I’m perhaps a newer admirer of Luca Guadagnino‘s movies, who seems to have broken through in a real way to the mainstream in just a handful of feature length releases. Levied by an intimate style and keen sense of curating projects with many of the industry’s best young actors, Guadagnino has transformed from critically acclaimed arthouse director to big-budget heavyweight, culminating in pitch-perfect releases like Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All, and most recently, Challengers.
And Guadagnino is one of those directors that are so hard to rank because there isn’t a miss to his resume yet. Sure, some projects work more than others and feel like they’ve lingered in the culture longer, but even the ones that come and go feel relevant, lively, and personal. A Bigger Splash and Suspiria feel like two of these movies, which don’t come up in conversation much about the best cult-classics from the 2010s, but certainly showcase an immense amount of talent both behind and in front of the camera.
And although he has yet to capture that elusive Academy Award (nominated once for Best Picture for Call Me By Your Name), it feels as though it’s only a matter of time before Luca Guadagnino receives that level of recognition. In fact, it may just come this next awards season, either by critical darling Challengers, or his yet-to-be-released, awardsy film Queer (starring Daniel Craig).
Regardless, it’s clear Luca Guadagnino is one of the premiere auteurs working today, and one whose releases are always a noteworthy event. And despite only having six movies to his name thus far, ranking them is extremely difficult. Each carry distinct star power and virtuoso filmmaking, and a deep sense of youthful nature and longing. He understands young people about as well as any established director.
This ranking is subject to change with the pending release of Queer, but for now, here’s how I’d list the Luca Guadagnino movies ranked:
6. I Am Love (2009)
5. A Bigger Splash (2015)
4. Bones and All (2022)
Although it may seem like an idea and concept that would never work, Luca Guadagnino pulls off another incredibly unique movie with Bones and All as Taylor Russell and Timothée Chalamet feed on the flesh of others and try to survive on the fringes of society. Bones and All review
3. Suspiria (2018)
2. Challengers (2024)
Luca Guadagnino directs one of his best movies with Challengers, which pairs his interests in yearning, miscalculated protagonists to the competitive world of tennis. It’s exhilarating and wild, with three prophetic performances from Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O’Connor that’ll challenge many of 2024’s best efforts. Challengers review
1. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
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