10 Best 2000s Arthouse Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 15, 2026

Arthouse slow and atmospheric thought provoking

The 2000s arthouse scene kept pushing the structure of film itself. Songs from the Second Floor is a deadpan, apocalyptic vision in painterly tableaux, Werckmeister Harmonies has a circus and a stuffed whale unsettling a Hungarian town, and The Fountain tells one love story across a thousand years. Morvern Callar, Elephant, Talk to Her, Synecdoche, New York, Dogville, In the Mood for Love and Mulholland Drive round out the list.

Songs from the Second Floor (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A deadpan, apocalyptic vision of modern life told in static, painterly tableaux.

Directed by Roy Andersson · 1h 39m

Where to watch

Stream: Criterion Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Morvern Callar (2002)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A woman claims her dead boyfriend's unpublished novel as her own and disappears with the money.

Directed by Lynne Ramsay · 1h 37m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A travelling circus and a stuffed whale trigger unrest in a small Hungarian town, shot in extraordinary long takes.

Directed by Béla Tarr · 2h 19m

Where to watch

Stream: Klassiki · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Fountain (2006)

TMDB ★ 7.2

One love story told across three timelines spanning a thousand years.

Directed by Darren Aronofsky · 1h 36m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Elephant (2003)

TMDB ★ 7.2

The ordinary rhythms of a single school day are shattered by a sudden and senseless act of violence.

Directed by Gus Van Sant · 1h 21m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Talk to Her (2002)

TMDB ★ 7.9

An uncomfortable, tender drama about two men caring for women in comas.

Directed by Pedro Almodóvar · 1h 52m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A theatre director builds a replica of his own life inside an ever-expanding warehouse set.

Directed by Charlie Kaufman · 2h 04m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Dogville (2003)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A fugitive hides in a small town staged entirely on a bare soundstage, with chalk outlines standing in for walls.

Directed by Lars von Trier · 2h 58m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

In the Mood for Love (2000)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A repressed almost-affair between neighbours, told through glances more than dialogue.

Directed by Wong Kar-Wai · 1h 39m · Rated PG

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Mulholland Drive (2001)

TMDB ★ 7.9

An amnesiac and an aspiring actress unravel a Los Angeles mystery that refuses to resolve cleanly.

Directed by David Lynch · 2h 27m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

10 Best 2000s Arthouse Movies

Songs from the Second Floor (2000)

Morvern Callar (2002)

Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)

The Fountain (2006)

Elephant (2003)

Talk to Her (2002)

Synecdoche, New York (2008)

Dogville (2003)

In the Mood for Love (2000)

Mulholland Drive (2001)

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