The British film industry’s presence has grown over the years and while it’s not big enough to overtake Hollywood, it has built up a decent library of work. Yet, it’s important to acknowledge that British cinema is in fact separate from Hollywood, hosting the annual BAFTA Awards, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards.
While Great Britain is known for popping out talented actors who receive a great deal of attention globally, British Cinema deserves attention all its own for more than just great actors. Producing box-office hits like the Harry Potter franchise and the long-running James Bond franchise, the British film industry is doing its best to carve a name for itself on the walk of fame. These are the best British movies of the 2010s, ranked.
8 Wuthering Heights
Based on the classic novel of the same name by Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights follows the story of poor Heathcliff who gets taken in by the wealthy Earnshaw family where he meets Catherine. The two form an intense relationship which follows them everywhere they go. This gothic retelling of the classic story is the first of its kind to show Heathcliff as a Black man, taking Brontë’s original description of Heathcliff seriously. This adds another layer to the story, bringing race into the equation and why Heathcliff is treated differently by most of the Earnshaw family, except for Cathy. Wuthering Heights won a number of awards, including the Osella Award for Best Cinematography at the Venice Film Festival and was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Black Reel Awards.
7 Skyfall
The twenty-third installation in the James Bond franchise, Skyfall is the first Bond film directed by Sam Mendes. After his latest assignment goes wrong, a series of destructive events follows suit and MI6 is under attack, forcing the agency to go into hiding. M (Judi Dench) turns to Bond (Daniel Craig) for help and tasks him with tracking down Silva. The film saw a recurrence of two characters previously missing: Q and Money Penny, who began as a field agent, but found her place in Administration. Skyfall was nominated for five Academy Awards and took home two for Best Original Song and Best Sound Editing.
6 We Need to Talk About Kevin
Based on the novel of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin follows the life of mother Eva and her son Kevin after a school massacre occurs at the hands of Kevin. Eva struggles with her son’s psychopathic behavior including placing his sister’s pet guinea pig in the garbage disposal. As Kevin’s behavior grows more erratic, Eva begins to grow fearful of Kevin, not knowing what he is capable of. We Need to Talk About Kevin was met with a great deal of praise and Tilda Swinton earned a European Film Award for Best Actress for her performance.
5 Disobedience
After Ronit discovers her father has died, she returns to London where she faces the same community that shunned her for her childhood attraction to a close female friend, Esti, with whom Ronit reunites. Esit and Ronit grow closer and their relationship prompts them to question everything they know about faith and sexuality. Disobedience stars Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams as Ronit and Esti, both of whom were praised for their performances. The film received a nomination for Best Picture at the Dorian Awards and Alessandro Nivola won a British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Esti’s husband Dovid.
4 Under the Skin
Following the journey of an alien in a human disguise (Scarlett Johansson) as it lures men away from their lives with the promise of sex and instead uses the men as feed for an unknown entity, this science fiction original was made using mostly hidden cameras with many of the men featured throughout the film being non-actors. The alien learns to feel sympathy and soon goes on the run for wanting a taste of human life. Under the Skin received a number of nominations and won many awards, most of which had to do with the original score by Mica Levi and Johansson’s performance.
3 The Imitation Game
Based on the real life of Alan Turing, with some inaccuracies, The Imitation Game follows Turing and his team as they work to crack the Nazi code before it’s too late. When the code is finally cracked, Turing’s troubles are not over as his sexuality is discovered, threatening his research and livelihood. The Imitation Game was nominated for plenty of Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but only took home the award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film prompted a great deal of social action which led to the installation of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, colloquially referred to as the Alan Turing Law which pardons all men convicted under the legislation that outlawed homosexual acts.
2 Dunkirk
Directed by seasoned auteur Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk follows the story of allied troops trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk who were strategically evacuated using every means available, successfully evacuating 330,000 allied troops. Based on the actual events that occurred at Dunkirk in May 1940, Dunkirk was praised for its screenplay, sound effects, music and direction, and has even been called one of the best war films of all time. Dunkirk was nominated for 170 awards and took home 63, including eight nominations at the Academy Awards and three wins for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing.
1 Ex Machina
When Caleb wins a contest which gives him a week to work with Nathan Bateman, the CEO of the Internet company he works for, he is sent to an isolated location where he discovers he’s been selected to take part in a Turing test. Caleb meets Nathan’s realistic AI, Ava, and is tasked with determining her level of consciousness. During the time he spends with Ava, Caleb realizes she is far more aware than anyone ever could have realized. Alex Garland’s directorial debut Ex Machina won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and earned Garland many accolades as a new director.
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