Here are 25 films from 2021 that received the highest scores on Metacritic (an aggregator site that collects reviews for movies, games, and series). This is not a popular trend, but rather a cross-section that demonstrates the preferences not of individuals, but of critics in general.
How we've grouped data:
- releases are placed from top to bottom and left to right, from highest to lowest, and in alphabetical order;
- the data is current as of the end of December 2021. With more reviews, the layout may change;
- only films with at least 11 reviews are taken into account.
Quo Vadis, Aida? — 97 points (dir. Jasmila Zbanic)
Genre: drama, military
What is remarkable: a drama about the Srebrenica massacre, the massacre of Bosnian Muslims that took place during the breakup of Yugoslavia.
Summer of Soul — 96 points (dir. Ahmir-Khalib Thompson)
Genre: documentary, music
What is remarkable: unique footage from Black Woodstock in 1969, celebrating the revolution in the lives of black Americans and the uniqueness of African American culture.
Rocks — 96 points (dir. Sarah Gavron)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: instead of going to school and enjoying a carefree childhood, a young girl from London is forced to take care of herself and her brother on her own because her mother left them.
Petite Maman — 94 points (dir. Celine Sciamma)
Genre: fantasy, drama
What is remarkable: Nelly's grandmother died the other day. And while her parents clean up the deceased's house, the girl explores the area and makes a new acquaintance.
Memoria — 92 points (dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: Tilda Swinton travels through Columbia surrounded by strange sounds and tries to get to the bottom of them.
Flee — 91 points (dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen)
Genre: cartoon, documentary
What is remarkable: twenty years ago, Amin fled Afghanistan to Denmark as a child, but he didn't tell anyone about it for many years. On the eve of his wedding, he decides to reveal his secret, although this could ruin his usual life.
This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection — 91 points (dir. Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: the authorities of Lesotho, on all sides of the state surrounded by South Africa, decide to build a dam, meanwhile flooding the tiny village and its cemetery. But one of the residents, who recently lost her son, decides to fight for the right to be buried in her native land.
Wojnarowicz — 90 points (dir. Chris McKim)
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: a detailed portrait of David Voynarovich, a New York artist and activist who died of AIDS in 1992 but fought to assert his rights to the very end.
Licorice Pizza — 90 points (dir. Paul Thomas Anderson)
Genre: drama, romance, comedy
What is remarkable: Paul Thomas Anderson's new film about the delights of youth, surrounded by the heady freedom of the 1970s and the fascinating world of cinema.
Procession — 90 points (dir. Robert Greene)
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: six men who were molested by Catholic priests as children discuss their experiences and make short films as therapy.
Drive My Car — 90 points (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: an adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short story about a theater director who was happily married until his wife suddenly disappeared. After 2 years, he goes to a neighboring city and rethinks his relationship with his missing wife.
The Souvenir: Part II — 89 points (dir. Joanna Hogg)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: continuation of the story of Julia, who, after getting out of a destructive relationship with a drug addict, tries to understand what happened and starts shooting her graduation film.
The Tragedy of Macbeth — 89 points (dir. Joel Coen)
Genre: thriller, drama, history
What is remarkable: king Macbeth of Scotland is mercilessly over his heads to climb the throne promised him by the witches.
Azor — 88 points (dir. Andreas Fontana)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: a Swiss private banker travels to Argentina, which is in the hands of the dictator, to find his missing business partner.
The Power of the Dog — 88 points (dir. Jane Campion)
Genre: drama, thriller, western
What is remarkable: at the end of the Wild West, a feud breaks out on the plains of Montana between brothers, one of whom intends to destroy the other's new marriage.
The Father — 88 points (dir. Florian Zeller)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: father and daughter swear, remember the past and try to understand what they mean to each other. A drama about fighting dementia that eventually turns into a surreal thriller.
The Human Voice — 88 points (dir. Pedro Almodovar)
Genre: drama, short
What is remarkable: Pedro Almodovar's short film about how Tilda Swinton fights confinement within four walls and comes to terms with the new reality.
The Velvet Underground — 87 points (dir. Todd Haynes)
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: a documentary about the work of one of the most influential rock bands in music history, which has inspired dozens of famous performers.
Days — 87 points (dir. Ming-liang Tsai)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: two taciturn men meet by chance on Asian streets and spend time together to soon break up for good.
Hope — 87 points (dir. Maria Sodahl)
Genre: drama, romance
What is remarkable: a deadly tumor, pre-Christmas chores and the collapse of a seemingly strong family life.
About Endlessness — 87 points (dir. Roy Andersson)
Genre: drama, comedy
What is remarkable: not so much a familiar movie as a collection of grotesque sketches about life — funny and tragic at the same time, vivid and absorbed in the gray of everyday life.
Parallel Mothers — 87 points (dir. Pedro Almodovar)
Genre: drama
What is remarkable: two single women who are about to become mothers meet in the maternity ward, which drastically changes their lives.
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy — 87 points (dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi)
Genre: drama, romance
What is remarkable: an unexpected love triangle, a failed attempt at seduction, and a fatal misunderstanding in three stories about Japanese women told through their decisions and regrets.
Sabaya — 86 points (dir. Hogir Hirori)
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: volunteers armed with a mobile phone and one gun travel to Syria to rescue women from sexual slavery in a terrorist group.
The Rescue — 86 points (dir. Elizabeth Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin)
Genre: documentary
What is remarkable: A documentary about the rescue of 12 children and their coach from a flooded Thai cave in 2018.
See you next year!
