Best Films of the Decade

As we approach the end of the decade (this year? Next year? Well, soon…), it’s time to look back and consider the cinematic output of the 2010s. The film industry changed rapidly and dramatically over the past 10 years, particularly due to streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. These companies have made more films available to more people not living in major metropolitan areas. Thus, coming up with such a list now is even more challenging, so we surveyed faculty and instructors teaching in our Film Studies program and asked their thoughts and for their suggestions. It was also a challenge to find consensus, given the number of films released as well as the broader availability. Two things stood out: first, “American” cinema was enriched this decade by the domination of the “three amigos,” Mexican directors Alejandro Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro, who have collectively amassed 28 Oscars in the last decade. Second, women directors still struggle for recognition in an industry dominated by men.

Here’s a collection of our top films in alphabetical order:

The Artist (Michel Hazanavicius, 2011)

Cold War (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018)

Get Out (Jordan Peele, 2017)

Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller, 2015)

Roma (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018)

The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro, 2017)

Shoplifters (Hirokazu Kore-eda, 2018)

By Dr. David Coury

David Coury is a Professor of Humanities (German) and Global Studies and also Co-Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Partnerships. Additionally, he is the director of the Green Bay Film Society, whose International Film Series screens international and independent films twice a month at the Neville Public Museum. Admission is free and all films are open to the public.

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