An Education
Between its artful, innovative, and unique coming-of-age story and the wonderful performance from Carey Mulligan, An Education more than earns its place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
The combination of Blume’s universal story and strong acting from Abby Ryder Fortson, Rachel McAdams, and Kathy Bates makes Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. an instant success and a film worthy of a place among the greats.
Monster
By framing its story around the nature of relationships and perceptions, Monster invites its audience to better appreciate and accept the “others” in our lives and to seek to consider others’ circumstances before slapping them with labels or accusations, a sentiment more than deserving of a place of greatness.
Io Capitano
Thanks to the dynamic and enthralling performance of Seydou Sarr, Matteo Garrone’s vision for Io Capitano is brough to full fruition, earning the film a place among the all-time greats.
My Life as a Dog
My Life as a Dog has some of the best characters, performances, and scenes of any coming-of-age film, winning over the audience in its universality despite the seeming uniqueness of its situations, which earns it a guaranteed spot among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Licorice Pizza
The leading performances of Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman help anchor Paul Thomas Anderson’s combination love letter to the 1970s and coming-of-age tale to a place that is worthy of mention alongside the greats of cinema.
Y Tu Mamá También
In these two tales told side by side, Cuarón has crafted one of the most devastating looks at young adulthood and growing up and friendship that still manages to escape nihilism through the life of its most doomed character, earning it an undeniable place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Better Days
A strong leading duo and innovative additions of romance and crime to the typical trappings of an anti-bullying high school drama make Better Days a refreshingly original film from Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang that is worthy of its place among the greats.
Only Yesterday
Takahata’s examination of the ways that our childhoods (good, bad, and average) are inseparable from our adult lives elevates the sometimes-simplistic narrative of Only Yesterday and makes it into something great, worthy of mention among the greats.
Petite Maman
With Petite Maman, Céline Sciamma tells a simple story full of profound truths about family and grief and loss that begs its audience to care for the humans around them with a sense of openness and understanding, earning itself a spot among the greats in the process.
The Spirit of the Beehive
Erice’s tactful breakdown of fascist ideals and culture in The Spirit of the Beehive takes this film from being just a charming, if tragic, coming-of-age tale and makes it into something great, an critique of a modern political regime against the backdrop of a charming, if tragic, coming-of-age tale.
Trainspotting
Trainspotting is a smashing success of the druggie dramedy genre, offering plenty of social commentary, humor for all types, and compellingly memorable characters on its way to all-time greatness.
Mean Streets
Scorsese’s first widely touted crime flick, Mean Streets, has earned its reputation thanks to Harvey Keitel’s strong delivery of Scorsese’s story of youth in Little Italy and De Niro’s unhinged wrench in the works that turns the whole thing on its head.
Winter’s Bone
Winter’s Bone succeeds on the merits of its top performers and a dedication to tell an authentic story in a setting that feels real and lived-in from writer/director Granik, earning it a place among the Greatest Films of All Time.
Eighth Grade
A welcome blend of authentic humor and drama suffuse Burnham’s script that then receives an even bigger boost from the performance of Elsie Fisher, taking the whole film to a place of all-time greatness.
Short Term 12
The ensemble cast of Short Term 12 help make Destin Daniel Cretton’s beautifully real film into something truly great, full of emotion, originality, and humanity, as it earns a spot on this blog’s list.
Let the Right One In
Let the Right One In is an intentionally crafted film with all parts working in sync to take the audience through its unique story to a conclusion that feels so inevitable by the time it happens because of the craftsmanship that brought it there, making this truly one of the Greatest Films of All Time.