Noticias

[Editor’s note: This list was originally published in December. It has since been updated to include new films from the director.]

Yorgos Lanthimos’ films all look different from each other, but they feel the same. Since the Greek director has made the transition from independent Greek cinema to larger Hollywood productions, the washed-out, largely white palettes and simple trappings of his earliest films have given way to more sumptuous cinematography and staging. Even the frills of thrillers like “The Lobster” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” feel bare-bones compared to his recent embrace of the costume drama with “The Favourite” and “Poor Things,” both of which feature alternatively gorgeous and (intentionally!) garish production design and costuming.

But when you look past the budget and the aesthetics of each film, every movie that Lanthimos has made feels like they share a similar cinematic language. The characters in his films tend to communicate through stilted but natural dialogue that often tilts toward deadpan, and hide their cruelty behind politeness and social niceties.

Fans of Greek surrealist filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos know that there's a lot to love about his dark, bizarre films, but it can be very difficult to recommend them to people. Social rules are often thrown out the window and what we think of as standard human behavior is often turned on its head, which make his films uncomfortable even before digging into some of the tougher subject matter. For those who are willing to view the world through Lanthimos' slightly tilted (and fish-eyed) lens, however, these films are beautiful explorations of the human condition. But which is the best? If someone were going to dip their toe into his work, or only had the time and energy to watch one film, which film should they pick? 

Fear not, intrepid film fan, because I'm here with the definitive /Film ranking of all of Lanthimos' feature films -- from his earliest Greek-language efforts to his latest,...

For all of his seemingly out-there ideas and distinctive obsessions, Oscar-nominated Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is one of world cinema’s most consistent creators. Even in his earliest solo feature, the hard-to-find “Kinetta,” Lanthimos’ unique aesthetic and worldview takes center stage. In the 2005 feature, bound for a U.S. release after all these years, Lanthimos’ panache for building out disturbing self-contained worlds that are bound by their own wild logic and weirdo rules is clear.

Though the film screened at various festivals in 2005 and 2006, it was never released stateside. Thanks to New York’s Museum of the Moving Image, the film will finally be available to American audiences, care of an upcoming run at the Queens institution. The film stars Aris Servetalis, Evangelia Randou, and Costas Xikominos.

Per the film’s official synopsis: “In a desolate Greek resort town, three tenuously connected people are motivated by mysterious impulses. A plain-clothes...