Recommended Viewing: 135+ First Features 1976–2026

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Yesterday, perhaps you enjoyed my analysis of the lessons I learned from examining some of the best first features of the last half century. I was looking for trends, but I know you may just be looking for a good movie to watch. So, lucky readers, you know I like my lists, but I’ve learned you like them too. The good news is I have one for you. The even better news is we found a sponsor for this post, so I can share it freely with all of you.

You might want to check out yesterday’s post for a wee bit more context though if you missed it.

Recommended Viewing / 135+ First Features:

The Last 50 Years, 1976–2026 (Alphabetized ignoring initial A / An / The)

1. The Act of Killing — Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn & Anonymous (2012)

2. Afterschool — Antonio Campos (2008)

3. Aftersun — Charlotte Wells (2022)

4. Alice — Jan Švankmajer (1988)

5. American Beauty — Sam Mendes (1999)

6. Amores perros — Alejandro González Iñárritu (2000)

7. As Tears Go By — Wong Kar-wai (1988)

8. Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner — Zacharias Kunuk (2001)

9. Atlantics — Mati Diop (2019)

10. The Babadook — Jennifer Kent (2014)

11. Backrooms — Kane Parsons (2026)

12. Beasts of the Southern Wild — Benh Zeitlin (2012)

13. Beginning — Dea Kulumbegashvili (2020)

14. Being John Malkovich — Spike Jonze (1999)

15. The Blair Witch Project — Daniel Myrick & Eduardo Sánchez (1999)

16. Blood Simple — Joel Coen (1984)

17. Body Heat — Lawrence Kasdan (1981)

18. Bottle Rocket — Wes Anderson (1996)

19. Bound — Lana & Lilly Wachowski (1996)

20. Boy Meets Girl — Leos Carax (1984)

21. Boyz n the Hood — John Singleton (1991)

22. Brick — Rian Johnson (2005)

23. Capturing the Friedmans — Andrew Jarecki (2003)

24. Caramel — Nadine Labaki (2007)

25. Chameleon Street — Wendell B. Harris Jr. (1990)

26. Chan Is Missing — Wayne Wang (1982)

27. Clerks — Kevin Smith (1994)

28. Clean, Shaven — Lodge Kerrigan (1993)

29. Columbus — Kogonada (2017)

30. Control — Anton Corbijn (2007)

31. Cronos — Guillermo del Toro (1993)

32. Daughters of the Dust — Julie Dash (1991)

33. Duck Season — Fernando Eimbcke (2004)

34. The Element of Crime — Lars von Trier (1984)

35. Eraserhead — David Lynch (1977)

36. Eve’s Bayou — Kasi Lemmons (1997)

37. Ex Machina — Alex Garland (2014)

38. The Fits — Anna Rose Holmer (2015)

39. Following — Christopher Nolan (1998)

40. Fruitvale Station — Ryan Coogler (2013)

41. Funny Ha Ha — Andrew Bujalski (2002)

42. Gates of Heaven — Errol Morris (1978)

43. George Washington — David Gordon Green (2000)

44. Get Out — Jordan Peele (2017)

45. Girlfriends — Claudia Weill (1978)

46. Go Fish — Rose Troche (1994)

47. Green Fish — Lee Chang-dong (1997)

48. Güeros — Alonso Ruizpalacios (2014)

49. La Haine — Mathieu Kassovitz (1995)

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50. Hale County This Morning, This Evening — RaMell Ross (2018)

51. Harlan County, USA — Barbara Kopple (1976)

52. Hedwig and the Angry Inch — John Cameron Mitchell (2001)

53. Hereditary — Ari Aster (2018)

54. High Art — Lisa Cholodenko (1998)

55. Hollywood Shuffle — Robert Townsend (1987)

56. Honeyland — Tamara Kotevska & Ljubomir Stefanov (2019)

57. House Party — Reginald Hudlin (1990)

58. Hoop Dreams — Steve James (1994)

59. Hunger — Steve McQueen (2008)

60. I Like It Like That — Darnell Martin (1994)

61. Ilo Ilo — Anthony Chen (2013)

62. In the Bedroom — Todd Field (2001)

63. In the Company of Men — Neil LaBute (1997)

64. I Stand Alone — Gaspar Noé (1998)

65. James White — Josh Mond (2015)

66. Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. — Leslie Harris (1992)

67. Killer of Sheep — Charles Burnett (1977)

68. The Killing Fields — Roland Joffé (1984)

69. Koyaanisqatsi — Godfrey Reggio (1982)

70. Krisha — Trey Edward Shults (2015)

71. Laws of Gravity — Nick Gomez (1992)

72. Little Odessa — James Gray (1994)

73. The Lives of Others — Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (2006)

74. The Lost Daughter — Maggie Gyllenhaal (2021)

75. Love & Basketball — Gina Prince-Bythewood (2000)

    

76. Maborosi — Hirokazu Kore-eda (1995)

77. Mala Noche — Gus Van Sant (1985)

78. Maria Full of Grace — Joshua Marston (2004)

79. Martha Marcy May Marlene — Sean Durkin (2011)

80. Me and You and Everyone We Know — Miranda July (2005)

81. Medicine for Melancholy — Barry Jenkins (2008)

82. Menace II Society — Albert & Allen Hughes (1993)

83. Metropolitan — Whit Stillman (1990)

84. Minding the Gap — Bing Liu (2018)

85. Mustang — Deniz Gamze Ergüven (2015)

86. My Brilliant Career — Gillian Armstrong (1979)

87. My Father’s Shadow — Akinola Davies Jr. (2025)

88. The Myth of Fingerprints — Bart Freundlich (1997)

89. Novitiate — Maggie Betts (2017)

90. Ordinary People — Robert Redford (1980)

91. Palm Trees and Power Lines — Jamie Dack (2022)

92. Pariah — Dee Rees (2011)

93. Paris Is Burning — Jennie Livingston (1990)

94. Past Lives — Celine Song (2023)

95. Pee-wee’s Big Adventure — Tim Burton (1985)

96. Perfect Blue — Satoshi Kon (1997)

97. Pi — Darren Aronofsky (1998)

98. Poison — Todd Haynes (1991)

99. The President’s Cake — Hasan Hadi (2025)

100. Primer — Shane Carruth (2004)

     

101. Pushing Hands — Ang Lee (1991)

102. Ratcatcher — Lynne Ramsay (1999)

103. Raw — Julia Ducournau (2016)

104. Real Life — Albert Brooks (1979)

105. Rebels of the Neon God — Tsai Ming-liang (1992)

106. Red Road — Andrea Arnold (2006)

107. Red Sorghum — Zhang Yimou (1987)

108. Reprise — Joachim Trier (2006)

109. Reservoir Dogs — Quentin Tarantino (1992)

110. The Return — Andrey Zvyagintsev (2003)

111. Return of the Secaucus 7 — John Sayles (1980)

112. River of Grass — Kelly Reichardt (1994)

113. Roger & Me — Michael Moore (1989)

114. The Scent of Green Papaya — Tran Anh Hung (1993)

115. The Seventh Continent — Michael Haneke (1989

116. sex, lies, and videotape — Steven Soderbergh (1989)

117. Sexy Beast — Jonathan Glazer (2000)

118. The Shawshank Redemption — Frank Darabont (1994)

119. She’s Gotta Have It — Spike Lee (1986)

120. Slums of Beverly Hills — Tamara Jenkins (1998)

121. Sorry to Bother You — Boots Riley (2018)

122. Spanking the Monkey — David O. Russell (1994)

123. Suture — Scott McGehee & David Siegel (1993)

124. Sweetie — Jane Campion (1989)

125. Synecdoche, New York — Charlie Kaufman (2008)

126. Tarnation — Jonathan Caouette (2003)

127. Thirteen — Catherine Hardwicke (2003)

128. This Is Spinal Tap — Rob Reiner (1984)

129. The Tribe — Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (2014)

130. Toy Story — John Lasseter (1995)

     

131. The Unbelievable Truth — Hal Hartley (1989)

132. The Virgin Suicides — Sofia Coppola (1999)

133. Walking and Talking — Nicole Holofcener (1996)

134. The Watermelon Woman — Cheryl Dunye (1996)

135. The Witch — Robert Eggers (2015)

136. You Can Count on Me — Kenneth Lonergan (2000)

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