Breaking Down the List: Facts and Figures About THR Critics’ 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)

Jon Frosch, David Rooney, Sheri Linden, Lovia Gyarkye, Leslie Felperin and Jordan Mintzer
·1 min read

What happens when six Hollywood Reporter film critics get together to pick their 50 favorite movies of the 21st century so far? Debating, deliberating, voting, the devising of a nerdy point system, second-guessing, fine-tuning, re-deliberating, re-second-guessing, re-fine-tuning — you get the picture.

But now the list is published, and below are things we thought readers might find interesting about our selections. Some of these things surprised us, too.

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  • 18 films not in English: 4 French, 3 Japanese, 2 Korean, 2 Romanian, 2 Mexican, 1 Spanish, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Hong Kong, 1 Russian, 1 Mauritanian

  • 11 films directed by women

  • 9 films directed by Black filmmakers

  • 6 documentaries

  • 2 animated films

  • 4 first films

  • 5 directors with multiple films on the list: Jane Campion (2), the Coen brothers (2), Alfonso Cuarón (2), David Fincher (2), Richard Linklater (2)

  • 2 best picture Oscar winners (Moonlight and Parasite)

  • 3 Cannes Palme d’Or winners (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days; Shoplifters; Parasite)

  • 2 Venice Golden Lion winners (The Return and Brokeback Mountain)

  • Years with the most films represented: 2016 and 2018 (4 each)

  • Actors with the most films represented: Kirsten Dunst (3), Michelle Williams (3) — co-stars in 1999’s Dick!

  • Films it broke our hearts not to see make it onto the list or honorable mentions:

    • Jon Frosch: Blue Is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche)

    • David Rooney: The World (Jia Zhangke)

    • Sheri Linden: The Savages (Tamara Jenkins)

    • Lovia Gyarkye: Coco (Lee Unkrich)

    • Leslie Felperin: Paddington 2 (Paul King)

    • Jordan Mintzer: This Is Not a Film (Jafar Panahi, Mojtaba Mirtahmasb)

Best of The Hollywood Reporter

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