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Edition · 2011
The Year in Film · 2011

Best of 2011

The films that defined 2011 — ranked by IMDb score.


These films defined 2011 — the year's highest-rated releases, ranked by IMDb score. Some are awards bait, some are popcorn fare, some quietly snuck in under the radar. All earned their place on the list.

  1. 01.
    The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

    The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

    2011·Dir. Laurence Connor·160 min·8.8

    A disfigured musical genius, hidden away in the Paris Opera House, terrorises the opera company for the unwitting benefit of a young protégée whom he trains and loves. The 25th anniversary of the first public performance of Phantom of the Opera was celebrated with a grand performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

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  2. 02.
    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

    Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair

    2011·Dir. Quentin Tarantino·254 min·8.7

    A former assassin, known simply as The Bride, wakes from a coma four years after her jealous ex-lover Bill attempts to murder her on her wedding day. Fueled by an insatiable desire for revenge, she vows to get even with every person who contributed to the loss of her unborn child, her entire wedding party, and four years of her life. After devising a hit list, The Bride sets off on her quest, enduring unspeakable injury and unscrupulous enemies.

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  3. 03.
    The Intouchables

    The Intouchables

    2011·Dir. Olivier Nakache·113 min·8.5

    A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

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  4. 04.
    Samsara

    Samsara

    2011·Dir. Ron Fricke·102 min·8.4

    Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.

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  5. 05.
    Aaranya Kaandam

    Aaranya Kaandam

    2011·Dir. Thiagarajan Kumararaja·126 min·8.4

    A drama that unfolds between two rival mafia gangs on a single day when a bag of cocaine gets stolen by two innocent people.

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  6. 06.
    A Separation

    A Separation

    2011·Dir. Asghar Farhadi·123 min·8.3

    A married couple are faced with a difficult decision - to improve the life of their child by moving to another country or to stay in Iran and look after a deteriorating parent who has Alzheimer's disease.

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  7. 07.
    Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater

    Louis C.K.: Live at the Beacon Theater

    2011·Dir. Louis C.K.·62 min·8.3

    Recorded November 10th, 2011 as part of the New York Comedy Festival, and only available for purchase online, Louis C.K. follows up his 2010 concert film Hilarious with a new hour’s worth of shrewdly observed and periodically profane material. He starts with making his own kind of please-turn-off-your-cell-phone announcement, as well as a warning not to text or tweet during the show: “Just live your life,” he asks. Whether he’s talking about a unique way to drop a rental car off at an airport or describing why a man in his 40s should not smoke dope, it’s terrific, humane, carried-to-crazed-extremes stuff.

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  8. 08.
    Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

    Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

    2011·Dir. Zoya Akhtar·154 min·8.2

    Three friends who were inseparable in childhood decide to go on a three-week-long bachelor road trip to Spain, in order to re-establish their bond and explore thrilling adventures, before one of them gets married. What will they learn of themselves and each other during the adventure?

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  9. 09.
    Bol

    Bol

    2011·Dir. Shoaib Mansoor·165 min·8.2

    The patriarch of a religious Muslim family refuses to accept his intersex child, tearing his family apart.

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  10. 10.
    Deiva Thirumagal

    Deiva Thirumagal

    2011·Dir. A. L. Vijay·162 min·8.2

    An intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter, and in the process teaches his opponent lawyer the value of love and family.

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  11. 11.
    I Don't Want to Go Back Alone

    I Don't Want to Go Back Alone

    2011·Dir. Daniel Ribeiro·17 min·8.2

    The arrival of a new student in school changes Leonardo's life. This 15 year-old blind teenager has to deal with the jealousy of his friend Giovana while figuring out the new feelings he's having towards his new friend, Gabriel.

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  12. 12.
    The Art of Flight

    The Art of Flight

    2011·Dir. Curt Morgan·80 min·8.2

    Iconic snowboarder Travis Rice and friends redefine what is possible in the mountains. Experience the highs, as new tricks are landed and new zones opened, alongside the lows, where avalanches, accidents, and wrong-turns strike.

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  13. 13.
    Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

    Foo Fighters: Back and Forth

    2011·Dir. James Moll·101 min·8.2

    FOO FIGHTERS BACK AND FORTH chronicles the 16 year history of the Foo Fighters: from the band's very first songs created as cassette demos Dave Grohl recorded during his tenure as Nirvana's drummer, through its ascent to their Grammy-winning, multi-platinum, arena and stadium headlining status as one of the biggest rock bands on the planet.

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  14. 14.
    Pearl Jam Twenty

    Pearl Jam Twenty

    2011·Dir. Cameron Crowe·119 min·8.2

    Carved from over 1,200 hours of footage spanning the band’s career, Pearl Jam: Twenty is the definitive portrait of Pearl Jam. Part concert film, part intimate insider-hang, and part testimonial to the power of music.

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  15. 15.
    Traffic

    Traffic

    2011·Dir. Rajesh Pillai·122 min·8.1

    An emotional thriller based on a road trip from Kochi to Palakkad. Inspired from the real events that happened in Chennai.

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  16. 16.
    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

    Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

    2011·Dir. David Yates·130 min·8.1

    Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills.

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  17. 17.
    Warrior

    Warrior

    2011·Dir. Gavin O'Connor·140 min·8.1

    The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament – a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

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  18. 18.
    Aadukalam

    Aadukalam

    2011·Dir. Vetrimaaran·160 min·8.1

    Pettaikaaran is famous in his town for an impeccable track record of successes in rooster fights. When one of his aides, Karuppu, goes against his word in a fight, it leads to an enmity between them.

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  19. 19.
    Zeitgeist: Moving Forward

    Zeitgeist: Moving Forward

    2011·Dir. Peter Joseph·161 min·8.1

    A presentation of a case for a needed transition out of the current socioeconomic monetary paradigm which governs the entire world society. This subject matter will transcend the issues of cultural relativism and traditional ideology and move to relate the core, empirical 'life ground' attributes of human and social survival, extrapolating those immutable natural laws into a new sustainable social paradigm called a 'Resource-Based Economy'.

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  20. 20.
    Asmaa

    Asmaa

    2011·Dir. Amr Salama·96 min·8.1

    A woman who suffers from AIDS decides not to surrender to the fatal disease. She exerts huge efforts in trying to recover or by helping those who suffer the same disease by giving them glimmers of hope.

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  21. 21.
    Baishe Srabon

    Baishe Srabon

    2011·Dir. Srijit Mukherji·138 min·8.1

    A serial killer terrorises the city of Kolkata and leaves behind verses of Bengali poetry. The police seek the help of a retired officer to unravel the case and find the perpetrator.

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  22. 22.
    The Help

    The Help

    2011·Dir. Tate Taylor·146 min·8.1

    Aibileen Clark is a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children and has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson is an African-American maid who has often offended her employers despite her family's struggles with money and her desperate need for jobs; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is a young white woman who has recently moved back home after graduating college to find out her childhood maid has mysteriously disappeared. These three stories intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help"; yet they are always kept at a certain distance because of racial lines.

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  23. 23.
    Silenced

    Silenced

    2011·Dir. Hwang Dong-hyuk·125 min·8.0

    Based on actual events that took place at Gwangju Inhwa School for the hearing-impaired, where young deaf students were the victims of repeated sexual assaults by faculty members over a period of five years in the early 2000s.

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  24. 24.
    Fight for Your Right Revisited

    Fight for Your Right Revisited

    2011·Dir. Adam Yauch·30 min·8.0

    Fight for Your Right Revisited stars Danny McBride, Seth Rogen, and Elijah Wood as the "young" Beastie Boys from the past and Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and Will Ferrell as the "old" Beastie Boys from the future. The story begins where the video for "Fight for Your Right (1987)" ended. It features music from the band's album Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.

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  25. 25.
    My Grandfather's People

    My Grandfather's People

    2011·Dir. Çağan Irmak·123 min·8.0

    A feature film that tells the story of the director's grandfather who was forced to leave Crete in the 1920s during the Greek-Turkish population exchange.

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  26. 26.
    Bill Cunningham New York

    Bill Cunningham New York

    2011·Dir. Richard Press·85 min·7.9

    Doubling as a cartography of the ever-changing city, Bill Cunningham New York portrays the secluded pioneer of street fashion with grace and heart.

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  27. 27.
    Five Broken Cameras

    Five Broken Cameras

    2011·Dir. Emad Burnat·90 min·7.9

    Five broken cameras – and each one has a powerful tale to tell. Embedded in the bullet-ridden remains of digital technology is the story of Emad Burnat, a farmer from the Palestinian village of Bil’in, which famously chose nonviolent resistance when the Israeli army encroached upon its land to make room for Jewish colonists. Emad buys his first camera in 2005 to document the birth of his fourth son, Gibreel. Over the course of the film, he becomes the peaceful archivist of an escalating struggle as olive trees are bulldozed, lives are lost, and a wall is built to segregate burgeoning Israeli settlements.

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  28. 28.
    TT3D: Closer to the Edge

    TT3D: Closer to the Edge

    2011·Dir. Richard De Aragues·104 min·7.9

    By vividly recounting the TT's legendary rivalries and the Isle of Man's unique road racing history, this 3D feature documentary discovers why modern TT riders still risk their lives to win the world's most dangerous race. The Isle of Man Tourist Trophy is the greatest motorcycle road race in the world, the ultimate challenge for rider and machine. It has always called for a commitment far beyond any other racing event, and many have made the ultimate sacrifice in their quest for victory. A story about freedom of choice, the strength of human spirit and the will to win. It's also an examination of what motivates those rare few, this elite band of brothers who risk everything to win.

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  29. 29.
    Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

    Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

    2011·Dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan·163 min·7.8

    A group of men lead a search for a victim of a murder to whom a suspect named Kenan and his mentally challenged brother confessed. However, the search is proving more difficult than expected as Kenan is fuzzy as to the body's location. As the group continues looking and the night begins dragging on, its members can't help but chat with each other about everyday life, as the conversations turn more and more serious, revealing their deeper secrets and profound stories.

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  30. 30.
    Stanley Ka Dabba

    Stanley Ka Dabba

    2011·Dir. Amole Gupte·96 min·7.8

    School boy Stanley does not carry lunch, which is noticed by a teacher who forces kids to share their food with him. He soon warns Stanley that he must get a lunch box if he wants to attend school.

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  31. 31.
    Rockstar

    Rockstar

    2011·Dir. Imtiaz Ali·159 min·7.8

    College student Janardhan is a simpleton who desperately seeks inspiration for the musician inside him. Although heartbreak helps him reach his goal, it also leads him to self-destruction.

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  32. 32.
    Drive

    Drive

    2011·Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn·100 min·7.8

    Driver is a skilled Hollywood stuntman who moonlights as a getaway driver for criminals. Though he projects an icy exterior, lately he's been warming up to a pretty neighbor named Irene and her young son, Benicio. When Irene's husband gets out of jail, he enlists Driver's help in a million-dollar heist. The job goes horribly wrong, and Driver must risk his life to protect Irene and Benicio from the vengeful masterminds behind the robbery.

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  33. 33.
    Hotarubi no Mori e

    Hotarubi no Mori e

    2011·Dir. Takahiro Omori·45 min·7.8

    One hot summer day a little girl gets lost in an enchanted forest of the mountain god where spirits reside. A young boy appears before her, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear. And so a wondrous adventure awaits...

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  34. 34.
    Jiro Dreams of Sushi

    Jiro Dreams of Sushi

    2011·Dir. David Gelb·82 min·7.8

    Revered sushi chef Jiro Ono strives for perfection in his work, while his eldest son, Yoshikazu, has trouble living up to his father's legacy.

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  35. 35.
    The Artist

    The Artist

    2011·Dir. Michel Hazanavicius·100 min·7.8

    Hollywood, 1927: As silent movie star George Valentin wonders if the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion, he sparks with Peppy Miller, a young dancer set for a big break.

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  36. 36.
    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

    The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

    2011·Dir. David Fincher·158 min·7.8

    Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.

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  37. 37.
    Woody Allen: A Documentary

    Woody Allen: A Documentary

    2011·Dir. Robert B. Weide·193 min·7.7

    An intense portrait of the iconic filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician Woody Allen: his life, family and friends; his writing and directing habits, and his relationship with performers.

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  38. 38.
    Always

    Always

    2011·Dir. Song Il-gon·108 min·7.7

    A former boxer turned parking lot attendant finds hope in the love of the blind telemarketer who walks into his booth one day.

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  39. 39.
    Detachment

    Detachment

    2011·Dir. Tony Kaye·98 min·7.7

    A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long enough to form any semblance of sentient attachment.

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  40. 40.
    Forks Over Knives

    Forks Over Knives

    2011·Dir. Lee Fulkerson·90 min·7.7

    Examines the profound claim that most; if not all; of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled; or even reversed; by rejecting our present menu of animal-based and processed foods. The idea of food as medicine is put to the test. Cameras follow "reality patients" who have chronic conditions from heart disease to diabetes. Doctors teach these patients how to adopt a whole-foods, plant-based diet as the primary approach to treat their ailments - while the challenges and triumphs of their journeys are revealed.

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— End of Chapter —