Yorgos Lanthimos Ranked: Every Film by Metascore
Yorgos Lanthimos doesn’t make movies you watch. He makes movies you feel-awkward, unsettling, strangely beautiful. His films don’t follow rules. They twist logic, freeze emotions, and turn everyday situations into surreal rituals. If you’ve ever walked out of one of his movies wondering if you just saw genius or madness, you’re not alone. Critics have spent years trying to figure it out, and Metacritic has given us the numbers to prove it.
As of October 2025, Lanthimos has 15 feature films that earned enough reviews to get a Metascore. Twelve of them scored above 60. None dipped below 46. That’s rare consistency. Most directors have one breakout hit and a string of misses. Lanthimos? He’s built a career on making strange, brilliant films that critics keep coming back to.
His Highest-Rated Films: The Top Tier
The crown jewel of his filmography is The Favourite (2018). With a 91 Metascore from 54 critics, it’s his highest-rated film. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone played a twisted love triangle inside Queen Anne’s court-full of power plays, petty revenge, and absurd humor. Critics called it a masterpiece of tone. It didn’t just win awards; it redefined what a period drama could be. Lanthimos got his first Best Director Oscar nomination for it, and the film earned ten total nominations.
Right behind it is Poor Things (2023), at 88. This one blew up. Emma Stone won the Oscar for Best Actress playing a woman reborn with a child’s mind in a Victorian body. The visuals? Unforgettable. The script? Wildly inventive. Critics praised how Lanthimos finally balanced his signature strangeness with real emotional weight. For many, this wasn’t just his best film-it was his most complete. It made $103 million worldwide, proving his style could scale without losing its soul.
Third is The Lobster (2015), with an 82. This was the film that broke him into the mainstream. A dystopian romance where single people have 45 days to find a partner-or be turned into an animal. It won the Jury Prize at Cannes. People laughed. Then they got quiet. Then they couldn’t stop talking about it. It’s the perfect gateway into Lanthimos’s world: absurd on the surface, devastating underneath.
The Middle Ground: Films That Hit Hard
At 73, tied for seventh, are The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017) and Attenberg (2010). The former is a chilling medical thriller where a teen (Barry Keoghan) demands a father pay a moral debt with his son’s life. The latter is a quiet, slow-burning Greek drama about a young woman navigating adulthood in a world that feels alien. Both are unsettling. Both are brilliant. Neither is easy to watch-but you won’t forget them.
Dogtooth (2009) and Bugonia (2025) sit at 72. Dogtooth was his first global sensation. Three siblings raised in isolation, taught that the outside world is deadly. It was nominated for an Oscar as Best Foreign Language Film. Bugonia, his newest, stars Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons as a couple who discover a terrifying secret hidden in their backyard. Early reviews call it his most emotionally raw work yet. It opens October 31, 2025.
Alps (2011) sits at 69. It’s about a group of people hired to impersonate the recently dead for grieving families. Dark? Yes. But it’s also oddly tender. It doesn’t have the scale of his later films, but it’s where he started perfecting his rhythm: slow, silent, heavy with meaning.
The Lower End: When the Formula Falters
Not every film lands. Kinds of Kindness (2024) got a 64. Three separate stories, all tied to control, obedience, and power. Critics said it felt like Lanthimos was repeating himself. The same static shots. The same deadpan delivery. The same eerie tone. But this time, it didn’t surprise. It felt rehearsed. A sign that even the most distinctive voices can risk becoming predictable.
Kinetta (2005), his second film, sits at 54. It’s the one most casual viewers skip. A police detective investigates a man who dreams for others. It’s slow. Almost silent. Barely any plot. It’s not bad-it’s just too early. You can see the seeds of his style, but the execution isn’t sharp yet.
At the bottom is September Says (2024), where Lanthimos had an "Other" credit. Metascore: 46. It’s not his film. He didn’t direct it. But it’s listed anyway because he’s attached. A reminder: not everything with his name on it is his vision.
What the Numbers Don’t Tell You
Metascore tells you what critics think. But audiences? They sometimes think differently.
On IMDb, Poor Things (7.8) beats The Favourite (7.5). On Letterboxd, Poor Things is #1. On Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave Poor Things an 80% score-higher than The Favourite’s 71%. Why? Maybe because Poor Things feels more alive. More human. Less cold. It’s weirder, yes, but also warmer.
And then there’s Dogtooth. Critics gave it a 72. But on IMDb, fans rank it as his best film. Why? Because it’s pure Lanthimos. No Hollywood polish. No big stars. Just raw, unfiltered strangeness. It’s the film that made people say, "Wait… this is allowed?"
That’s the split. Critics love technical mastery. Audiences love emotional truth. Lanthimos walks the line between both.
How to Start Watching His Films
If you’ve never seen a Lanthimos movie, don’t start with Kinetta. Don’t start with Alps. Start with The Lobster.
It’s his most accessible. The premise is weird, but the characters feel real. You’ll laugh. Then you’ll feel guilty for laughing. Then you’ll wonder if you’ve ever been in a relationship like that. It’s the perfect entry point.
After that, go to The Favourite. It’s the most polished, the most award-baiting, but also the most emotionally complex. Then, if you’re ready for the deep end, watch Dogtooth and The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
And if you’ve seen them all? Wait for Bugonia. It’s coming October 31, 2025. Early buzz says it’s his most personal film yet.
Why His Style Works-And Why It Might Not Anymore
Lanthimos’s trademarks are clear: static camera, deadpan acting, unnatural lighting, silence that screams. He doesn’t use music to tell you how to feel. He lets the awkwardness sit. That’s his power.
But critics are starting to ask: is it becoming a brand? Kinds of Kindness made people wonder. When every film feels like a remix of the last, does it lose its shock value?
Yet Poor Things proved he can evolve. The visuals were bigger. The emotions were deeper. The story had heart. He didn’t abandon his style-he refined it. He stopped letting the weirdness be the point. Now, the weirdness serves the story.
That’s the difference between a gimmick and an artist.
Where He Fits in Film Today
Lanthimos isn’t just a director. He’s proof that original voices can survive in a world of sequels and algorithms. His films have made over $217 million worldwide. Searchlight Pictures paid $15 million for Bugonia before it even screened. That’s not luck. That’s demand.
Directors like Emma Seligman and Coralie Fargeat cite him as an influence. Streaming platforms are fighting to sign him for new projects. He’s not chasing trends. He’s setting them.
Some say he’ll be the Wes Anderson of his generation. Others say he’s already there. Either way-he’s not slowing down.
What is Yorgos Lanthimos’s highest-rated film by Metascore?
Yorgos Lanthimos’s highest-rated film is The Favourite (2018), with a 91 Metascore based on 54 critic reviews. It’s his most critically acclaimed work, earning 10 Academy Award nominations including Best Director and Best Picture.
Is Poor Things better than The Favourite?
Critics rank The Favourite higher (91 vs. 88), but audiences often prefer Poor Things. On IMDb, it has a 7.8 rating compared to The Favourite’s 7.5. On Letterboxd, it’s ranked #1. Many viewers feel Poor Things balances Lanthimos’s strangeness with deeper emotional resonance, making it feel more human.
What’s the best Lanthimos film to watch first?
Start with The Lobster (2015). It’s the most accessible-strange, funny, and emotionally sharp without being overwhelming. It introduces his signature tone and style in a way that’s easier to digest than his earlier Greek films or darker later works like The Killing of a Sacred Deer.
Why does Dogtooth have such a strong fan following despite its lower Metascore?
Dogtooth (2009) is raw, uncompromising, and entirely original. It’s the film that first put Lanthimos on the map. Fans love it because it feels like a secret-no Hollywood polish, no big stars, just pure, unsettling creativity. Its 72 Metascore reflects critical caution, but its impact on audiences is deeper and more personal.
Is Kinds of Kindness worth watching?
If you’re a fan of Lanthimos, yes-but go in with lowered expectations. At 64, it’s his lowest-rated film since Kinetta. Critics say it feels repetitive, like he’s recycling his style without adding new depth. But if you enjoy his atmosphere and themes, you’ll still find moments of brilliance. It’s not his best, but it’s not his worst.
What’s coming next from Yorgos Lanthimos?
His next film, Bugonia, is set for wide release on October 31, 2025. Starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, it’s his third collaboration with Stone and has already received a 12-minute standing ovation at Venice. Early reviews suggest it’s his most emotionally grounded film yet. He’s also developing The Big Door Prize, his first project since The Killing of a Sacred Deer without Emma Stone.