HONORABLE MENTIONS: Mustang, The Martian, Spotlight, Creed, Trainwreck, Far from the Madding Crowd, Cinderella, Beasts of No Nation, Diary of a Teenage Girl, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
10. PHOENIX. Potent, commanding cinema. Buoyed by a mesmerizing performance from Nina Hoss, Petzold's post-WWII melodrama—layered with subtle subtexts—channels the atmosphere and mystery of a Hitchcock classic and gathers momentum as it goes, charging towards a shattering final scene.
9. IT FOLLOWS. This slow burn supernatural fable and its moody, nightmarish visuals offer a stylish reinvention of the modern horror movie. Every frame is filled with palpable panic, possessing a minimalism rarely seen in the genre today. Be warned: its faceless, amorphous monster will lurk behind you for days.
8. ROOM. A piercing psychological thriller / familial drama wrought with emotional extremes: nerve-shredding yet life-affirming, horrifying yet hopeful. Future-Best-Actress-winner Brie Larson and newcomer Jacob Tremblay create one of the most deeply moving mother-son relationships ever seen on film. There will be tears.
7. CAROL. A timeless romance—told in whispers and glances—that evokes the ache and ecstasy of forbidden love with a sense of stillness, delicacy. Progressive without being political, Todd Haynes fashions this affair of the heart with his trademark sophistication and meticulousness. Mara and Blanchett are each extraordinary.
6. BROOKLYN. Unashamedly old-fashioned, director John Crowley and star Saoirse Ronan exquisitely capture the burden and beauty of change. This kind of restrained, no-frills filmmaking is hard to ignore; its simplicity makes it all the more significant. Brooklyn is a story about coming of age, but mostly, it's a story about coming home.
5. MAD MAX: FURY ROAD. A visceral demolition derby of a movie where plot takes a backseat to bone-jarring, pedal-to-the-metal, post-apocalyptic action. The mayhem of Miller's bold vision explodes and thunders across the screen with astonishing scope, proving action can, in fact, be art.
4. 45 YEARS. A complex, carefully unrolled exploration of marriage, commitment and the secrets from our past that threaten to unravel us. Quietly devastating, Haigh's latest character study radiates palpable hurt and heart thanks to its co-stars. Rampling, in particular, astounds in the single best performance of the year.
3. SICARIO. Denis Vilenueve proves himself the master of atmospheric thrillers, delivering a moody stomach-churner that's both timely and intelligent. It's a simmering, sweaty-palmed look at the war on drugs, featuring grim, gut-checking action while asking harrowing moral questions.
2. INSIDE OUT. An instant classic. Pixar delivers their trademark blend of innovation and imagination, crafting one of the most ambitious and sharply insightful films they've ever made. Heady, heart-swelling and profound, Inside Out is a tour de force that's as weighty as it is witty.
1. EX MACHINA. Cerebral sci-fi that bewitches beginning to end. A modern Frankenstein story featuring one of the most breathtaking and instantly iconic screen performances of the year from Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina forces us to reevaluate what it means to be alive, raising intriguing questions on human consciousness. Thought-provoking, hand-wringing, and heart-pounding, Alex Garland's dazzling directorial debut is an A.I. thriller for the ages.