'Sight and Sound' Polled 100 Critics—Here Are Their 50 Best Movies of 2021
Sight & Sound aren't messing around.
Every year I await the Sight and Sound list of the best movies because it is full of titles from across the globe that I usually miss the first time around. It's my window into international filmmaking, hidden gem titles, and just s celebration of the best movies this year. But how do they pick them? As they put it, "After over 1000 votes by more than 100 critics and contributors, we announce the results of our annual poll—the best films in cinemas, at festivals, and online in 2021."
For U.S. viewers, come of the list entries seemingly came out in 2020, but this list honors their international release dates and calendar dates, which can shift them into 2021.
Let's take a look at the list together.
Sight & Sound's 50 Best Movies of 2021
- 50. Quo Vadis, Aida? - Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnia and Herzegovina
- 49. Cry Macho - Clint Eastwood, US
- 48. After Love - Aleem Khan, UK
- 47. The Hand of God - Paolo Sorrentino, Italy
- 46. Friends and Strangers - James Vaughan, Australia
- 45. Limbo - Ben Sharrock, UK
- 44. Belle - Hosoda Mamoru, Japan
- 43. Undine - Christian Petzold, Germany
- 42. Shiva Baby - Emma Seligman, US
- 41. The Tsugua Diaries - Maureen Fazendeiro & Miguel Gomes, Portugal
- 40. Playground - Laura Wandel, Belgium
- 39. Beginning - Déa Kulumbegashvili, Georgia
- 38. Compartment No. 6 - Juho Kuosmanen, Finland
- 37. Red Rocket - Sean Baker, US
- 36. Judas and the Black Messiah - Shaka King, US
- 35. Sound of Metal - Darius Marder, US
- 34. Minari - Lee Isaac Chung, US
- 33. The Card Counter - Paul Schrader, US
- 32. Benediction - Terence Davies, UK
- 31. ear for eye - debbie tucker green, UK
- 30. Hit the Road - Panah Panahi, Iran
- 29. Pig - Michael Sarnoski, US
- 28. The Father - Florian Zeller, France/UK
- 27. Benedetta - Paul Verhoeven, France
- 26. Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn - Radu Jude, Romania
- 25. Zola - Janicza Bravo, US
- 24. Azor - Andreas Fontana, Switzerland/Argentina
- 23. The French Dispatch - Wes Anderson, US
- 22. Nomadland - Chloé Zhao, US
- 21. The Lost Daughter - Maggie Gyllenhaal, US
- 20. Il buco - Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy
- 19. Flee - Jonas Peter Rasmussen, Denmark
- 18. Censor - Prano Bailey-Bond, UK
- 17. First Cow - Kelly Reichardt, US
- 16. The Worst Person in the World - Joachim Trier, Norway
- 15. Spencer - Pablo Larraín, UK/Germany/Chile
- 14. Dune - Denis Villeneuve, US
- 13. The Velvet Underground - Todd Haynes, US
- 12. The Green Knight - David Lowery, US/Canada
- 11. Bergman Island - Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Sweden
- 10. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy - Hamaguchi Ryūsuke, Japan
- 9. Annette - Leos Carax, France
- 8. Summer of Soul - Ahmir Khalib Thompson, US
- 7. What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? - Alexandre Koberidze, Georgia
- 6. The Power of the Dog - Jane Campion, UK/US/New Zealand
- 5. Titane - Julia Ducournau, France
- 4. Memoria - Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand
- 3. Drive My Car - Hamaguchi Ryūsuke, Japan
- 2. Petite maman - Céline Sciamma, France
- 1. The Souvenir Part II - Joanna Hogg, UK
What do you think of the list? Tell us in the comments!
