With a directorial career spanning over two decades, Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos has, so far, directed nine-released feature films. Lanthimos has frequently collaborated with two-time Academy Award-winning actress Emma Stone in the last decade. Lanthimos’ success in recent years has unarguably made him one of the greatest Greek filmmakers of all time.
However, having been raised by a professional basketball-playing father and basketball instructor, Yorgos Lanthimos was initially drawn into the world of professional basketball. His professional career as a basketball player was cut short after sustaining an injury. This setback led Lanthimos to study film and television directing at Athens’ Hellenic Cinema and Television School Stavrakos. With five directed short films and nine feature films to his credit, these are the best 6 Yorgos Lanthimos movies.
6. Dogtooth
Dogtooth is Yorgos Lanthimos’ third-directed feature film but his first in the absurdist subgenre. The movie follows a family whose parents have raised their children in a fenced-in compound, isolated from the outside world. As such, the parents have conjured several rules to keep the children in check. The parents assure the children they are ready and free to leave the compound when they lose a dogtooth (canine) and only with the aid of a car.
The children become more inquisitive as they grow older, especially the older daughter. Although several critics admitted Dogtooth might be disturbing for some audiences, the movie was a critical success. Yorgos Lanthimos received his first Academy Award nomination with Dogtooth, where it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. At the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, Dogtooth won two nominations for Un Certain Regard and Prix de la Jeunesse.
5. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Yorgos Lanthimos is known for his absurdist screenplays, which he co-wrote with fellow Greek writer Efthimis Filippou. In The Killing of a Sacred Deer, the movie revolves around the Murphy family. Its patriarch, Steven Murphy (Colin Farrell), is a cardiothoracic surgeon. Nicole Kidman played his wife, Anna Murphy, while Barry Keoghan played the 16-year-old Martin Lang. The Murphy family’s life becomes a nightmare after the father introduces Martin Lang and brings him home to meet his family.
Soon afterward, the family’s children, Kimberly “Kim” Murphy (Raffey Cassidy) and Robert “Bob” Murphy (Sunny Suljic), mysteriously become ill. Martin forces Steven to choose one family member to die to “balance things” after Martin’s father died while Steven was operating on him. The Killing of a Sacred Deer was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won Best Screenplay.
Watch The Killing of a Sacred Deer on Apple TV+
4. The Lobster
With an earned reputation for his type of films, The Lobster fits right into what is described as a classic Yorgos Lanthimos movie. With a screenplay co-written by his frequent collaborator, Greek writer Efthimis Filippou, The Lobster is an absurdist black comedy drama centered around its protagonist, David (played by Colin Farrell). After his wife leaves him for another man, David checks himself into a hotel. David is rightly informed of the hotel’s rules by its manager. With the hotel functioning for single people, failure to find a partner will result in being transformed into an animal of the person’s choosing.
The Lobster follows David’s encounters at the hotel and his quest to find a partner. The Lobster also starred Rachel Weisz, Olivia Colman, Jessica Barden, John C. Reilly, Michael Smiley, and Ben Whishaw. Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou received a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 89th Academy Awards. Similarly, the movie was nominated for Outstanding British Film at the BAFTA Awards and Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. However, it won the Jury Prize and Queer Palm – Special Mention at Cannes Film Festival.
Watch The Lobster on Apple TV+
3. Kinds of Kindness
Yorgos Lanthimos released his ninth-directed feature film, Kinds of Kindness, in 2024. The absurdist dark comedy anthology movie packs a star-studded ensemble cast. The movie is a collection of three different stories; it stars Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, Jesse Plemons, Hong Chau, Margaret Qualley, Mamoudou Athie, Hunter Schafer, and Joe Alwyn. Kinds of Kindness premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2024, to generally positive reviews, with praises for Lanthimos’ return to his known works. At the festival, Kinds of Kindness was nominated for the Palme d’Or.
2. The Favourite
In a screenplay co-written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, the 2018 The Favourite is a period black comedy. It brought together a few of Yorgos Lanthimos’ frequent collaborators, casting Olivia Colman as Queen Anne, Emma Stone as Abigail Masham, Baroness Masham, and Rachel Weisz as Lady Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. The movie’s plot follows Lady Sarah and Abigail Hill’s struggle to curry favor with Queen Anne.
The Favourite earned Yorgos Lanthimos his first nomination for Best Director at the Academy Awards and was also nominated for Best Picture. It received three nominations (Best Film, Outstanding British Film, and Best Direction) at the BAFTA Awards, winning Outstanding British Film. The Favourite was also Lanthimos’ first Golden Globe Awards nomination, with a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Watch The Favourite on Apple TV+
1. Poor Things
Undoubtedly, Poor Things has been Yorgos Lanthimos’ most successful movie of his career. Directing Tony McNamara’s adapted screenplay, Poor Things starred Emma Stone as Bella Baxter. With Box Office earnings of $117.5 million from a $35 million budget, Poor Things is Lanthimos’ highest-grossing movie.
The movie earned Lanthimos two Academy Awards nominations at the 96th Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. Although he didn’t win Best Director, the movie won Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globe Awards. It also received two nominations (Best Film and Outstanding British Film) at the BAFTA Awards. If you enjoyed reading about Yorgos Lanthimos’ best movies, read Francis Ford Coppola’s 5 highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes.
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