Top 12 European Movies of the 2010s

You know what doesn’t get enough attention? European cinema. There were so many good movies that came out in Europe this decade that may not have even gotten a theater release in your city. So, here’s what you should keep an eye out for when you’re browsing Netflix (or your other streaming service of choice). Here are the 12 best European Movies of the 2010s.

1. The Hunt

This is a Danish drama starring Mads Mikkelsen. In my opinion, that’s all I have to tell you about it to convince you to watch it, but if not — here we go!

Mads Mikkelsen won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for his role as a kindergarten teacher whose whole life is made extremely complicated by the fact that one of his students has a crush on him. It’s as weird as it sounds. Viewer discretion is definitely advised. Nevertheless, I recommend this movie (and would be very wary of any lists that don’t include it as one of the best films of the decade).

2. Heat Singers

I have a bias with this movie, but if this list was ordered, I’d put it at the #1 spot. This is a Ukrainian movie about the choir of a municipal heating company. As the heating season starts in the winter, the members of the choir have to balance their passion (song) with their job (keeping people warm). Sounds ridiculous, right? It is.

Oh, and have I mentioned it’s a documentary? Because it’s a documentary. At some point during the movie you think you’re watching a Parks and Recreations or Office-type documentary. You’re not. As someone who lives in Ukraine I can guarantee that the things shown in this movie are definitely true, which makes everything even funnier.

3. The Square

What happens when you make a pretentious artsy film about a pretentious artsy world? You get The Square — a movie about the curator of an art museum. The film is satirical, and it really tears the “art world” apart in the jokes it makes about it.

This movie won the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.

4. Personal Shopper

You know what I like about Kristen Stewart? She did her thing in a world-hit Twilight series and has since dedicated her acting career only to playing roles that she finds interesting. Her role (and her acting) in Personal Shopper is very interesting.

Stewart plays an American living in Paris, serving as a personal shopper for a celebrity. Pretty straight forward, right? But then you find out that she is also trying to communicate with her dead twin brother. And that’s when you realize that you’re watching a supernatural thriller, and understand that you’re in for a ride!

This is somewhat a slow movie, but worth every second of your time!