Year-End Lists

Mara Reinstein: Top 10 Movies of 2016, as published by Us Weekly

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
2. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
3. Arrival
   Denis Villeneuve
4. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
5. Patriots Day
   Peter Berg
6. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
7. Zootopia
   Byron Howard and Rich Moore
8. Hell or High Water
   David Mackenzie
9. Nocturnal Animals
   Tom Ford
10. Bad Moms
    Jon Lucas and Scott Moore

Rest of the Best

• Captain Fantastic
  Matt Ross
• Toni Erdmann
  Maren Ade
• Fences
  Denzel Washington
• The Nice Guys
  Shane Black
• 10 Cloverfield Lane
  Dan Trachtenberg
• Moana
  Ron Clements and John Musker
• Gleason
  Clay Tweel
• The Edge of Seventeen
  Kelly Fremon Craig
• Don’t Think Twice
  Mike Birbiglia
• Deadpool
  Tim Miller

Richard Lawson: The 10 Best Movies of 2016, as published by Vanity Fair

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013]

1. The Meddler
   Lorene Scafaria
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Fire at Sea
   Gianfranco Rosi
4. Things to Come
   Mia Hansen-Løve
5. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
6. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
7. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
8. The Edge of Seventeen
   Kelly Fremon Craig
9. Mountains May Depart
   Jia Zhang-ke
10. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos

Matt Singer: The Best Movies of 2016, as published by ScreenCrush

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
2. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
3. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
4. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
5. Sing Street
   John Carney
6. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
7. Krisha
   Trey Edward Shults
8. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
9. Demon
   Marcin Wrona
10. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen

Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order)

• 20th Century Women
  Mike Mills
• Arrival
  Denis Villeneuve
• The Boy and the Beast
  Mamoru Hosoda
• Everybody Wants Some!!
  Richard Linklater
• Fences
  Denzel Washington
• Green Room
  Jeremy Saulnier
• Hell or High Water
  David Mackenzie
• Paterson
  Jim Jarmusch
• Star Trek Beyond
  Justin Lin
• The Witch
  Robert Eggers

This year’s installment of David Ehrlich’s always enjoyable video countdown: 25 Best Films of 2016.

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. Sunset Song
   Terence Davies
3. Jackie
   Pablo Larraín
4. O.J.: Made in America
   Ezra Edelman
5. A Bigger Splash
   Luca Guadagnino
6. Kubo and the Two Strings
   Travis Knight
7. The Fits
   Anna Rose Holmer
8. La La Land
   Damien Chazelle
9. The Lobster
   Yorgos Lanthimos
10. The Love Witch
    Anna Biller
11. The Handmaiden
    Park Chan-wook
12. Toni Erdmann
    Maren Ade
13. Indignation
    James Schamus
14. American Honey
    Andrea Arnold
15. The Witch
    Robert Eggers
16. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen
17. Silence
    Martin Scorsese
18. Swiss Army Man
    Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
19. Manchester by the Sea
    Kenneth Lonergan
20. Always Shine
    Sophia Takal
21. Things to Come
    Mia Hansen-Løve
22. Kate Plays Christine
    Robert Greene
23. Lemonade
    Beyoncé Knowles Carter and Kahlil Joseph with Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso
24. High-Rise
    Ben Wheatley
25. Weiner
    Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg

B. Ruby Rich: Best Films of 2016, as submitted to the IndieWire Poll

[see also 2019]

1. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
2. I Am Not Your Negro
   Raoul Peck
3. Certain Women
   Kelly Reichardt
4. Spa Night
   Andrew Ahn
5. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
6. The Handmaiden
   Park Chan-wook
7. Neon Bull
   Gabriel Mascaro
8. The Fits
   Anna Rose Holmer
9. Julieta
   Pedro Almodóvar
10. Jackie
    Pablo Larraín

Mark Kermode: Best Films of 2016, as published by The Observer

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014]

• Under the Shadow
  Babak Anvari
• Notes on Blindness
  Peter Middleton and James Spinney
• Embrace of the Serpent
  Ciro Guerra
• Son of Saul
  László Nemes
• 13th
  Ava DuVernay
• Room
  Lenny Abrahamson
• Julieta
  Pedro Almodóvar
• I, Daniel Blake
  Ken Loach
• Your Name
  Makoto Shinkai
• A United Kingdom
  Amma Asante
• Things to Come
  Mia Hansen-Løve

Time Out London: 25 Best Films of 2016

[see also 2021 • 2018 • 2015]

1. Son of Saul
   László Nemes
2. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
3. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
4. Mustang
   Deniz Gamze Ergüven
5. I, Daniel Blake
   Ken Loach
6. The Nice Guys
   Shane Black
7. Embrace of the Serpent
   Ciro Guerra
8. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
9. A Bigger Splash
   Luca Guadagnino
10. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
11. Driving with Selvi
    Elisa Paloschi
12. Hail, Caesar!
    Joel & Ethan Coen
13. Julieta
    Pedro Almodóvar
14. High-Rise
    Ben Wheatley
15. Fire at Sea
    Gianfranco Rosi
16. Bone Tomahawk
    S. Craig Zahler
17. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
    David Yates
18. The Pearl Button
    Patricio Guzmán
19. Under the Shadow
    Babak Anvari
20. The Revenant
    Alejandro González Iñárritu
21. Our Little Sister
    Hirokazu Kore-eda
22. Tale of Tales
    Matteo Garrone
23. Captain America: Civil War
    Anthony and Joe Russo
24. Queen of Katwe
    Mira Nair
25. Room
    Lenny Abrahamson

Sight & Sound Poll: Top 30 Films of 2016 (a poll of 163 critics, published by Sight & Sound Magazine)

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Toni Erdmann
   Maren Ade
2. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
3. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
4. Certain Women
   Kelly Reichardt
5. American Honey
   Andrea Arnold
6. I, Daniel Blake
   Ken Loach
7. Manchester by the Sea
   Kenneth Lonergan
8. Things to Come
   Mia Hansen-Løve
9. Paterson
   Jim Jarmusch
10. The Death of Louis XIV
    Albert Serra
11. Personal Shopper
    Olivier Assayas
11. Sieranevada
    Cristi Puiu
13. Fire at Sea
    Gianfranco Rosi
13. Julieta
    Pedro Almodóvar
13. Nocturama
    Bertrand Bonello
16. Cameraperson
    Kirsten Johnson
16. La La Land
    Damien Chazelle
18. Love & Friendship
    Whit Stillman
19. Aquarius
    Kleber Mendonça Filho
19. Victoria
    Sebastian Schipper
21. Embrace of the Serpent
    Ciro Guerra
21. Everybody Wants Some!!
    Richard Linklater
21. Evolution
    Lucile Hadzihalilovic
21. Hell or High Water
    David Mackenzie
21. O.J.: Made in America
    Ezra Edelman
26. Lemonade
    Beyoncé Knowles Carter and Kahlil Joseph with Jonas Åkerlund, Melina Matsoukas, Dikayl Rimmasch, Mark Romanek and Tod Tourso
26. Nocturnal Animals
    Tom Ford
26. The Ornithologist
    João Pedro Rodrigues
26. Raw
    Julia Ducournau
26. Neruda
    Pablo Larraín

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• Sight & Sound Poll: Nicole Brenez: 5 Best Films of 2016

Murielle Joudet: Top 10 Films of 2016, as published by Les Inrockuptibles

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

1. Elle
   Paul Verhoeven
2. Homeland (Iraq Year Zero)
   Abbas Fahdel
3. Slack Bay
   Bruno Dumont
4. Right Now, Wrong Then
   Hong Sang-soo
5. Julieta
   Pedro Almodóvar
6. In Bed with Victoria
   Justine Triet
7. Everybody Wants Some!!
   Richard Linklater
8. Staying Vertical
   Alain Guiraudie
9. Carol
   Todd Haynes
10. Dark Inclusion
    Arthur Harari

This list contributes to:

• Les Inrocks: Top 20 Films of 2016

Emily Barnett: Top 10 Films of 2016, as published by Les Inrockuptibles in order of preference

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

• Heal the Living
  Katell Quillévéré
• The Death of Louis XIV
  Albert Serra
• It's Only the End of the World
  Xavier Dolan
• Anomalisa
  Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
• Right Now, Wrong Then
  Hong Sang-soo
• Midnight Special
  Jeff Nichols
• Elle
  Paul Verhoeven
• The Witch
  Robert Eggers
• Nocturama
  Bertrand Bonello
• In Bed with Victoria
  Justine Triet

This list contributes to:

• Les Inrocks: Top 20 Films of 2016