Year-End Lists

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

Amy Nicholson: Top 10 Films of 2015, as published by LA Weekly

1. Chi-Raq
   Spike Lee
2. Anomalisa
   Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
3. The Hateful Eight
   Quentin Tarantino
4. American Ultra
   Nima Nourizadeh
5. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
6. Room
   Lenny Abrahamson
7. Victoria
   Sebastian Schipper
8. Spy
   Paul Feig
9. The Second Mother
   Anna Muylaert
10. Tangerine
    Sean Baker

Mark Kermode: Top 10 Films of 2015, as published by The Observer

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

• Inside Out
  Pete Docter
• A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
  Ana Lily Amirpour
• Girlhood
  Céline Sciamma
• Carol
  Todd Haynes
• The Falling
  Carol Morley
• Song of the Sea
  Tomm Moore
• Brooklyn
  John Crowley
• Sunset Song
  Terence Davies
• The Ecstasy of Wilko Johnson
  Julien Temple
• The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
  Isao Takahata

Les Inrockuptibles: Top 20 Films of 2015

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

1. Cemetery of Splendor
   Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
3. My Golden Days
   Arnaud Desplechin
4. It Follows
   David Robert Mitchell
5. Arabian Nights
   Miguel Gomes
6. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
7. Jauja
   Lisandro Alonso
8. Hill of Freedom
   Hong Sang-soo
9. The Smell of Us
   Larry Clark
10. Mia Madre
    Nanni Moretti
11. Zanj Revolution
    Tariq Teguia
12. Portrait of the Artist
    Antoine Barraud
13. Foxcatcher
    Bennett Miller
14. Mountains May Depart
    Jia Zhang-ke
15. The Visit
    M. Night Shyamalan
16. La Sapienza
    Eugène Green
17. In the Shadow of Women
    Philippe Garrel
18. Vincent
    Thomas Salvador
19. Fatima
    Philippe Faucon
20. Blackhat
    Michael Mann

Hors concours

• restoration of Out 1 by Jacques Rivette

Richard Brody: 30 Best Movies of 2015, as published by The New Yorker

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

1. Chi-Raq
   Spike Lee
2. Li’l Quinquin
   Bruno Dumont
3. Queen of Earth
   Alex Ross Perry
4. Heaven Knows What
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
5. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
   Jafar Panahi
6. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
7. In Jackson Heights
   Frederick Wiseman
8. Mistress America
   Noah Baumbach
9. Stinking Heaven
   Nathan Silver
10. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
11. Carol
    Todd Haynes
12. Trainwreck
    Judd Apatow
13. Digging for Fire
    Joe Swanberg
14. Wild Canaries
    Lawrence Michael Levine
15. Results
    Andrew Bujalski
16. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
17. The Princess of France
    Matías Piñeiro
18. Field Niggas
    Khalik Allah
19. Iris
    Albert Maysles
20. Irrational Man
    Woody Allen
21. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
    Spike Lee
22. Uncertain Terms
    Nathan Silver
23. Young Bodies Heal Quickly
    Andrew T. Betzer
24. By the Sea
    Angelina Jolie
25. While We’re Young
    Noah Baumbach
26. Entertainment
    Rick Alverson
27. Approaching the Elephant
    Amanda Wilder
28. In the Name of My Daughter
    André Téchiné
29. Buzzard
    Joel Potrykus
30. Fifty Shades of Grey
    Sam Taylor-Johnson

Slant Magazine: 50 Best Films of 2015

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

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. In Jackson Heights
   Frederick Wiseman
3. Timbuktu
   Abderrahmane Sissako
4. Horse Money
   Pedro Costa
5. Magic Mike XXL
   Gregory Jacobs
6. Hard to Be a God
   Aleksey German
7. Heart of a Dog
   Laurie Anderson
8. Blackhat
   Michael Mann
9. The Assassin
   Hou Hsiao-Hsien
10. Chi-Raq
    Spike Lee
11. Li’l Quinquin
    Bruno Dumont
12. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi
    Jafar Panahi
13. Queen of Earth
    Alex Ross Perry
14. The Look of Silence
    Joshua Oppenheimer
15. Heaven Knows What
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
16. Jauja
    Lisandro Alonso
17. The Forbidden Room
    Guy Maddin
18. Phoenix
    Christian Petzold
19. Carol
    Todd Haynes
20. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
21. Mistress America
    Noah Baumbach
22. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
23. Of Men and War
    Laurent Bécue-Renard
24. Eastern Boys
    Robin Campillo
25. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh

Just missed making it into the top 25

26. About Elly
    Asghar Farhadi
27. Arabian Nights
    Miguel Gomes
28. Salvation Army
    Abdellah Taïa
29. The Kindergarten Teacher
    Nadav Lapid
30. Tangerine
    Sean Baker
31. Anomalisa
    Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
32. Welcome to New York
    Abel Ferrara
33. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
    Roy Andersson
34. Girlhood
    Céline Sciamma
35. Buzzard
    Joel Potrykus
36. The Duke of Burgundy
    Peter Strickland
37. The Pearl Button
    Patricio Guzmán
38. Of Horses and Men
    Benedikt Erlingsson
39. Madam Phung’s Last Journey
    Nguyễn Thị Thấm
40. We Come as Friends
    Hubert Sauper
41. Entertainment
    Rick Alverson
42. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller
43. The Fool
    Yuri Bykov
44. Maps to the Stars
    David Cronenberg
45. La Última Película
    Raya Martin and Mark Peranson
46. Inside Out
    Pete Docter
47. Gangs of Wasseypur
    Anurag Kashyap
48. Office
    Johnnie To
49. Coming Home
    Zhang Yimou
50. The Princess of France
    Matías Piñeiro

Kenneth Turan: 14 Best Films of 2015, as published by The Los Angeles Times

[see also 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2012]

1. Brooklyn
   John Crowley

The rest presented alphabetically

• Amy
  Asif Kapadia
• The Big Short
  Adam McKay
• Bridge of Spies
  Steven Spielberg
• Carol
  Todd Haynes
• 45 Years
  Andrew Haigh
• Inside Out
  Pete Docter
• Mad Max: Fury Road
  George Miller
• The Martian
  Ridley Scott
• Room
  Lenny Abrahamson
• Son of Saul
  László Nemes
• Spotlight
  Tom McCarthy
• Steve Jobs
  Danny Boyle
• Testament of Youth
  James Kent

IndieWire: 66 Best Films of 2015, as voted by Indiewire’s writers and staffers, not to be confused with the Indiewire poll of hundreds of critics

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2010s]

1. Mad Max: Fury Road
   George Miller
2. Sicario
   Denis Villeneuve
3. The Duke of Burgundy
   Peter Strickland
4. Carol
   Todd Haynes
5. 45 Years
   Andrew Haigh
6. Inside Out
   Pete Docter
7. Room
   Lenny Abrahamson
8. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
9. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
10. Son of Saul
    László Nemes
11. Ex Machina
    Alex Garland
12. Steve Jobs
    Danny Boyle
13. Anomalisa
    Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson
14. The End of the Tour
    James Ponsoldt
15. The Tribe
    Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
16. Tangerine
    Sean Baker
17. Mustang
    Deniz Gamze Ergüven
18. The Assassin
    Hou Hsiao-Hsien
19. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
20. The Diary of a Teenage Girl
    Marielle Heller

Just missing out on the top 20

• It Follows
  David Robert Mitchell
• Clouds of Sils Maria
  Olivier Assayas
• Crimson Peak
  Guillermo del Toro
• Mistress America
  Noah Baumbach
• Beasts of No Nation
  Cary Joji Fukunaga
• Wild Tales
  Damián Szifrón
• Far from the Madding Crowd
  Thomas Vinterberg
• A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
  Roy Andersson

Clocking up a vote or two

• Bridge of Spies
  Steven Spielberg
• Heaven Knows What
  Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
• The Good Dinosaur
  Peter Sohn
• The Walk
  Robert Zemeckis
• Magic Mike XXL
  Gregory Jacobs
• James White
  Josh Mond
• Victoria
  Sebastian Schipper
• Youth
  Paolo Sorrentino
• Tokyo Tribe
  Sion Sono
• The Look of Silence
  Joshua Oppenheimer
• Eden
  Mia Hansen-Løve
• Queen of Earth
  Alex Ross Perry
• Entertainment
  Rick Alverson
• Tu Dors Nicole
  Stéphane Lafleur
• Bone Tomahawk
  S. Craig Zahler
• Arabian Nights
  Miguel Gomes
• What We Do in the Shadows
  Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
• Slow West
  John Maclean
• Heart of a Dog
  Laurie Anderson
• Ballet 422
  Jody Lee Lipes
• Timbuktu
  Abderrahmane Sissako
• Experimenter
  Michael Almereyda
• The Pearl Button
  Patricio Guzmán
• Cartel Land
  Matthew Heineman
• Li’l Quinquin
  Bruno Dumont
• Listen to Me Marlon
  Stevan Riley
• Dope
  Rick Famuyiwa
• The Night Before
  Jonathan Levine
• Phoenix
  Christian Petzold
• Jauja
  Lisandro Alonso
• The Forbidden Room
  Guy Maddin
• Hard to Be a God
  Aleksey German
• Mississippi Grind
  Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden
• Breathe
  Mélanie Laurent
• While We’re Young
  Noah Baumbach
• Cobain: Montage of Heck
  Brett Morgen
• The Martian
  Ridley Scott
• White God
  Kornél Mundruczó

Joshua Rothkopf: 20 Best Movies of 2015, as published by Time Out New York

[see also 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2014 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Brooklyn
   John Crowley
2. Son of Saul
   László Nemes
3. Heaven Knows What
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
4. Phoenix
   Christian Petzold
5. Sicario
   Denis Villeneuve
6. Spotlight
   Tom McCarthy
7. Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
   Ronit Elkabetz and Shlomi Elkabetz
8. The Look of Silence
   Joshua Oppenheimer
9. Carol
   Todd Haynes
10. Mad Max: Fury Road
    George Miller
11. Love & Mercy
    Bill Pohlad
12. Mississippi Grind
    Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden
13. Democrats
    Camilla Nielsson
14. While We’re Young
    Noah Baumbach
15. Creed
    Ryan Coogler
16. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh
17. The Big Short
    Adam McKay
18. Girlhood
    Céline Sciamma
19. Buzzard
    Joel Potrykus
20. Inside Out
    Pete Docter