Mick LaSalle, The San Francisco Chronicle's film critic, has released a list of 40 best films of the millennium, with Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Past’ (2013) making the cut at the 11th place.
The critic considered science fiction as the dominant genre for 20 years, adding however that the best films of the millennium have not been science fiction films.
He has published two best-of the-millennium lists, one for English-language films and the other for foreign-language films that is limited to foreign films released in the United States.
French–Italian–Iranian drama film ‘The Past’, by the director of Oscar-winning film ‘A Separation’, was named as the 11th best film of the millennium on the foreign-language film list.
The critic described Farhadi’s ‘The Past’ as a methodical, naturalistic film about love, marriage and infidelity, in which everyone is ripped apart emotionally.
The film was nominated for the Palme d'Or award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and won the festival's Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Bérénice Bejo also won the festival's Best Actress Award. ‘The Past’ was also nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 71st Golden Globe Awards.
Top on LaSalle’s list of English-language films are '25th Hour' (2002), 'Inglourious Basterds' (2009), and 'The New World' (2005).
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