The most important movies of the 2020s (so far) ask their audiences to reckon with a global pandemic, political tension, and human nature.
The most important movies of any decade are the ones that wrestle with that decade’s events, people, and ideals. Though we are only around halfway through the 2020s, few would argue that quite a bit has been taking place in our world. Between COVID-19, the rise of AI, and deep political divisions, some truly staggering movies have come along to grapple with all of the issues we are facing. These nine films (and four honorable mentions) are the ones that most accurately represent the this particular decade, at least so far. Read our list of most important movies of the 2020s (so far), ranked in order of release.
1. Nomadland (2020)
Director: Chloé Zhao
Full Review: Nomadland: Frances McDormand Anchors an American Odyssey for the Ages
Chloé Zhao’s 2020 masterpiece was the perfect film to bring us out of the 2010s and into what would become one of the most chaotic years in recent memory. The quiet, contemplative Nomadland, while also speaking to socioeconomic issues from the previous decades, cemented itself as the first essential 2020s movie because of its prophetic wisdom.
Featuring an Oscar-winning Frances McDormand as a woman in her sixties who loses her job during the Great Recession, Nomadland demonstrates the equal importance of finding oneself and embracing community. Released in a year when so many people learned those same lessons, the movie moves with the beauty of a Terrence Malick film, hauntingly beautiful and deeply poetic.
2. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Full Review: Top Gun: Maverick Review: Legacyquel Soars
Top Gun: Maverick’s inclusion on this list has less to do with its thematic quality and more to do with its financial success. The film— seemingly singlehandedly — saved movie theaters from the disastrous COVID-19 years.
Maverick is familiar and comfortable, and that’s exactly what we needed after two tumultuous years. A sequel to a popular 80s movie with a star-studded cast, the Tom Cruise-led blockbuster gave people thrills, chills, and an ultimate escape from the craziness of the world around us. It was an entertaining reminder that movies can bring people together in more ways than one.
3. Nope (2022)
Director: Jordan Peele
Read Also: How Nope explores our addiction to spectacle
Jordan Peele’s third film may at first seem like the least culturally relevant of his career (after clear political and social themes in both Get Out and Us). But a closer look at Nope may be warranted, as it serves as an indictment against a culture that turns everything into a spectacle.
Using breathtaking cinematography and an electric score, Nope is a post-COVID sci-fi adventure that evokes the likes of Spielberg. In doing so, Peele critiques our society’s tendency to seek cultural status or influence at the detriment of personal character. The characters in this film are layered and flawed, mirroring real-life examples of people who will do absolutely anything, good or bad, to capture “the shot.”
4. Tár (2022)
Director: Todd Field
Full Review: TÁR Film Review: The Downfall of a Narcissist
Director Todd Field provides us with the decade’s best character study in Tár. Cate Blanchett, in what is probably my personal favorite performance of the decade, layers her conductor with both passions and vices, meticulously leading a character to her demise and potential restoration.
Tár is a two-and-a-half hour setup culminating in one hilarious and poignant punchline. It comments on social media, the relationship between “cancel culture” and genuine accountability in surreal ways. One can easily see the influence of Ingmar Bergman in this psychological drama, but Field only subtly nods to his past influences while telling a distinctly 21st century cautionary tale.
5. Oppenheimer (2023)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Full Review: Oppenheimer Film Review
Some of the great films look back into the past to warn us about the present. Oppenheimer, despite tracing the life of the inventor of the nuclear bomb, is clearly director Christopher Nolan’s desperate plea to today’s society. Referencing the Prometheus myth, the film asks deep questions about humanity’s ability to destroy ourselves, whether that be personally in an attempt to dismantle someone’s credibility, or on a larger scale with the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Utilizing Nolan’s most expansive cast, Oppenheimer, despite very little “action,” is a thrilling drama. It contains some of the director’s most impressive and visually arresting sequences, all culminating in a final, haunting shot that asks all of humanity to consider the path we are on.
6. The Zone of Interest (2023)
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Full Review: The Zone of Interest Review: Haunting Holocaust Drama
The Zone of Interest is a landmark reminder of a horrible truth: Great evil exists in our word. Following a German officer and his family living in a home next to the Auschwitz concentration camp, Jonathan Glazer’s harrowing film draws some uncomfortable parallels to our world today.
With a surreal final act, Zone begs its audience to consider the cost of forgetting our history. The film’s status was heightened by the director’s speech at the 96th Academy Awards, where Glazer urged people to examine the dehumanizing effects of conflicts throughout the world, most notably in Gaza. His speech further reinforced the timelessness of his movie’s message.
7. No Other Land (2024)
Directors: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
No Other Land is here for two main reasons. Firstly, I am aware of the lack of international films on this list. Secondly, the movie, as the only documentary on the list, speaks directly to one of the core issues of the 2020s.
Following a Palestinian activist and filmmaker, alongside his Israeli collaborator, No Other Land provides firsthand accounts of Palestinians being displaced and their homes destroyed by the Israel Defense Force (IDF). In a decade where the very idea of empathy is being discouraged in some circles, No Other Land evokes a deep sense of compassion for a people longing to be seen and heard.
8. The Brutalist (2024)
Director: Brady Corbet
Full Review: The Brutalist Film Review: Monumental Epic
I did not rank these films from most to least important. However, had I done so, I probably would have put The Brutalist first. The film is not only a staggering experience, but an essential critical examination of the idea of the American Dream.
A parable of epic proportion, The Brutalist speaks to the immigrant experience, the corruption that often lies at the heart of our rich and powerful, and the individualistic nature of storytelling. It’s my generation’s version of something like The Godfather or Once Upon a Time in America, and its rich imagery and profundity means it should one day join the ranks of those great classics.
9. One Battle After Another (2025)
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
The most recent movie on this list, One Battle After Another easily makes the cut for its timely themes. Whether it’s critiquing white supremacy or encouraging the next generation, the movie’s modern day setting is ripe for real-world comparisons.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest moves with incredible energy. Anchored by incredible performances (I’m starting Sean Penn’s Oscar campaign right now), One Battle is a bold conversation starter, one that offers the tiniest bit of hope even as it wrestles with a previous generation’s failures.
