Denis Villeneuve's Must-See Movie List

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

While on the Cannes jury in 2018, Villeneuve spoke about seeing 2001 for the first time and not getting to watch all of it.

“Then I saw the entire film on television and was struck by the sense of vertigo that he managed to create. It became my favorite film. Rediscovering it at the festival, in 70mm, was a special moment for me… Science fiction appeals to me because it allows you to tackle difficult subjects such as religion, or other aspects of society that are off-limits, with a great deal of freedom and distance.”

Children of Men (2006)

The New York Times asked Villeneuve to complete a list of the best films of the 21st Century, and this title made the list.

It's an atmospheric sci-fi classic with gorgeous cinematography and strong action, so it's no surprise it influenced Villeneuve.

Dead Ringers (1988)

Villeneuve once told Filmmaker Magazine, “In some ways, when you’re doing a movie [today], it’s very tough to make something new. Even when you think you are making something new, you find out later that somebody did it before you. It’s very hard, very frustrating. Of course, we watched Dead Ringers again. Dead Ringers is one of the most traumatic movies I’ve seen in my life. Dead Ringers deals with that kind of strange exploration of intimacy as well, but from a different point of view.”

The Square (2017)

Villeneuve told IndieWire in 2017 that this was one of his favorite movies of the year. 

There Will Be Blood (2007)

In another interview with The New York Times, Villeneuve said this movie inspired him.

“I’m driven by the impact these movies had on me then, and still today. Time is the ultimate judge. There are specific shots that went directly through my skull, like a bullet spreading particles of my brain on my walls. Like the shot of Daniel Day-Lewis baptizing a baby with oil, making There Will Be Blood an instant new classic.”

mother! (2017)

Villeneuve listed this as one of his favorite movies of 2017.

A Star Is Born (2018)

In Variety’s “Directors on Directors” series, Villeneuve called the screening of A Star Is Born he attended “like nothing I’d seen before.”

Expanding on the experience, he said, “It was a rock concert. Several times during the movie, the audience cheered and erupted into loud applause. They were, of course, responding to Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’selectrifying performances. But something else was at work.”

Seven Samurai (1954)

When it comes to the classics, Villeneuve told Den of Geek, “I remember when I saw Seven Samurai, Kurosawa, there are some scenes in that movie where you’re waiting for violence. Nothing is happening; everything is still. One of my favorite scenes is where you have two samurai waiting for thieves to pass by. They’re waiting. They know the thieves are coming. But they’re just waiting. The violence will arrive soon.”

The Beguiled (2017)

This was on Villeneuve’s list of his eight favorite films of 2017. 

Inception (2010)

Speaking to IndieWire in 2017, Villeneuve said, “To bring intellectual concepts and to bring them in that scope to the screen right now—it’s very rare. Every movie that [Christopher Nolan] comes out with, I have more admiration for his work.”

Blade Runner (1982)

Speaking to Time magazine after announcing he would make the sequel, Villeneuve said, “Most of the time in sci-fi movies, the world is purely a vision of the future, but in the original Blade Runner, you felt the dirt that was coming out of ages. That was something I wanted to bring back. I wanted to make sure that we were as specifically true to film noir as the first movie was. I wanted the atmosphere to carry the beautiful melancholy that was so powerful in the first movie. I wanted the world to be one of bleakness and gloom but to have sparks of beauty—coming out of technology or humanity.”

Amores Perros (2001)

Denis Villeneuve told the New York Times this was one of the best films of the 21st century. 

Dogtooth (2010)

Villeneuve named Yorgos Lanthimos’ movie one of the best films of the 21st century and said, “Lanthimos may be one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. I’m still laughing at the crazy adults running to catch airplanes falling into their garden, because their father convinced them that they were fruit dropping from the sky.” 

Dogville (2004)

In an interview, Villeneuve lauded the brilliance and bravery behind this movie, saying, “The idea of making a set without walls to show the cowardice of a community was genius.”

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Spielberg has influenced so many, and Villeneuve counts himself among the masses. He told the Toronto Film Critics Association, “So I remember where I discovered the job of director when I was suddenly attracted to the movies of someone specific, and why him? Why was he such a strong storyteller? There was a mark of an artist there. And it was Spielberg. So as a kid I was inspired by Spielberg very early. That was my first cinema crush!”

Under the Skin (2014)

Denis Villeneuve's New York Times list included this as one of the best films of the 21st century. He said that it would stick with him for a long time. 

A Prophet (2010)

In a piece for The New York Times, Villeneuve wrote, “The deer being killed in slow motion by a car in A Prophet remains one of the most powerful cinematic shots of the last decade."

Dunkirk (2017)

Here's another film from Nolan that Villeneuve loved, according to IndieWire.

Which of these have you seen already? Let us know what you think of Villeneuve's list in the comments.