Stacker's 100 Best International Movies of All Time
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WRITTEN BY:
Molly Pennington
April 24, 2021
From 'Metropolis' to 'Parasite': 100 best international movies of all time
International cinema has always had a profound influence on American movies. At the same time, many of the great films in languages other than English retool the styles and genres of popular American movies. Have you ever forgotten you were reading subtitles as you were swept up in the action on screen? Westerns, film noirs, and even romances tap into universal visual languages of movement, action, and emotion that draw in worldwide audiences.
Stacker’s list of the 100 best international movies includes the science fiction masterpiece of German Expressionist style, “Metropolis,” with its epic, futuristic city and iconic robot gone bad. You’ll also find the smash hit “Parasite,” a taut thriller from South Korea that captured acclaim across the globe for its suspenseful, tragicomic look at two families from different classes.
We feature work from major auteurs of European cinema like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut of the French New Wave, Vittorio De Sica of Italian neorealism, and Spanish surrealist Luis Buñuel. Our list also includes major Japanese masterpieces from Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, and Hirokazu Koreeda, Hong Kong cinema’s Wong Kar-wai, Tawainese auteurs Ang Lee and Edward Yang, and contemporary films from South Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and Bong Joon-ho. International cinema often has a political or philosophical bent—a rebel core—as it frequently explores the human condition within histories of oppression. While African cinema and women directors are underrepresented on this list and across the international film festival circuit, Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” from France in 2019 masterfully reinvents ideas around gendered gaze. Get ready for films you’ve heard about and obscure gems that just may become your new cinematic obsession.
Stacker compiled data (from July 2020) on all international movies to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be directed by a non-American, be primarily in a language other than English, have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 votes. Ties were broken by Metascore, and further ties were broken by IMDb user rating. Stacker’s list combines the scores from critics and audiences to give you a sense of a movie’s greatness. Check out our list to see what you’ve already watched—and what great and underappreciated must-see to add to your watchlist.
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3 new
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi
2001 — a.k.a. Spirited Away, in 39 top lists Check -
10 new
El laberinto del fauno
2006 — a.k.a. Pan's Labyrinth, in 33 top lists Check -
18 new
Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo
1966 — a.k.a. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, in 28 top lists Check -
100 new
Cidade de Deus
2002 — a.k.a. City of God, in 22 top lists Check -
62 new
Tonari no Totoro
1988 — a.k.a. My Neighbor Totoro, in 23 top lists Check -
1 new
Shichinin no samurai
1954 — a.k.a. Seven Samurai, in 36 top lists Check -
36 new
Das Leben der Anderen
2006 — a.k.a. The Lives of Others, in 20 top lists Check -
98 new
C'era una volta il West
1968 — a.k.a. Once Upon a Time in the West, in 28 top lists Check -
15 new
Hotaru no haka
1988 — a.k.a. Grave of the Fireflies, in 21 top lists Check -
99 new
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
1988 — a.k.a. Cinema Paradiso, in 20 top lists Check -
7 new
Metropolis
1927, in 36 top lists Check -
82 new
Fa yeung nin wah
2000 — a.k.a. In the Mood for Love, in 30 top lists Check -
11 new
Rashômon
1950 — a.k.a. Rashomon, in 34 top lists Check -
72 new
Persona
1966, in 25 top lists Check -
2 new
Gisaengchung
2019 — a.k.a. Parasite, in 22 top lists -
38 new
Wo hu cang long
2000 — a.k.a. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, in 27 top lists Check -
71 new
Kaze no Tani no Nausicaä
1984 — a.k.a. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, in 10 top lists Check -
58 new
Das Boot
1981 — a.k.a. The Boat, in 15 top lists Check -
46 new
Persepolis
2007, in 9 top lists Check -
17 new
Jodaeiye Nader az Simin
2011 — a.k.a. A Separation, in 15 top lists Check -
48 new
Smultronstället
1957 — a.k.a. Wild Strawberries, in 24 top lists Check -
16 new
Ran
1985, in 25 top lists Check -
43 new
Solyaris
1972 — a.k.a. Solaris, in 27 top lists Check -
4 new
Trois couleurs: Rouge
1994 — a.k.a. Three Colors: Red, in 20 top lists Check -
40 new
Seppuku
1962 — a.k.a. Hara-Kiri, in 16 top lists Check -
24 new
La dolce vita
1960 — a.k.a. La Dolce Vita, in 22 top lists Check -
93 new
Hable con ella
2002 — a.k.a. Talk to Her, in 12 top lists Check -
89 new
La vie d'Adèle
2013 — a.k.a. Blue Is the Warmest Colour, in 13 top lists Check -
80 new
Le salaire de la peur
1953 — a.k.a. The Wages of Fear, in 29 top lists Check -
5 new
Fanny och Alexander
1982 — a.k.a. Fanny and Alexander, in 25 top lists Check -
91 new
Todo sobre mi madre
1999 — a.k.a. All About My Mother, in 18 top lists Check -
52 new
Les triplettes de Belleville
2003 — a.k.a. The Triplets of Belleville, in 11 top lists Check -
95 new
Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom
2003 — a.k.a. Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, in 13 top lists Check -
19 new
La battaglia di Algeri
1966 — a.k.a. The Battle of Algiers, in 29 top lists Check -
97 new
Ah-ga-ssi
2016 — a.k.a. The Handmaiden, in 13 top lists Check -
34 new
Amour
2012, in 15 top lists Check -
53 new
Un prophète
2009 — a.k.a. A Prophet, in 10 top lists Check -
23 new
Jules et Jim
1962 — a.k.a. Jules and Jim, in 21 top lists Check -
20 new
4 luni, 3 saptamâni si 2 zile
2007 — a.k.a. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, in 13 top lists Check -
14 new
Du rififi chez les hommes
1955 — a.k.a. Rififi, in 18 top lists Check -
39 new
Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie
1972 — a.k.a. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, in 21 top lists Check -
41 new
La belle et la bête
1946 — a.k.a. Beauty and the Beast, in 26 top lists Check -
8 new
Il conformista
1970 — a.k.a. The Conformist, in 20 top lists Check -
12 new
Les enfants du paradis
1945 — a.k.a. Children of Paradise, in 21 top lists Check -
25 new
Yi yi
2000 — a.k.a. Yi Yi: A One and a Two..., in 19 top lists Check -
28 new
Umberto D.
1952, in 16 top lists Check -
21 new
Portrait de la jeune fille en feu
2019 — a.k.a. Portrait of a Lady on Fire, in 12 top lists -
87 new
Bande à part
1964 — a.k.a. Band of Outsiders, in 13 top lists Check -
78 new
El espíritu de la colmena
1973 — a.k.a. The Spirit of the Beehive, in 21 top lists Check -
33 new
Roma
2018, in 18 top lists
Last updated on Jan 7, 2022; source