David Lynch is perhaps somewhat overexposed at this point — blame ongoing Twin Peaks mania, I guess — so it’s easy to forget just how strange and wonderful his work is. Happily, film critics don’t seem to have especially short memories — or not those surveyed by the BBC for a recent poll, anyway, which named Mulholland Drive as the best film of the 21st century thus far.
The survey encompassed 177 critics , and the results were pretty solid all round, which honestly is a pleasant surprise, even if the list could (as usual, of course) have used more women directors.
Here’s the top 10:
10. No Country for Old Men (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2007) 9. A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011) 8. Yi Yi: A One and a Two (Edward Yang, 2000) 7. The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011) 6. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) 5. Boyhood (Richard Linklater, 2014) 4. Spirited Away (Hayao Miyazaki, 2001) 3. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2007) 2. In the Mood for Love (Wong Kar-wai, 2000) 1. Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001)
You can see the full list here.