The 26 Best Films I Have Ever Seen

Eve O'Dea
Nov 3, 2024
2 min read

Exactly 1 year ago, on my 25th birthday, I published a piece listing what I personally believed to be the 25 best films I had ever seen. A year later, my greatest takeaway is that this list has changed very little. There have been a few titles removed, and just a few added. But these minute differences go to show how this past year of filmgoing has varied from previous years. In the past, especially during the restless empty days of the pandemic, I set myself the task of watching as much "Great" cinema as possible. This year, I am happy to say, my filmgoing and watching has been much more social, and therefore much more casual. I've watched a lot of good movies this year, just not many that I can confidently place within my personal pantheon of greatness. My only disappointment is that I've hardly made a dent in my Criterion watchlist. But then, there's always next year.

Without further ado, here are the 26 best films I have seen in 26 years (in alphabetical order) (bold text indicates a new addition to the list)

All That Heaven Allows (1955) dir. Douglas Sirk