Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things was nominated for a whopping eleven Academy Awards at the 96th ceremony in 2024 including Best Director for Lanthimos. It went on to earn frequent collaborator Emma Stone her second Academy Award win for Best Actress, with critics hailing it as one of the best films of that year. While viewers have been intrigued by the film’s dark humor, satire, and absurdity, it’s not Lanthimos’ only film with these qualities. Read on to discover a ranking of Yorgos Lanthimos' best movies and information provided on where to stream them all in the United States!
Poor Things fits into the Greek Weird Wave, a new style of filmmaking that has been primarily led by Lanthimos. The Greek Weird Wave is the term used to describe a branch of filmmaking that arose in Greece after the country experienced a financial crisis beginning in 2008. As a result, these films’ aesthetics and themes tend to reflect the crisis of the time. They are often satirical, morbid, and absurd, reflecting the disillusionment, discontentment, and alienation that arises when a country unexpectedly deviates into unknown territory.
Lanthimos was one of the earliest filmmakers to encompass this style with his 2009 film Dogtooth. This film also brought the style to the international stage as it nabbed a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Its absurdist premise follows one family’s extreme take on homeschooling, which captures two children’s alienation from society and probes what happens when one unquestioningly accepts authority.
Following the success of Dogtooth, Lanthimos would continue fascinating viewers with more absurd and thought-provoking Greek Weird Wave films. The Lobster and The Favourite also received nominations at the Academy Awards and BAFTA Awards, boasting absurdist dialogue, alienated protagonists, and unexpected premises. This fascination with the absurd continued with 2024's Kinds of Kindness starring Emma Stone in her third theatrical collaboration with the director, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe and Joe Alwyn.
Where can I watch the best Yorgos Lanthimos movies online?
Yorgos Lanthimos’ films break the mold of typical filmmaking and introduce a wholly new aesthetic to Hollywood. Here are his seven best films ranked by their critical reception and how well they capture his signature filmmaking style. This guide also includes information on where you can watch every title using popular streaming services like Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Disney+ and more!
