At Viral Untold, we’ve compiled a controversial and highly subjective list of directors who create the most interesting, innovative and unusual cinema of our time
N.B. By the characteristic “the best directors of our time” we mean those who, according to our humble assessment, today make the most significant contribution to the development of the film language and cinema in general as an art. We can also say that we singled out directors with a unique author’s vision, which they manage to transfer to the screen. If you disagree with our opinion, think that someone else deserves a place in the top – feel free to write!
1. Christopher Nolan
Let’s start with one of the most popular filmmaking names today. Perhaps the main merit of Christopher Nolan is that he managed to combine the author’s vision with a blockbuster format, complex intellectual concepts with an entertaining show. The breakthrough was Remember, built on the most puzzling dramatic structure in the history of popular cinema. Further, the director opened a new era of movie comics, giving an element of seriousness and high tragedy to the story of Batman. His experiments with the phenomena of cinematic space and time in the films “Inception”, “Interstellar” and “Dunkirk” are also noteworthy. And it is especially worth noting that Nolan still does not recognize digital cameras, stubbornly continuing to shoot on film.
2. Lav Diaz
Filipino Love Diaz is interesting as a radical follower of the traditions of meditative transcendental cinema Yasujiro Ozu, Michelangelo Antonioni, Andrei Tarkovsky. In his paintings, Diaz addresses mainly the acute problems of national history, but he does it in a special way – intently, measuredly, slowly peering into events and characters. At the same time, the director’s works can amaze even an experienced cinephile with their sweeping timing. The average duration of his paintings is five hours, but, for example, “Melancholy” runs seven and a half, “Lullaby of the Mournful Mystery” – eight, and “The Evolution of the Philippine Family” – nine hours. For this, evil tongues even called Diaz “the maestro of painful cinema”, but the impressive base of admirers of his talent in a slow pace and non-standard timing, on the contrary, finds special pleasure.
3. James Cameron
Yes, we remember that James Cameron’s last fiction movie came out ten years ago. But all this time the director has been working on the sequels of Avatar, of which there will be at least four more. Such a long production period is associated with a huge number of technical innovations (including shooting underwater using visual effects; increased frame rate; development of 3D that does not require special glasses), the love for which has always distinguished Cameron’s work. Almost every of his films – “The Abyss”, “Terminator 2”, “Titanic”, the first “Avatar” – marked a milestone in the history of cinema technology and special effects. And there is no doubt that the anticipated paintings will also be important events in these areas. And in cinema in general.
4. Gaspar Noe
Another 3D experimenter is Gaspard Noé. In any case, in his film Love, the French director found an extremely non-standard application of this technology. For those who don’t know, the film is a porn-drama with all the frankness befitting the genre. Perhaps the best characterization Noah can give is that of a provocateur. Each of his paintings is shocking in one way or another: with non-standard camera angles, a camera torn off the axis and literally going crazy, psychedelic visuals, upside-down drama or shock content. “Irreversibility”, “Entry into Emptiness”, “Ecstasy”, and the same “Love” – these pictures are provocations on all fronts. But what is important, with an obligatory tragic element.
5. Wes Anderson
Although our list includes directors with distinctive and recognizable handwritings, Wes Anderson’s style is perhaps the most striking. From film to film, he creates his own unique semi-fairy, semi-toy world, where symmetry, rich colors, quirky interiors, graceful fonts and infantile but extremely charming characters rule. And let’s not forget about the author’s excellent musical taste. “The Tenenbaum Family”, “The Grand Budapest Hotel”, “The Kingdom of the Full Moon”, “Isle of Dogs” – these films are worth knowing if only because no one is filming anything like this and will never be filming, because this style is unique.
6. Yorgos Lanthimos
The Greek Yorgos Lanthimos is notable not only for the specificity of his style, but also for the path traveled – from the characteristic European art house to Hollywood paintings with the largest Hollywood stars. The last “Favorite” became a key participant in the Oscar race. Surprisingly, with such a vector of development, Lantimos did not lose the originality of his handwriting. Both his European paintings (“Fang”, “Lobster”), that the American ones (“The Killing of a Sacred Deer”) are distinguished by complex drama, minimalistic, sterile visual solution, parable drama, detached acting. True, already in “Favorite” there has been some development of the language, but again, in an eccentric and unusual direction. It is extremely curious how Lanthimos will change further.
7. Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood is the oldest filmmaker on our list and one of the oldest working filmmakers in the world. And he works very actively – Eastwood’s new film comes out consistently once a year or two. Almost every picture evokes not just interest, but resonance, and, in addition, collects a good box office, and sometimes a series of awards. Of course, Eastwood does not make an artistic revolution with his paintings. Quite the opposite. As one of the last incumbents of old Hollywood, he remains the epitome of the cinematic conservatism of the “healthy man.” Eastwood solves his paintings in a rather academic manner, takes on sensitive topics, which he analyzes from his inherent balanced position (but avoiding excessive political correctness), and in general remains true to the once chosen credo: “Simplicity is the main rule of art.” The formula is so necessary in our troubled and chaotic times.
8. Steven Soderberg
Stephen Soderbergh is interesting for his versatility and versatility. This is a man-orchestra: he is a director, producer, screenwriter, cameraman, and editor. He works in cinema, balances between indie and Hollywood, loudly leaves the cinema for serials, then returns to the cinema, but at the same time protests against the studio system and promotes independence … At the same time, Soderbergh is successful in all directions and creates interesting works (remember at least the serial Knickerbocker Hospital). Now is the time for the director to bold experiments. Not so long ago, he joined mobile cinema, filming a film on the iPhone – “Not in myself”. He also tried his hand at a rare interactive format – made the HBO series “Mosaic”. Where workaholism and obsession with cinema will take Soderbergh next is hard to imagine.
9. Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu
The Mexican troika of friends – Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu – have been setting the tone for all of Hollywood in recent years. Let’s highlight Iñarritu (just for reasons of personal sympathy). He began directing, immediately establishing his own powerful and unique style: sweeping dramatic cinema with a large number of heroes, storylines and a serious existential message. The very first painting, “Bitch-Love”, Iñarritu managed to attract attention. Then the director worked in Hollywood. And each time his projects became more and more ambitious. In 21 Grams and Babylon, he developed the concept of non-linear drama and intertwining storylines. Birdman became an experience in imitating one-shot cinema. And the monumentality and grandeur of the production of The Survivor shocked everyone and deservedly made Iñarritu one of the main characters of 2016. His subsequent experiment in VR in the Blood and Sand project became one of the most interesting technical and creative breakthroughs in cinema in recent years.
10. Ilya Khrzhanovsky
Few have seen “Dau”, and far from all who have seen, have decided on their opinion – and what is it all about? And it’s really hard to answer. In total, director Ilya Khrzhanovsky has been working on this project for more than ten years. The historical part of Kharkov was subordinated to the shooting for almost a year, and a large decoration of the Research Institute was built, where for several years the Soviet way of life was completely reconstructed, and the performers of the roles literally lived the lives of their heroes. Out of seven hundred hours of footage, partly directed and partly independently formed under the given conditions, the author edited several films (the exact number is not clear) in different genres and formats. Describing “Dau”, obviously, can be endless. One thing is certain – the unprecedented scale, multilevel and potential incomprehensibility of the project, as well as the numerous legends surrounding the creation process (we tactfully keep silent about the testimonies of the crew members about the unbearable working conditions) make Khrzhanovsky an outstanding director. No matter how you relate to his personality and his film.