10 Best 2010s Arthouse Movies

By Vlad Zakh · August 3, 2026

Arthouse slow and atmospheric thought provoking

The 2010s arthouse scene leaned into deadpan absurdism as much as slow cinema. Spring Breakers turns a spring break trip into a candy-coloured crime spree, Only God Forgives drags a Bangkok crime family’s revenge through neon dread, and Holy Motors has a man changing identities across Paris in a limousine. The Neon Demon, Melancholia, Cold War, The Handmaiden, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Lobster and Phantom Thread round out the list.

Spring Breakers (2012)

TMDB ★ 5.4

Four college girls' spring break trip spirals into a candy-coloured crime spree.

Directed by Harmony Korine · 1h 34m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Only God Forgives (2013)

TMDB ★ 5.7

A Bangkok crime family's revenge plot unfolds in slow, neon-soaked dread.

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn · 1h 29m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Neon Demon (2016)

TMDB ★ 6.1

A teenage model's rise through the fashion industry curdles into something predatory and strange.

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn · 1h 58m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Darkroom, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Holy Motors (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A man rides through Paris in a limousine, changing into a new identity at every stop.

Directed by Leos Carax · 1h 56m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Fandor, Sundance Now, Fandor Amazon Channel, Midnight Pulp, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Melancholia (2011)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Two sisters' strained relationship is tested as a mysterious rogue planet threatens to collide with Earth.

Directed by Lars von Trier · 2h 16m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Monsters and Nightmares Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Cold War (2018)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A doomed romance stretched across the Iron Curtain over more than a decade.

Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski · 1h 28m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Handmaiden (2016)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 96% Metacritic 85

An erotic con-artist thriller told in three perspectives, each one recontextualising the last.

Directed by Park Chan-wook · 2h 25m · Rated R

Won 1 BAFTA Award72 wins & 108 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video · Rent: Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 92% Metacritic 88

A legendary concierge and his loyal lobby boy become entangled in a stolen painting and a family fortune.

Directed by Wes Anderson · 1h 40m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars137 wins & 227 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Lobster (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.1

Single people are given 45 days to find a partner or be turned into an animal of their choice.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos · 1h 59m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, Cinemax Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Cinemax Apple TV channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Phantom Thread (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A meticulous 1950s London dressmaker's controlled life is upended by a strong-willed new muse.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling · 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 2010s Arthouse Movies

Spring Breakers (2012)

Only God Forgives (2013)

The Neon Demon (2016)

Holy Motors (2012)

Melancholia (2011)

Cold War (2018)

The Handmaiden (2016)

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

The Lobster (2015)

Phantom Thread (2017)

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