Best Movies of 2015

A ranking of the year's most rewarding films, from lucid action and animated invention to intimate relationships and demanding art cinema. The order values a director's particular way of seeing and the performances or formal choices that make a whole film stay with you. Begin with Mad Max: Fury Road for physical momentum, Brooklyn for classical romantic drama or Rams for a drier comic rhythm. Years follow first public screenings, including festivals: The Witch qualifies through Sundance in 2015 despite its wider release the following year. The notes distinguish slow observation and harsher material from more immediately inviting choices.