Year-End Lists

Polygon: The Best Movies of 2019

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021]

• Ad Astra
  James Gray
• Apollo 11
  Todd Douglas Miller
• The Farewell
  Lulu Wang
• A Hidden Life
  Terrence Malick
• The Irishman
  Martin Scorsese
• The Last Black Man in San Francisco
  Joe Talbot
• The Lighthouse
  Robert Eggers
• Little Women
  Greta Gerwig
• The Man Who Killed Don Quixote
  Terry Gilliam
• Marriage Story
  Noah Baumbach
• Midsommar
  Ari Aster
• Parasite
  Bong Joon-ho
• Uncut Gems
  Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
• Under the Silver Lake
  David Robert Mitchell
• Us
  Jordan Peele

Ann Hornaday: Best Movies of 2019, as published by The Washington Post

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015]

1. American Factory
   Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert
2. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
   Marielle Heller
3. The Farewell
   Lulu Wang
4. Waves
   Trey Edward Shults
5. Queen & Slim
   Melina Matsoukas
6. Little Women
   Greta Gerwig
7. The Mustang
   Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre
8. Jim Allison: Breakthrough
   Bill Haney
9. Blinded by the Light
   Gurinder Chadha
10. Give Me Liberty
    Kirill Mikhanovsky

Joe Morgenstern: The Best Films of 2019, as published by The Wall Street Journal

[see also 2018 • 2017]

• Little Women
  Greta Gerwig

Other Choices in Alphabetical Order

• Apollo 11
  Todd Douglas Miller
• Booksmart
  Olivia Wilde
• The Irishman
  Martin Scorsese
• Knives Out
  Rian Johnson
• Marriage Story
  Noah Baumbach
• Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
  Quentin Tarantino
• Pain and Glory
  Pedro Almodóvar
• Parasite
  Bong Joon-ho
• The Two Popes
  Fernando Meirelles

RogerEbert.com: Ten Best Films of 2019, as selected by the site’s regular film critics and assistant editors

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

1. The Irishman
   Martin Scorsese
2. Parasite
   Bong Joon-ho
3. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
   Quentin Tarantino
4. Pain and Glory
   Pedro Almodóvar
5. Marriage Story
   Noah Baumbach
6. Uncut Gems
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
7. Us
   Jordan Peele
8. The Souvenir
   Joanna Hogg
9. The Last Black Man in San Francisco
   Joe Talbot
10. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
    Céline Sciamma

Runner-ups

• Ad Astra
  James Gray
• Apollo 11
  Todd Douglas Miller
• Black Mother
  Khalik Allah
• The Farewell
  Lulu Wang
• A Hidden Life
  Terrence Malick
• High Life
  Claire Denis
• Little Women
  Greta Gerwig
• Long Day's Journey Into Night
  Bi Gan
• Midsommar
  Ari Aster
• The Nightingale
  Jennifer Kent

This list summarizes other lists, including these:

• RogerEbert.com: Allison Shoemaker: Top 10 Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Ben Kenigsberg: Top Ten Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Brian Tallerico: Top Ten Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Christy Lemire: Top 10 Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Justine Smith: Top 10 Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Kristen Lopez: Top 10 Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Kristy Puchko: Top 10 Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Matt Zoller Seitz: Top Ten Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Monica Castillo: Top Ten Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Nell Minow: Top 10 Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Odie Henderson: Top Ten Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Sheila O’Malley: Top Ten Films of 2019
• RogerEbert.com: Tomris Laffly: Top 25 Films of 2019

Film Comment: Best Films of 2019, a poll of the magazine's contributors and editors

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Parasite
   Bong Joon-ho
2. The Irishman
   Martin Scorsese
3. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
   Quentin Tarantino
4. Transit
   Christian Petzold
5. Atlantics
   Mati Diop
6. The Souvenir
   Joanna Hogg
7. High Life
   Claire Denis
8. Ash is Purest White
   Jia Zhang-ke
9. Pain and Glory
   Pedro Almodóvar
10. Uncut Gems
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
11. Marriage Story
    Noah Baumbach
12. La Flor
    Mariano Llinás
13. An Elephant Sitting Still
    Hu Bo
14. Long Day's Journey Into Night
    Bi Gan
15. Synonyms
    Nadav Lapid
16. Asako I & II
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
17. Us
    Jordan Peele
18. The Image Book
    Jean-Luc Godard
19. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
    Céline Sciamma
20. Ad Astra
    James Gray

Benzine Magazine: The Best Films of the Decade 2010-2019, in roughly chronological order

• The Social Network
  David Fincher
• Take Shelter
  Jeff Nichols
• Oslo, August 31st
  Joachim Trier
• Blue is the Warmest Color
  Abdellatif Kechiche
• The Grand Budapest Hotel
  Wes Anderson
• Under the Skin
  Jonathan Glazer
• Boyhood
  Richard Linklater
• Winter Sleep
  Nuri Bilge Ceylan
• Mommy
  Xavier Dolan
• My Golden Days
  Arnaud Desplechin
• Elle
  Paul Verhoeven
• Manchester by the Sea
  Kenneth Lonergan
• Moonlight
  Barry Jenkins
• Burning
  Lee Chang-dong
• Parasite
  Bong Joon-ho

This year’s installment of David Ehrlich’s video countdown: The 25 Best Films of 2019

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

1. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
   Céline Sciamma
2. Parasite
   Bong Joon-ho
3. Little Women
   Greta Gerwig
4. Ad Astra
   James Gray
5. The Farewell
   Lulu Wang
6. The Souvenir
   Joanna Hogg
7. Uncut Gems
   Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
8. Synonyms
   Nadav Lapid
9. Her Smell
   Alex Ross Perry
10. Knives Out
    Rian Johnson
11. The Irishman
    Martin Scorsese
12. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
    Quentin Tarantino
13. Pain and Glory
    Pedro Almodóvar
14. Midsommar
    Ari Aster
15. High Life
    Claire Denis
16. Varda by Agnès
    Agnès Varda
17. Diamantino
    Gabriel Abrantes and Daniel Schmidt
18. Transit
    Christian Petzold
19. Atlantics
    Mati Diop
20. A Hidden Life
    Terrence Malick
21. I Lost My Body
    Jérémy Clapin
22. The Beach Bum
    Harmony Korine
23. The Hottest August
    Brett Story
24. Us
    Jordan Peele
25. Hustlers
    Lorene Scafaria

Eric Allen Hatch: Favorite Films of the 2010s, as posted to Twitter

• Evolution of a Criminal
  Darius Clark Monroe
• Post Tenebras Lux
  Carlos Reygadas
• Sun Don’t Shine
  Amy Seimetz
• Trash Humpers
  Harmony Korine
• Edge of Tomorrow
  Doug Liman
• Island of the Hungry Ghosts
  Gabrielle Brady
• The Nice Guys
  Shane Black
• Dogtooth
  Yorgos Lanthimos
• It Felt Like Love
  Eliza Hittman
• Distant Constellation
  Shevaun Mizrahi
• Newlyweeds
  Shaka King
• Tabu
  Miguel Gomes
• Kaili Blues
  Bi Gan
• Intrus
• Let the Fire Burn
  Jason Osder
• The Lighthouse
  Robert Eggers
• Holy Motors
  Leos Carax

The Playlist: The 100 Best Films of the Decade. See also their large number of honorable mentions.

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

1. Burning
   Lee Chang-dong
2. A Separation
   Asghar Farhadi
3. The Act of Killing
   Joshua Oppenheimer
4. The Master
   Paul Thomas Anderson
5. The Tree of Life
   Terrence Malick
6. Moonlight
   Barry Jenkins
7. Inside Llewyn Davis
   Joel & Ethan Coen
8. Dogtooth
   Yorgos Lanthimos
9. Under the Skin
   Jonathan Glazer
10. Toni Erdmann
    Maren Ade
11. Get Out
    Jordan Peele
12. You Were Never Really Here
    Lynne Ramsay
13. Carol
    Todd Haynes
14. 20th Century Women
    Mike Mills
15. Mad Max: Fury Road
    George Miller
16. Phantom Thread
    Paul Thomas Anderson
17. First Reformed
    Paul Schrader
18. A Prophet
    Jacques Audiard
19. 45 Years
    Andrew Haigh
20. Birds of Passage
    Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra
21. Arrival
    Denis Villeneuve
22. Stories We Tell
    Sarah Polley
23. The Comedy
    Rick Alverson
24. Pain and Glory
    Pedro Almodóvar
25. Li’l Quinquin
    Bruno Dumont
26. Manchester by the Sea
    Kenneth Lonergan
27. The Lobster
    Yorgos Lanthimos
28. Frances Ha
    Noah Baumbach
29. Jackie
    Pablo Larraín
30. Only Lovers Left Alive
    Jim Jarmusch
31. High Life
    Claire Denis
32. First Man
    Damien Chazelle
33. American Honey
    Andrea Arnold
34. Parasite
    Bong Joon-ho
35. If Beale Street Could Talk
    Barry Jenkins
36. Holy Motors
    Leos Carax
37. Certified Copy
    Abbas Kiarostami
38. Two Days, One Night
    Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne
39. The Handmaiden
    Park Chan-wook
40. The Assassin
    Hou Hsiao-Hsien
41. Annihilation
    Alex Garland
42. Amour
    Michael Haneke
43. 12 Years a Slave
    Steve McQueen
44. Before Midnight
    Richard Linklater
45. Wildlife
    Paul Dano
46. Good Time
    Ben Safdie and Joshua Safdie
47. The Florida Project
    Sean Baker
48. Enemy
    Denis Villeneuve
49. Killing Them Softly
    Andrew Dominik
50. Foxcatcher
    Bennett Miller
51. Elle
    Paul Verhoeven
52. Columbus
    Kogonada
53. Roma
    Alfonso Cuaron
54. Selma
    Ava DuVernay
55. The Grand Budapest Hotel
    Wes Anderson
56. The Rider
    Chloé Zhao
57. Her
    Spike Jonze
58. Phoenix
    Christian Petzold
59. Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
    Nuri Bilge Ceylan
60. Call Me by Your Name
    Luca Guadagnino
61. A Ghost Story
    David Lowery
62. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
    Apichatpong Weerasethakul
63. Tabu
    Miguel Gomes
64. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
    Céline Sciamma
65. Blue Valentine
    Derek Cianfrance
66. O.J.: Made in America
    Ezra Edelman
67. Upstream Color
    Shane Carruth
68. Tangerine
    Sean Baker
69. Suspiria
    Luca Guadagnino
70. The Souvenir
    Joanna Hogg
71. Shoplifters
    Hirokazu Kore-eda
72. White Material
    Claire Denis
73. Weekend
    Andrew Haigh
74. Zama
    Lucrecia Martel
75. The Wolf of Wall Street
    Martin Scorsese
76. The Social Network
    David Fincher
77. The Immigrant
    James Gray
78. The Duke of Burgundy
    Peter Strickland
79. Eden
    Mia Hansen-Løve
80. Force Majeure
    Ruben Östlund
81. Boyhood
    Richard Linklater
82. Stranger by the Lake
    Alain Guiraudie
83. Leviathan
    Andrey Zvyagintsev
84. Girlhood
    Céline Sciamma
85. No
    Pablo Larraín
86. Spotlight
    Tom McCarthy
87. The Lighthouse
    Robert Eggers
88. Ida
    Pawel Pawlikowski
89. The Hunt
    Thomas Vinterberg
90. Shame
    Steve McQueen
91. Zero Dark Thirty
    Kathryn Bigelow
92. Inception
    Christopher Nolan
93. Margaret
    Kenneth Lonergan
94. The Wailing
    Na Hong-jin
95. mother!
    Darren Aronofsky
96. What We Do in the Shadows
    Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi
97. Meek’s Cutoff
    Kelly Reichardt
98. Martha Marcy May Marlene
    Sean Durkin
99. Private Life
    Tamara Jenkins
100. Madeline’s Madeline
     Josephine Decker

Dana Stevens: The 10 Best Movies of 2019, as published by Slate

[see also 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 • 2013 • 2012 • 2011]

• The Chambermaid
  Lila Avilés
• Honeyland
  Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov
• The Irishman
  Martin Scorsese
• Little Women
  Greta Gerwig
• Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
  Quentin Tarantino
• Parasite
  Bong Joon-ho
• Peterloo
  Mike Leigh
• Portrait of a Lady on Fire
  Céline Sciamma
• Us
  Jordan Peele
• Varda by Agnès
  Agnès Varda

Runners-Up

• Atlantics
  Mati Diop
• In Fabric
  Peter Strickland
• Knives Out
  Rian Johnson
• Marriage Story
  Noah Baumbach
• Pain and Glory
  Pedro Almodóvar