The 35 Best Movies of 2021
List activity
1.2K views
• 0 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
35 titles
- DirectorRadu JudeStarsKatia PascariuClaudia IeremiaNicodim UngureanuEmi, a school teacher, finds her career and reputation under threat after a personal sex tape is leaked on the Internet. Forced to meet the parents demanding her dismissal, Emi refuses to surrender to their pressure.
- DirectorPaul Thomas AndersonStarsAlana HaimCooper HoffmanSean PennThe story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.
- DirectorJonas Poher RasmussenStarsDaniel KarimyarFardin MijdzadehMilad EskandariFLEE tells the extraordinary true story of a man, Amin, on the verge of marriage which compels him to reveal his hidden past for the first time.
- DirectorChaitanya TamhaneStarsAditya ModakArun DravidSumitra BhaveSelf-doubt, sacrifice and struggle converge into an existential crisis for a devoted classical vocalist as the mastery he strives for remains elusive.
- DirectorNinja ThybergStarsSofia KappelZelda MorrisonEvelyn ClaireBella Cherry arrives in Los Angeles with dreams of becoming an adult film star, but she soon learns that fame won't come easy as she harnesses her ambition and cunning to rise to the top of this mesmerizing and singular world.
- DirectorAsghar FarhadiStarsAmir JadidiMohsen TanabandehSahar GoldoostRahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned.
- DirectorEmma SeligmanStarsRachel SennottDanny DeferrariFred MelamedAt a Jewish funeral service with her parents, a college student runs into her sugar daddy and ex girlfriend.
- DirectorNadav LapidStarsAvshalom PollakNur FibakOded AzulayAn Israeli filmmaker throws himself in the midst of two battles doomed to fail: one against the death of freedom, the other against the death of a mother.
- DirectorKirill SerebrennikovStarsSemyon SerzinChulpan KhamatovaVladislav SemiletkovA day in the life of a comic book artist and his family in post-Soviet Russia. While suffering from the flu, Petrov is carried by his friend Igor on a long walk, drifting in and out of fantasy and reality.
- DirectorJoachim TrierStarsRenate ReinsveAnders Danielsen LieHerbert NordrumThe chronicles of four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.
- DirectorBen SharrockStarsSidse Babett KnudsenKenneth CollardAmir El-MasryOmar is a promising young musician. Separated from his Syrian family, he is stuck on a remote Scottish island awaiting the fate of his asylum request.
- DirectorAudrey DiwanStarsAnamaria VartolomeiKacey Mottet KleinLuàna BajramiAn adaptation of Annie Ernaux's novel of the same name, looking back on her experience with abortion when it was still illegal in France in the 1960s.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJennifer LawrenceMeryl StreepTwo low-level astronomers must go on a giant media tour to warn humankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsFilippo ScottiToni ServilloTeresa SaponangeloIn 1980s Naples, young Fabietto pursues his love for football as family tragedy strikes, shaping his uncertain but promising future as a filmmaker.
- DirectorMichael RiandaJeff RoweStarsAbbi JacobsonDanny McBrideMaya RudolphA quirky, dysfunctional family's road trip is upended when they find themselves in the middle of the robot apocalypse and suddenly become humanity's unlikeliest last hope.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsSimon RexBree ElrodSuzanna SonMikey Saber is a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown, not that anyone really wants him back.
- DirectorTatiana HuezoStarsGuillermo VillegasMayra BatallaTeresa SánchezLife in a town at war seen through the eyes of three young girls on the path to adolescence.
- DirectorJane CampionStarsBenedict CumberbatchKirsten DunstJesse PlemonsCharismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife and her son, Phil torments them until he finds himself exposed to the possibility of love.
- DirectorJessica KingdonThe absorbingly cinematic Ascension explores the pursuit of the "Chinese Dream." This observational documentary presents a contemporary vision of China that prioritizes productivity and innovation above all.
- DirectorMaggie GyllenhaalStarsOlivia ColmanJessie BuckleyDakota JohnsonA woman's beach vacation takes a dark turn when she begins to confront the troubles of her past.
- DirectorBruno DumontStarsLéa SeydouxBlanche GardinBenjamin BiolayA celebrity journalist, juggling her busy career and personal life, has her life over-turned by a freak car accident.
- DirectorVisar MorinaStarsMisel MaticevicSandra HüllerRainer BockEXIL tells the story of a chemical engineer of foreign origin who feels discriminated and bullied at work, plunging him into an identity crisis.
- DirectorJosh GreenbaumStarsKristen WiigAnnie MumoloJamie DornanLifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time - ever.
- DirectorJuho KuosmanenStarsSeidi HaarlaYura BorisovDinara DrukarovaAs a train weaves its way up to the arctic circle, two strangers share a journey that will change their perspective on life.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsVirginie EfiraCharlotte RamplingDaphné PatakiaA 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.
- DirectorAlonso RuizpalaciosStarsMónica Del CarmenRaúl BrionesMaría Teresa Hernández CañasTwo professional actors undergo an immersive process to find out what it takes to be a cop in Mexico City.
- DirectorMike MillsStarsJoaquin PhoenixGaby HoffmannWoody NormanWhen his sister asks him to look after her son, a radio journalist embarks on a cross-country trip with his energetic nephew to show him life away from Los Angeles.
- DirectorEdgar WrightStarsThomasin McKenzieAnya Taylor-JoyMatt SmithAspiring fashion designer Eloise is mysteriously able to return to 1960s London, where she encounters dazzling wannabe singer Sandie. But the glamour is not as it seems, and the dreams of the past crack and splinter into something darker.
- DirectorAlex CamilleriStarsJesmark SciclunaMarlene SchranzDavid SciclunaA man risks everything to provide for his wife and newborn son by entering Malta's black-market fishing industry.
- DirectorTodd HaynesStarsJohn WatersMary WoronovBarbara WaltersThe Velvet Underground explores the multiple threads that converged to bring together one of the most influential bands in rock and roll.
- DirectorAndreas KoefoedStarsMohammad Bin SalmanRobert K. WittmanMartin KempThe mystery surrounding the Salvator Mundi, the first painting by Leonardo da Vinci to be discovered for more than a century, which has now seemingly gone missing.
- DirectorEskil VogtStarsRakel Lenora Petersen FløttumAlva Brynsmo RamstadSam AshrafDuring the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren't looking. In this original and gripping supernatural thriller, playtime takes a dangerous turn.
- DirectorYngvild Sve FlikkeStarsKristine Kujath ThorpArthur BerningNader KhademiAstronaut, forest-keeper, cartoonist. Young Rakel has a whole lot of other plans than becoming a mother. She would rather party, get drunk or stoned instead of sitting hours on the toilet. But she can't ignore it. Is it her or the baby?
- DirectorPhilip BarantiniStarsStephen GrahamVinette RobinsonAlice FeethamEnter the relentless pressure of a restaurant kitchen as a head chef wrangles his team on the busiest day of the year.
- DirectorSian HederStarsEmilia JonesMarlee MatlinTroy KotsurAs a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults) Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her passion at Berklee College of Music and her fear of abandoning her parents.