As the 2010s come to a close, many people are looking back on the films that defined the decades. There were so many amazing films to come out in the last ten years, many of which instantly made their mark in film history. Of course, there are always those films that don’t make much of an impact when they are first released, only to grow in popularity thanks to their cult status.
It can be hard to predict the movies that will achieve this slow-burn recognition from the film community, but we can make some educated guesses. From directors who are suddenly skyrocketing to stories that are ripe for resurgence, these films won’t remain overlooked for long. Here are some of the movies from the past decade that are destined to become cult classics.
Boy
Taika Waititi has quickly become one of the hottest directors in Hollywood thanks to films like Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit. As more movie fans fall in love with his quirky and hilarious style they’ll no doubt discover some of his older films like Boy.
The coming of age comedy is set in New Zealand and follows a young boy dealing with the return of his convict father, played by Waititi himself. The movie is full of his signature dry wit and unusual characters while offering some poignant moments about how children view their parents.
The Guard
Brendan Gleason is one of those actors who is always a treat to see whenever he pops up. However, the prolific character actor rarely gets to play the leading man unless it is in his native Ireland like in The Guard.
This is a hilarious crime-comedy which has Gleason playing a clever but lazy cop who gets dragged into a drug-smuggling case. Gleeson gives perhaps his best performance as the ultimate reluctant hero. Add Don Cheadle as a fish-out-water FBI agent as well as Mark Strong and Liam Cunningham as some entertaining villains and you have a great romp that is just waiting to be embraced by a wider audience.
Seven Psychopaths
Martin McDonagh made a substantial splash with his first feature film, In Bruges. His third feature Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri was an even bigger hit. However, his second feature Seven Psychopaths went a little under the radar despite having an all-star cast that included Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, and Woody Harrelson.
The crime-comedy mixes extreme violence with big laughs while making some interesting comments on violence in general. As McDonagh continues to be an interesting new voice in films, more fans are likely to find this one.
Blue Ruin
Another rising talent behind the camera is Jeremy Saulnier who has made a number of memorable and intense thrillers in his short career. While his film Green Room got a lot of well-deserved attention, Blue Ruin is another small gem that is begging to be discovered.
The bizarre crime saga follows a man who seeks attempts to carry out a mission of revenge only for his sloppy approach to spiral into a violent misadventure. The violence of the film can often be shocking but there is some dark humor underneath that makes for a compelling mix. Such a strange and brilliant movie can’t remain a secret for long.
Force Majeure
Foreign films generally have a tough time finding an audience in America, but the success of Parasite has proven that it is possible. Force Majeure is a Swedish film that managed to get considerable attention but is still relatively underseen.
The film follows a family on a vacationing at a ski resort who are confronted with an avalanche that causes unexpected issues within their family. The film is a subtle yet hilarious look at masculinity in different forms. This seems to be a topic of interest in films these days so it seems like the right time to be discovered.
Slow West
Westerns films can sometimes go in and out of popularity which means the smaller films in the genre can go unnoticed if released at the wrong time. That seems to be the case with the excellent Slow West what failed to find much of an audience at all when it came out.
The movie stars Michael Fassbender as a loner outlaw who agrees to escort a naïve young man on a quest to reunite with the woman he loves. The movie is not as action-packed as some Westerns but is an effective slow-burn adventure with some great performances.
Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping
It’s always a shame when a truly great film bombs at the box office. Popstar suffered this undeserved fate, making back less than half its $20 million budget while in theaters. The film is a mockumentary starring Andy Samberg as a dim-witted and arrogant popstar struggling with his latest, poorly received album.
Despite the box office failure of the film, Popstar is perhaps the funniest film of the decade filled with hilarious moments, great cameos and genuinely great songs. This seems destined to be the This is Spinal Tape for a new generation.
I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore
Dark comedies can be a tricky genre to pull off as the tonal shifts can be awkward if not done right. But there is something about the mix of humor in dark situations that is so appealing. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is one of the films to pull off this tricky feat.
The movie stars Melanie Lynskey as a woman who becomes increasingly disillusioned with the number of awful people in the world. But her attempt to find just a bit of justice sends her into a world of violence. The movie was a Netflix release, so it got a little lost in the shuffle, but expect it to make a resurgence one of these days from fans of the dark comedy genre.
Overlord
It’s hard to say why Overlord failed to find its audience. The Bad Robot production didn’t have any big-name stars, but the premise seemed insane enough to entice people. The horror-thriller was set in World War II and followed a group of American soldiers who discover a lab where bizarre Nazi experiments are being conducted.
The film bombed in theaters, but it is too fun to be swept aside. This feels like the kind of gritty film that could become a perfect midnight feature, slowly gaining popularity in the horror fan crowd.
Booksmart
In seems like each decade has that one high school film that perfectly speaks to the younger generation of that era. For the 2010s, Booksmart seems poised to become that film. Though it received plenty of acclaim, the movie was a bit lost in the busy summer season. But while many of those big-budget summer films will immediately fade from memory, Booksmart is bound to live on.
Olivia Wilde proves a promising director with her debut, which looks at the misperceptions of high school and undying loyalty of friends. Teens will be revisiting this one for years to come.
