The top 10 best films of the 2010s ranked - The King's Speech only at number 8

Choosing what film to watch can take longer than the picture itself at the best of times. You could spend hours and hours scrolling on the likes of Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb and Metacritic looking for your next watch. But there's no need. A Letterboxd user has compiled a list of the top ten films of the 2010s by using a means of ratings and averages.

Prof. Ratigan has taken the composite scores from the likes of Letterboxd, IMDb, Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a quantification of the movies' presence on several well-established lists and created a list of the best films of the decade 2010-2020. Here are the top 10 films ranked from lowest to highest, and with The King's Speech only at number eight, what will rank above it?

10. The Artist

The Artist is a 2011 French comedy-drama film, created in the style of a black-and-white silent film. It was written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius and stars Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. The film's synopsis reads: "In the 1920s, actor George Valentin (Dujardin) is a bona fide matinee idol with many adoring fans. While working on his latest film, George finds himself falling in love with an ingenue named Peppy Miller (Bejo) and, what's more, it seems Peppy feels the same way. But George is reluctant to cheat on his wife with the beautiful young actress. The growing popularity of sound in movies further separates the potential lovers, as George's career begins to fade while Peppy's star rises."

9. For Sama

For Sama is a 2019 documentary film produced and narrated by Waad Al-Kateab, and directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts. The film's synopsis reads: "An intimate and epic journey into the female experience of war. The story of Waad al-Kateab's life through five years of the uprising in Aleppo, Syria as she falls in love, gets married and gives birth to Sama, all while conflict rises around her."

8. The King's Speech

The King's Speech is a 2010 historical drama film directed by Tom Hooper, written by David Seidler, and starring Colin Firth. The film's synopsis reads: "England's Prince Albert (Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence."

7. Spotlight

Spotlight is a 2015 American biographical drama film directed by Tom McCarthy and written by McCarthy and Josh Singer. Its synopsis reads: "In 2001, editor Marty Baron of The Boston Globe assigns a team of journalists to investigate allegations against John Geoghan, an unfrocked priest accused of molesting more than 80 boys. Led by editor Walter "Robby" Robinson (Michael Keaton), reporters Michael Rezendes (Mark Ruffalo), Matt Carroll and Sacha Pfeiffer interview victims and try to unseal sensitive documents. The reporters make it their mission to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church."

6. The Act of Killing

The Act of Killing is a 2012 documentary film directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, with Christine Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian co-director. The film's synopsis reads: "Filmmakers expose the horrifying mass executions of accused communists in Indonesia and those who are celebrated in their country for perpetrating the crime."

5. Roma

Roma is a 2018 historical drama film written, produced, and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The film's synopsis reads: "Cleo is one of two domestic workers who help Antonio and Sofía take care of their four children in 1970s Mexico City. Complications soon arise when Antonio suddenly runs away with his mistress and Cleo finds out that she's pregnant. When Sofía decides to take the kids on vacation, she invites Cleo for a much-needed getaway to clear her mind and bond with the family."

4. 12 Years a Slave

Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave is a 2013 biographical historical drama film based on the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. The film's synopsis reads: "In the years before the Civil War, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. Subjected to the cruelty of one malevolent owner (Michael Fassbender), he also finds unexpected kindness from another, as he struggles continually to survive and maintain some of his dignity. Then in the 12th year of the disheartening ordeal, a chance meeting with an abolitionist from Canada changes Solomon's life forever."

3. Parasite

Parasite is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller film directed by Bong Joon Ho, who co-wrote the film with Han Jin-won. The film stars Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Jang Hye-jin, Park Myung-hoon, and Lee Jung-eun. Its synopsis reads: "The other members of the poor Kim family see an opportunity when their son starts working for the rich Park family. Soon, they find ways to work within the same household and live a parasitic life."

2. Amour

Amour is a 2012 drama film written and directed by Michael Haneke, and starring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva and Isabelle Huppert. The film's synopsis reads: "Retired music teachers Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) have spent their lives devoted to their careers and to each other. Their relationship faces its greatest challenge when Anne suffers a debilitating stroke. Though Georges himself suffers from the aches and infirmities of old age, he bravely ignores his own discomfort to take care of his wife, and is determined to keep his promise to her that she never go back to the hospital."

1. A Separation

A Separation is a 2011 Iranian drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, and starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Farhadi. The film's synopsis reads: "When Nader (Payman Maadi), a bank employee, refuses to leave Tehran, his wife, Simin (Leila Hatami) sues for divorce in the hope that she can make a better life for their young daughter abroad. Needing someone to care for his senile father while he's at work, Nader hires Razieh (Sareh Bayat), a married woman whose chador hides her pregnancy. One day, after becoming angry with Razieh, Nader shoves her, and she has a miscarriage, leading Razieh's husband to take Nader to court."