Year-End Lists

Mara Reinstein: Top 10 Movies of 2015, as published by Us Weekly

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013]

1. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
2. Room
   Lenny Abrahamson
3. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
4. The Martian
   Ridley Scott
5. Joy
   David O. Russell
6. The Big Short
   Adam McKay
7. Creed
   Ryan Coogler
8. Straight Outta Compton
   F. Gary Gray
9. Ex Machina
   Alex Garland
10. Inside Out
    Pete Docter

The A.V. Club: 20 Best Films of 2015

[see also 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
3. It Follows
   David Robert Mitchell
4. The Duke of Burgundy
   Peter Strickland
5. The Look of Silence
   Joshua Oppenheimer
6. Sicario
   Denis Villeneuve
7. The Assassin
   Hou Hsiao-Hsien
8. Carol
   Todd Haynes
9. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
10. Anomalisa
    Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
11. Inside Out
    Pete Docter
12. Bridge of Spies
    Steven Spielberg
13. Hard to Be a God
    Aleksey German
14. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh
15. Crimson Peak
    Guillermo del Toro
16. The Forbidden Room
    Guy Maddin
17. Approaching the Elephant
    Amanda Wilder
18. The Martian
    Ridley Scott
19. Mustang
    Deniz Gamze Ergüven
20. James White
    Josh Mond

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• A.V. Club: A.A. Dowd: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Adam Nayman: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Ignatiy Vishnevetsky: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Jesse Hassenger: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Katie Rife: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Mike D’Angelo: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Nick Schager: The Best Films of 2015
• A.V. Club: Noel Murray: The Best Films of 2015

Jake Coyle: Top 10 Movies of 2015, as published by Associated Press

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. About Elly
   Asghar Farhadi
3. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
4. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
5. Chi-Raq
   Spike Lee
5. 99 Homes
   Ramin Bahrani
6. Stray Dogs
   Tsai Ming-liang
7. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
8. Creed
   Ryan Coogler
8. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
   JJ Abrams
9. 45 Years
   Andrew Haigh
10. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
10. Testament of Youth
    James Kent

Honorable mentions

• Heart of a Dog
  Laurie Anderson
• Bridge of Spies
  Steven Spielberg
• ’71
  Yann Demange
• Mad Max: Fury Road
  George Miller
• Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
  David Zellner
• Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
  Alex Gibney
• Inside Out
  Pete Docter
• It Follows
  David Robert Mitchell
• The Salt of the Earth
  Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado

Lindsey Bahr: Top 10 Movies of 2015, as published by Associated Press

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
3. Ex Machina
   Alex Garland
4. Tangerine
   Sean Baker
5. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
   David Zellner
6. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
7. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
   Marielle Heller
8. Carol
   Todd Haynes
9. The Big Short
   Adam McKay
10. Spy
    Paul Feig

Honorable Mentions

• The Hateful Eight
  Quentin Tarantino
• Steve Jobs
  Danny Boyle
• Spotlight
  Tom McCarthy
• The Mend
  John Magary
• Love & Mercy
  Bill Pohlad
• Sicario
  Denis Villeneuve
• I’ll See You in My Dreams
  Brett Haley
• 45 Years
  Andrew Haigh

Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2015, as published by ScreenCrush

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
3. Beasts of No Nation
   Cary Joji Fukunaga
4. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
5. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
6. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
7. Victoria
   Sebastian Schipper
8. It Follows
   David Robert Mitchell
9. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
10. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh

Honorable Mentions (in alphabetical order)

• Creed
  Ryan Coogler
• The Danish Girl
  Tom Hooper
• The Duke of Burgundy
  Peter Strickland
• Ex Machina
  Alex Garland
• Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
  Alex Gibney
• Phoenix
  Christian Petzold
• The Revenant
  Alejandro González Iñárritu
• Room
  Lenny Abrahamson
• Son of Saul
  László Nemes
• Tangerine
  Sean Baker

Miriam Bale: Top 10 Films of 2015, as submitted to Village Voice Film Poll

[see also 2010s • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012]

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
3. Heaven Knows What
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
4. Bitch Better Have My Money
   Rihanna and Megaforce
5. Arabian Nights
   Miguel Gomes
6. Heart of a Dog
   Laurie Anderson
7. Eden
   Mia Hansen-Løve
8. The Wonders
   Alice Rohrwacher
9. By the Sea
   Angelina Jolie
10. A Thousand Suns
    Mati Diop

This list contributes to:

• Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2015

Village Voice Film Poll: Top 50 Films of 2015 (as published in The Village Voice, comprised of votes from over 125 critics)

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Carol
   Todd Haynes
3. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
4. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
5. Tangerine
   Sean Baker
6. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
7. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
8. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
9. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
10. The Assassin
    Hou Hsiao-Hsien
11. Ex Machina
    Alex Garland
12. The Look of Silence
    Joshua Oppenheimer
13. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
14. Timbuktu
    Abderrahmane Sissako
15. Magic Mike XXL
    Gregory Jacobs
16. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
17. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
18. Mistress America
    Noah Baumbach
19. Hard to Be a God
    Aleksey German
20. Heaven Knows What
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
21. Room
    Lenny Abrahamson
22. The Duke of Burgundy
    Peter Strickland
23. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh
24. The Martian
    Ridley Scott
25. Jauja
    Lisandro Alonso
26. The Revenant
    Alejandro González Iñárritu
27. In Jackson Heights
    Frederick Wiseman
28. The Forbidden Room
    Guy Maddin
29. Chi-Raq
    Spike Lee
30. Experimenter
    Michael Almereyda
31. Amy
    Asif Kapadia
32. Sicario
    Denis Villeneuve
33. The End of the Tour
    James Ponsoldt
34. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
    Roy Andersson
35. Horse Money
    Pedro Costa
36. Bridge of Spies
    Steven Spielberg
37. Heart of a Dog
    Laurie Anderson
38. The Big Short
    Adam McKay
39. The Tribe
    Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
40. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
    Jafar Panahi
41. The Hateful Eight
    Quentin Tarantino
42. Love & Mercy
    Bill Pohlad
43. It Follows
    David Robert Mitchell
44. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
45. About Elly
    Asghar Farhadi
46. Eden
    Mia Hansen-Løve
47. Maps to the Stars
    David Cronenberg
48. The Mend
    John Magary
49. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
    Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz
50. The Wonders
    Alice Rohrwacher

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• A.V. Club: Nick Schager: The Best Films of 2015
• Village Voice Film Poll: Miriam Bale: Top 10 Films of 2015

John Powers: Top 11 Films of 2015, as published by Vogue

[see also 2018 • 2017]

1. The Assassin
   Hou Hsiao-Hsien
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
3. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
4. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
5. The Martian
   Ridley Scott
6. The Big Short
   Adam McKay
7. The Walk
   Robert Zemeckis
8. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
8. The End of the Tour
   James Ponsoldt
9. Mustang
   Deniz Gamze Ergüven
10. Tangerine
    Sean Baker

Film Comment: 20 Best Films of 2015 (as voted by “over 100 North American colleagues”)

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Carol
   Todd Haynes
2. The Assassin
   Hou Hsiao-Hsien
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
4. Clouds of Sils Maria
   Olivier Assayas
5. Arabian Nights
   Miguel Gomes
6. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
7. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
8. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
9. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
10. The Look of Silence
    Joshua Oppenheimer
11. Hard to Be a God
    Aleksey German
12. Anomalisa
    Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
13. In Jackson Heights
    Frederick Wiseman
14. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
15. Horse Money
    Pedro Costa
16. Jauja
    Lisandro Alonso
17. Tangerine
    Sean Baker
18. Brooklyn
    John Crowley
19. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
20. Bridge of Spies
    Steven Spielberg

IndieWire Poll: Top 50 Films of 2015 (as voted by 204 critics)

NOTE: Although the scores indicate a tie for the 49th film, IndieWire presents them in this order, with no ties.

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Carol
   Todd Haynes
3. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
4. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
5. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
6. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
7. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
8. The Assassin
   Hou Hsiao-Hsien
9. The Look of Silence
   Joshua Oppenheimer
10. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
11. Ex Machina
    Alex Garland
12. Clouds of Sils Maria
    Olivier Assayas
13. Tangerine
    Sean Baker
14. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh
15. Room
    Lenny Abrahamson
16. The Duke of Burgundy
    Peter Strickland
17. Timbuktu
    Abderrahmane Sissako
18. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
19. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
20. Hard to Be a God
    Aleksey German
21. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
    Jafar Panahi
22. Heaven Knows What
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
23. It Follows
    David Robert Mitchell
24. The Tribe
    Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
25. Sicario
    Denis Villeneuve
26. The Forbidden Room
    Guy Maddin
27. In Jackson Heights
    Frederick Wiseman
28. The Martian
    Ridley Scott
29. Mistress America
    Noah Baumbach
30. Steve Jobs
    Danny Boyle
31. The Mend
    John Magary
32. Jauja
    Lisandro Alonso
33. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
34. Chi-Raq
    Spike Lee
35. Heart of a Dog
    Laurie Anderson
36. Horse Money
    Pedro Costa
37. Magic Mike XXL
    Gregory Jacobs
38. Amy
    Asif Kapadia
39. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
    Roy Andersson
40. The Big Short
    Adam McKay
41. Eden
    Mia Hansen-Løve
42. Experimenter
    Michael Almereyda
43. About Elly
    Asghar Farhadi
44. The Revenant
    Alejandro González Iñárritu
45. The End of the Tour
    James Ponsoldt
46. Bridge of Spies
    Steven Spielberg
47. Queen of Earth
    Alex Ross Perry
48. Li’l Quinquin
    Bruno Dumont
49. Mustang
    Deniz Gamze Ergüven
50. Love & Mercy
    Bill Pohlad