Filmotomy’s Best Films of the Decade – Aaron Charles’ List

Members of the Filmotomy team agonize over their top ten for the decade (2010-19).

At any point during a single year over the past decade that I’ve thought the year’s films had been a little light, I’ve told myself that refrain that has become common to many of us – you just need to see more films. Without fail, when I’ve found myself looking back at the end of each year, I’ve been amazed at the totality of the movies I had seen.

This decade has given us some undeniably great films, and many memorable ones. With this list, I’d like to narrow down the greatest of the great. These are the films that I saw over the last decade that will stay with me long after 2019 has ended. These are the films that I surmise we will be discussing long into the future. These are my picks for the Top 10 films released over the past decade.

10. Black Swan (2010)

This is, for me, the most recent entrant to this list. I watched this film for the first time in 2019. Though its impact hasn’t sat with me for the length of time that the others on this list have, I can say with near complete surety that it will.

This is one of the most unsettling first watches I can remember. Aronofsky has made a career out of unsettling viewers, but he does it in pursuit of a higher purpose. None of his films shock just to shock. There’s a story and a theme that elevates the ghastly happenings in his films. And this film is frightening at times.

Any conversation about Black Swan must begin with the monumental lead performance from Natalie Portman as Nina. She pulls the film forward through sheer force of will. But Aronofsky’s hand on the story is never fully obscured. He’s taking us somewhere as the audience, and he does it with dazzling skill. That place he takes us is one of the most memorable endings in my memory as a cinephile. It is the perfect ending to this story of the self-destructive pursuit of perfection.

9. Whiplash (2014)

Coincidentally enough, I remember thinking of Whiplash often when I first watched Black Swan. The two share many similarities in their story, but the way each director handles that story is unique. I give the edge to Damien Chazelle’s film for the sole reason that I’ve had more time to take in its skill and wonder.

Here too, one must begin conversation of this film with an acting performance – though this time it is the supporting turn from J.K. Simmons as Terence Fletcher. It’s the type of performance that you simply will never forget once you’ve seen it. He commands the film, and he rightly won an Oscar for the performance.

Chazelle’s dazzling directorial style brings out the wonders of this film, and it’s not the last time that his whip pans will make an entry on this list. But my favorite aspect of this film may just be the music, from frequent Chazelle collaborator Justin Hurwitz. The music in this film is another character, possibly even the lead. It is in the music where you find the beginning of this film’s ability to take us to rapturous places even though it is so unsettling and tense at times.

8. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

If it seems like each film is spilling over into the next on this list…that’s because they are so far. Inside Llewyn Davis is another film where the music is a major character. The Coen Brothers decided to film actual performances rather than dubbing the sound – a fact that makes Oscar Isaac’s lead performance all the more impressive.

Isaac has become one of my favorite actors, and this film is one of the main reasons why. He chooses interesting roles and has worked with many fantastic directors, but this may just be his best performance. He fully imbues Llewyn Davis with a mournful quality that furthers the fateful themes of the film.

I’m always blown away by the cinematography of this film on each successive rewatch. Bruno Delbonnel’s work never ceases to amaze me, and this may be his career performance as well.

7. La La Land (2016)

Yet another film where the music is one of my favorite elements of the experience. Since this is a musical, that certainly makes sense. But, personally, I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with music in film. When it’s done poorly, it seems like a crutch used to underline plot points and lead the audience. But when it’s done well, it elevates material without putting too fine a point on it. It’s a fine line to walk, but so many films on this list do it with style and La La Land is no exception.

It has become somewhat fashionable to rail against this film over the years, but I’ll have none of it. The music is fantastic, the costumes are timeless, and the creative bravery from Chazelle and team to revive the movie musical is inspiring. On top of all of that, you have a career-defining performance from Emma Stone that is the heart of the film.

This is a film to fall in love with. I remember after leaving the theater when I saw it the first time thinking that I absolutely adored it but I wondered if the love would fade when I saw it again at home. Not only did it not fade, but it only grew. I can listen to this film’s music at any time and be transported once again.

6. Phantom Thread (2017)

Talk about transporting music. This is without a doubt my favorite film score of the decade and one of my favorite of all time. Jonny Greenwood creates a lush and luxurious foundation to the film’s story of high fashion and intrigue. That he missed out on a Oscar for his work will forever be one of the great Academy Award travesties, but I digress.

This is also the only film I can think of where a Daniel Day-Lewis performance gets outshined. That is not because Day-Lewis is subpar. In fact, I think his performance stands up with the many great turns he has given us in his career (I’m holding out hope that he hasn’t really retired). No, the reason for my feeling this way is that Vicky Krieps dazzles in her performance as Alma.

Here is another film that grabbed me and never let go when I first saw it in the theater. Anderson is a masterful director, but this was the first of his films that really clicked for me. I continue to cherish it.

5. Spotlight (2015)

Here is a film that I love, first and foremost, for its script. I am of the belief that the script is the most vital component in a film – it is from there that the various artists involved can vault a film to dazzling heights. Here the writing, by Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, takes difficult material told through spreadsheets and office meetings and makes it zip. 

That is not to diminish the importance of the story they tell – about the uncovering of abuse in the Catholic Church. They always keep the importance of uncovering that truth at the forefront. Still, I’m always amazed by how this movie moves. That is a testament to the script, but also to the editing by Tom McArdle. And while the film’s music is not as much in the forefront as some of the other film’s on this list, I absolutely love Howard Shore’s score as well.

Finally, the cast is incredible. I really can’t single out one performance because they are all so good. This really is an example of an ensemble that carries a film together.

4. Drive (2011)

I see often this notion that 2011 was either a down year for film in general, or at least a down year for the Best Picture nominees. This is the first of two films from that year that appear on my list, so I’ve never really understood the disdain. Though I will agree that the Oscars got it wrong by failing to nominate this film for Best Picture that year.

This is an all-timer for me. It is so stylish, and that’s a testament to Refn’s work, first and foremost. Here again is a film where the music makes a key impact. And the cinematography and costume design are firing on all cylinders. But each element serves the purpose that Refn designs. Here is a film with a directorial vision, and Refn realizes it to striking result.

I also don’t think we give Ryan Gosling enough credit. He’s made a career out of often playing characters who are reserved or less showy. Here is the perfect example of that, and it’s my personal favorite performance of Gosling’s. He lets the internal turmoil of the character bubble up until it explodes. There are certainly echoes of Taxi Driver and Le Samourai here, and that is high praise, indeed. This film may be a slow burn, but the payoff is absolutely worth it.

3. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

Absolutely devastating. This film should be required viewing for every American. McQueen’s film is a testament to the fact that the very ground upon which we walk is stained with the sins of the past. The mournful willows and the beautiful grasses and rivers have seen great pain, and this kind of pain cannot be wholly forgotten.

The acting performances – especially from Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o, and Michael Fassbender – are incredible. The music is some of Hans Zimmer’s best work. But this is McQueen’s film. He lets the camera watch as atrocity after atrocity is committed. And he knows how to unearth the personal moments where the effects of those atrocities are felt with full force.

Yes, this is a difficult film to watch. But it is an essential story, and it is a testament to the work of the artists involved that it is so true to its story. This is surely one of the greatest films ever made.

2. Silence (2016)

Maybe the greatest thing I can say about Martin Scorsese is that he is an artist always reinventing himself. He always brings to the story at hand what that specific story calls for. Here, he eschews many of the artistic flairs for which he had become famous in service of a story that is so personal to his experience.

I’m not sure there’s a scene in any movie that reaches me emotionally quite like the end to this film does. My faith is the foundation of my life. Wrestling with the choices that are faced by Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) brings me right into the film, and Scorsese handles this beautifully.

Here is another difficult film to watch. Its story about religion and torture for beliefs did not resonate well with audiences when it was released. But I think this is a film that will be looked back upon like the masterpiece that it is.

1. The Tree of Life (2011)

This is near the top of my list of all-time favorite films. It shares a focus on the nature of God with Silence, but it comes at that lofty theme from a different posture. Here, the word of the day is “wonder.” Wonder at nature and at the way the world has been set together. Few films would even attempt to deal with the creation of the universe and the meaning of life altogether. That this film not only attempts that but actually pulls it off will forever be a wonder of cinema history.

The images deserve the most praise here. Malick deserves much of the credit, but so too does cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki and visual effects consultant Douglas Trumbull (of 2001: A Space Odyssey fame). There are images here that are simply astounding. You’d never expect a film to be able to transport you to the places that this film does.

Everyone talks about the images when talking about this film. I’d also like to call out production designer Jack Fisk. He is able to ground the film’s lofty themes and visuals into its story of 1950s Americana. The balancing act that he and Malick are able to pull off will forever be a wonder to me. On paper, this film shouldn’t work. But this is a testament to the incredible things that can happen when talented artists have ambition and look to the stars.