25 Best Film Directors of the 21st Century (So Far)
Which directors have received the best reviews from professional critics since 2000? Find out below, where we rank this century's top filmmakers by their average Metascores.
To be included, a director must have four or more eligible films. Such films have seven or more reviews from professional critics and were first released (in any country) on or after January 1, 2000, and must have been released (including as a straight-to-Netflix streaming release) at some point in the USA. Multi-director anthology films are excluded, as are theatrical re-releases of older films. Averages were calculated using Metascores from July 12, 2017, and include films released through July 7, 2017.
#3
Dardenne brothers
As soon as their most recent film The Unknown Girl gets an American release, Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne will likely lose their lofty #3 ranking—critics didn't love the film when it premiered at Cannes last year. But that is a rare dud in an impressive filmography that stretches back to the 1980s and includes a pair of Cannes Palme d'Or wins.
| Films directed, 2000-2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| ▣ | Two Days, One Night | 2014 |
| ▣ | L'Enfant (The Child) | 2005 |
| ▣ | The Kid with a Bike | 2011 |
| ▣ | The Son | 2002 |
| ▣ | Lorna's Silence | 2008 |