror genre, but I do find it a taaaad overrated whenever I see it ranked as best Kubrick. Nevertheless Nicholson earned his spot in film history with “Heeeere’s Johnny”.

Lars von Trier | Denmark | Belgium | France | Germany

Vol II got a little too dark and nasty, but Vol I is just all right with me. An erotic, artistic, bold, beautiful film on sexual addiction. It gets really philosophical, melodic and mathematical at one point with a symphony of dicks. Von Trier is one of a kind.

Charles Chaplin | USA

Chaplin’s first feature was a great success. He knew how to make his audience laugh and cry with the Tramp raising an orphaned boy as his own.

James Whale | USA

No monster movie could compare to Frankenstein because there is fear as well as compassion felt for Frankenstein’s monster. He was done dirty by humans just as humanity will never truly understand artificial lifeforms. Also “It’s Alive” should be in everyone’s daily vocabulary.

Brian De Palma | USA

The beginning and ending are perfection, everything else in-between is pretty solid also. One of the most entertaining crime-mysteries and De Palma’s best directorial work.

Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Taiwan

A film that depicts Taiwan post-WW2 after having been restored to China with Japans defeat, which bode poorly for those with political differences and brought upon cultural confusion and unrest to the country. Not easy to grasp from an outsiders perspective, but a fascinating history lesson nonetheless.

F.W. Murnau | Weimar Republic

The father of vampire films was nearly destroyed for being an unauthorized Dracula adaption. Nearly a hundred years later and Count Orlok is one of the main faces of silent cinema and the most iconic vampire.

Abdellatif Kechiche | France | Belgium | Spain

While there’s an abundance of great gay films but a serious lack of equally complex lesbian ones, Blue is an example of one that excels both in story and cinematic language. And works as an unofficial tribute to “Three Colors: Blue” (in my head).

Jim Jarmusch | USA

An unexpected but pleasant surprise. Quirky but cruel. A Western but modern. Straightforward but unpredictable. Nobody is perhaps the most unique and least stereotypical Native Indian in a western ever. A true delight.

Kaige Chen | China

Leave it to Leslie Cheung for stealing and breaking our hearts in this piece on Chinese opera and the injustice of the cultural revolution. It remains the only Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or.

Hirokazu Koreeda | Japan

True story about a mother that one day simply left her four kids to fend for themselves. A tale of childhood innocence that comes to a staggering halt.

Jean Epstein | France

Before the French New Wave we had Jean Epstein and he did cinema proud with his poetic cinematic language. The close-up shot of Gina Manes with a tear falling down her cheek is one of the most beautiful shots i’ve ever seen.

Vittorio De Sica | Italy

De Sica quietly destroys me with this post-war neo-realism about an old man and his adorable dog. A bittersweet ending one won’t ever forget.

Werner Herzog | West Germany

Herzog’s Nosferatu is a homage to the original but with added bonus of gothic beauty in full color. It’s eerie, sexy and visually gorgeous.

Robert Bresson | France

Prison breaks are often glorified cliches in films, but Bresson in his simple matters perfectly crafts an intriguing POV of a man looking for a way out as we analyze each step alongside him, so much so that we feel trapped inside with him.

Mike Nichols | USA

A comedy that is a genuine masterpiece? Ridiculous and silly in all the right ways, with the soundtrack of my life and a fabulous ending. Hoffman is a delight.

Mikhail Kalatozov | Soviet Union

Words simply cannot explain the visual beauty of Kalatozov’s films. The worst of his best is a riveting tale of survival in an unforgiving Siberia with some of the most beautiful cinematography you’ll ever see.

Fritz Lang | Weimar Republic

Peter Lorre’s performance is one for the history books, as the first sympathetic (or at least, complex) child killer in cinema. Fritz Lang did not waste any of his talent on his first talkie.

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

The most underrated Ozu to me as well as his first talkie, right before war and during the industrialization of Japan. The film is about a single mother’s devotion to her son, who doesn’t quite live up to her expectations and there is absolutely nothing worse than a mother’s disappointment.

Andrew Dominik | USA

The most artsy fartsy western i’ve ever seen, and loved every vignette and silhouette there was to see. Casey Affleck made a great Robert Ford.

Michael Haneke | France | Germany | Austria

Of the billion love stories ever told, Amour is about the most honest portrayal of true love. While the idea of such love is in the distant, unromantic future for most viewers it is a cruel yet hopeful reminder of how lucky anyone is to ever reach that stage of unconditional love.

Josef von Sternberg | USA

Sternberg and Dietrich were a power couple from Germany that made six films together, with Blonde Venus being my personal favorite by far. Merlene plays the night club singer/dancer that runs away from her wealthy man with their son. Part-fun night club Hollywood glamor/musical, and part strong unstoppable independent woman doing whatever the hell she wants.

Sidney Lumet | USA

A film that actually attempts to make a difference. Plot is about 12 (angry) men deliberating upon wether a young man should be sentenced to death or not. Although some stereotypical characters, it’s a film that keeps you invested in the story and every argument is realistic and pushes the plot forward.

Ridley Scott | USA

A sci-fi classic washed away like tears in rain. The 80s Metropolis, visionary beyond belief and a great story and atmosphere that spawned an equally strong sequel 35 years later.

Charles Chaplin | USA

Chaplin’s infamous uncompromising faux Hitler imitation. Even those unfamiliar with cinema must’ve seen his speech on facebook at some point in their lives, that’s just because it is relevant even today. Chaplin did not waste any time with his first true talkie.

Giorgos Lanthimos | Greece

Lovely bizarre dark comedy that is easily one of the strangest films i’ve watched. Basically how not to parent 101.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

One of Kurosawa’s most relevant, yet least celebrated. Arguably Setsulko Hara’s greatest performance as a vigorous young woman who chooses to live the life she wants to live regardless of what it may throw at her. The entirety of the film was a literal slap in the face as a reminder that we should not be fearful of taking risks in life rather than constantly pursuing the safe route.

Andrea Arnold | UK

Fish Tank is about a young woman who is stuck, and her world drastically changes when her mother’s new boyfriend enters her life. Despite some melodrama, the style and Andrea Arnold’s incredible directing make this truly a stand out full of life and emotional agonizing chaos.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

A beautiful, humane, Kurosawa most notably for being his last with Mifune and in black and white. So essentially the final old-school Kurosawa and it is honestly a very solid film on humanity and 19th century Japanese medicine.

Walter Salles | Argentina | USA | Chile | Peru | Brazil | UK | Germany | France

One of the ultimate road trip films, as we travel along with Che on a life altering journey to discover the heart of South America and understand why he became a guerrilla leader. One that aims close to my heart.

Nagisa Ôshima | Japan | France

Ôshima created one of the most intensely brave sexual films based on a true story of unstoppable hunger that pushed all boundaries of censorship in art and film. The characters in the film may be morally messed up, but they’re living out their fantasies and the film does not pass judgment upon them.

Federico Fellini | Italy

First Fellini/Masina collaboration starring a wide-eyed, chaplin-like tramp sold to an abominable circus performer. A devastating but lovable film. Think Old Yeller times a thousand.

Lev Kuleshov | Soviet Union

Aleksandra Khokhlova’s facial expressions are everything to me and I dream about them regularly. Kuleshov’s expressionist style was refreshing, he was far less concerned with politics and more with Khokhlova’s face to which I concur.

Nagisa Ôshima | Japan

A critique on the death penalty and imperialism, about a Korean man in Japan, accused of rape and murder undergoing the most unusual and surreal trial involving roleplaying and amnesia. Dark, comedic and an utterly bizarre viewing experience.

Carol Reed | UK | USA

Clearly influenced by the sheer presence of Welles, surpassing the film-noir genre with its unique soundtrack, dutch angles and neo-realism in post war UK.

Terrence Malick | USA

Debut of my favorite living director. Malick’s simplest and most accessible film about two outlaws on the run reflecting much of the revolting youth of 70s America. Chemistry between the two leads was fab. Plays out like a typical high school love story, except this time Carrie and Clyde get guns and shoot people for fun.

Michaël Dudok de Wit | France | Belgium | Japan

A near-silent animation providing much profound beauty. I’m not crying you are, I was shaving unions, it rained on my face etc.

Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Weimar Republic

Louise Brooks is the goddess of silent cinema, no doubts about it. In her most iconic role she plays a powerful, sensual, devious gold digger. The camera loved her, and she brings incredible energy to the screen. The film is not lost on irony and ends perfectly with a Jack the Ripper cameo.

Richard Linklater | USA | Austria | Switzerland

Typically the most beloved of the Before trilogy, as it is the most romantic and least cynical. For that reason, it is my least favorite BUT it honestly captures an incredible electric chemistry between the two leads that is to die for. One feels as a third wheel tagging along on the perfect first date.

Andrey Tarkovskiy | Soviet Union

Not quite as personal to me as some other Tarkovsky’s, and one that needs to be further studied to be completely understood. A fairly fascinating cerebral sci-fi that deals with metaphysical questions of existence and love. One that I must undoubtedly revisit again one day when i’m good and ready.

Terence Davies | UK

A long beautiful contemplative musical number relating to childhood. Nostalgia never felt more simple, dreamy and sweet.

Vincent Paronnaud | France | USA | Iran

The rise and fall of Iranian freedom to the Islamic fundamentalists seen through the eyes of a young girl. The film keeps it relatively PG but does not shy away from depicting what it was like to go through the change. Informative and charming at the same time.

Robert Bresson | France | Switzerland

Bresson’s final film is a tale of cause and effect, about a forged note basically ruining an innocent man. Money is treated as both god incarnate as well as humanity’s downfall. Bresson mastered and perfected his own style with L’Argent.

Wes Anderson | USA

Anderson films to me are aesthetically beautiful but thematically empty and tend to leave me indifferent. Charming Mr. Fox on the other hand was delightful, with beautiful animation and a great cast of characters. If Isle of the Dogs is anything like it you’ll be seeing it on the next update.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Thailand

A highly unusual film. At one point a catfish goes down on a princess, but the rest of the film focuses on dying, conversations with the dead and Buddhist philosophy. It’s one of those films geared towards an audience that looks for originality rather than entertainment.

Steve McQueen | Ireland | UK

McQueen and Fassbender made a perfect team from the start in this superb debut film based on a true story about a politically influenced hunger strike. A quietly disturbing tale of rebellion against the unjust with a harrowing performance and cinematography.

Marlen Khutsiev | Soviet Union

Essential to all cinephiles if only for spotting Tarkovsky’s cameo. Came out when the Soviets were mastering the art of cinematography, but I Am Twenty is a bit more grounded in its reality, focusing on the contemporary youth in the rainy streets of Moscow.

Hirokazu Koreeda | Japan

A modern-day Tokyo Story that deals with all the same topics of inter-family dynamics, old age, holding on to your parents, dead siblings etc and captures a similar magic. A profound film that reminds us not to take our parents for granted while they’re still with us.

Orson Welles | USA

One of Welles’ most narratively structured film is still an exciting oddity with Charlton Heston as a Mexican. The perfect film for a 50s drive-in theater and a large bag of popcorn.

Alfonso Cuarón | Mexico

A film that meant a lot to me in the past, about an unforgettable road trip through Mexico dealing with themes of sexuality, friendship and death. If I ever make a feature i’d want to do make something that is an adventure for the entire cast and crew, and what could be more of an adventure than a road trip?

Richard Linklater | USA

Hawke and Delpy reunite again nine years later and somehow manage to have an even stronger spark than the first time. The script is a little sharper, funnier and more mature. Having us wait for another 9 years after their brief reunion was just cruel.

Souleymane Cissé | Mali | Burkina Faso | France | West Germany

One of the stand out West African films, and the most original i’ve seen. A straightforward plot about a man who goes on a journey to find his father that has cursed him for no reason. There’s magic, ritual animal sacrifices, and it captures the African spirit. Always nice to discover something that is unlike anything else.

Jean Epstein | France

A moody atmospheric beautiful gothic Poe adaption by avant-guard French master. There’s nothing frightening about it, but it sure is a fun acid trip.

Alfred Hitchcock | USA

Hitchcock’s most visually polished film, has all the qualities of an iconic cult classic. A fun, colorful dreamy noir.

Vilgot Sjöman | Sweden

I Am Curious is a unique little film that exists in two versions, Yellow and Blue, two films highly recognized for their influence in the sexual liberation of cinema. While Blue is a bit more political, Yellow is the clear winner as it features much more nudity and sex, as well as Lena Nyman having a conversation with archive footage of Martin Luther King, and the entire film crew doing yoga. Original and often under praised.

Federico Fellini | Italy | France

Fellini’s tribute to Rome for its best and for worst, with random disjointed sequences including a whore house and a catholic fashion show. Made me want to catch a flight to Rome right after watching it.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder | West Germany

Fassbinders’ lightest, most colorful and thoroughly enjoyable film about the life of a cynical prostitute painted in neon colors. Despite portraying once again the manipulative and corrupted nature of humanity. Fassbinder makes his cynical world alluring with fun moral ambiguity.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

An unusual Bergman that is essentially an anti-religion revenge tale that would later be remade in Hollywood into a horror film (The Last House on the Left <3). A film that starts off innocently becomes a harrowing, emotionally assaulting experience once all morals and compassion is thrown out the window, with pure vengeance predominating.

Michael Haneke | Germany

Haneke’s most meticulous and beautiful film, and also his most gutting. We feet trapped with the characters within the small town where duplicity ruled and empathy seen as a weakness. A perfect film for those who enjoy never ending emotional abuse.

Agnès Varda | France

Varda is perhaps the most rejoiced female director, and one would understand why after viewing Vagabond. Story of a young girl that hitchhikes form place to place, doing what she wants and refusing to take any responsibilities. Varda’s perspective is what makes it a stand out film.

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

Ozu’s lightest, most comical and charming film on childhood. Reminiscing his silent “I War Born, But…” only this time with color, fart jokes and television. The plot is very simple, about two boys who stop talking after their parents refuse to buy them a tv, and another boy that continuously craps his pants. An eternal delight.

Hayao Miyazaki | Japan

Miyazaki’s most treasured animation. A beautiful, magical, enchanting very bad experience. What would you do if your parents turned into pigs, your crush were a dragon and a terrifying mute spirit was following you around?

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

Sex and death. The last of Bergman’s powerful faith trilogy is in some ways the most intense and possibly darkest. I love the entire trilogy, but The Silence is the one that affected me the least emotionally. A Shining-esque psychological terror with dwarfs.

James Algar | Samuel Armstrong | David Hand | Graham Heid | Bill Roberts | Paul Satterfield | Norman Wright | USA

A starter kit for child therapy. Still remember my experience as a two year old watching Bambi’s mother getting shot, I was never the same again. The animation is really quite beautiful.

Jean-Jacques Annaud | Canada | France

A seriously overlooked epic exploring what life on earth might’ve been like 80,000 years ago. There’s cannibal tribes, massacres, escaping sabre-toothed tigers and an incredible scene between proto-humans and freakin’ mammoths. The fact that there’s no speaking in the film made it the more enthralling, and who knew cavemen making fire could be such a profound experience?

Xavier Dolan | Canada

More than anything I applaud its cinematic style by nailing aspect ratios. There is no real moment of peace as we are thrown into the lives of an aggressive hyperactive teen and his struggling single mother. Pretty sure i’ve rewatched the fake wedding and last scene a hundred times, feet don’t fail me now oy vey.

Sydney Pollack | USA

The film focuses on four couples that take part in a dance marathon set in the depression era, and all they gotta do to win is be the last couple dancing. I meaaaan the plot alone is perfection, as the characters, among them a pregnant woman, try not to pass out or die and some literally go mad in the duration of the competition. An underrated masterpiece for sure.

Stanley Kubrick | UK | USA

Ah, the eye-lashes, the milk, the cat lady, the strip search, the brainwashing, the ultra violence and Beethoven. A fun film to watch with the whole family over Christmas dinner.

Sergio Leone | Italy | West Germany | Spain | USA

The best of Leone’s spaghetti trilogy. Everyone and their mother knows it, with easily one of the most recognizable soundtracks. About as macho a film could possibly get. Negative points for the mediocre voice acting.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

If The Virgin Spring is Bergman’s darkest, Smiles if his most cynically comical and overall most entertaining. The blunt upper class humor and excellent set of characters made it Bergman’s first big international success. The only thing missing is it all accumulating into a big orgy seeing as they were all in love with each other anyways.

Billy Wilder | USA

“Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.” An iconic Hollywood film, with Gloria Swanson’s performance being a strong contender for my personal favorite. Everything she said gave me goosebumps and who could forget that ending. There are just certain aspects that get on my nerves, most notably the Betty character being a weak point.

Luca Guadagnino | Italy | USA | Brazil | France

‘Call me by your name and I’ll call you by mine’, should be an unofficial sequel to the Before Trilogy. A delicate, poetic, innocent first summer love. It’s like going back and experiencing your first all over again, except this time in Italy and with a peach.

Alejandro González Iñárritu | Mexico

The only film about dog fighting that I could stomach multiple times. The lives of three very different people in Mexico fusing in one big car crash. We get to know these people pretty well, see them at their highest and mostly their lowest. An intense tear-jerker for sure.

Albert Maysles | David Maysles | Ellen Hovde | Muffie Meyer | USA

The most cult-esque of docu films. It follows the adventures (mainly bickering) of two formerly upper class women (mother/daughter), who live in a deteriorating mansion. A fine line between tragedy, as well as pure cult-entertainment. A precious time capsule knowing that the mother dies two years later and the house sold shortly after.

Wim Wenders | West Germany | France

Whenever I read the title of this film the song “Freed from Desire” immediately comes to mind, lol. Anyways, great film about angels and the desire to feel love in Germany. A film about understanding what it’s like to be human, hearing our inner most thoughts and our guardian angels. An extremely unique film.

Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

An unfortunate victim of film censorship, projected to be the second out of a trilogy but the third never got made because of Stalin. Released 12 years after its filming and the death of both Stalin and Eisenstein. An incredible cinematic accomplishment, where we get to see Ivan’s true madness. Flamboyant followers performing a dance for the Tsar is an aesthetic we all need in our lives.

Juraj Herz | Czechoslovakia

The Cremator is weird, creepy, oddly entertaining and genuinely unique little film about a cremator during a Nazi occupied Prague that enjoys the freedom of his murderous impulses a bit too much. A close look at what deranged evil might be like, and it’s very exciting to say the least.

Grigori Kozintsev | Leonid Trauberg | Soviet Union

The most extravagant of the Soviet silents, it’s just sooo over the top, both in performances as well as cinematically. A dramatic viewing experience that is not for everyone, but I appreciate its tremendous energy and visual intensity. Vive la commune!

Spike Lee | USA

Spike Lee is mostly known for making films that are confrontational and aggressive, showing some of humanity’s worst in order to make a point and he certainly nailed it with Do The Right Thing. Not only is it artistically bae, with its lush colors and sharp cinematography, but he got his point across that nothing good comes from hatred and prejudice.

Marcel Camus | Brazil | France | Italy

Brazil does Greek mythology during the Carnival of Rio. A film full of color and life that won the Palme D’or as well as the Oscar and Golden Globe for best foreign film. The film was later used as a visual representation of the band Arcade Fire’s album Reflektor and it’s sublime. Look it up on youtube.

Carlos Saura | Spain

Ana Torrent is hands down my favorite child star, and in this precious little gem she plays a morbid little girl traumatized by the early death of her parents. Torrent’s old soul and haunted expression is just so good. One to watch right after Spirit of the Beehive.

Jean Vigo | France

Road trip on a boat! Vigo was a film prophet that died far too young, but luckily this bold film would later inspire the French New Wave. Most early talkies were rather garbage, but L’Atalante combines a fresh and funny script with ambitious cinematography that fought the censorship.

Kenneth Lonergan | USA

There are three moments in this film where I literally felt my heart shatter. It’s aggravating how much I like Casey’s acting but everyone brought their A+ game. The scene at the police station after the big reveal? kill me.

Vittorio De Sica | Italy

The film that inspired Los Oldivados, and every other film about street children. It shows how the justice system failed many children and indirectly turned them into juveniles in post-war Rome. An essential of the neorealist movement.

Terrence Malick | USA

My favorite of the lesser praised Malicks. Many dismiss it as avant-guard drivel, but this film is all about experiencing a reflective piece of Malick’s soul which i’m all for. Plot is about an aimless womanizing screenwriter stuck in the hollow Hollywood bubble, while his life and family around him crumble. I can feel and relate with what Malick was trying to convey here, and particularly care for the focus on the junkie brother. A dog falling to fetch toys underwater is why cinema is my life.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

Bergman made so many great films that it’s easy to overlook a few of his later gems, and Face to Face is an excellent psychological terror about a mentally ill psychologist. Liv Ullman’s exquisite plunge into madness is all one can ask for.

Clyde Bruckman | Buster Keaton | USA

The last remaining Keaton. It’s unfortunate to know that his greatest film was also his biggest downfall as it cost studios too much money, and he lost much of his artistic freedom because of it. But yeah, it’s all master Keaton at his best right here. Along with exploding trains and locomotive humor!

István Szőts | Hungary

A Hungarian tragedy shot during the WWII when cinema was dying in all parts of Europe in a very neorealist style (it’s believed to have influenced it) about a struggling peasant family being thrown into a rollercoaster of awful, horrible, most terrible bad luck. There’s a moment where someone carries their deceased partner on a train because they couldn’t afford proper transportation, which is hands down one of the most anguishing moments i’ve seen in a film.

Peter Greenaway | UK | France

My first Greenaway and it was love at first sight. You mean there’s an incredibly colorful film with classical music, nudity, culinary, great cinematography, a great love story and cannibalism all in one? The ending alone is cinematic bliss.

Gregory Colbert | Canada

Tough to rank as it’s not really a film but more like a poem with beautiful imagery. A feast to the eye and ears from start to finish. Based on the spiritual connection between humans and animals with a guy dancing with whales, children sleeping on elephants and cheetahs, and the list goes on.

John Ford | USA

When I think of 40s Hollywood I think of glamor, musicals and film-noirs. Grapes of Wrath is a much needed exception of what was being made at the time. And the only great film (that i’m aware of) about the great depression. It would’ve never even been made had it not previously been a best-selling book.

Benjamin Christensen | Sweden | Denmark

A fascinating look into superstition and the (ignorant) minds of the past. A non-satirical take on witchcraft from nearly a 100 years ago full of wonderful demonic images of Satan possessing innocent women.

Bernardo Bertolucci | Italy | France | West Germany

At over 5 hours long it is almost like the Italian “Gone With the Wind”, but instead of a love story it is about the friendship between two men. A wealthy landowner and a poor farmer, from childhood, through fascist occupied Italy until their old age. As per usual with Bertolucci, it’s a highly sexual and emotional epic. Just watch the Italian version, the English voice acting is rubbish.

Billy Wilder | USA

The purest film noir imo, it excels at what the genre is all about with the dark fascinating characters, doomed love affair, moody, dark and sexy atmosphere and just an overall pretty decent story. I’ve grown less fond of the genre over time, but doubt i’ll ever get tired of Wilder’s Sunset Blvd and Double Indemnity.

Apichatpong Weerasethakul | Thailand

Weerasethakul is king of original concepts and throwing his audience off. Part love story between two men, part soldier-stalked by shaman/animal spirits. There’s very little dialogue in this film, making it a meditative search for the aching heart.

Norman Ferguson | T. Hee | Wilfred Jackson | Jack Kinney | Hamilton Luske | Bill Roberts | Ben Sharpsteen | USA

My favorite Disney because could there really be any other? Pinocchio is animated magic coming to life, about a little marionette that just wanted to be a real boy. But for that he has to first earn it by learning what it means to be human. Less traumatizing than Bambi, but what child didn’t cry for help during the donkey scene? It taught children not to be lying, mischievous hell spawns.

Frank Perry | USA

Basically a film about Burt Lancaster swimming from pool to pool (including an empty one) and interacting with all the people he comes across. Best plot ever am I right? A strange, fun surreal event that makes pool water seem more appealing than it actually is.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

Kurosawa masters Shakespeare’s Macbeth. A beautiful epic with Samurais, vengeful spirits, witches, betrayal, insanity and death by arrows.

Federico Fellini | Italy | France

Fellini’s eloquent warm up for 8½. One that celebrates Italy and proves that Fellini knew how to party. Depressing at its core, yet so fun to watch if only for the energy it brought. Anita Ekberg walking around with a kitten on her head is CINEMA!

Harmony Korine | USA

Gummo is a weird film, about as weird as it gets and is definitely not for everyone. But it’s my kind of weird, with rednecks, gay little people, cat killing, eye-brow shaving weirdos. And Chloë Sevigny because she’s always in weird stuff. Crystal meth manifested into film and it’s an experience at the very least.

Darren Aronofsky | USA

Although parts of the film don’t work as well, the concept of The Fountain and the most effective aspects of it are absolutely incredible. A film very much about past lives, loss and existentialism. One I can never get through with dried eyes, especially with the track of “Death is the Road to Awe”.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

Summer with Monika to me is the first truly great Bergman starring the gorgeous Harriet Andersson as the fun-loving, sexuality liberated belle. Lighter and more sensual than the average Bergman, following a young couple in Stockholm whose lives are affected by pesky grown up problems.

Benny Safdie | Josh Safdie | USA

My first of the Safdie brothers and i’ll definitely explore the rest of their work after this. A film that was ON FIRE cinematically and with a soundtrack to jam on. A never ending bad decision gone wrong, that only intensifies over time and keeps getting worse. Made me nearly crap myself multiple times, if not out of anxiety it was for the sheer hilarity of the situation.

Edward Yang | Taiwan

Yang’s incredibly bleak look into the aimless future of Taiwanese youth. With the 4-hour length his narrative style and pace is quite bold. Heavily influenced by Hou Hsiao Hsien (most notably “Dust in The Wind”) it marks one of the most acclaimed Taiwanese films in cinema.

Larisa Shepitko | Soviet Union

Larisa Shepitko was the wife of Elem Klimov, director of Come and See. And with The Ascent you can tell that they were a match made in hell. The Ascent was a pure maddening, soul crushing, war film that leaves the audience in complete despair.

Orson Welles | France | Spain | Switzerland

A completely schizophrenic film watching experience where Welles was at his most inventive and insane. It was poorly received due to its batshit insanity and impossible narrative structure, but that’s why I freaking love it. An unstoppable glorified train wreck.

Andrey Tarkovskiy | Soviet Union | Italy

Tarkovsky’s Nostalgia is sublime in style and complexity. A unique and dreamy piece on longing and existentialism. Like his other films, one to watch multiple times as there is always something new to discover.

Jane Campion | New Zealand | Australia | France

A lovely little gem about a stubborn mute obsessed with her piano that somehow gets caught up between two men. The music in this film is sublime, as is little Anna Paquin who ruins everything. There’s always a special connection with characters that are trapped within their own heads and here we get to know Holly Hunter’s character better than most.

Lewis Milestone | USA

One of the first ever Oscar winners is hands down also one of the best. It typically starts as a patriotic American war flick that quickly becomes anything but. For 1930, something so anti-war seems almost unamerican and is highly effective.

Alfred Hitchcock | USA

The ultimate Hitchcok that needs no introduction. Iconic horror with delightful mommy issues.

Lukas Moodysson | Sweden | Denmark

Rammstein, childhood anguish and human trafficking. It’s both great and horrifying, despite some of its surreal aspects is a real wake up call to some of the worst things that go on. Lilya is only an example of what many girls are going through/and went through. A film that must be seen.

Satyajit Ray | India

The last of the iconic Apu trilogy, focuses on Apu’s adult life as a husband and father. Although tragedy does not escape him, it has a very satisfying ending to arguably the strongest overall trilogy in cinema.

Lynne Ramsay | UK | USA

Artsy fartsy motherhood hell rivaling “Three Colors: Red” as best use of the color red. Tilda Swinton’s cold, hopeless performance is one for the books and would turn off any woman on the fence of having children.

Abbas Kiarostami | Iran

A docu-fiction of a real trial about a man who impersonated Iranian director Makhmalbaf. The man is asked to reshoot the occurrence, which is obviously a humiliating experience for him but he loves cinema and happily goes along with it. Luckily the ending is so beautiful that the journey is more than met. Cinema at its most raw and bittersweet.

Fritz Lang | Weimar Republic

Transcending early silent cinema. First part of Lang’s cinematic epic based on the German folktale, in part one you witness Siegfried’s rise and fall. Insane that this was shot over 90 years ago and still looks so freakin’ incredible.

Tobe Hooper | US

The most terrifying American horror by far. Despite not being as gory as its remakes and sequels, and much of modern day horrors. The deaths all seem too real and leave a disturbing and lasting impact. An angry leatherface against the backdrop of a sunset is a beautiful thing.

Andrey Zvyagintsev | Russia

A sharply shot and written coming of age tale about two brothers that go on a hellish holiday trip with their estranged father. It’s a Russian film so nothing good could come of this other than a beautiful disaster. The eldest child actor tragically drowned at the same location where the filming took place not long after.

Ming-liang Tsai | Taiwan

Tsai loves filming Taiwanese men in tighty whites and that’s a fact. But he also likes random musical numbers and sad lonely people. Plot is about an apocalyptic Taiwan where two stubborn people refuse to leave their home and their only connection is to one another through a hole in their roof/floor. But i’m mostly here for the elevator musical numbers.

Peter Bogdanovich | USA

Small-town American nostalgia. Similarly to American Graffiti, but less colorful metaphorically and literally. It illustrates the modernization of old mentalities as change is impossible to avoid. A great essay on what a deteriorating town in American was like.

Grigori Chukhrai | Soviet Union

During a time where Soviet cinema was on fire, a phenomenally shot war flick focused on a kind young soldier who meets his first love on the road to visit his mother. Director Grigori was a war veteran himself and captured a close and personal side to war through the people rather than on the battlefield.

Paul Thomas Anderson | USA

Favorite PTA if only because he made a 3 hour long Aimee Mann music video starring an all star cast, raining frogs and the camera man doing pirouettes.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan | France

Kurosawa’s third Shakespeare adaption and final epic, set in medieval Japan about the power struggles between three brothers and father which all turns into a bloody massacre. Moral of the story? Don’t have kids.

Gerald Kargl | Austria

Only a few films can make me as uneasy and feeling like i’m watching something that I shouldn’t be. Angst is bleak and sadistic about a man that can’t escape his urges to kill. A long shower after viewing is recommended.

Kenji Mizoguchi | Japan

A bleak look at the life of Oharu, a Geisha in 17th Century Japan. A harrowing tale set in an unforgiving and cruel society. Mizoguchi paints a perfect (ly hopeless) time piece.

Michelangelo Antonioni | Italy | France

A futuristic apocalyptic nightmare where factories have dominated the planet and toxic waste the sky. Perhaps Antonioni’s most unique gem that both excels artistically and is a solid story on a not entirely impossible reality from ours.

Víctor Gaviria | Colombia

Inspired by Umberto D but with Colombian punkers. The first Colombian film to be submitted into the Cannes Film Festival and receive international acclaim. Both a fascinating look at punk rock as well as survival on the streets of Medellin. Most cast members were from the street and several of them died during the production of the film. One that hits close to my heart.

Kaneto Shindô | Japan

Onibaba’s literal translation is Demon Hag. It transcends the horror genre, set in medieval Japan about two women who live by killing injured/lost Samurais and stealing their valuables. Until they come across one with a demonic mask. A dark, carnal beauty that is all about poetic justice and karma being a witch.

Hsiao-Hsien Hou | Jia-hua Lao | Li-Yin Yang | Hsiao-ming Hsu | Taiwan

Heavily influenced by Ozu’s simple style and pace. Hou’s most meditative film on family and the passage of time based on his own experiences growing up in Taiwan. His most personal and moving film imo.

Sergio Leone | USA | Italy

The Godfather part I and II as a dreamy, magical Italian crime/love epic. Easily my favorite gangster flick because of its lavishing atmosphere and childhood sequences.

Paolo Taviani | Vittorio Taviani | Italy

If Fellini and Rosselini were siblings and made a film about the end of WW2 you’d basically get this. Surreal, funny, sometimes silly but also sad and brutal. War films are not supposed to be enchanting but this has the right amount of cheese and originality.

Pier Paolo Pasolini | Italy | France

What can one say about Salò? First saw it as a 14 year old and could not figure out wether I was disgusted or (somewhat) turned on by what I was witnessing, but I for sure would never forget it. Pasolini was a bold director that may or may not have been assassinated because of this film, in which he exposes a truly dark side of humanity. As messed up as the film may seem like, it’s absolutely essential cinema.

F.W. Murnau | USA

Murnau’s first Hollywood film took a somewhat typical story of love and betrayal, and made a downright masterpiece out of it. It follows a man who attempts to murder his wife in favor of his mistress, but after a failed attempt spends the rest of the day with his wife and butterflies re-emerge.

Alejandro González Iñárritu | USA

A great cinematic accomplishment even if it wasn’t done in one full take. Regardless, this film masterfully exploited the superhero genre to its full extent by making a film about a stage actor who may or may not be insane. Acting? Nailed it.

Robert Bresson | France

Possibly the simplest and most Bressonian film about a valiant girl that just can’t catch a break and where nothing could be done about Mouchette’s eventual fate (even less so than for any other of Bresson’s tragic characters). My only issue was with some of the awkward pacing.

Richard Linklater | USA

Richard Linklater’s random rambling, lucid dreams and philosophy animated into one very trippy experience. I’m all for films that embody the director’s thoughts, where I bet much of it was written and recorded while he was very, very stoned so yes more of this plz. The rotoscoping is great and gotta love the Before trilogy nod (back when there was only one).

Luis Buñuel | France | Spain

Buñuel went out with a baaang. The funniest thing is that I didn’t realize the Conchita character was being played by two different actresses (that don’t look anything alike) until about halfway through (sorry if I ruined this for someone). A film about passion, desire, power and betrayal that seems fairly straightforward for the typical Buñuel but it only made the small moments of surrealism the more memorable.

Hayao Miyazaki | Japan

Although not an original Miyazaki story, I honestly adore it so much. An enchanting anime with a fantastic set of characters, fantasy and animation. Howl and Sophie are my OTP.

Nelson Pereira dos Santos | Brazil

A serious contender for best film title of all time. A delightful little gem about a nudist cannibal tribe that kidnaps a white guy and plan to cook him for dinner. Low-budget and imperfect, but I love the story, originality and full-on nudity. The cannibalism is treated as something casual and expected, which made it a truly fascinating viewing experience in a romanticized spin on eating thy lover.

Thomas Vinterberg | Denmark

First and best of the Dogma 95 movement. Shot with a Sony DCR-PC3, once you get past its initially ugly look you’ll get involved with a never ending explosion of characters airing out their dirty laundry at their father’s 60th birthday. An exhausting but brutal experience that for a moment makes you feel pretty good about your own family.

Yimou Zhang | China | Hong Kong | Taiwan

One about oppression of women in China through polygamy mainly focusing on the quarreling between four wives when a new one is forced into marriage. Goes hand in hand with Farewell My Concubine as the most important historical Chinese films.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf | Iran | France

Most fascinating aspect of Iranian cinema is the mixture of documentary with fiction. In this film Makhmalbaf attempts to recreate an event that happened in his life, starring the real-life cop he stabbed when he was younger. Most of the film is improvised and fictionalized, based on true events and it makes for a completely unique cinematic experience.

David Lynch | USA

OMG KILL IT WITH FIRE!! I’ve seen a handful of messed up films in my life but few made me feel as uneasy as Eraserhead. David Lynch must’ve gone through some heavy shit to come up with this. Put it in the background while asleep and you’re guaranteed to have bizarre dreams.

Ron Fricke | USA

Baraka is the ultimate of the travel-around-the-world non-narrative documentaries because it’s not just a feast to the eyes, but it genuinely is a near-enlightening experience. It shows beauty through all religions, all of the wonders and the miseries of the world.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

Religion was a common factor in Bergma’s work, but in none more stronger than Winter’s Light, as it focused on a Pastor’s struggle with deteriorating faith. Perhaps his most personal of the faith trilogy focusing more on humanity’s wish to believe/incapability to believe rather than god itself.

Kenji Mizoguchi | Japan

Mizoguchi’s final film was about a brothel named Dreamland in Tokyo, and while most of his films were related to Geishas and prostitutes, Street of Shame was the standout to me as it focused on multiple characters and gave a brought overview of their lives. Not just the bad, but also the general. If anything it reflects on how society’s rejection was their biggest hardship.

David Lynch | USA

Sexy confused lesbians in a Lynchian Hollywood nightmare llorando por tu amor. It really truly lives up to the hype.

Pier Paolo Pasolini | Italy

Teorema was Pasolini’s first film overtly depicting sexuality including bisexuality. The plot is about a handsome stranger seducing an entire household including its cleaning lady and they all fall maddeningly in love with him. Besides the boldness and originality, it’s a really enjoyable film that shows the lighter side to Pasolini.

Luchino Visconti | Italy

Bella bellissssima stars the irresistible Anna Magnani as the mother that desperately wants her mediocre daughter to become a child prodigy, but unknowingly causes her child great distress. Despite the basic plot there’s nothing quite like this? 50s Italy child star problems with explosive performances and a true love for film. Count me in.

Toshio Matsumoto | Japan

A bold avant-guard film about drag queen/prostitutes in Japan. It’s silly, playful, dark and bizarre. For ’69 this was pretty revolutionary, even for today in Japan. Despite the obvious tragedies, the film more than anything is about trans acceptance and is done with humor and respect.

Bernhard Wicki | West Germany

Based on a true story where a troop of eager but wholly unprepared young German boys is unnecessarily thrown to their demise right before the end of war. One that depicts the easily manipulated minds of the youth under the Nazi regime, and similarly to Das Boot, shows the commonly unrepresented side of the horror. War is hell x 1000.

Andrey Tarkovskiy | Soviet Union

I have yet to revisit Stalker as i’m saving it for the right moment. A heavy film, not easy to comprehend and that is essentially Tarkovsky. He demanded his audience to think, investigate and revisit his films. Similarly to Solaris, a sci-fi that is based on existentialism and humanity with the typical sci-fi factors minimized to the bare bone. Visually haunting, partly in sepia tones and makes for a slow but entrancing experience.

Wong Kar-wai | Hong Kong

After an overly experimental and stylized 90s phase, Wong steps back and focuses on the simple beauty of love, loneliness and desire. His most accomplished and tragically romantic film he’s done.

Tsai Ming-liang | Taiwan

Tsai’s incredible debut is an unexpected gem that focused on the rebel youths of Taipei, including his common themes of poverty, sexuality, alienation and tighty whities. Paints a perfect picture of a decadent 90s Taipei congested with scooters and neon lights.

Alejandro Jodorowsky | Mexico | Italy

Jodorowsky at his bloodiest and most entertaining. A film with religious cults, mimes, armless killers, circus brutality and elephant funerals and yet it’s Jodorowsky’s most accessible and overall fun film. One of those that makes me smile just thinking about it.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

A film that heavily inspired Star Wars, about a princess on the run accompanied by her general and two greedy peasants. Kurosawa at his most charming and enchanting.

Hiroshi Shimizu | Japan

I adore Shimizu but it’s unfortunate that his (imo) best films are relatively unknown outside the cinephile community. It was a miracle to even find this, a truly touching coming of age film about two brothers that get separated after their father is accused of stealing money from his company. Shimizu understood kids better than almost any other director has.

Alejandro González Iñárritu | USA

A never ending tale of survival and revenge, the one that finally earned DiCaprio an Oscar all thanks to that CGI bear. A modern day Tarkovsky.

Theodoros Angelopoulos | Greece

Angelopoulos can be a difficult director to grasp, and The Traveling Players is perhaps his most cohesive and overall impressive work, depicting the rape Greece experienced before, during and after WWII by other nations. I admit that much of its history escaped me and that the film needs multiple viewings to grasp the full story but it’s well worth it.

Seijun Suzuki | Japan

If Mizoguchi directed “Women of The Night” in the 60s on LSD. A film that is deeply tragic at its core, yet can be so colorful, lush and ridiculously entertaining. Essentially about prostitution, love, post-war survivalism, and torture (BDSM-style). Exploitative cinema at its finest.

Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

Eisenstein’s phenomenal debut shot the same year as Battleship Potemkin. The cinematography and music flows like water, depicting what led up to a violent strike. Could’ve done without the animal cruelty, but Eisenstein used it as part of its turbulent metaphors. A film that hugely influenced the famous Soviet montage.

Steven Spielberg | USA

Welp this one is self-explanatory. Spielberg’s most significant contribution to cinema is also depression on steroids. The events that occur are disgusting and is therefor a film that I respect more than love, but Spielberg was brave enough to push studios to make this (in b&w no less) and will be the film he’ll always be remembered for.

Sergio Leone | USA | Italy | Spain

Leone mastered the art of the Western with the Spaghetti trilogy, and took a more serious route with this epic. Within the first 30 minutes an entire family is slaughtered by Henry Fonda and things only go up from there. A perfect soundtrack and cast make this the ultimate western.

Marcel L’Herbier | France

A tremendously impressive film that is to me the oldest film ever made that i’d give a perfect score to (as long as you don’t focus too much on story as you’re bound to despise the Michel character). L’Herbier mastered the visual aspect of visceral filmmaking before anyone else, and yet is often overlooked. Incredible expressionist masterpiece accompanied by the best use of color tinting i’ve ever seen.

Michelangelo Antonioni | Italy

During a lovely Italian Holliday one woman goes missing, and the other goes through an existential crisis and begins an affair with her missing friend’s husband. Classic Antonioni and classic Italian cinema. Suffer thy beautiful Italians.

Theodoros Angelopoulos | Greece

The first of a projected trilogy but Angelopoulos tragically died during the filming of the third. As per usual his films are deeply personal, puzzling, based on Greek history and turmoil. It might be his most beautiful visual film with an irresistible musical score. Essential poetic cinema.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder | West Germany

Fassbinder’s upgrade on “All That Heaven Allows”, a love affair between an older cleaning lady and a younger Arab immigrant, who face expected Xenophobia and societal rejection. Brave, bold, tragic but perhaps the most hopeful and ultimately uplifting from the inherently tormented director.

Charles Chaplin | USA

Perhaps Chaplin’s most iconic film where the Tramp falls in love with a blind woman, who has mistaken him for a rich man. Hilarity ensues.

Fernando Meirelles | Brazil

One of the few South American films to reach international success and acclaim. It’s a slick, beautiful and cruel portrayal of what life on the streets of Rio de Janeiro was like. Perhaps not as gritty as some of my favorite films about street children but equally as gut-wrenching.

Andrzej Zulawski | France | West Germany

The most known and accessible Zulawski if only because it’s in English and starring la bella Isabella Idjani. It contains the beautiful insanity of his 70s Polish films, but with an added bonus of bizarre possessions and Isabella having a meltdown in the subway (which is definitely the highlight of this crazy film).

Vitali Kanevsky | Russia

One of those delightful children trapped in a hopeless wasteland of adult-made horrors. I’m shook at the incredible child performances as well as brutality of Siberia. An autobiographical film based on the directors life that exhibits the cruelty of a world we should all feel lucky not to have been apart of. A cinephiles wet dream.

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

The film that earned Ozu international acclaim is a simple father/daughter story that is incredibly sad/bittersweet, with beautifully written dialogue that manages to be polite yet brutally honest. Setsuko Hara was an absolute babe.

Aleksandr Sokurov | Russia | Germany

A slow meticulous film about a devoted son and his dying mother. Framed as abstract moving paintings illustrating the unshakable love between mother and child. Haunting and incredible beautiful. There’s also a Father and Son but that got infamously homo-erotic.

Dziga Vertov | Soviet Union

The one all film schools use as example on how to edit a film. And while most of its power lies on the images and editing, it certainly is a precious unique time capsule and one that would later inspire similar experimental doc’s. Russian rave parties would not be the same without it.

Alain Resnais | France | Japan

Resnais’ surreal beauty about a Japanese man and French woman in post war Hiroshima reminiscing an affair and personal recollections involving the atom bomb. An obviously symbolic yet sensual film that probes into the fragile relationship between France and Japan.

Hayao Miyazaki | Japan

My first and favorite Miyazaki, incorporating many of his core themes in particular female empowerment and the importance of mother earth, through spectacular animation, fantasy and studio Ghibli at its goriest.

Bernardo Bertolucci | UK | France | Italy

Three of the sexiest cinephiles battle it out over who loves cinema the most. I meaaaan how could I NOT love this? There’s Eva Green, humiliating sex games, re-enacting of classic film scenes (gooble gobble!), Jean-Pierre Léaud cameo, Frenchiness and a deep love for film in general. One that I often revisit fondly.

Víctor Gaviria | Colombia

After Rodrigo D, Gaviria took it a step further and made a film about actual street children in Medellin. There’s a lot of backstory to this film (including the girl the story was based on getting murdered during the filming) and most of the child actors in the film going through a similar gnarly fate. A pearl in Colombian cinema that spawned a tv series and recently a documentary following up with the surviving cast members. A deeply personal film to me.

François Truffaut | France

Jules and Jim reversed, this time about two sisters in love with Jean-Pierre Léaud. A delightfully experimental victorian love triangle done as a late French New-Wave. Truffaut’s touching love letter to himself *sniff.

Andrzej Żuławski | Poland

70s Żuławski is some of the most intense and original work ever made, period. His films are both the best and worst to watch high as they’re freakishly nightmarish and weird, but also flashy and exciting. Plot of this film? Not even sure, but whatever it was it sure brought me to wonderful, terrifying places.

Richard Linklater | USA

A perfect ending to the Before trilogy, if Sunrise was about immediate love and Sunset about reclaiming that love, then Midnight is about fighting to hold onto a love that can be fleeting. The non-stop bickering was painful yet the best writing Linklarter has done. If the ending isn’t the most romantic thing ever then I don’t know what love is.

Louis Malle | France

The 400 Blows and Breathless are often cited as first/best of the French New Wave, but we shouldn’t forget that Malles’ Noirish masterpiece came before them. A simple crime story at first glance, doused in originality, sensuality and French-legend Jeanne Moreau.

Gaspar Noé | France

Irreversible is an irresistible tale that is told backwards (like Memento) and while mostly a disturbing art piece, it does reveal a significant detail/twist that makes a violent character more sympathetic. A fascinating film watching experience not for the faint at heart.

Andrzej Wajda | Poland

A phenomenally maddening war flick where a group of Polish fighters attempt to flee through a tunnel and get stuck, and each of them in one form or another loses their damn mind. Among the most unique war films i’ve seen, that once reached the tunnel pretty much turns into a grimy surreal nightmare that never ends.

Hector Babenco | Brazil

Los Olvidados in Sao Paulo, which follows a group of young boys in a corrupt youth detention center during and after their escape. Essential Brazilian cinema starring children plucked from the streets, where the protagonist was ruthlessly shot down by police six ears later.

Asghar Farhadi | Iran

My introduction to Iranian cinema, and while A Separation is considered to be the most mainstream of Iranian films it is so incredibly powerful. An emotional rollercoaster of a mystery that is morally ambiguous and where all parties involved are victims as well as the problem.

Vittorio De Sica | Italy

I did not connect with the rest of the De Sica/Ingrid Bergman collaborations, but Stromboli hit all my cinephile spots with the neorealism/postwar/trapped feminist vibes and the unforgettable tuna finishing scene. Possibly the most dynamic Bergman performance too, the entire volcano sequence? Brilliant.

Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

A fascinating Eisenstein project on Mexico shot during the early 1930s (proposed to be finished by 1932) but eventually abandoned due censorship and difficulties. Between 30 to 50 hours of film was shot, and eventually released under several different projects until finally its most complete reconstruction released in 1979. A visual and musical myth and legend that faced many difficulties but has stood the test of time.

Oliver Stone | USA

Quite possibly the most controversial of my favorite films. It’s an ultraviolent exploitative film that glorifies serial killers and senseless violence. And… I freaking love it. There’s not a dull moment in this film as it practically uses every imaginable cinematic style. The Navajo/snake scene is legendary and Mickey and Mallory are my dream parents.

Isao Takahata | Japan

Welp this one is a true heartbreaker, if you ever feel like crying for a good ten minutes after watching an animated film then this is your guy. DON’T WATCH THIS IF YOU’RE INTO SELF-MUTILATION.

Sean Baker | USA

A film that understands what it means to be a child in a world of adults, from a six-years old perspective with an aggressive single mother living in a trashy motel nearby Disneyland. A pleasant reminder that American cinema is still capable of delivering something artistically and emotionally powerful.

Jia Zhangke | China

Not the Bresson one, but the gritty Chinese one about a lonely thief who falls for a hooker during the rapid industrialization of china. China’s internationally successful films tend to mirror Hollywood in its lush production values. But Pickpocket is a rough-looking, cinephile dream that focuses on a changing poverty stricken China blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

Conceptually, arguably the greatest Bergman. A clear inspiration for Mulholland Dr, and similar films exploring reality, individuality and female eroticism. Persona was his greatest contribution to cinema due to its playfulness with the narrative structure, such as the film burning out in the middle of the story. But I am more emotionally attached to a few of his other films.

Theodoros Angelopoulos | Greece | France | Italy

Angelopoulos is depressing but distant, real but artistic and tragic but beautiful. Landscape was my introduction to him and while it threw me off at first, it left me thoroughly impacted by the experience. His films are segments and moments of the character’s journey, and in this film it follows two children in the search for their father knowingly that they may never find him.

Ari Folman | Israel | Germany | France

An animated documentary about the Lebanon war and Beirut massacre. It’s dark particularly because these animated sequences are narrated by soldiers recalling their memories of the events. Pretty crushing stuff.

Kenji Mizoguchi | Japan

Mizoguchi’s greatest masterpiece. I remember struggling so hard not to bawl throughout the entirety of the film, a great tragedy about two siblings stolen from their mother and sold into slavery, and their quest to regain their freedom.

Wong Kar-wai | Hong Kong

The older sibling to Chungking Express and just as good. The ending alone is one of my all time favorite. I would even say that it’s Wong’s most visually perfect film about lonely, melancholiac people in Hong Kong. Takeshi Kaneshiro massaging a dead pig is both the best and worst moment of the film.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

First and favorite of Bergman’s faith trilogy, that follows four people on a Holiday retreat but it all naturally descents into madness, incest as despair. One of Bergman’s most visually metaphorical and beautiful films. Despite the heavy plot the story breezes right through you, leaving you craving for the rest of the trilogy.

Mathieu Kassovitz | France

A film about immigrants in France, their unrest and boiling culminating rage. The clock ticking down is there to remind us of the inevitable doom. Brilliantly complex crime film.

Krzysztof Kieslowski | France | Poland | Switzerland

The last of the color trilogy ties everything perfectly together and is essentially about human connections and isolation. In this film a beautiful Irene Jacob hits the runaway dog of a miserable retired judge with her car, and they form a special kind of friendship over time. Red became Kieslowski’s final film as he felt he had said all he needed to with it.

Luis Buñuel | Mexico

Buñuel’s greatest, rawest, most controversial and soul crushing film about the forgotten youth in 50s Mexico. While Buñuel is often thought of as a surrealist, this film is grounded in the harsh realism of the time with only a few hints of surrealism. One that won’t be forgotten.

Andrea Arnold | UK | USA

“I. Won’t. Compromise” a perfect soundtrack, cast and visual style. Andrea Arnold may be my favorite directress in style and i’m eager to see what else she’ll bring. American Honey is the dream, travel on the road, follow your own rules and get fucked up. Road trip films are my jam.

David Lowery | USA

Might be silly to love it this much but name a more iconic film about a floating bedsheet with holes in it, i’ll wait. The Tree of Life for the dead.

Robert Bresson | France | Sweden

Bresson at his most Bressonian, following the horrible life of a cheeky (and adorable) donkey. The quintessential animal film where humans are trash and donkeys are saints. Praise saint Balthazar.

Jean-Pierre Dardenne | Luc Dardenne | Belgium

L’enfant follows a young couple with a newborn child. When the opportunity appears to make money through selling of the child, Renier takes it and chaos ensues. The Dardenne brothers manage to snatch my wig consistently with their emotional terrorism and flawless portrayal of human behavior.

Roberto Rossellini | Italy

Biggest gain of the year! The first of Rossellini’s iconic War Trilogy and often regarded as the face of Italian neo-realism, filmed during the end of WW2 secretly under Nazi occupation. A rebellious landmark that took cojones to film and be released so shortly after.

Francis Ford Coppola | USA

This is the end… beautiful friend. I’m under the impression that Coppola is a tad overrated, but when it comes to Apocalypse Now i’m down. It’s a weird mix of war and a lucid acid trip. Disturbingly dark at times, and profoundly touching at others. Evil Brando and The Doors are a godly combination.

Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

Eisenstein’s first talkie about Russia’s infamous Tsar, Ivan the Terrible. Starring the masterful, thoroughly creepy Nikolai Cherkasov and his devilish beard. Along with the deep shadows, it captures the world of a tortured Tsar with initial good intentions who through circumstance becomes a cold blooded murderer. Eisenstein focused more on composition than dialogue which created a strange, dream-like visual experience.

Giuseppe De Santis | Italy

Iconic Italian cinema starring two criminals hiding among rice workers involved in a love quadrangle, including the sensual beauty Silvana Mangano (Ingrid Bergman’s Italian doppelgänger). It’s a passionate agricultural fatal attraction.

Akio Jissoji | Japan

Buddhism and sexual perversions. A fairly unknown complicated masterpiece that explores buddhist teachings, incest, dualism and free will. I was blown away by this bold, experimental, erotic piece that entertains as well and incites critical thinking like few other films do, accompanied by top notch cinematography.

Terrence Malick | UK | USA

Malick does Pocahontas and naturally it’s a visual sensation. A film so deeply connected with nature, portraying better than any other film the sense of loss of tribe unity, the connection to the earth, and the terribly misguided societal conventions.

Giuseppe Tornatore | Italy

Leave it to the Italians to make a seemingly superficial corny romantic comedy become one of my favorite films and most notable tributes to Le Cinéma. There is a moment where various cut-outs of kisses are projected on a big screen which is cinema at its most precious.

Hiroshi Shimizu | Japan

Post-war Japan following a group of orphaned boys. Shimizu was a director that cared about these children and went as far as to create a foundation to support the orphans. The film also briefly visited the ruins of Hiroshima. It is nearly impossible to find but makes for a truly worth-while treasure hunt that desperately needs a restoration!

Tsai Ming-liang | Malaysia | Taiwan

Will be a letdown for those into Tsai’s playful/experimental side, as this strips down to the barebones of Tsai’s obsession with alienation. In silence the desperation to escape loneliness becomes beyond amplified. A beautiful “love story” between broken people in the streets of Kuala Lumpur.

Roman Polanski | France | UK

Polanski and Natassja Kinski’s collaboration make for a phenomenally gorgeous film about love and all the tragedies of it. At one point Tess is on the run from the law and takes a nap at Stonehenge. The Barry Lyndon of Polanski, not among his most popular but certainly his most astounding. He dedicated it to his wife Sharon Stone adding to its poetic tragedy.

Andrey Tarkovskiy | Soviet Union

Tarkovsky’s first masterpiece follows a boy growing up during war and his sad echoing dreams. Tarkovsky’s most accessible film with phenomenal opening and closing sequences.

Kaneto Shindô | Japan

A harrowing docufiction and the first film to be set entirely among the ruins of Hiroshima. It follows a lone survivor visiting her demolished city and meeting the shells of the people she once knew. A devastating time capsule to weep for endlessly.

Carl Theodor Dreyer | France

A two hour close-up of Renée Jeanne Falconetti’s soul weeping into the camera until she is finally burned at the stake. Le cinéma, est drôle!

Wong Kar-wai | Hong Kong

Wong does a Chinese love story set in Brazil and the reason why it works so well is because he never treats it any differently from his other love stories, and the fact that they’re two men just adds a bit to the struggle. The cinematography and chemistry between Tony and Leslie is phenomenally tragic (especially since Leslie was gay in real life and committed suicide a few years after).

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden | France | West Germany

Originally meant to be Bergman’s final film and what a final film it would’ve been. Perhaps his most personal following the docile experience of a boy, involving child abuse and religious torment. It exists as a mini-series, and as a three hour film. Essential Bergman and the fact that it is considered a Swedish family film says a lot about Swedes.

Guy Maddin | Canada

Guy Maddin’s bodywork is… different. His films are a mix of silent cinema and experimental mockumentaries and it’s all a very unique but not all of it works. However the stars and universe aligned when he made a self-portrait of his town, Winnipeg. If anything it proves that great original comedies do still exist and that not everything that makes you go “wtf even is this” is a bad thing.

Jean-Luc Godard | France

Godard at his most playful and fun. I understand how he can be a bit much to some, but not being able to enjoy Pierrot Le Fou is just not having a sense of humor about cinema. Most of my favorite films are rather dark, so it’s nice to have an equivalent that’s all for good experimental fun following lovers on the run.

Steven Spielberg | USA

Schindler’s may be Spielberg’s greatest technical film, but my heart lies with Empire of the Sun ALL the way. Loved this since the first time I saw it as a kid. It has the heartbreak sensitivities, focusing on a talented young Christian Bale stuck in Japan during the war alongside Spielberg’s corny magic sprinkled all over it, and it really fking works for me.

Orson Welles | USA

Technically my favorite film noir but I don’t even consider it that, it transcends the genre into a surreal Lynchian nightmare, starring possibly the most beautiful woman in film history aka Rita Hayworth. Welles at his most experimental and downright fun, at some point there’s a funhouse scene including a classic mirror room sequence and a giant slider which is the greatest thing Welles ever filmed.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

A dark Bergman that analyses the relationship between three sisters (one that is dying) and their maid. It’s Bergman at his most agonizing in which he strips his characters down to the bare bone and exposes the ugliness of humanity. One of his darkest yet equally astonishing.

Leos Carax | France

My kind of romantic cinema. I meaaaan this is cinema on freaking viagra, a love between a nearly-blinded Juliette Binoche and a jealous homeless Denis Lavant. They spent most of their time living an incredible life on top of a bridge, dancing to fireworks, water skiing and breaking into museums. A film with so much electrifying energy, flawless performances and the scene of them dancing to Johann Strauss II that makes me oh so happy.

Victor Fleming | George Cukor | Sam Wood | USA

Scarlett and Rhett are the greatest Hollywood screen couple of allll taaaahm. For 30s Hollywood, this film was unbelievably advanced in every which way with its lush production values and contribution to the first African American Oscar victory (despite some racist overtones). A Goliath of a film.

Isao Takahata | Japan

And my favorite animated film goes to… boy did I weep with this film, but the majority was actually quite magical and mesmerizing. The tale of an immortal princess born from a bamboo tree and given a chance to live among humans. There’s a scene where Princess Kaguya, in rage, rips through the walls of her mansion and runs into the horizon, which is mostly drawn with rough charcoal lines and it’s the most impressive animated sequence bar none.

Julian Schnabel | France | USA

Based on the true story of a man who was paralyzed by a stroke and wrote a book through the blinking of his left eye. The majority of the film is shot from his eye’s perspective which makes for a ridiculously surreal experience, and the best kind of cinema is the one that makes you believe that you are experiencing somebody else’s life for a brief moment.

Alain Resnais | France | Italy

Weird, incoherent, mess of a film that is the French New Wave at its most successful, playing with every possible aspect of filmmaking and succeeds at becoming a thoroughly fascinating film watching experience. It rebels against the film medium as an art form and does its own thing entirely. Essential for those ready to get mindfucked.

Martin Scorsese | USA

Robert DeNiro is an isolated war veteran turned Taxi driver with little hope in humanity, and after a failed romance further secludes himself from the world and falls in a violent downward spiral. Represents 70s New York better than any other film and DeNiro’s character is extremely relatable. The best macho man film ever.

Sergei M. Eisenstein | Soviet Union

Eisenstein’s gift to cinema is a revolutionary Soviet film. The Odessa stairs sequence is one of the first that comes to mind when I think about cinema and where it came from. Essential for obvious reasons.

Youssef Chahine | Egypt

A pearl from Egyptian/African cinema that follows a handicapped peddler obsessed with a sexy drink vendor living on a train station in Cairo. The expressionist style and raw realism of life in Egypt makes for a fascinating real-life psychological horror (some frames are actually filmed as if it were a horror film). Due to the dark nature and overt sexuality in a muslim country, Cairo Station was banned after its initial release and finally earned its respect 20 years later.

Richard Linklater | USA

Wow Linklarter really invented High School. We love a king. With a perfect stoners soundtrack, teen angst, humiliation and pledging is a film that captures the best and worst of the 70s hippie youth experience.

Gaspar Noé | France

Noé’s films are all about experiencing something intense, and Enter The Void is exactly that. It got me deeply invested in researching about DMT, Ayahuasca, astral projection and read the Tibetan Book of the Dead. A liberating experience that takes you on a unbelievable psychedelic ride.

Andrzej Żuławski | France

So after two batshit insane films, Zulawski calms down and makes a film about love… obsession, the grimy world of showbiz, vengeance from a porn lord and Klaus Kinski playing multiple roles! Exploitative, passionate, dark and sensual. A genuinely manic viewing experience despite it being a low-key Żuławski.

Sam Mendes | USA

I genuinely adore this film and it has been a major uplifting source for most of my life as it made me want to look good naked too, written by the creator for one of my favorite series (Six Feet Under). I feel connected to every single one of its characters and always look forward to see their stories unfold as the film nears its end. Bentley’s character is my childhood idol.

Fritz Lang | Weimar Republic

The conclusion to Die Nibelungen, if part one was about the rise and fall of Sigfried then part two about crack’d Kriemhild and her quest to avenge her lover. No fighting dragons here, but instead we witness a woman’s hatred consume her innocence and it is absolutely glorious to see, Margarete Schön gives arguably the most tragic performance of the silent era.

Darren Aronofsky | USA

A collaboration between Aronofsky and Portman involving an anxiety driven psychological-horror full of madness and sexual liberation, inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and Perfect Blue. Watching Portman slowly tranform into the black swan popped my cherry.

Ciro Guerra | Colombia | Venezuela | Argentina

Every single (wannabe) director has that one film that reinforced their passion for filmmaking and that inspiration for me is Embrace of the Serpent. When I left the theater I knew more than ever that this was my calling. It was inspiring to see a Colombian director finally reach great international acclaim through something so artistically rich yet historically relevant to the country. Hopefully there’s more of this to come from Colombia.

Louis Malle | France | West Germany

Malle’s dedication to his own personal experience growing up in a catholic boarding school during WW2 and befriending a Jewish boy passing as a Christian. Malle got a close and personal experience with antisemitism. A great coming of age/friendship film that is naturally connected to a terrible time for humanity.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

The first Criterion I ever owned! Kurosawa follows the story of Seven Samurais on their quest to protect cowardly farmers. A complex film about humanity and bravery, Toshirō Mifune as usual steals the spotlight in what is arguably his greatest role. Only negative point is that the battle scenes sometimes drag on for a little too long.

Pier Paolo Pasolini | Italy

It is often forgotten about how absolutely essential Pasolini’s early work was to cinema due to his later silly sexploitations. Accattone is an aimless pimp that lives off of prostituting his girlfriends. A late neorealist film focusing on the lower class with that poetic Pasolini touch that desperately tries to finds beauty in an ugly, hopeless society.

Charles Chaplin | USA

Chaplin’s final silent film is not only his greatest contribution to cinema but also the end of a chapter in Hollywood history. The studios were against him doing another silent, yet he rebelled and the only moment with sound was that of him singing nonsense. Chaplin also ridicules industrialization and accidentally does cocaine. Definitely think it is his funniest/most clever work.

Semih Kaplanoğlu | Turkey | Germany

The modern-day Spirit of the Beehive, Bal is a quiet meditative childhood piece on a boy that is a little slow and the entire film is spent from the perspective of his quiet dream-like existence and his eternal content with solidarity.

Krzysztof Kieslowski | Poland

In 1988 Kieslowski extended two episodes from his Dekalog series into feature films, one about Love and the other about Killing. Killing is a raw, brutal film that follows an aimless man with the wish to kill without motive, the person he choses to kill refuses to die and it all gets very messy. The film also makes a statement on the death penalty and is notable for playing a significant contribution in the abolishment of it in Poland. A director with the ability to change people’s perspective on a difficult subject is a winner to me.

Richard Kelly | USA

Donnie Darko is my angst-ridden teenage years. I’m so attached to this film and even if it isn’t among the greatest cinematic achievements of all time, it genuinely is a pretty fascinating idea of time travel and evil bunny rabbits. ‘Why are you wearing that stupid bunny suit?’ – ‘Why are you wearing that stupid man suit’? mind blown.

Orson Welles | USA

Citizen Kane bla bla Orson Welles bla bla deep focus bla bla Rosebud bla bla iconic.

Andrey Tarkovskiy | Soviet Union

There’s some unforgivable unnecessary animal cruelty in this film (which I can’t condone) such as the impaling of a horse and a live bull set up in flames. Yet there’s an even more overwhelming amount of beautiful scenes imprinted in my brain, most notably a horse rolling around in grass. Story is set in medieval times when atrocities were committed in the name of religion, focusing on the famous religious painter Andrei Rublev. It was to be my first Tarkovsky and never looked back.

Jean-Luc Godard | France | Italy

Godard’s exercise of film, and most of all critique a of the traditional cinema (that remains as problematic). Starring Fritz Lang as a director hired by a Hollywood producer to direct a film on Homer’s Odyssey. The 60s bombshell Bardot plays the dissatisfied wife of the film’s writer. With a perfect score, iconically colorful cinematography it is the clear favorite Godard, and one to watch right after 8½ as they’re two of the best films on cinema.

Terrence Malick | USA

Malick’s engrossing, lyrical, profoundly heartbreaking WW2 epic. The music, pace, and flowing camera movement makes the war experience seem as a distant, enlightening dream that shooked me to the core. Malick’s beauty is palpable and this film has the most unforgettable scene of a woman on a swing.

Andrzej Zulawski | Poland

In the late 70s Zulawski worked on a sci-fi nightmare set on a planet of pure torment, sadly the production was interrupted due to political reasons and all film was ordered to be destroyed. Luckily what remained was reconstructed and released 11 years later. A crying shame that it never got to be completed as it would have easily been one of the most impressive films ever made. What was shot is pure artistic insanity, and I love every bit of it. Top 10 easily had it been completed.

Marcel L’Herbier | France

An astonishing film, did not expect to be so blown away going into it. Marcel L’Herbier was an original film auteur and his greatest (and underrated) film El Dorado simply transcends time and its color tinting makes nearly every frame seem like a painted image. In this case I also love the dark turn of the story, just beyond surreal and deserves more recognition for sure.

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

Ozu remade arguably his strongest silent 15 years later and upgraded it into a colorful, meditative film about time, social acceptance and family. Unlike its silent counterpart, this version has dialogue, and yet the silent moments where the characters are lost in speech is when the film speaks the most.

David Lynch | France | Poland | USA

Lynch outlynching himself with this brutally overlooked masterpiece that is most likely to be his final film. Despite it initially appearing to be shot with a cheap sony camera, it is honestly his most frightening yet unique cinematic work. The film is constantly alive and Laura Dern’s added insanity makes for an extraordinarily absurd viewing experience.

Roberto Rossellini | Italy

Last of Rossellini’s War trilogy, this time following a young german boy among the rubbles of a German-occupied Rome. Neorealism at its most profoundly effective and filmmaking that blurs the lines between fiction and reality. A film like this could never be recreated the same and that is why it is so precious. The despair of loss of young life was partially inspired by Rossellini losing his own son two years earlier.

Carl Theodor Dreyer | Denmark

Dreyer’s most accomplished and religious work, where he follows three brothers and their father with the main theme of faith and lack thereof. The most crucial character to the story is the middle brother who has become a religious nutcase believing to be Jesus Christ himself. It’s one of those deep poignant films that may seem slow initially, but the payoff has one trembling. As a non religious person the ending left a significant lasting effect and to me that is the true power of cinema.

Samira Makhmalbaf | Iran

Makhmalbaf’s daughter one day saw the case of two teenage girls that had been locked up by their parents their entire lives and decided to make a movie out of it, starring the real-life people. The most unique Iranian film i’ve seen, with the finest line between reality and fiction. Best thing was the mother not having any time for this sh!t.

Alejandro Jodorowsky | Mexico | USA

Jodorowsky’s trip to consciousness, following seven people and a fool on a path to enlightenment, led by the Alchemist (Jodorowsky himself). Each character represents a planet, and each planet symbolizes humanity’s faults (such as war, racism, religion, politics, sexuality etc) but in a most unorthodox and true Jodorowsky fashion. He’s a master of self-reflective cinema and this film has a bit of everything, including some ridiculous acting, but as a whole the delivery and message is essential yet disguised as an outlandish acid trip.

Ingmar Bergman | West Germany | Sweden

Bergman + Bergman (how is this their ONE collaboration?) + Ullman + Nyman. All that star power was bound to create an explosive emotional rollercoaster. There is a moment where a distraught daughter confronts her frigid mother, while the disabled sibling overhears everything. Three phenomenal performances in one scene. During the verbal catharsis my roommate knocked on my door to see if I was doing ok.

Fritz Lang | Weimar Republic

THE perfect introduction to silent cinema, and I was so impressed that it made me want to research anything that I could find about film history. From its humongous sets to incredible cinematography (Lang + German expressionism = godly). Story is about a futuristic industrial world where the son of a business owner attempts to unites the classes. Whilst his lover gets cloned into a robot and excites men with her sexy belly dancing. Perhaps the most giffable film in existence.

Mikhail Kalatozov | Cuba | Soviet Union

Not only Kalatozov’s most incredible cinematic achievement, but up there as the most impressive visual achievements in any film i’ve ever seen. It follows four Cubans stories and what led to the Communist revolution. The camera flows like the wind, basically as if it were god itself. Only complaint is the weak acting, but cinematically this is as good as it’ll ever get.

Akira Kurosawa | Japan

An underrated film BECAUSE it is Kurosawa’s I feel. A profound take on love and poverty, something deeply sad yet full of hope and irony. Its influence on his more renowned “Ikiru” is clear but I much prefer this one. It follows a couple, one an optimist and the other a pessimist trying to make the best of their Sunday date with very little money on their hands. After glimpses of hope and sadness the film ends with a symphony sequence that is the epitome of the word “bittersweet”. That scene alone makes it my favorite Kurosawa.

Vittorio De Sica | Italy

The face of Italian cinema/neorealism and deservingly so, following a father and son on a quest to make ends meet with the help of a bicycle but all goes array when said bicycle is stolen and the father attempts to steal another. A profoundly touching film with a most notable child performance by a non-actor.

Federico Fellini | Italy | France

“Asa nisi masa. Asa nisi masa.” Fellini’s gift to cinema is a self-reflective piece that pushed the boundaries of film by weaving dreams, memories, thoughts, desires and ideas on what is cinema. A gem many directors have tried to recreate one way or another, but Fellini was the first to truly succeed.

Wong Kar-wai | Hong Kong

Wong California Dreamin’ in nostalgic beauty and love, follows two separate love stories that are somehow intertwined. Two lonely cops fall for two quirky chicks, one of which an assassin wearing a blonde wig and the other the stunning Faye Wong. If anything it will leave you eating expired canned pineapples while playing California Dreamin’ on a loop for days.

Richard Linklater | USA

Boyhood was shot over the span of 12 years following young boy’s coming of age, as well as his sister (Linklater’s daughter), mother Arquette and father Hawke. Linklarter let the story unfold itself by closely following the actor’s personality. The film is a nostalgic trip back to memory lane that i’m sure anyone growing up in the 00s could relate to. Certainly a monumental cinematic achievement.

Claire Denis | France

A simple story following a strict French Legion officer and his platoon in Djibouti, until a new recruit ignites feelings of jealousy and yearning. One of those films that purely works because of the director’s cinematic style, Claire Denis creates an incredible feeling of thirst and aching, and films the most hypnotizing dance club sequences. A film where not much appears to happen yet every moment is intoxicating poetry on masculinity.

Satyajit Ray | India

Second of the Apu trilogy, wherein Apu reaches adolescence and begins his new life in the city. This film deeply affected me, as it tackles the deep fear of losing loved ones while being away living our lives. Ray mastered the art of emotional manipulation and I hate him for singlehandedly ruining me.

Federico Fellini | Italy

You want a glimpse of the human heart? This is it. Fellini and Giulietta Masina make it happen. The last scene is a serious contender for my all-time favorite ending, so utterly devastating and yet… full of hope.

Theodoros Angelopoulos | Greece

Angelopoulos finally achieved international success by winning the Palme D’or with this little gem. Stylistically similar to his other films, focusing on the relationship between a dying man and an immigrant homeless boy. There are moments of deep sorrow, as well as great beauty. Essentially about doing what’s right and preparing for the next life or whatever comes next. The musical score by Eleni Karaindrou is 10/10.

Stanley Kubrick | UK | USA

Fantasia part two is Kubrick’s wild trip into space starring the age of apes all the way until humanity’s end/rebirth. A gateway drug to cinephilia.

F.W. Murnau | Weimar Republic

Murnau’s final German film proved to be his greatest cinematic accomplishment imo. It is about as good as silent cinema ever got, and a perfect example of what film was able to achieve so early in. He made it with the purpose to find jobs in Hollywood but part of me wishes he had stayed in Germany. It features Mephisto battling against love itself.

Alejandro Jodorowsky | Chile | France

Jodoworsky is a poetic auteur of cinema on a mission to enlighten/teach us through self-expression, reflection and analyzing the human spirit. The story follows a young Alejandro on a quest to find his inner poet and escape from the shadows of his father, and meets all types of poets, artist and broken people that teach him along the way. It is his most personal film where he and his sons strip down and bare their souls, going beyond what few directors have achieved. There’s plenty of hilarity and absurdity but what gets me the most are his personal passages where he in person makes peace with his parents and mistakes. To my biggest surprise it surpassed my love for The Holy Mountain.

Andrzej Zulawski | Poland

Zulawski’s hypnotic, bizarre, trip to into insanity where nothing is sacred and all is deranged. Each person the main character encounters either tries to rape, murder or harm him. His only true allies are his tormented incestuous sister and a mute distraught nun. An exciting look into what going through an 18th century psychotic episode might be like, and one to watch after Kurt Russell’s “The Devils”. The world needs more of this type of cinema.

Pier Paolo Pasolini | Italy

Anna Magnani is the mother of Rome. A middle-aged prostitute doing her best to set her teenage bum straight but all attempts prove futile. Pasolini’s perfect follow up to Acattone, with similar settings and themes but ups it with Magnani’s electrifying screen-charisma. A powerful, glorious, soulful film that is inherently devastating but the hopefulness of Mamma Roma brings a beaming light to the screen. 60s Italian cinema was simply irresistible.

Frantisek Vlácil | Czechoslovakia

Vlácil made the most visually beautiful film about a medieval hellhole. One to watch hand in hand with Andrei Rublev while daydreaming of a far away life in a faraway land. Something about the brutally and stench of the middle ages appeals to me, and that’s something Vlácil marveled at with Lazarová.

Aleksey German | Russia | Czech Republic

Somewhat comparable to Żuławski’s 70s bizarre mind bending films but takes it further with production value and added derangement. It feels like being visually and emotionally violated and there isn’t a moment of rest within those 3 hours of torment. Technically a sci-fi, but in the same way that Tarkovsky’s Solaris and Stalker are. Set on a planet where its inhabitants are stuck in the cruelty of the middle ages. A modern masterpiece that feels authentically 60s/70s. You’ll definitely need to cleanse your aura after watching it.

Mikhail Kalatozov | Soviet Union

Kalatozov’s gem focusing on the love between a young couple and how it was torn apart by by WW2. The story is probably the most coherent, and overall satisfying/devastating he ever achieved. But to be fair the real strength lies in its expressionist composition. There’s no director as consistently phenomenal cinematically, and with Cranes he truly mastered the art of camera movement and spectacular imagery.

John Schlesinger | USA

Without a doubt the boldest Oscar winner in existence, at the time rated the same as a porno (for including rape, prostitution and homosexuality) following a “not a furreal cowboy”/male prostitute that befriends a weasily crippled Hoffman (both giving incredible performances). Along with Easy Rider the film represents the changing hearts of 60s America and a fine representation of NYC of the time.

Terrence Malick | USA

Malick’s 70s giant masterpiece was filmed almost entirely around sunset. Its a hopelessly romantic tale of lovers on the run and a doomed love triangle. Unforgettable images that come to mind are those of a wild fire, a herd of horses, a grasshopper plague and a whole lot of wheat. Pure palpable cinematic magic.

Peter Watkins | Sweden | Norway

A three and a half hour illustration of pure cinema about the life of the distraught yet masterful artist Edvard Munch (the guy behind “the scream’). The film plays as a documentary and at points feels so real that you forget it was filmed in the 70s rather than late 19th/early 20th century. On top of its haunting realism there’s a strangely bizarre quality. I’ve yet to see anything quite like Edvard Munch.

Víctor Erice | Spain

One of the very best films about childhood innocence and contemplation, and what child to do it better than the brooding Anna Torrent. The story follows two little sisters that go to the screening of Frankenstein, which leaves a lasting impact on the sensitive youngest one. The spirit of a haunted child overtakes the rest of the film expressing profoundly with its silence.

Kaneto Shindô | Japan

Shindô should be ranked among the greatest of directors (not just Japanese) as he not only excelled at various different genres, but most importantly with The Naked Island he transported the audience onto a small island in Japan. You can almost feel the sand and smell the ocean. The film also might as well have been a silent film as only very few words were spoken throughout, which added to the overall ambiance of the desolate setting. The story follows a family living on a private Island, doing daily routine errands until tragedy interrupts the redundancy. A film that brings you into the experience and makes you feel it.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder | West Germany

Oh wowowowowowww. The most complete and devastating Fassbinder, his films sometimes lack a bit in production or performances and feel rushed because he was pushing them out like eggs. But 13 Moons in no way feels half-assed, and is his boldest, most gutting film. There’s a most notable gory slaughterhouse scene which disturbingly reflects the feelings of the protagonist. Fassbinder’s internal anguish really jumps out in this one.

Bahman Ghobadi | Iran | France | Iraq

Welp if you ever wondered what it’s like to be an orphaned refugee living in a mine-invested war zone with no hope or guidance right before the fall of Saddam, Turtles Can Fly is your answer. It follows multiple children, among them a handicapped clairvoyant and expert at removing mines (the actor lost both his arms), his traumatized sister and a charismatic pathological liar. Painful and eye-opening, exploring a side of the world that is not represented anywhere else, and first film to be shot in Iraq post-Saddam. Definitely not a comedy and 100% agonizing and I hate it so much. :’(

Yasujirô Ozu | Japan

Ozu’s love letter to humanity; Thou shalt love and respect thy parents, for life is short and once they’re gone it is but too late. Ozu invented human suffering; what a concept. Setsuko Hara smiling straight into the camera and expressing her disappointment in life is a mood.

Abel Gance | France

The pure dedication by Gance and Dieudonné to the story of Napoleon is evident and makes it about as perfect as it could be. At five and a half hours it is not for those short of patience, but honestly, I found it utterly fascinating even before I got to see it fully restored (the restoration mind boggling). Just have nothing but respect for what is one of the most essential films ever made. French expressive cinema at its best.

Shunji Iwai | Japan

It’s not easy to even describe the plot of the film. On the surface it follows a middle school class of Japanese children that each battle bullying, sexual abuse, humiliation, suicide etc while obsessing over a fictional artist named Lily Chou-Chou. On a deeper level it explores the human ether/spirit/meaning of life and love. A deeply complex acid trip all while jamming out on classical music and a phenomenal soundtrack.

Luchino Visconti | Italy

A fairly unknown Visconti now in full restoration. Set in Sicily following a family that survives off of its fishing, and make the gamble of buying their own boat and be independent. Visconti’s eye for neorealist beauty criticizes the unjust economic structure and labor, and set the tone for a profound human experience that he’d later recreate with Rocco and His Brothers. I’d call it the most overlooked masterpiece.

Terrence Malick | USA

Malick’s most controversial work, despised by some and worshipped by others. I’m clearly the latter. Beyond the most intoxicating cinematography of all time lies a profound story of fatherhood, childhood, spirituality, evolution and the connection to the universe. The film I imagine myself watching on my death bed.

Satyajit Ray | India

The first of my all time favorite trilogy follows a poor Indian family, mainly focusing on a happy naive little Apu and his sister Durga enjoying the simplicity of life such as the wonders of a train passing and the beauty yet dangers of rain. There’s something truly magical about the spirit of this trilogy, but Pather Panchali in particular captures the wonder of early childhood as well as the tragedy of poverty stricken India.

Ingmar Bergman | Sweden

My introduction to Bergman and my life has been as happily tormented since. Who else can make the black plague, death and human suffering look more aesthetically pleasing? The story is set in medieval times when the plague was ravaging through Europe and follows a handful of characters, most notably a crusader that plays chess with Death in order to prolong his life. Contemplative, spellbinding Swedish pearl.

Krzysztof Kieslowski | France | Poland | Norway

Veronique and Weronika are identical twins/doppelgängers unaware of each other’s existence, living in France and Poland respectively. Despite being unaware of each others existence they have formed a special bond, so when one succumbs the other feels an unexplained crisis. A stupendous film with a phenomenal score, color tinting and puppeteering. Irène Jacob was a true screen goddess.

François Truffaut | France

God-tier Truffaut in a love triangle between two best friends and their chaotic Catherine, set in Paris before and after WWI. French New-Wave at its most explorative and playful, where much of its style is implemented and adds something to the story/characters. A truly charming, gleeful and impossible love story for the ages.

Darren Aronofsky | USA

If American Beauty represented my innocence/hopefulness, Donnie Darko my teen angst, then Requiem represented my escape from the darkness (cue Requiem theme song). I was in a rut as a teenager, and to me Requiem was what metal/rock is to many. For some it appears in a negative/destructive light but to me it was a bit of a wake-up call. Requiem is superficially about four people becoming addicts wether intentionally or not (Burstyn’s character gets hooked on speed prescribed as diet pills), but essentially it is about broken people that fill a void through drugs, and if anything it taught me not to fill my void with something destructive (music and film ended up being enough). My cinematic comfort blanket regardless of how bleak or preachy it may appear on the surface, plus DAT ENDING THO omg *shaking.

Andrey Tarkovskiy | Soviet Union

Tarkovky’s most personal film, exploring memories of his own childhood and father’s life, yet mainly through the eyes of the mother. Many directors have tried similar themes, but none more personal and reflective than Tarkovsky. The whole thing plays out as someone else’s dream. The barn burning is a most iconic moment of cinema. Soviet Russia at its most contemplative.

Pier Paolo Pasolini | Italy | France

Pasolini’s most perfect film, following St. Matthews retelling of Jesus Christ and his unibrow. From his birth to virginal Maria, from walking on water up until the crucifixion and resurrection. Despite it being a film about Jesus Christ, more than anything it is Pasolini’s magical Marxist retelling (besides let’s not forget that he was a gay atheist). The soundtrack is a bewitching spell that literally haunted my dreams for days.

Jean-Pierre Dardenne | Luc Dardenne | Belgium | France | Italy

The Dardenne Brothers to me represent cinema at its purest form. This story follows a young boy desperately seeking for his fathers approval, and after being consistently rejected he looks for that same approval in other (male) figures just like the rest of all humanity. A rollercoaster of angst, similarly to Rosetta with the character’s objective being one simple thing (for the kid it’s approval/love) and is willing to risk anything in order to get it. But like in the real world, you can’t force love and sometimes looking in the wrong places leads to consequences. There’s a sense of full growth within the film, and the Dardenne brothers truly mastered the art of playing into audience’s expectations and taking the opposite direction.

Gillo Pontecorvo | Italy | Algeria

Italian Neorealism in Algeria, following the Algerians on a quest to regain their independence from the French no matter the cost. The people’s battle cries sound like echoing weapons of liberty. The story was written by a surviving guerrilla leader (who plays himself in the film), he wanted to avoid personal bias and asked an Italian director to do the job. It explores how oppression can lead to terrorism in the name of freedom as well as where extremists originate.

François Truffaut | France

Truffaut’s gift to cinema starring the bright and future French icon Jean-Pierre Léaud. Follows a spirited young boy that due parental negligence winds up in jail/observation center. Despite some heavy turns, the film is relatively uplifting and experimental. Truffaut’s creativity shines through beyond hope. Among the best moments is an improvised interrogation scene that was taken out of Léaud audition and found its place within the film.

Federico Fellini | Italy

To me Satyricon IS Fellini’s greatest film, to recreate ancient Rome and make it seem so authentic, lush, erotic, grotesque and dreamlike is as if he had crafted a film specifically dedicated to me. Certain aspects of the film are silly, but that’s what adds to its wonderful absurdity. The film transports me to a different time and space and represent the naughty side of cinema that I love perhaps better than any other film.

Ki-duk Kim | South Korea | Germany

A film that most beautifully explores the circle of karma, life and buddhist teachings. Anything anyone would ever wish to learn about inner peace can be found right here. It’s not at all preachy, simply contemplative sincerity. One of those films to watch when you’re seeking for answers or feeling a bit lost. And one that i’ll revisit many times in my life.

Jean-Pierre Dardenne | Luc Dardenne | France | Belgium

From the get-go Rosetta opens in accelerated anguish and remains that way for the duration of the film. The moments of peace are brief and deceitful. Rosetta’s objective is to maintain a job and protect her alcoholic mom, but she herself is a stubborn lamb suffering from severe stomach ache. Its visual style is superficially ugly and uncomfortable, as the constant closeups indicate that there is no escaping Rosetta’s world and we’re trapped alongside her. The Dardenne brothers have managed to recreate the simplicity of Bresson, and bring it to a deeper level of realism and transcending cinema. Every film maker should study their work and treat it as their bible.

Robert Bresson | France

“He is not the master of love. He is love itself”, not to get preachy but I sincerely believe that love is what all religions are based on but over the centuries people have turned that pure love into a product or a thing, and destroyed the meaning of that love, where it comes from and its importance. That is the power of Diary of a Country Priest, a film that focuses on a dying priest and his sincere wish to save cynical souls that have sabotaged themselves through envy, gossip and bitterness. The film is a lesson all of itself, regardless of your beliefs, it never forces Christianity onto its audience but merely examines its pros and cons while striving to soften the hearts of its viewers and alleviate the fear of death.

Elem Klimov | Soviet Union

Finally getting to see this in restored quality was a beautiful nightmare come true. The best/worst true-life horror and horrifying it is, literally culminating in its intense agony and there is no stopping it. The story follows a boy in WW2 Russia witnessing the horrific events of entire villages burned alive. The boy’s transformation from gleeful innocence to utterly soulless and wrinkled is an experience unlike any other film. Aleksei Kravchenko staring into the camera/your soul while continuously shooting at a photograph of Hitler will haunt me for eternity.

Luchino Visconti | Italy | France

Visconti’s passionate tale of five brothers, each introduced in an interesting episodic-like structure yet the film is a classic neorealist, most rooted around a love triangle between two brothers; Simone the black sheep, Rocco the saint and a prostitute. The Italian’s melodrama feels over the top at times, but it works perfectly within the context of the film and plays out as a classic greek tragedy. There’s so much explosive power to Rocco that to me it represents Italian cinema at its most triumphant.

Krzysztof Kieslowski | France | Poland | Switzerland

First and by far favorite of the color trilogy. It incorporates the color Blue flawlessly with the cinematography as well as Binoche’s overwhelming grief. She is the survivor of a car wreck that attempts to repress her pain through withdrawing from the world. Her husband left an unfinished symphony that is hers to finish or destroy. A film that left a knot in my stomach, with its palpable majestic beauty and sorrow. Every second in this film dazzles (wether acting, musically, cinematography, color tinting etc) and the use of its soundtrack during the moments of pain is absolutely pivotal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dz9eCLiTvDc

Stanley Kubrick | UK | USA

I’ve been searching for a film to match my love for Barry Lyndon but no luck for years. To me it is a perfect 10 on all fronts, cinematically arguably unmatchable as Kubrick even created special camera and lighting techniques for the film. A lush production and stone-cold performances fit perfectly with the style. The soundtrack of my life. And the story, yes I absolutely find the story the most fascinating of all. Barry Lyndon IS the Don Draper of the 18th-century. Also the best use of zoom lenses and unreliable voice-overs. Simply a spellbinding film that I worship more upon each subsequent revisit.