Selections for the Letterboxd 2026 Criterion Challenge
Now with commentary!
Spent entirely too much time today building out my selections for next year’s Criterion Challenge on Letterboxd. The Letterboxd community has built out a whole manner of annual challenges, everything from “watch one movie from every year you’ve been alive” to “get from one movie to another, but do so by using a shared actor to bridge each selection and also you can’t repeat actors.” But the Criterion Challenge has the sort of elitist bougie prestige I want. Everything in the Criterion Collection is there for a reason, and sticking to that constraint is a great way to watch a bunch of classic movies I’ve been meaning to watch while also exposing myself to films I’ve never heard of and/or would otherwise never watch. Global cinema, films from decades ago…
This being my fourth year, it’s slightly harder to pull off several categories. According to the site, I’ve only seen about 17% of all Criterion’s releases, but considering the breadth of the catalog that’s a massive swath of films, especially when there’s a consensus on what are great.
In 2025, I had a great Challenge, where the standouts were Mulholland Drive., Yi Yi, Punch-Drunk Love, Close-Up, and Personal Shopper. There were lowlights too, but most of the struggles were movies I promptly forgot. I don’t even remember watching Divorce Italian Style or Love Affair.
Anyways. Here’s my full 2026 list and below is a bit more on this coming year’s choices, some color commentary etc.
1. 20th Anniversary Releases - Metropolitan (1990, dir. by Whit Stilman)
My friend Tim recommended this to me a few months ago and it’s also on David Sims’s master awards spreadsheet as a Best Screenplay(?) winner for 1990. Good enough for me.
2. Watch a film not on your watchlist - Pierrot Le Fou (1965; dir. by Jean-Luc Godard)
Caught my first and only Godard when I participated in my freshman challenge back in 2023. Excited for another swing at him. Also, they used the title for a terrifying Cowboy Bebop episode that’s lived in my head rent free for two decades.
3. Watch a film with a color in the title - Three Colours: Blue (1993; dir. by Krzystof Kieślowski)
This triptych of films has been on my radar for about a year. Knowing me, I’ll probably end up watching the other two this year too after I finish with this. But… mostly I picked it for the absolute lolz of how well it fits the category. The joke tickles me so much that Kieślowski is the only director who’s on the challenge twice. Can’t bring myself to cut either.
4. 2020s or an upcoming release - Flow (2024, dir. by Gints Zibalodis)
The only 2020s film on the list this year. Supposed to be good!
5. Romance - A Room With A View (1986; dir. by James Ivory)
Big ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ on this genre in the collection. Might as well have stabbed in the dark.
6. The Twenty Least Watched Films - Compensation (1999; dir. by Zeinabu Irene Davis)
Delighted by this category and raising awareness of lower profile films. That said, I haven’t really heard about many of these so… stabbed in the dark.
7. Queer Cinema - Blue is the Warmest Color (2013; dir. by Abdellatif Kechiche)
Been circling this for a long time. Great to finally get off my ass and watch it.
8. 1930s - Trouble in Paradise (1932; dir. by Ernst Lubitsch)
Funny enough, I put this on my list about half an hour before seeing that Rian Johnson selected this movie recently for a podcast episode he was on. Sounds like I have good taste?
9. 1990s - Menace II Society (1993; dir. by Allen Hughes & Albert Hughes)
The only thing I know about this movie is that it’s one of the big parodies in the Wayans’ spoof movie Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. It’ll be good to finally get all those references I missed.
10. Random Number Generator: 1156 - La Llorona (2019; dir. by Jayro Bustamante)
Total crapshoot being at the mercy of RNG. The trailer freaked me out and I’m not looking forward to something spooky… but we’ll see how this one goes. It’s good enough to get into the Collection, at least. So that’s something.
11. King Princess’s Top 10 - The Others (2001; dir. by Alejandro Amenábar)
Wound up with like three Nicole Kidman vehicles on the list this year. Weird.
12. Judge a film by its cover - Straw Dogs (1971; dir. by Sam Peckinpah)
It was between this and The Daytrippers. Criterion does incredible cover art for their releases, but the image for this is one of their most evocative. I have to know what it means, though considering it’s Peckinpah I’m preparing for something grizzly.
13. Song and Dance - The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964; dir. by Jaques Demy)
Really know nothing about this movie except that it comes up a lot in lists/discussions of classic films. Hooray!
14. 2000s - Birth (2004; dir. by Jonathan Glazer)
The only Glazer I’ve seen til now is The Zone of Interest. Also it’s another Nicole Kidman.
15. Director Approved - Ratcatcher (1999; dir. by Lynne Ramsay)
Blank Check is covering Lynne Ramsay in the new year, so I’ll be watching this anyways. Might as well double dip and get credit for it.
16. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Closet Picks - Internal Affairs (2002; dir by Alan Mak Siu-Fai & Andrew Lau Wai-Keung)
From the description it sounds like something totally up my alley. Stoked for it. And there’s even sequels for if it jives.
17. Prequel/Sequel/Remake/Reimagining - Lady Snowblood: Love Song of Vengeance (1974; dir. by Toshiya Fujita)
Put the first Lady Snowblood on the first Criterion Challenge. It was awesome and clearly Tarantino cribbed from it mightily for Kill Bill. It’ll be nice to finish the duology.
18. 1980s - The Last Emperor (1987; dir. by Bernardo Bertolucci)
Haven’t seen any Bertolucci before, but I’ve heard good things about this one. And it knocks off the list of Best Picture winners. More double dipping.
19. Watch a film that starts with the first letter of your name: “M” - Mona Lisa (1986; dir. by Neil Jordan)
This wouldn’t be annoying but wait like… a few selections for the Random Letter Generator.
20. Kathryn Bigelow’s Closet Picks - Army of Shadows (1969; dir. by Jean-Pierre Melville)
I’d already seen like half of Bigelow’s picks, which limited the options. That said, I read the synopsis for this and it got me excited. That’s true love.
21. 1940s - The Lady Eve (1941; dir. by Preston Sturges)
No idea about this one, but Preston Sturges is always a good time.
22. Watch a film rated 2.0-2.9 stars - Half a Loaf of Kung Fu (1978; dir. Chan Chi-hwa)
This is gonna be a rough one. Last time this category came up I watched the Bruce Lee movie Game of Death, which was really not good. Not that it was that movie’s fault. Bruce Lee died in the middle of production and it leaves most of the movie as a Frankenstein monster with horrible doubles standing in for him. Very low expectations here.
23. Pick any category from a past Criterion Challenge year: 2022 “Linklater’s Top 10” - Pickpocket (1959; dir. by Robert Bresson)
Love Linklater. Love a thief.
24. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die - A Woman Under the Influence (1974; dir. by John Cassavetes)
Been dipping my toes into Cassavetes for the past few years with Opening Night and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie. He’s one of those directors I want to explore more, and this challenge is helping that. This one is supposed to be excellent.
25. “Good For Her” Cinematic Universe - Paper Moon (1973; dir. by Peter Bogdonavich)
This one really doesn’t require a lot of explanation, but the best story is about Bogdonavich telling Orson Welles the title. According to legend, Welles replied “that’s a title so good you don’t even have to make the movie.” But it’s also supposed to be a very good movie.
26. Guy Maddin’s Top 10 - Black Narcissus (1947; dir. by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
Powell & Pressburger have the distinction of being the RNG selection for my first year with The Small Black Room, a movie I didn’t super love. On the other hand, they did The Red Shoes, which is fantastic. I didn’t walk in meaning to watch another movie of theirs and yet…
27. 1960s - High and Low (1963; dir. by Akira Kurosawa)
Just about all of Kurosawa is in the collection and it’s delightful to watch any of his films for this. Eventually I’ll have seen all his movies, but until that project is done, it’s a guarantee that a Kurosawa is gonna be on my annual challenge.
28. Directed by Satyajit Ray - The Hero (1966; dir. by Satyajit Ray)
Been wanting to watch more Indian cinema. Glad to hop into a director with a good selection of interesting sounding films. Now I just have to recalibrate my expectations because this dude is not gonna be Rajamouli.
29. Watch a film from any box set release - Dekalog (1988; dir. by Krzysztof Kieślowski)
No idea what this is about aside from it being Polish and originally on television. This has been on my shortlist for this challenge for some time based on the abstract cover alone. It also fits into the mini constraint of doing one selection every year that’s more long-form than television (last year it was The Underground Railroad and two years ago it was Scenes from a Marriage). This is also breaking the don’t-repeat-directors stipulation, but there’s enough going on in the rest of this Challenge that it doesn’t break anything to go against the constraint.
30. Black Lives - Malcolm X (1992; dir. by Spike Lee)
There’s a whole lot of Spike Lee I want to watch. And with a filmography of more than two dozen films, best to keep plugging away at it. This is supposed to be incredible. Can’t wait.
31. Watch a film rated 3.7 stars - Crash (1996; dir. by David Cronenberg)
Cronenberg’s penchant for body horror skeeves me out. But the one film of his I’ve seen so far (Videodrome) was quite good even if it was a lot. Based on everyone’s reverence for him, though, I’m looking forward to digging more into his work. And it’ll be nice to know a movie called Crash that isn’t a flaming dumpster fire that’s still one of the most embarrasing Best Picture winners of all time.
32. Elle Fanning’s Closet Picks - To Die For (1995; dir. by Gus Van Sant)
Third Kidman. This has been on my radar since first encountering her in Batman Forever and noticing this at the local video store. Finally getting around to it thanks to this recently entering the Collection.
34. 2010s - The Tree of Life (2011; dir. by Terrence Malick)
The only Malick I’ve seen so far is The Thin Red Line. It was insanely good, but I’m slowly getting around to watching more of his work. He’s a seminal director and it’s time to close the blindspot. Why not go for his big grand epic?
35. 1950s - Cairo Station (1958; dir. by Youssef Chahine)
Sometimes a movie lands on this challenge because it’s from an interesting country and I pretentiously want to experience cinema from outside my comfort zone.
36. Glorious Restorations - Prince of Broadway (2008; dir. by Sean Baker)
Such a massive fan of Tangerine and Anora that I need to close the massive gaps in Sean Baker’s filmography.
37. Must see Criterion released films as featured on Danny Peary’s “Guide for the Film Fanatic” (1986) - The Most Dangerous Game (1932; dir. by Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel)
People hunting people for sport? Hell yeah.
38. Random Letter Generator: “M” - Meantime (1984; dir. by Mike Leigh)
Have seen only one Mike Leigh to date (Secrets & Lies), so this is gap-filling.
39. The Best Movies of the 21st Century - Frances Ha (2013; dir. by Noah Baumbach)
Not sure if I’ve ever seen any Noah Baumbach (though I plan to watch Jay Kelly before the end of the year). He has a rep for making bummer movies, so… time to dip the toe in and see.
40. Directed by Mira Nair - Mississippi Masala (1991; dir. by Mira Nair)
More like “directed by the mother of the new mayor of NYC”, amirite?
41. Spine #701-750 - Watership Down (1978; dir. by Martin Rosen)
Feel like this is a title that comes up all the time. Other than that, I know nothing.
42. 1970s - Stalker (1979; dir. by Andrei Tarkovsky)
The only Tarkovsky I know is Solaris. It was absolutely terrific and it’ll be interesting to see something different.
43. Letterboxd Top 250 - Harakiri (1962; dir. by Masaki Kobayashi)
Picked this because it’s #1 on the Letterboxd Top 250 ngl.
44. Watch a film you haven’t seen that someone else watched as part of last year’s challenge - Where Is The Friend’s House? (1987; dir. by Abbas Kiarostami)
Weirdly, two people I follow on Letterboxd did the Challenge last year and both of them picked this as their choice for “1980s”. Can’t ignore providence like that.
45. Novels on the Big Screen - The Virgin Suicides (1999; dir. by Sofia Coppola)
Something strange and melancholy, I guess?
46. Random Year Generator: 1961 - Blast of Silence (1961, dir. by Allen Baron)
A Hitman in Manhattan during Christmas time? Say no more.
47. Women Directors: The Official Top 250 Narrative Feature Films - Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962; dir. by Agnès Varda)
I know Varda’s name but nothing else. The endorsement of the source list is enough, though.
48. David Byrne’s Closet Picks - Playtime (1967; dir. by Jacques Tati)
David Byrne really likes Jacques Tati, huh?
49. Criterion Double Features: Film #1 - Diabolique (1955; dir. by Henri-Georges Clouzot)
Had picked something different, but I’m a snob. The first part of the original choice I had was not an official Criterion release and so choosing it felt like I could do better. The Criterion Channel is a terrific streaming service, but it’s not as prestigious as their main line.
50. Criterion Double Features: Film #2 - The Soft Skin (1964; dir. by François Truffaut)
That said, swapping out the Double Feature means that I get to watch some French New Wave from Truffaut. Heck yes.
51. 1920s - Underworld (1927; dir. by Josef von Sternberg)
The last time I watched a von Sternberg for the Criterion Challenge (His Last Command) it was a total freaking winner. Probably won’t get that lucky again, but I’m willing to hope.
52. Watch any Criterion film from your watchlist - Sorcerer (1977; dir. by William Friedkin)
Have heard nothing but good things about Friedkin’s then-flop, now-classic movie about dudes transporting a truck full of dynamite through a jungle. Soon as Criterion announced that Sorcerer was entering the collection, I bookmarked it for this prime slot. It’s the #1 most anticipated film for this year’s challenge and nothing else comes close.
And now is the long two weeks where I think about all these movies and increasingly excited at the prospect of what’s coming. In the meantime, though, time to keep building the Top 250…
What about you? You gonna try your hand at the Criterion Challenge and see what mischief you can get up to?