10 Best Arthouse Movies of the 21st Century

By Vlad Zakh · April 27, 2026

Arthouse slow and atmospheric thought provoking

These films trade plot for mood and patience for payoff, and most reward the close attention that modern viewing habits tend to avoid. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives has a dying man visited by ghosts and reincarnated relatives, Aftersun reconstructs a childhood holiday from old camcorder tapes, and You Were Never Really Here tells a traumatised hitman’s rescue mission in fragments. The Rider, First Reformed, A Ghost Story, Certified Copy, Under the Skin, The Master and The Tree of Life round out the list.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A dying man is visited by the ghosts of his past as he reflects on his previous lives.

Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul · 1h 54m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Aftersun (2022)

TMDB ★ 7.6

A woman looks back at a childhood holiday with her father through old camcorder footage.

Directed by Charlotte Wells · 1h 41m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand, Plex · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Rider (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A young rodeo cowboy grapples with his identity after a near-fatal riding accident ends his career.

Directed by Chloé Zhao · 1h 43m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

TMDB ★ 6.5

A traumatised hitman hired to rescue a senator's daughter uncovers a conspiracy reaching the highest levels.

Directed by Lynne Ramsay · 1h 29m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

First Reformed (2017)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A grieving pastor's crisis of faith deepens against a looming environmental catastrophe.

Directed by Paul Schrader · 1h 53m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

A Ghost Story (2017)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A man comes back as a sheeted ghost and watches his own house outlive him.

Directed by David Lowery · 1h 33m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

Certified Copy (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A writer and a stranger's conversation slowly rewrites whether they were ever strangers at all.

Directed by Abbas Kiarostami · 1h 46m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Philo · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Under the Skin (2013)

TMDB ★ 6.3

An alien in human form hunts men across Scotland with almost no dialogue at all.

Directed by Jonathan Glazer · 1h 48m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, FlixFling

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Master (2012)

TMDB ★ 7.1

A troubled war veteran falls under the spell of a charismatic leader of a burgeoning spiritual movement.

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson · 2h 17m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Tree of Life (2011)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A man reflects on his childhood in 1950s Texas, weaving memory with cosmic questions about existence.

Directed by Terrence Malick · 2h 19m · Rated PG-13

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 Arthouse Movies of the 21st Century

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)

Aftersun (2022)

The Rider (2017)

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

First Reformed (2017)

A Ghost Story (2017)

Certified Copy (2010)

Under the Skin (2013)

The Master (2012)

The Tree of Life (2011)

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