by: Aniruddh Nambudiri

Rankings have always been interesting in some way to people. I guess it is the pure progression of it all that has people excited about it. It gets people like me excited too for sure, which is why I was really excited for New York Times ranking the best films of the 21^st Century. They also chose the best format, letting the readers and some famous celebrities get in on the action and cast individual 10 film ballots for the list. At the end of the first quarter of this century, we have already seen so many movements in film pass us by and it seems like the theaters are exciting again. The mystique and intrigue attached to a film is back and though we might be in the worst era when it comes to people filming in cinemas and the so called ‘tiktokification’ of film, there is a lot of good that has come out in this century.

Though it would be interesting to talk about the top ten the New York Times ended up with, I think its more fun for me to just talk about a bunch of films I love. That is why this is going to be the ten films I ranked on my ballot, in no particular order. Also this is a spoiler-free list. Hopefully something gets added to the watchlist from here.

Honorable Mentions

My favorite film of all time was actually ineligible for a vote as it was not on the choices to vote for. Despite an extensive list of choices, some international cinema was understandably not in the general pool. Rang De Basanti is my favorite film of all time. Released in 2006 and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mishra, the film follows a group of college students and their journey on radicalization and realizing their place in India. A film that is violently against general misconceptions of India’s youth, this is maybe the one film that has accurately shown that experience in my opinion. It is a wonderful film with an incredible soundtrack to support it too.

Out of films I could vote for, the major honorable mentions are both of Jane Schoenbrun’s directorial features. I could not choose between them and then in the end, I did not have any space for them on the final list.

Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) – Anurag Kashyap

I find it really hard to summarize a film like this, but in short, think of this as an Indian Goodfellas with some major differences. A small town setting instead of the underground of New York, a longer time period to follow and of course a two part epic that ends up clocking in at over five hours in length. Twists, incredible performances, chess moves against two parties and one of the greatest needle drops in cinema history. This is the only Indian film represented on my list but one of many considered and in the end, I keep coming back to how long this is and how I would not even think about cutting a single part of it. All of it comes together and it acts as the ultimate showcase of the problems that affect the people in small town India. Also the platform for one of the greatest actor performances in India’s film history, Manoj Bajpayee as Sardar Khan. Watch it in two parts how it was released if you want, but the ultimate experience is sitting in and letting the length and story just take over you.

Red Rocket (2021) – Sean Baker

With all the press on him after an Oscar win that I would have never seen coming even a year ago, Sean Baker has quickly gone from becoming an indie darling to a full on directorial superstar. The controversies that involve him and the topics that he decides to cover in his films, I completely get it. I also think that his approach and style leads to a coverage of topics like this leads to a complete and sympathetic depiction of some really hard subject matter to handle. I also think a lot of his criticisms get solved when watching a film like Red Rocket. It is also now where I confess that I really do not like films like The Wolf of Wall Street or The Social Network. I really do not like films with awful people as leads without enough of a criticism or show of the effect that someone like that can have on others. The lack of comeuppance as well in a film like those also acts as an endorsement of their actions in my opinion. Red Rocket also solves that problem. For the lack of a better time, this is a really grimey film. You will, at multiple points, hate this film, which is why I think it succeeds when everything comes together in one of the best climaxes to a film I have ever seen. It is a really dark and funny film as well and after a lot of thought, I simply had to put it on this ballot. I think about it way too much to not do so.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) – Wes Anderson

I simply had to. A film that is probably going to be shown in film classes for years after this. I mean this was literally shown in a film class I took at UW-Madison. On a rewatch, I was reminded just how well it balances funny aspects and true human emotion. A Wes Anderson film is usually a great way for me to disconnect from my emotions at the time and immerse myself in a world that seems a lot different to what I know. I see a lot of it as what would happen if a human was inserted in a non-human world where just enough remains the same. This and Fantastic Mr. Fox are the only times I have fully felt like Wes Anderson was thinking about the real world when setting a film. There is a reason why it was between both of them for this spot. In the end, I keep going back to the scenes with Zero involving Agatha and Gustave, the two relationships that define this film. Two relationships you would not immediately associate with Wes Anderson yet with his visual style, they shine in a way like no other.

Paradise Now (2005) – Hany Abu-Assad

This is a really hard one to write about. This is a film filled with emotion and tension and it made me cry in about 17 minutes. I was sobbing in my dorm room seeing this and when you look at the plot, you really question that. It will get you though. The ability to humanize and tell a story like this with so much care and emotion and to make it all look so easy is insanely impressive. Go into this film without reading anything, just see the poster when you put it on and let it all happen in front of you and it will change you. The filming process of this film was a nightmare due to the constant attacks on the crew and Abu-Assad has even gone as far as saying the film was not worth the risk. I am grateful that this film exists though. This description is short because I really do not want to reveal much so you can go as uninformed as possible.

No Other Land (2024) – Based Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor

It is only fair that these two are right next to each other. Two films that have a lot of the same emotions behind them, yet this one is a documentation of real events in full detail. I think this is the greatest documentary ever made. The footage in this film is shocking in a way where you cannot believe that they were able to get the footage they did. I have written full papers on why I like this film and what I get from it, but ultimately, I like it because it is as direct of a message and call as possible. Showing you how dire the situation is and then forcing you to question what side of history you want to be on. Documenting a genocide from this close is a lot, but it is necessary for this to exist. That is why this is here. I will leave it brief in this description but I could talk about the individual conversations between people in this film for ages, in particular at the start where all the filmmakers meet each other.

Aftersun (2022) – Charlotte Wells

I am always fascinated by just how little award buzz this film got around Oscar season in 2022/23. It seems like more than any film other than the Best Picture winner of that year; this is the film that people will remember from this year. This is a special film, a really special film, anchored by some incredible acting performances. Frankie Corio obviously does great, but the real star is Paul Mescal. I might go as far as saying this is one of my favorite performances of all time. The presence he has in this film is entrancing. It takes you in immediately and the emotions you have for him and his story are what dominate this film. Especially seeing this when I did, I really relate to Sophie and then as the film goes on, you feel like the older you get, you will see more of yourself in Calum. This film also just feels like it could happen in your life as you get older. This whole film is pure humanity and that is what I love about it.

Punch-Drunk Love (2002) – Paul Thomas Anderson

After Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson was incredibly impressed with Adam Sandler’s masterpiece Big Daddy and decided to make a 90 minute rom com with him at the center playing a loud and angry person. It is one of the greatest films about love I have seen. What makes this film so good is that this is basically an Adam Sandler film where Adam Sandler plays the usual character he always plays. It is everything around it and the dissection of that character and the consequences of being someone like that in reality that elevate this to the heights people keep this at. Something else that surprised me? This film was a major box office bomb. In an era when Sandler was a nailed on draw, this was a major step away from his commercial success but more than anything from that era, this is the one that is getting a heavy reevaluation. Maybe it is him taking on more dramatic roles in things like Uncut Gems and showing his range. Maybe it is him still being that character in this film in most of his other films to a certain extent. This full dissection and look inward, whilst incorporating the elements and emotion of this whole story make this a true all-timer and a masterpiece of one of the best directors America has to offer.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) – Michel Gondry

This is probably my favorite film of all time outside of Rang De Basanti. Really, I go back and forth between those two, but this is one I constantly think about. Joel and Clementine are two of the best characters I have seen in a film. Flawed and emotional yet people who you feel so much sympathy towards. Everyone else in this film has a certain level of grime and disgust that you feel towards them. This is all contrasted with the cinematography, making this one of the prettiest films ever made. Scenes and conversations that play out in my head constantly when I think about this film. The way certain things are shown and how people and elements are placed in a certain way. All of it is at the front of mind. I could go on forever, after all it is my number one. I will leave it here though. A really sad film with an ending that is perfect for the story it tells and emotion it has.

Adaptation (2002) – Spike Jonze

I really tried to make it so I would limit myself to one film per director to make this list more diverse and a better representation of the decade. This was mostly the case, until I realized I could not leave Adaptation of this list. Charlie Kaufman may not have directed either Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or this film, but these are his films. In Eternal Sunshine, Joel might be inspired by Kaufman. In Adaptation, Nicolas Cage is straight up just playing Kaufman. I also watched this film whilst in deep writer’s block and watching this almost singlehandedly got me out of it. Seeing this film and how daring it was changed how I thought about some things. I also would love to see the version of this film where Tom Hanks is the lead. I love him, but there is no other person that could pull off what Nicolas Cage brings to this film. This is a challenging and odd person to portray in the way Kaufman writes about himself. Only someone as challenging as Nicolas Cage could really pull something like this off as he does. Innovative, awkward and wildly creative, that is why this film is here and a personal favorite of mine.

In The Mood for Love (2000) – Wong Kar-Wai

I have spoken a lot about cinematography in this list. I think maybe that along with human emotion are the things that make me love films when I see them. This has both of those things and so much more. More than Chungking Express or Fallen Angels, this is Wong Kar-Wai’s masterpiece. A film released at the millennium that is maybe more relevant now than it was then. It is the perfect final film on a list like this. The emotion in the scenes where the two main characters interact, and especially the ones where they do not just feel so real. It rarely feels like you are watching two actors, more just two people who do not feel fulfilled in life. Then we get to how it looks. The color red and its use in this film is distinct and it adds so much to the narrative and feel. A perfect look. Even though I am not a massive fan of speaking about film’s like this, but this is a film whose ‘vibe’ and feeling I can maybe stay in forever. 90 minutes long and it feels like you have seen years in the lives of two people.

Want more WSUM NYT top 10 content? Check out our Pop Culture Coffee Break episode where we talk about our personal top 10s and react to the NYT list here.