Year-End Lists

Brian Tallerico: Top Ten Films of 2021, as published by RogerEbert.com

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

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. A Hero
   Asghar Farhadi
3. Memoria
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
4. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
5. Flee
   Jonas Poher Rasmussen
6. The Green Knight
   David Lowery
7. Petite Maman
   Céline Sciamma
8. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
9. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
10. Pig
    Michael Sarnoski

Runners-up

• Bergman Island
  Mia Hansen-Løve
• The Card Counter
  Paul Schrader
• Drive My Car
  Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
• Nine Days
  Edson Oda
• No Sudden Move
  Steven Soderbergh
• Procession
  Robert Greene
• Saint Maud
  Rose Glass
• Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  Questlove
• Test Pattern
  Shatara Michelle Ford
• West Side Story
  Steven Spielberg

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2021

Jana Monji: Top Ten Films of 2021, as published by RogerEbert.com

[see also 2016]

1. Belfast
   Kenneth Branagh
2. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
3. Flee
   Jonas Poher Rasmussen
4. Free Guy
   Shawn Levy
5. I'm Your Man
   Maria Schrader
6. In the Same Breath
   Nanfu Wang
6. The First Wave
   Matthew Heineman
7. Lily Topples the World
   Jeremy Workman
8. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
9. tick, tick... BOOM!
   Lin-Manuel Miranda
10. Writing with Fire
    Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2021

Mary Beth McAndrews: Top Ten Films of 2021, as published by RogerEbert.com

1. Violation
   Madeleine Sims-Fewer and Dusty Mancinelli
2. The Wanting Mare
   Nicholas Ashe Bateman
3. Titane
   Julia Ducournau
4. Pig
   Michael Sarnoski
5. The Medium
   Banjong Pisanthanakun
6. The Feast
   Lee Haven Jones
7. We're All Going to the World's Fair
   Jane Schoenbrun
8. Sator
   Jordan Graham
9. Shiva Baby
   Emma Seligman
10. Censor
    Prano Bailey-Bond

This list contributes to:

• RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2021

Peter Travers: 10 Best Movies of 2021, as published by ABC News’s Good Morning America

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

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
3. Belfast
   Kenneth Branagh
4. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
5. CODA
   Sian Heder
6. The Tragedy of Macbeth
   Joel Coen
7. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
8. Dune
   Denis Villeneuve
9. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Questlove
10. Drive My Car
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
10. The Worst Person in the World
    Joachim Trier

Sheri Linden: Best Films of 2021, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019]

1. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Questlove
2. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
3. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
4. Passing
   Rebecca Hall
5. Compartment Number 6
   Juho Kuosmanen
6. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
7. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
8. All Light, Everywhere
   Theo Anthony
9. I'm Your Man
   Maria Schrader
10. The Humans
    Stephen Karam

Honorable mentions

• Atlantis
  Valentyn Vasyanovych
• Azor
  Andreas Fontana
• Cyrano
  Joe Wright
• Fever Dream
  Claudia Llosa
• Jockey
  Clint Bentley
• The Killing of Two Lovers
  Robert Machoian
• Lamb
  Valdimar Jóhannsson
• Petite Maman
  Céline Sciamma
• Procession
  Robert Greene
• What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?
  Aleksandre Koberidze

David Rooney: Best Films of 2021, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019]

1. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
2. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
3. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
4. Parallel Mothers
   Pedro Almodóvar
5. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
6. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
7. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
8. Petite Maman
   Céline Sciamma
9. Passing
   Rebecca Hall
10. The Tragedy of Macbeth
    Joel Coen

Honorable mentions

• Compartment Number 6
  Juho Kuosmanen
• Flee
  Jonas Poher Rasmussen
• The Green Knight
  David Lowery
• The Hand of God
  Paolo Sorrentino
• I Carry You with Me
  Heidi Ewing
• Identifying Features
  Fernanda Valadez
• Spencer
  Pablo Larraín
• Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
  Questlove
• The Velvet Underground
  Todd Haynes
• Zola
  Janicza Bravo

Jon Frosch: Best Films of 2021, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2019]

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
3. West Side Story
   Steven Spielberg
4. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
5. CODA
   Sian Heder
6. Spencer
   Pablo Larraín
7. Annette
   Leos Carax
8. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
9. Bergman Island
   Mia Hansen-Løve
10. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    Questlove

Honorable mentions

• Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
  Josh Greenbaum
• Compartment Number 6
  Juho Kuosmanen
• The French Dispatch
  Wes Anderson
• Moffie
  Oliver Hermanus
• Parallel Mothers
  Pedro Almodóvar
• Passing
  Rebecca Hall
• Saint Maud
  Rose Glass
• A Son
  Mehdi M. Barsaoui
• Sublet
  Eytan Fox
• Summer of 85
  François Ozon

Lovia Gyarkye: Best Films of 2021, as published by The Hollywood Reporter

[see also 2023 • 2022]

1. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
2. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
3. Faya Dayi
   Jessica Beshir
4. Passing
   Rebecca Hall
5. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Questlove
6. Parallel Mothers
   Pedro Almodóvar
7. Ailey
   Jamila Wignot
8. The Humans
   Stephen Karam
9. Spencer
   Pablo Larraín
10. The Green Knight
    David Lowery

Honorable mentions

• The Inheritance
  Ephraim Asili
• Jockey
  Clint Bentley
• The Lost Daughter
  Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Plan B
  Natalie Morales
• Prayers for the Stolen
  Tatiana Huezo
• Procession
  Robert Greene
• 7 Prisoners
  Alexandre Moratto
• Shiva Baby
  Emma Seligman
• Test Pattern
  Shatara Michelle Ford
• Zola
  Janicza Bravo

Alissa Wilkinson: The 21 Best Movies of 2021, as published by Vox

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

1. Bergman Island
   Mia Hansen-Løve
2. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
3. The Lost Daughter
   Maggie Gyllenhaal
4. Procession
   Robert Greene
5. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
6. The Viewing Booth
   Ra’anan Alexandrowicz
7. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
8. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
9. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
10. West Side Story
    Steven Spielberg
11. Saint Maud
    Rose Glass
12. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
    Questlove
13. Dune
    Denis Villeneuve
14. Flee
    Jonas Poher Rasmussen
15. Pig
    Michael Sarnoski
16. The Green Knight
    David Lowery
17. Listening to Kenny G
    Penny Lane
18. Passing
    Rebecca Hall
19. No Sudden Move
    Steven Soderbergh
20. The Card Counter
    Paul Schrader
21. Mass
    Fran Kranz

RogerEbert.com: The Ten Best Films of 2021, as chosen by the site's regular critical staff

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016]

1. The Power of the Dog
   Jane Campion
2. Drive My Car
   Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
3. Licorice Pizza
   Paul Thomas Anderson
4. Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
   Questlove
5. The Green Knight
   David Lowery
6. This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
   Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
7. The Worst Person in the World
   Joachim Trier
8. The Souvenir Part II
   Joanna Hogg
9. Petite Maman
   Céline Sciamma
10. Parallel Mothers
    Pedro Almodóvar

Runners-up

• Annette
  Leos Carax
• The Card Counter
  Paul Schrader
• The Disciple
  Chaitanya Tamhane
• Flee
  Jonas Poher Rasmussen
• A Hero
  Asghar Farhadi
• The Lost Daughter
  Maggie Gyllenhaal
• Passing
  Rebecca Hall
• Procession
  Robert Greene
• Titane
  Julia Ducournau
• The Velvet Underground
  Todd Haynes

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• A.V. Club: Carlos Aguilar: The Best Films of 2021
• Robert Daniels: Top 50 Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Abby Olcese: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Ben Kenigsberg: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Brian Tallerico: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Christy Lemire: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Jana Monji: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Kristy Puchko: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Mary Beth McAndrews: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Marya E. Gates: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Matt Zoller Seitz: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Monica Castillo: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Nell Minow: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Odie Henderson: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Roxana Hadadi: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Sheila O’Malley: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Susan Wloszczyna: Top Ten Films of 2021
• RogerEbert.com: Tomris Laffly: Top Ten Films of 2021