The 2010s were a phenomenal time for movies, and they were equally great for film acting. From Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street to Frances McDormand in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, some of the most legendary thespians in the business delivered strong and memorable performances during this decade. Plenty of 2010s movies and performances, however, went significantly more under the radar. But even though the vast majority of people haven’t seen them, these underappreciated films nevertheless hide some of the most powerful performances of the 2010s.
Whether it’s an indie Hollywood production that charmed the festival circuit but failed to make a splash upon its wide release, or an international movie that only saw success in its country of origin, if that, these tragically underappreciated films are all must-watches for fans of exceptional film acting but have sadly failed to gain a large enough audience throughout their lifespans. With all of them being available to stream, rent, or purchase across different platforms, there’s really no excuse for the timeless performances they hide to continue to be underrated.
‘The Rider’ (2017)
One of the biggest queens of contemporary independent cinema, Chinese-born auteur Chloé Zhao really became a mainstream name when Nomadland won over awards committees as big as the Oscars. But before she was a Best Director and Best Picture Academy Award recipient, she took the indie scene by storm with her sophomore feature, The Rider. This is a contemporary Western about a young cowboy who, aftersuffering a near-fatal head injury, undertakes a search for a new identity and what it means to be a man in the heartland of America.With a whopping near-perfect rate of approval of 97% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes, there really is no excuse any cinephile can give for not having seen The Rider. In her typically realistic, nearly journalism-like fashion, Zhao hired a cast composed virtually entirely of actual people from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, playing fictionalized versions of themselves. This includes Brady Jandreau as protagonist Brady Blackburn, as well as his real-life father, sister, wife, and friends. They’re all surprisingly incredible in The Rider, but Jandreau in particular delivers one of the most raw and potent performances that any non-professional actor has ever delivered in an American movie.
’45 Years’ (2015)
Two of the biggest icons of British silver-screen acting, Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, are the stars of Andrew Haigh‘s 45 Years, a psychological drama based on the short story In Another Country by David Constantine. Critics loved the film, earning it yet another 97% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes; and yet, even though Rampling and Courtenay won Best Actress and Best Actor at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, and Rampling even made it all the way to an Academy Award nomination, not nearly enough general audiences have seen 45 Years, or talk about it as much as it deserves.
45 Years is a beautifully directed movie with a hard-hitting script about infidelity and the power of the past, but it’s particularly memorable as a star vehicle for Rampling and Courtenay. Here, we have two of the most overlooked performances of the 2010s (at least overlooked by mainstream audiences), together in one of the most overlooked movies of the decade. Subtle and powerfully realistic, full of moments with such emotional sincerity that they’re bound to stay ingrained in the viewer’s memory for years, these two legends’ performances in 45 Years deserve to be talked about as two of the best of the 2010s.
‘The Amazing Catfish’ (2013)
The family dramedy The Amazing Catfish, like so many indie Mexican films, flew under the radar after it made a huge critical splash upon release. It holds an impressive 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it won an International Critics’ Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, it was nominated for seven Ariel Awards (the Mexican equivalent of the Oscars), and it’s among the 50 highest-rated Mexican feature films ever on Letterboxd. And yet, not nearly enough people know it or talk about it nowadays. That’s a shame, because this story about a lonely young woman being welcomed by a family led by a dying matriarch is one of the most beautiful international films of the 2010s.
The Amazing Catfish is semi-autobiographical, inspired by the family that welcomed director Claudia Sainte-Luce with open arms. Wendy Guillén, one of the daughters of the real-life mother who took Sainte-Luce in, actually plays herself in the film. She’s accompanied by one of the best ensemble casts of any Mexican movie of the 21st century, led by an amazing Ximena Ayala and icon of Mexican cinema Lisa Owen (who English-speaking audiences might know as Nacho’s mother from Jack Black‘s Nacho Libre). It’s a tender, beautiful film about family, grief, and death, making it one of the most essential Mexican films of recent years. For those who love family movies with ensembles doing an unforgettable job, The Amazing Catfish is a must-see.
‘Corpus Christi’ (2019)
Saying that Polish cinema isn’t exactly mainstream in North America is a bit of an understatement, yet there are countless exceptional Polish films out there, waiting to be discovered. Case in point: the French-Polish co-production Corpus Christi, a drama about a young man who experiences a spiritual transformation in a detention center. Since his criminal record prevents him from applying to the seminary, he decides to become a minister in a small-town parish. Emotionally intense yet surprisingly hopeful, it’s a deeply moving tale of redemption, forgiveness, and faith.
It‘s especially through its magnificent cast—led by a chameleonic Bielenia—that Corpus Christi earns the title of one of the best-performed movies.
Bartosz Bielenia delivers what’s not only the most underrated performance of 2019, but even one of the best performances of the 2010s. The supporting cast is fantastic as well,Aleksandra Konieczna in particular delivering a quiet yet haunting performance that should prove universally sympathetic. Corpus Christi is a layered and beautifully complex character study with some excellent dialogue and a breathtaking third act, but it’s especially through its magnificent cast—led by a chameleonic Bielenia—that it earns the title of one of the best-performed movies of the whole decade.
‘Margaret’ (2011)
Kenneth Lonergan is a playwright first and foremost, but he has also written some exceptional screenplays, some of which he has directed—perhaps most notably, Manchester by the Sea. But before he was an Oscar winner, Lonergan wrote and directed a 2010 film that most people have probably never heard of, but absolutely must watch. It’s Margaret, a 2-and-a-half-hour psychological drama starring Anna Paquin as Lisa, ahigh-school student who feels responsible for a fatal traffic accident and tries to make amends.People who love long movies are in luck. Margaret‘s extended director’s cut is even longer, clocking in at a little over 3 hours. But no matter which version they watch, viewers are in for one of the most incredible and unforgettable ensemble casts of the 2010s. Paquin, J. Smith Cameron, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon—everyone here is giving their role their all, fully justifying the film’s daunting length with some of the rawest and most vulnerable acting of any drama movie of the decade. These aren’t just big names: They’re fully committed performers entirely disappearing into their roles, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt why Margaret is one of the most underappreciated films of the 2010s.
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