Film Comment’s End of Year Critics’ Poll 2011

In the January/February 2012 issue of Film Comment they published results for the best films of 2011. The year’s critics’ poll, now in its 12th edition, saw around 120 North American critics rank their favourites in two categories: 1) those that received theatrical runs and 2) those viewed in 2011 but not receiving U.S. theatrical distribution until 2012—if at all. For each ballot, a first-place choice was allotted 20 points, 19 for second, and so on. Listed below are the Top 50.

1. The Tree of Life 
Terrence Malick, U.S.

2. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/U.K./France/Germany

3. Melancholia
Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany

4. A Separation 
Asghar Farhadi, Iran

5. A Dangerous Method
David Cronenberg, Canada/Germany

6. Mysteries of Lisbon 
Raúl Ruiz, France/Portugal

7. Certified Copy
Abbas Kiarostami, France/Italy/Belgium

8. Meek’s Cutoff
Kelly Reichardt, U.S.

9. Hugo
Martin Scorsese, U.S.

10. Poetry
Lee Chang-dong, South Korea

11. Film Socialisme
Jean-Luc Godard, Switzerland

12. Le Havre
Aki Kaurismäki, Finland/France

13. The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu
Andrei Ujica, Romania

14. Le quattro volte 
Michelangelo Frammartino, Italy/Germany/Switzerland

15. The Descendants
Alexander Payne, U.S.

16. Nostalgia for the Light
Patricio Guzmán, Chile/France/Germany

17. A Brighter Summer Day
Edward Yang, Taiwan/Japan

18. Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen, Spain/U.S.

19. Take Shelter 
Jeff Nichols, U.S.

20. Margaret 
Kenneth Lonergan, U.S.

21. Shame
Steve McQueen, U.K.

22. Drive
Nicolas Winding Refn, U.S.

23. Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Werner Herzog, U.S.

24. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 
Tomas Alfredson, U.K./France/Germany

25. To Die Like a Man
João Pedro Rodrigues, Portugal/France

26. The Interrupters 
Steve James, U.S.

27. The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius, France

28. Tuesday, After Christmas
Radu Muntean, Romania

29. Aurora 
Cristi Puiu, Romania

30. Weekend
Andrew Haigh, U.K.

31. The Skin I Live In
Pedro Almodóvar, Spain

32. City of Life and Death
Lu Chuan, China/Hong Kong

33. Contagion 
Steven Soderbergh, U.S.

34. Of Gods and Men
Xavier Beauvois, France

35. Martha Marcy May Marlene
Sean Durkin, U.S.

36. Bridesmaids
Paul Feig, U.S.

37. The Trip
Michael Winterbottom, U.K.

38. Moneyball
Bennett Miller, U.S.

39. The Arbor 
Clio Barnard, U.K.

40. The Future
Miranda July, U.S./Germany

41. Incendies
Denis Villeneuve, Canada/France

42. Super 8
J.J. Abrams, U.S.

43. United Red Army
Koji Wakamatsu, Japan

44. Road to Nowhere 
Monte Hellman, U.S.

45. Tabloid
Errol Morris, U.S.

46. Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Rupert Wyatt, U.S.

47. Terri
Azazel Jacobs, U.S.

48. J. Edgar 
Clint Eastwood, U.S.

49. Jane Eyre
Cary Fukunaga, U.K.

50. Pina
Wim Wenders, Germany/France

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