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Image by Federico Napoli
In time, the 2010s may prove to be one of the best decades for film. International cinema in particular thrived, conjuring up many instant classics that not only came to be revered critical accomplishments, but found mainstream fanfare and adoration as well. Excelling with their narrative nous, their engrossing thematic might, and their stunning mastery of tone, the best foreign films of the 2010s make up many of the best pictures the decade saw.
The decade held so many international masterpieces, in fact, that such gems as Cold War, A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, and Blue is the Warmest Colour are among just some of the highlights that missed out on making the top 10. The films that do feature encompass everything from suspenseful South Korean thrillers to bold and contemplative French comedies, and even to engrossing, dark, and nuanced Scandinavian dramas.
10 'The Handmaiden' (2016)
Directed by Park Chan-wook
Image via CJ Entertainment
With a loose basis on Sarah Waters’ historical crime novel ‘Fingersmith’, The Handmaiden sees esteemed veteran director Park Chan-wook weaving together a spellbinding visual display with a tale of tremendous intrigue and suspense to be one of the most engrossing thrillers of the decade. It follows a Korean con artist and his accomplice, a young orphan, as they devise a cunning plan to swindle a wealthy Japanese heiress out of her inheritance.
While the underlying relationship of the film—the growing bond between the two female leads that is realized with explicit sexual content—drew some criticism, The Handmaiden earned widespread acclaim for its entrancing story of deceit and scandal. It is a pulsating erotic thriller for the new age, and a fiercely intelligent tale of desire armed with a fantastic penchant for black comedy and a litany of sublime performances.
9 'Land of Mine' (2016)
Directed by Martin Zandvliet
Image via Nordisk Film
The 2010s mark an exceptional decade for war cinema, with such technical feats as Dunkirk and 1917 defining the visual mastery of the genre, while the likes of Beasts of No Nation and Hacksaw Ridge explored the thematic might of such conflicts. Coming from Denmark, Land of Mine is one of the defining highlights of war cinema in recent years.
The contemplative drama takes place in the immediate aftermath of Germany’s surrender from WWII, following a squad of young German PoWs in Denmark who, without training or adequate resources, are tasked with clearing the nation’s coast of landmines. Combining sequences of unbearable suspense with abrupt moments of horrific violence, all while maintaining a steady focus on the young men hopelessly carrying out their assignment with dreams of returning home, Land of Mine is a nuanced and striking war drama that revels in its complex morality and heart-stopping spectacle.
Land of Mine
Release Date December 3, 2015
Cast Roland Møller , Louis Hofmann , Joel Basman , Mikkel Boe Følsgaard , Laura Bro , Zoe Zandvliet , Mads Riisom , Oskar Bökelmann
Runtime 100 Minutes
8 'Roma' (2018)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Image via Netflix
A stunning feat of film-making and profoundly personal storytelling, Roma thrives as a historical drama embedded in writer-director Alfonso Cuarón’s own childhood and recollections of a tumultuous time in Mexican history. It focuses on Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a domestic worker for an upper-middle class family in 1970s Mexico City. While she has a strong bond with the family’s four children, the onset of an unexpected pregnancy casts her life into disarray as political upheaval strikes the nation.
The film uses its intriguing premise alongside Cuarón’s incredibly brave and deeply personal story to paint an extravagant and moving picture of class divisions and familial love. Roma received 10 Academy Award nominations, making it equal with The Favourite as the most nominated movie of its year. It won three Oscars and, in the process, became the first Mexican film to win Best Foreign Language Film.
Release Date December 14, 2018
Cast Yalitza Aparicio , Daniela Demesa , Marco Graf , Daniel Valtierra , Marina de Tavira , Enoc Leaño
Runtime 135 minutes
7 'Your Name' (2016)
Directed by Makoto Shinkai
Image via Toho
A highlight not only of Japanese anime in the 2010s, but of all animated cinema, Your Name has enchanted movie lovers the world over with its beautiful marriage of picturesque visuals and emotionally evocative narrative. It follows two teenagers who discover that they share a powerful connection through their ability to swap bodies. The scenario between the young boy and girl becomes even more complex when they embark on a quest to meet each other in person.
The movie weaves together a viewing experience of transfixing fantasy allure through director Makoto Shinkai’s grounded sense of story that places an emphasis on the awkwardness of teenage life. Despite the fact that it was largely snubbed at the major Western awards ceremonies, Your Life has come to be regarded as one of the best animated films of the century from any country.
Your Name
Release Date August 26, 2016
Cast Ryunosuke Kamiki (Taki Tachibana voice) , Mone Kamishiraishi (Mitsuha Miyamizu voice) , Ryo Narita (Katsuhiko Teshigawara voice) , Aoi Yuki (Sayaka Natori voice) , Nobunaga Shimazaki (Tsukasa Fujii voice) , Kaito Ishikawa (Shinta Takagi voice) , Kanon Tani (Yotsuha Miyamizu voice) , Masaki Terasoma (Toshiki Miyamizu voice) , Sayaka Ohara (Futaha Miyamizu voice)
Runtime 106 minutes
6 'A Separation' (2011)
Directed by Asghar Farhadi
Image via Sony Pictures Classics
Coming from Iran, A Separation is one of the greatest and most scintillating dramas of the 2010s. Worried about finding care for his ailing father, Nader (Peyman Moaadi) refuses to leave Tehran, leading his wife, Simin (Leila Hatami), to sue for divorce as she hopes to find a better life abroad for her and her daughter. The deterioration of the relationship, however, grows even more complex when Nader becomes embroiled in an inflammatory legal case involving a woman’s miscarriage.
While the film excels at realizing the ugly messiness of the situation, it remains a focused and powerful exploration of the nuances of a destabilizing relationship thrust amid a dire set of circumstances. It is defined by the challenging might of the moral conundrums it presents which, when buoyed by a range of spectacular performances and a grounded, realistic tension, help make A Separation one of the greatest films the Middle Eastern nations have ever produced.
A Separation
Release Date February 15, 2011
Cast Leila Hatami , Payman Maadi , Sareh Bayat , Sarina Farhadi , Shahab Hosseini , Kimia Hosseini , Ali-Asghar Shahbazi , Babak Karimi , Merila Zarei , Shirin Yazdanbakhsh , Mohammad Sajadian , Armine Zeytounchian , Bahareh Riahi
Runtime 123 minutes
5 'The Hunt' (2012)
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Image via Nordisk Film
Thriving with Mads Mikkelsen’s outstanding lead performance that brings a palpable air of desperation and sympathy to the story, The Hunt is a daring drama that isn’t afraid to deal with confronting issues directly. Mikkelsen stars as Lucas, a caring and affectionate though lonely kindergarten aide whose life is thrust into chaos and hysteria when one of his students—the daughter of his best friend—falsely accuses him of sexually abusing her.
An engrossing and stomach-churning weight permeates throughout the film. Audiences are forced to resonate with Lucas’ turmoil, with him becoming an increasingly desperate victim of injustice as the small community of the town quickly turns against him. Unflinching and realized with a pessimistic maturity, The Hunt is a difficult viewing experience. However, such tonal and thematic intensity only makes the movie a more powerful and pointed picture as well as one of the greatest movies Denmark has ever released.
The Hunt
Release Date January 10, 2013
Runtime 115 Minutes
4 'Incendies' (2010)
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Image via Entertainment One
A significant film in the context of Denis Villeneuve’s directorial career, Incendies is a grueling and disturbing drama of family and the inhumanity of war. It follows twin siblings in Canada who are tasked, by their dying mother, with delivering letters to a father they thought was dead and an older brother they never knew they had. Their quest to carry out the mysterious task sees them travel to their mother’s native land in the Middle East, where they learn of her involvement in a religious war.
Villeneuve’s presentation, as technically masterful as ever, is rich with elegance, poise, and purpose, but the artful nature of the camerawork takes nothing away from the searing and unforgettable brutality of the story. It is a ferociously disturbing tale of tragedy and love that is propped up by its profoundly human central focus and its impressive performances that only add an extra weight to the already hefty film.
Incendies
Release Date September 4, 2010
Cast Lubna Azabal , Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin , Maxim Gaudette , Rémy Girard , Allen Altman , Abdelghafour Elaaziz , Dominique Briand , Frédéric Paquet , Ahmad Massad , John Dunn-Hill , Jackie Sawiris , Lara Atalla , Baya Belal , Yousef Shweihat , Karim Babin , Mohamed Majd , Mustafa Kamel , Hussein Sami , Hamed Najem , Bader Alami , Majida Hussein , Asriah Nijres , Nadia Essadiqi , Baraka Rahmani
Runtime 131 minutes
3 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' (2019)
Directed by Céline Sciamma
Image via Pyramide Films
Quite possibly the greatest romantic movie of the decade, Portrait of a Lady on Fire uses its historical setting to fantastic effect as it tells a powerful tale of forbidden love. Set in the latter part of the 18th century, it follows the secret romance that blossoms between Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), the defiant daughter of a nobleman who is soon to be married, and Marianne (Noémie Merlant), the female artist hired to paint her wedding portrait.
The dynamic between the two central characters is considered and complex, but undeniably tender, making for a focus that is as endearing as it is thought-provoking. Couple that with the fact that virtually every shot of the film encapsulates a picturesque divinity, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire is an entrancing masterpiece of high-minded romance that is as beautifully arresting as it is pointed and poignant.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Release Date September 18, 2019
Cast Adèle Haenel , Noemie Merlant , Valeria Golino
Runtime 120 minutes
2 'The Intouchables' (2011)
Directed by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano
Image via Gaumont
As beautiful and touching an ode to the life-affirming power of true friendship that has ever been put to screen, The Intouchables uses a true story basis to provide one of the most emotionally piercing films of all time. Philippe (François Cluzet) is a wealthy widower left paralyzed following a skydiving accident. When he hires Dris (Omar Sy), a recently released ex-con, to be his carer, the two men form a sincere friendship that sees both of them develop a new understanding of life.
The chemistry between Cluzet and Sy is utterly irresistible, with the two stars meshing together to deliver a moving story of humanity. While it divided critics and was snubbed by the Oscars, the film has been received with universal praise by general moviegoers, who appreciated its tight emphasis on simple human decency. It has come to be regarded as one of the most touching films of the decade.
Release Date November 2, 2011
Runtime 112 Minutes
1 'Parasite' (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Image via CJ Entertainment
Not only the greatest international picture of the 2010s, but also one of the best movies released this century (if not of all time), Parasite made huge inroads into mainstream consciousness and became the first foreign-language movie ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars. A social thriller rich with razor-sharp satire, it follows the destitute Kim family as they begin to infiltrate the wealthy Park family by working domestic jobs around their household. The parasitic situation gradually simmers as class divides threaten to lead to a violent turn.
Part of what makes it such a work of genius is how Bong Joon-ho balances the searing social commentary that is rich with timely and urgent themes with a cynically delicious and wickedly entertaining story of rampant opportunism and greed. Energetic, ferociously intense, and touting a vibrant appetite for black comedy, Parasite is a masterful marriage of scorching and enlightening drama and effervescent spectacle, ensuring it will long be remembered as one of the finest pictures ever made.
Release Date November 8, 2019
Cast Yeo-Jeong Jo , Myeong-hoon Park , Jeong-eun Lee , Sun-kyun Lee , Ji-so Jung , So-dam Park , Keun-rok Park , Kang-ho Song , Ji-hye Lee , Woo-sik Choi , Seo-joon Park , Hye-jin Jang
Runtime 132 minutes
English (US) ·