Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has established a reputation for ambitious storytelling and a distinctive visual style. With a career spanning decades, Guadagnino has directed films that range from romantic dramas to horror tales. These films have sometimes polarized critics and audiences alike. While some of his movies have received praise and earned recognition, others have been met with either mixed or negative reviews.
Luca Guadagnino made his feature directorial debut in 1999 and has since then directed 10 films. Like many great filmmakers, Guadagnino developed a passion for filmmaking at an early age, as an adolescent. Since his directorial debut, the Italian filmmaker has collaborated with several actors, such as Tilda Swinton. With an upcoming biographical comedy centered on OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, here’s a critical look at all Luca Guadagnino movies, and how they rank from worst to best.
10. Melissa P. (2005)
IMDb: 4.7/10
Metacritic: 41%
Rotten Tomatoes: 31%
The 2005 erotic drama Melissa P. was Luca Guadagnino’s sophomore feature film. The film is adapted from Melissa Panarello’s 2003 semi-autobiographical novel One Hundred Strokes of the Brush Before Bed. The film’s plot follows 16-year-old Melissa (María Valverde), a young girl in Sicily, as she awakens to her sexuality. It explores all the complications that come with youth and desire. While several critics felt the film showed promise, especially in the lead performance by Valverde, others who reviewed it in later years noted it lacked coherence and distinctiveness compared to Guadagnino’s later works.
9. The Protagonists (1999)
IMDb: 5.3/10
Metacritic: 47%
The Italian crime thriller The Protagonists is Luca Guadagnino’s feature directorial debut. Set in London, the film’s plot centers around an Italian film crew trying to reconstruct a murder committed by two teenagers. Tilda Swinton led the cast, playing the Actress. It was the first of several collaborations between Swinton and Luca Guadagnino. The Protagonists divided critics. While some praised its ambition and experimental structure, others found the pacing and narrative coherence to be problematic.
8. After the Hunt (2025)
IMDb: 6/10
Metacritic: 57%
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
This 2025 psychological thriller is the latest work by Luca Guadagnino. The film’s star-studded cast comprises Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield. After the Hunt’s plot revolves around accusations of sexual misconduct in a university setting and the fallout for various characters. Critical reviews were generally mixed. Those who praised it praised performances (especially Roberts’s) and the ambitious subject matter. On the other hand, those who critiqued it felt that the film became muddled, evasive, and overly ambiguous.
7. Suspiria (2018)
IMDb: 6.7/10
Metacritic: 64%
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
Luca Guadagnino’s supernatural horror film Suspiria was a reimagining of Dario Argento’s 1977 Italian film of the same name. Interestingly, this 1977 version is one of Guadagnino’s influences as a filmmaker. Set in 1970s Cold War Berlin, Suspiria features dancers and occult elements, with Dakota Johnson and Tilda Swinton in prominent roles. The film received generally favorable reviews but was highly polarizing. Critics praised its ambition, visuals, and performances. However, audiences were less enthused, as the movie was a Box Office disappointment.
6. Queer (2024)
IMDb: 6.4/10
Metacritic: 72%
Rotten Tomatoes: 77%
Daniel Craig leads the cast of Luca Guadagnino’s period romantic drama Queer. The movie is adapted from William S. Burroughs’ 1985 novella. Its plot follows an American expatriate in Mexico City who becomes fascinated with a younger American expatriate. The duo eventually ventures into a surreal quest in the jungle. Queer was well-received by critics, with Daniel Craig singled out for praise.
5. A Bigger Splash (2015)
IMDb: 6.4/10
Metacritic: 74%
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
A Bigger Splash is the second installment in Luca Guadagnino’s Desire trilogy. Set on the Italian island of Pantelleria, the film stars Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson, and Matthias Schoenaerts. It centers around a rock star recovering from surgery. Her vacation is disrupted by the arrival of her ex, a music producer, and his daughter, sparking tensions. Like most of his films, the only consensus critique it has is regarding its pacing.
4. Bones and All (2022)
IMDb: 6.8/10
Metacritic: 74%
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
Based on Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel, Bones and All is about a young woman, Maren Yearly (Taylor Russell), with unusual appetites who travels through the American Midwest. Along the way, she develops a relationship with a young man named Lee (Timothée Chalamet), who shares her strange condition. Critics applauded the performances, especially those of the leads, as well as Luca Guadagnino’s ability to balance horror and romance.
3. I Am Love (2009)
IMDb: 7/10
Metacritic: 79%
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
This Italian romantic drama is the first installment in Luca Guadagnino’s Desire trilogy. In the film, Tilda Swinton plays the matriarch of a wealthy Milanese family whose normal life is disrupted when she embarks on a passionate affair with her son’s friend, a chef. The movie involved glamour, family dynamics, and a contrast between public image and private desires. The movie was a critical and commercial success, bagging an Oscar nomination for Best Costume Design.
2. Challengers (2024)
IMDb: 7/10
Metacritic: 82%
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
One of Luca Guadagnino’s most recent and popular films is the 2024 romantic sports drama Challengers. Starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist, the story centers on professional tennis, personal and romantic competition, and a complex love triangle among former friends. Everything worked well for Challengers, from the performances, narrative energy, visual style, and soundtrack. To date, it remains Luca Guadagnino’s highest-grossing film, with earnings of $96 million at the Box Office.
1. Call Me by Your Name (2017)
IMDb: 7.8/10
Metacritic: 94%
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name remains the filmmaker’s top-rated film. The coming-of-age romantic drama is the third and final installment in Guadagnino’s Desire trilogy, and the most successful of the series. The film follows Elio (Timothée Chalamet), a Jewish French-Italian boy living in rural Northern Italy with his parents.
After a doctoral assistant, Oliver (Armie Hammer), moves in with Elio’s family for the summer, their relationship gradually intensifies, transforming Elio’s understanding of love and self. Call Me by Your Name was critically acclaimed. Critics praised it for its perfect blend of themes. For fans of Luca Guadagnino’s, the film embodies the filmmaker’s unique approach to filmmaking.
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