From ‘Metropolis’ to ‘Parasite’: 100 best international movies of all time

(STACKER) – International cinema has always had a profound influence on American movies. At the same time, many great films in languages other than English retool the styles and genres of popular American movies. Have you ever forgotten you were reading subtitles as you were swept up in the action on screen? Westerns, film noirs, and even romances tap into universal visual languages of movement, action, and emotion that draw in worldwide audiences.

Stacker compiled data, as of July 2023, on all international movies to come up with a Stacker score—a weighted index split evenly between IMDb and Metacritic scores. To qualify, the film had to be primarily in a language other than English, produced primarily outside of the U.S., have a Metascore, and have at least 5,000 votes. Ties were broken by IMDb user votes, and scores from critics and audiences were combined to give you a sense of a movie’s reception.

This list of the 100 best international movies includes the science fiction masterpiece of German expressionist style, “Metropolis,” with its epic, futuristic city and iconic robot gone bad. You’ll also find the smash hit “Parasite,” a taut thriller from South Korea that captured acclaim across the globe for its suspenseful, tragicomic look at two families from different classes.

We feature work from major auteurs of European cinema like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut of the French New Wave, Vittorio De Sica of Italian neorealism, and Spanish surrealist Luis Buñuel. Our list also includes major Japanese masterpieces from Akira Kurosawa, Masaki Kobayashi, and Hirokazu Kore-eda; Hong Kong cinema’s Wong Kar-wai; Tawainese auteurs Ang Lee and Edward Yang; and contemporary films from South Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and Bong Joon Ho.

International cinema often has a political or philosophical bent—a rebel core—it frequently explores the human condition within histories of oppression. While African cinema and women directors are underrepresented on this list and across the international film festival circuit, Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” from France masterfully reinvents ideas around gendered gaze. Get ready for films you’ve heard about and obscure gems that just may become your new cinematic obsession.

#100. The Mother (1973)

– Director: Jean Eustache
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 210 minutes

#99. Gett (2014)

– Directors: Ronit Elkabetz, Shlomi Elkabetz
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 115 minutes

#98. Maborosi (1995)

– Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Runtime: 110 minutes

#97. A Summer’s Tale (1996)

– Director: Éric Rohmer
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 113 minutes

#96. Tristana (1970)

– Director: Luis Buñuel
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Runtime: 99 minutes

#95. After Life (1998)

– Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 119 minutes

#94. System Crasher (2019)

– Director: Nora Fingscheidt
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 125 minutes

#93. Petite Maman (2021)

– Director: Céline Sciamma
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Runtime: 73 minutes

#92. The Blue Angel (1930)

– Director: Josef von Sternberg
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 104 minutes

#91. Masculine Feminine (1966)

– Director: Jean-Luc Godard
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Runtime: 103 minutes

#90. Days of Being Wild (1990)

– Director: Wong Kar-wai
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Runtime: 94 minutes

#89. The Class (2008)

– Director: Laurent Cantet
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Runtime: 128 minutes

#88. Drive My Car (2021)

– Director: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 179 minutes

#87. The Wages of Fear (1953)

– Director: Henri-Georges Clouzot
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 85
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 131 minutes

#86. Three Colors: White (1994)

– Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 92 minutes

#85. Persona (1966)

– Director: Ingmar Bergman
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 86
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 83 minutes

#84. Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)

– Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 180 minutes

#83. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)

– Director: Hayao Miyazaki
– Stacker score: 90.76
– Metascore: 86
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 86 minutes

#82. Still Walking (2008)

– Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 115 minutes

#81. Nobody Knows (2004)

– Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 141 minutes

#80. Z (1969)

– Director: Costa-Gavras
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 86
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 127 minutes

#79. Goodbye, Children (1987)

– Director: Louis Malle
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 104 minutes

#78. Leviathan (2014)

– Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 140 minutes

#77. The Triplets of Belleville (2003)

– Director: Sylvain Chomet
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 80 minutes

#76. The Worst Person in the World (2021)

– Director: Joachim Trier
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 7.8

#75. A Prophet (2009)

– Director: Jacques Audiard
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 155 minutes

#74. In the Mood for Love (2000)

– Director: Wong Kar-wai
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 87
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 98 minutes

#73. The Artist (2011)

– Director: Michel Hazanavicius
– Stacker score: 91.30
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 100 minutes

#72. The Wild Child (1970)

– Director: François Truffaut
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Runtime: 83 minutes

#71. L’Argent (1983)

– Director: Robert Bresson
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Runtime: 85 minutes

#70. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

– Director: Elio Petri
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 115 minutes

#69. Band of Outsiders (1964)

– Director: Jean-Luc Godard
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 95 minutes

#68. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)

– Director: Isao Takahata
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 137 minutes

#67. Winter Sleep (2014)

– Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 196 minutes

#66. Wild Strawberries (1957)

– Director: Ingmar Bergman
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 91 minutes

#65. The Seventh Seal (1957)

– Director: Ingmar Bergman
– Stacker score: 91.85
– Metascore: 88
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 96 minutes

#64. I Was Born, But… (1932)

– Director: Yasujirô Ozu
– Stacker score: 92.39
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 100 minutes

#63. Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

– Director: Chantal Akerman
– Stacker score: 92.39
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 7.6
– Runtime: 202 minutes

#62. The Hidden Fortress (1958)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 92.39
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 126 minutes

#61. Persepolis (2007)

– Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi
– Stacker score: 92.39
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 96 minutes

#60. Das Boot (1981)

– Director: Wolfgang Petersen
– Stacker score: 92.39
– Metascore: 86
– IMDb user rating: 8.4
– Runtime: 149 minutes

#59. An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

– Director: Yasujirô Ozu
– Stacker score: 92.93
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 113 minutes

#58. The Red Circle (1970)

– Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
– Stacker score: 92.93
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 140 minutes

#57. Beauty and the Beast (1946)

– Directors: Jean Cocteau, René Clément
– Stacker score: 92.93
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 93 minutes

#56. The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972)

– Director: Luis Buñuel
– Stacker score: 92.93
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 102 minutes

#55. Harakiri (1962)

– Director: Masaki Kobayashi
– Stacker score: 92.93
– Metascore: 85
– IMDb user rating: 8.6
– Runtime: 133 minutes

#54. Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)

– Director: Anurag Kashyap
– Stacker score: 92.93
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 321 minutes

#53. Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

– Directors: Béla Tarr, Ágnes Hranitzky
– Stacker score: 93.48
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 145 minutes

#52. Shoplifters (2018)

– Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
– Stacker score: 93.48
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 121 minutes

#51. Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)

– Director: Jacques Rivette
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Runtime: 193 minutes

#50. Journey to Italy (1954)

– Director: Roberto Rossellini
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Runtime: 97 minutes

#49. Samurai Rebellion (1967)

– Director: Masaki Kobayashi
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 128 minutes

#48. Red Beard (1965)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 185 minutes

#47. Elevator to the Gallows (1958)

– Director: Louis Malle
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 91 minutes

#46. Solaris (1972)

– Director: Andrei Tarkovsky
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 167 minutes

#45. 8½ (1963)

– Director: Federico Fellini
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 138 minutes

#44. Roma (2018)

– Director: Alfonso Cuarón
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 96
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 135 minutes

#43. The Lives of Others (2006)

– Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
– Stacker score: 94.02
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 8.4
– Runtime: 137 minutes

#42. A Brighter Summer Day (1991)

– Director: Edward Yang
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 91
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 237 minutes

#41. Close-Up (1990)

– Director: Abbas Kiarostami
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 98 minutes

#40. The Best of Youth (2003)

– Director: Marco Tullio Giordana
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 89
– IMDb user rating: 8.5
– Runtime: 366 minutes

#39. Umberto D. (1952)

– Director: Vittorio De Sica
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 89 minutes

#38. Jules and Jim (1962)

– Director: François Truffaut
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 97
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 105 minutes

#37. High and Low (1963)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 90
– IMDb user rating: 8.4
– Runtime: 143 minutes

#36. Amour (2012)

– Director: Michael Haneke
– Stacker score: 94.57
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 127 minutes

#35. Pépé le Moko (1937)

– Director: Julien Duvivier
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Runtime: 94 minutes

#34. Early Summer (1951)

– Director: Yasujirô Ozu
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 125 minutes

#33. Late Spring (1949)

– Director: Yasujirô Ozu
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 108 minutes

#32. Yi Yi (2000)

– Director: Edward Yang
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 173 minutes

#31. La Dolce Vita (1960)

– Director: Federico Fellini
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 174 minutes

#30. Ikiru (1952)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 92
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 143 minutes

#29. Yojimbo (1961)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 95.11
– Metascore: 93
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 110 minutes

#28. Au hasard Balthazar (1966)

– Director: Robert Bresson
– Stacker score: 95.65
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 95 minutes

#27. Sunrise (1927)

– Director: F.W. Murnau
– Stacker score: 95.65
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 94 minutes

#26. Battleship Potemkin (1925)

– Director: Sergei Eisenstein
– Stacker score: 95.65
– Metascore: 97
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 66 minutes

#25. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)

– Director: Cristian Mungiu
– Stacker score: 95.65
– Metascore: 97
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 113 minutes

#24. Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

– Director: Céline Sciamma
– Stacker score: 95.65
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 122 minutes

#23. Playtime (1967)

– Director: Jacques Tati
– Stacker score: 96.20
– Metascore: 99
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Runtime: 155 minutes

#22. Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

– Director: Jasmila Zbanic
– Stacker score: 96.20
– Metascore: 97
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 101 minutes

#21. The Battle of Algiers (1966)

– Director: Gillo Pontecorvo
– Stacker score: 96.20
– Metascore: 96
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 121 minutes

#20. The Rules of the Game (1939)

– Director: Jean Renoir
– Stacker score: 96.74
– Metascore: 99
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 110 minutes

#19. Rififi (1955)

– Director: Jules Dassin
– Stacker score: 96.74
– Metascore: 97
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 118 minutes

#18. A Separation (2011)

– Director: Asghar Farhadi
– Stacker score: 96.74
– Metascore: 95
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 123 minutes

#17. Children of Paradise (1945)

– Director: Marcel Carné
– Stacker score: 97.28
– Metascore: 96
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 189 minutes

#16. The Conformist (1970)

– Director: Bernardo Bertolucci
– Stacker score: 97.28
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Runtime: 113 minutes

#15. Ran (1985)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 97.28
– Metascore: 97
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 162 minutes

#14. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

– Director: Isao Takahata
– Stacker score: 97.28
– Metascore: 94
– IMDb user rating: 8.5
– Runtime: 89 minutes

#13. Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

– Director: Kenji Mizoguchi
– Stacker score: 97.83
– Metascore: 96
– IMDb user rating: 8.4
– Runtime: 124 minutes

#12. Army of Shadows (1969)

– Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
– Stacker score: 97.83
– Metascore: 99
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 145 minutes

#11. The Leopard (1963)

– Director: Luchino Visconti
– Stacker score: 97.83
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 8.0
– Runtime: 186 minutes

#10. The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

– Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
– Stacker score: 97.83
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 114 minutes

#9. Rashomon (1950)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 97.83
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 88 minutes

#8. Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

– Director: Guillermo del Toro
– Stacker score: 97.83
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 118 minutes

#7. Fanny and Alexander (1982)

– Director: Ingmar Bergman
– Stacker score: 98.37
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 188 minutes

#6. Three Colors: Red (1994)

– Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
– Stacker score: 98.37
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 8.1
– Runtime: 99 minutes

#5. Metropolis (1927)

– Director: Fritz Lang
– Stacker score: 98.37
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 8.3
– Runtime: 153 minutes

#4. Parasite (2019)

– Director: Bong Joon Ho
– Stacker score: 98.37
– Metascore: 96
– IMDb user rating: 8.5
– Runtime: 132 minutes

#3. Tokyo Story (1953)

– Director: Yasujirô Ozu
– Stacker score: 98.91
– Metascore: 100
– IMDb user rating: 8.2
– Runtime: 136 minutes

#2. Spirited Away (2001)

– Director: Hayao Miyazaki
– Stacker score: 98.91
– Metascore: 96
– IMDb user rating: 8.6
– Runtime: 125 minutes

#1. Seven Samurai (1954)

– Director: Akira Kurosawa
– Stacker score: 100
– Metascore: 98
– IMDb user rating: 8.6
– Runtime: 207 minutes