By Andrew Buckner

*The criteria utilized for the inclusion of the feature films in this list is an original 2021 release date in the U.S.*

Please note: This article is a work in progress. Please check back often, as I will be adding more films to the list from the year once I have a chance to view them.

135. Parallel Mothers

Director: Pedro Almodovar

134. Acting

Director: Sam Mason-Bell

133. Red Rocket

Director: Sean Baker

132. Flee

Director: Jonas Poher Rasmussen

131. The Year of the Everlasting Storm

Directors: Anthony Chen, David Lowery, Jafar Panahi, Laura Poitras, Malik Vitthal, Apitchatong Weerasethakul, Dominga Sotomayor Castillo.

130. Slumber Party Massacre

Director: Danishka Esterhazy

129. Come True

Director: Anthony Scott Burns

128. Fear Street Part One: 1994

Director: Leigh Janiak

127. A Journal for Jordan

Director: Denzel Washington

126. The Lost Daughter

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

125. Bergman Island

Director: Mia Hansen-Love

124. Werewolves Within

Director: Josh Ruben

123. Don’t Look Up

Director: Adam McKay

122. The Spine of Night

Director: Philip Gelatt

121. Being the Ricardos

Director: Aaron Sorkin

120. The Last Matinee

Director: Maximiliano Contenti

119. Last Night in Soho

Director: Edgar Wright

118. King Richard

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green

117. Earwig and the Witch

Director: Goro Miyazaki

116. Lamb

Director: Valdimir Johannsson

115. My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To

Director: Jonathan Cuartas

114. Agnes

Director: Mickey Reece

113. Extraordinary: The Revelations

Director: Jon Sumple

112. Zeros and Ones

Director: Abel Ferrara

111. Benny Loves You

Director: Karl Holt

110. Red 11

Director: Robert Rodriguez

109. The Night

Director: Kourosh Ahari

108. Siberia

Director: Abel Ferrara

107. Saint Maud

Director: Rose Glass

106. Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity

Director: Joe Bandelli

105. Attica

Directors: Traci Curry, Stanley Nelson

104. The Hand of God

Director: Paolo Sorrentino

103. The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord

Directors: Jared Jay Mason, Clark Runciman

102. The Courier

Director: Dominic Cooke

101. Jakob’s Wife

Director: Travis Stevens

100. The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Directors: Mike Rianda, Jeff Rowe

99. Raya and the Last Dragon

Directors: Carlos Lopez Estrada, Don Hall, Paul Briggs, John Ripa

98. Psycho Goreman

Director: Steven Kostanski

97. Honeydew

Director: Devereux Milburn

96. The Night House

Director: David Bruckner

95. Godzilla vs. Kong

Director: Adam Wingard

94. Nightbooks

Director: David Yarovesky

93. Copshop

Director: Joe Carnahan

92. Nobody

Director: Ilya Naishuller

91. The Voyeurs

Director: Michael Mohan

90. Stillwater

Director: Tom McCarthy

89. Oxygen

Director: Alexandre Aja

88. The Feast

Director: Lee Haven Jones

87. Respect

Director: Liesl Tommy

86. V/H/S/94

Directors: Simon Barrett, Chloe Okuno, Ryan Prows, Jennifer Reeder, Timo Tjahjanto

85. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton

84. Wrath of Man

Director: Guy Ritchie

83. We Need to Do Something

Director: Sean King O’Grady

82. Candyman

Director: Nia DaCosta

81. The Girl Who Got Away

Director: Michael Morrissey

80. Hail to the Deadites

Director: Steve Villeneuve

79. Clerk.

Director: Malcolm Ingram

78. Dune

Director: Denis Villeneuve

77. The Novice

Director: Lauren Hadaway

76. Malignant

Director: James Wan

75. The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Director: Michael Showalter

74. Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed

Director: Joshua Rofe

73. Lapsis

Director: Noah Hutton

72. The Card Counter

Director: Paul Schrader

71. No Time to Die

Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga

70. Enemies of the State

Director: Sonia Kennebeck

69. In the Earth

Director: Ben Wheatley

68. Violation

Directors: Dusty Mancinelli, Madeline Sims-Fewer

67. In the Heights

Director: Jon M. Chu

66. The Medium

Director: Banjong Pisanthanakun

65. Antlers

Director: Scott Cooper

64. Identifying Features

Director: Fernanda Valadez

63. Tina

Directors: Daniel Lindsay, T.J. Martin

62. Seaspiracy

Director: Ali Tabrizi

61. No Sudden Move

Director: Steven Soderbergh

60. House of Gucci

Director: Ridley Scott

59. Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Director: Questlove

58. Malcolm and Marie

Director: Sam Levinson

57. I Blame Society

Director: Gillian Wallace Horvat

56. Passing

Director: Rebecca Hall

55. 17 Blocks

Director: Davy Rothbart

54. Falling

Director: Viggo Mortensen

53. The Dig

Director: Simon Stone

52. One Night in Miami

Director: Regina King

51. Test Pattern

Director: Shatara Michelle Ford

50. Slalom

Director: Charlene Favier

49. Spoor

Directors: Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik

48. Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain

Director: Morgan Neville

47. Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster

Director: Thomas Hamilton

46. M.C. Escher: Journey to Infinity

Director: Robin Lutz

45. About Endlessness

Director: Roy Andersson

44. The Man Who Sold His Skin

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

43. Sator

Director: Jordan Graham

42. Climate of the Hunter

Director: Mickey Reece

41. Dementer

Director: Chad Crawford Kinkle

40. A Quiet Place II

Director: John Krasinski

39. The Boy Behind the Door

Directors: David Charbonier, Justin Powell

38. C’mon C’mon

Director: MIke Mills

37. Censor

Director: Prano Bailey-Bond

36. The Archivist

Director: Eric Hand

35. Jumbo

Director: Zoe Wittock

34. The Mauritanian

Director: Kevin Macdonald

33. Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street

Director: Marilyn Agrelo

32. In Search of Darkness: Part 2

Director: David A. Weiner

31. The Power of the Dog

Director: Jane Campion

30. The Last Duel

Director: Ridley Scott

29. Belfast

Director: Kenneth Branagh

28. The Green Knight

Director: David Lowery

27. Licorice Pizza

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

26. The Mad Women’s Ball

Director: Melanie Laurent

25. Benedetta

Director: Paul Verhoeven

24. Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror

Director: Kier-La Janisse

23. Titane

Director: Julia Ducournau

22. The Meaning of Hitler

Directors: Petra Epperlein, Michael Tucker

21. Judas and the Black Messiah

Director: Shaka King

20. MLK/ FBI

Director: Sam Pollard

19. Nomadland

Director: Chloe Zhao

18. In the Same Breath

Director: Nanfu Wang

17. Gunda

Director: Viktor Kossakovsky

16. A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks

Director: John Maggio

15. Wojnarowicz

Director: Chris McKim

14. A Glitch in the Matrix

Director: Rodney Ascher

13. West Side Story

Director: Steven Spielberg

12. Spencer

Director: Pablo Larrain

11. Nightmare Alley

Director: Guillermo del Toro

10. Bring it Home

Director: Carl Kriss

9. The Father

Director: Florian Zeller

8. Quo Vadis, Aida?

Director: Jasmila Zbanic

7. Acasa, My Home

Director: Radu Ciorniciuc

6. Minari

Director: Lee Isaac Chung

5. 4 Hours at the Capitol

Director: Jamie Roberts

4. The French Dispatch

Director: Wes Anderson

3. This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection

Director: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

2. The Amusement Park

Director: George A. Romero

1. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Director: Jason Reitman