From 2010 to 2019, here’s easternKicks’ list of the absolute must-see films from the last decade

10 years is a long time. We’ve seen the cinematic landscape drastically change with multiple wins at prestigious film festivals, a rolling door of incredible debuts, and an army of returning legends both starring and directing. We wanted to explore what will the 2010’s most be remembered for… The year that Chapman To perhaps had sex with a mule? The year of Bong Joon-ho and Parasite? The triumphant wuxia return of Wong Kar-wai or the stunning gory career springboard for Iko Uwais and Gareth Evans?

Whatever your thoughts on the films of the last 10 years, 16 writers from the easternKicks team have voted and put together our list of the best asian films from the last decade. Whilst no means comprehensively extensive, we’ve chosen the yearly highlights that sing the most and bring something to the silver screen to shout about, so forgive us if we’ve missed out your favourite but hopefully there’s something here for everyone.

13 Assassins

Director: Takashi Miike

Japan

Starting off the decade with a sprawl of awards nominations, and achieving a place on the BFI’s list of 10 Great Samurai Films, this is a rare reserved film from a director responsible for some of the most creative and iconic flicks to ever come from Japan.

Click here to read our review

Let The Bullets Fly

Director: Jiang Wen

China, Hong Kong

Narrowly being beaten by James Cameron’s Avatar to its spot as the second highest-grossing film ever released in China, this visual feast of violence and mischief is topped off by a well-scripted story that’ll keep audiences coming back for multiple viewings.

Click here to read our review

Love In A Puff

Director: Pang Ho-cheung

Hong Kong

This trilogy of romcom’s from Pang Ho-cheung was strewn across the past decade, with Shawn Yue and Miriam Yeung’s onscreen love bringing some light to the otherwise turgid sea of releases. It’s really here however, in the first film of the trilogy, that the combination of Yue and Yeung’s acting skills are made to shine by that of an incredible comedic director.

Click here to read our review – Love in the Buff

Click here to read our review – Love Off The Cuff

Cold Fish

Director: Sion Sono

Japan

Sono started the decade strong with an ambitious gore movie about a serial killer, shockingly based on real life with a premiere at the 67th Venice IFF. This wasn’t the last time Sono shocked international audiences this decade, but it was truly the combination of Love Exposure and Cold Fish that shot the director to global fame.

Click here to read our review

The Man From Nowhere

Director: Lee Jeong-beom

South Korea

Arguably the best appearance (and currently the final) of Won Bin on the silver screen, this rollicking action movie was the highest grossing Korean film of the year.

Click here to read our review

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past lives

Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Thailand

The first Thai film to win the Cannes Palme d’Or, it’s slow and contemplative whilst also visually stunning with moments of surreal humour.

Click here to read our interview with the director Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Confessions

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima

Japan

The amazing adaption of Kanae Minato’s bestselling novel is bleak and relentless; and whilst losing out as Japan’s Oscars entry for Best Foreign Language film, it’s still worth a watch from audiences everywhere.

Click here to read our review

I Saw The Devil

Director: Kim Jee-woon

South Korea

Heralding Choi Min-sik’s first major role since 2003, this horror-thriller about a psychopathic serial killer is a courageous follow-up after the success of The Good, The Bad, The Weird

Click here to read our review

A Simple Life

Director: Ann Hui

Hong Kong

Considered to be the film that changed Ann Hui’s mind about retirement, her drama starring Andy Lau won 5 major prizes at the 31st Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony, and it’s an undemanding crowd-pleaser.

Click here to read our review

Kotoko

Director: Shinya Tsukamoto

Japan

The first Japanese film to win Best Film in Venice, and written by J-pop artist Cocco, Tsukamoto throws off his ‘Tetsuo’ legacy and here is where his career rebirth began, going on to shoot the incredible Fires On The Plain and Killing this decade.

Click here to read our review

Green Days: Dinosaur and I

Director: Ahn Jae-hoon, Han Hye-jin

South Korea

Heralding back to the original style of animation, hand drawn in pencil by 14 animators over 11 years, this budding adolescent romance deserves uttering in the most hallowed of animated film sentences.

Click here to read our review

The Raid

Director: Gareth Evans

Indonesia

Iko Uwais has made quite the name for himself over the past decade, and it’s this ruthless gory reinvention of the martial arts action genre that started it all.

Click here to read our review

Wu Xia (Dragon)

Director: Peter Chan

Hong Kong, China

A dazzling combination of martial arts and action noir, this Donnie Yen-starring film (who was fresh off Ip Manfame) won recognition not at festival awards, but in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest ever advertising billboard.

Click here to read our review

A Letter to Momo

Director: Hiroyuki Okiura

Japan

Premiering in Toronto, and then sieging festivals across 2011 and 2012, this visually stunning film about coping with loss is as dark as it is beautiful.

Click here to read our review

The Land of Hope

Director: Sion Sono

Japan

Two years after the Fukushima disaster, Sion Sono brings a voice to the tragedy for the international market. Not one to be missed.

Click here to read our review

Vulgaria

Director: Pang Ho-cheung

Hong Kong

A raging hilarious comedy with a tightly paced script, Chapman To returns with his most frequent director for a film that’ll split sides. This decade will be remembered as the one where we’re not quite sure if Chapman To had sex with a donkey.

Click here to read our review

Gangs of Wasseypur

Director: Anurag Kashyap

India

A 5hr+ epic that deserves uttering in the same sentences as Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese, this is one of the most ambitious gangster films ever made.

Pieta

Director: Kim Ki-duk

South Korea

What would a list of the decade be without the indulgent artistic creepiness that is the arthouse auteur Kim Ki-duk? Sexualism, Christian symbolism and violence; Pieta won the Venice Golden Lion for being nothing less than ‘viscerally seductive’.

Click here to read our review

Wolf Children

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Japan

The film that established the reputation of Studio Chizu, their singular sense of artistic style and longtime contributor collaborations all come together in one package that reinvigorated the anime market long before Your Name.

Click here to read our review

Drug War

Director: Johnnie To

China, Hong Kong

Rowdy and awesome enough to get a South Korean remake in 2018, it’s unfortunate that whilst Drug Warcemented Johnnie To’s status as one of the best Hong Kong filmmakers, it was also his last great film.

Click here to read our review

A Touch of Sin

Director: Jia Zhangke

China

“A Touch of Sin is quite simply a remarkable feat. It’s brutal, nasty, and difficult to watch. One of the most thrilling revenge flicks in years”.

Click here to read our review

The Story Of Yonosuke

Director: Shuichi Okita

Japan

Nominated for 6 awards, and winning them all, this ordinary story of love and beauty comes from a director who channeled the best of pure Japan in his indie films of the last decade. Notable mention, check his other film The Woodsman and the Rain.

Click here to read our review

Ilo Ilo

Director: Anthony Chen

Singapore

The first Singaporean film to win the Camera d’Or from Cannes, this honest but dark tale of family life in the 90s deserves praise for authenticity.

Click here to read our review

Snowpiercer

Director: Bong Joon-ho

South Korea, Czech Republic

Marking Bong Joon-ho’s debut in the English language, and featuring Song Kang-ho and Captain America himself, this is the first of 3 of Joon-ho’s films on our list. Based on a French graphic novel, this pulse-racing post apocalyptic sci-fi film is a treat for all audiences.

Click here to read our review

Like Father, Like Son

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Japan

The first time this decade that Kore-eda went to Cannes and came away with an award (winning the Jury prize), this 5* movie is another masterfully played out tender drama from the master himself.

Click here to read our review

The Grandmaster

Director: Wong Kar-wai

Hong Kong, China

Not your ordinary kung-fu movie, this stylish epic from genius Wong Kar-wai is an absolute must-see for all audiences.

Click here to read our review

The Wind Rises

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Japan

A WW2 biopic from Studio Ghibli, visually stunning and rated as one of the better works from the animation studio.

Click here to read our review

New World

Director: Park Hoon-jung

South Korea

This gangster epic from the screenwriter of I Saw The Devil is a modern Infernal Affairs, and was the true springboard into stardom for the career of Hwang Jung-min.

Click here to read our review

Chanthaly

Director: Mattie Do

Laos

The first horror film to be entirely written and directed in Laos, and the first Lao feature from a female director, this film really put Mattie Do on the map. Her 2016 follow-up Dearest Sister was the first Laos selection to the Oscars, and was 1 of 10 projects selected for Cannes La Fabrique des cinémas du monde.

A Girl At My Door

Director: July Jung

South Korea

A career-defining performance from Bae Doona in July Jung’s feature debut that explores homosexuality and abuse, holding a mirror up to judge the reflection of modern day Korea.

Click here to read our review

Black Coal, Thin Ice

Director: Diao Yinan

China

Murder, mystery and suspense lead the way for this delicious detective noir whodunit that won the Berlinale Golden Bear in 2014. It was one of our favourite 5* films of 2014, and is worth checking out if you enjoy a game of plot-detective.

Click here to read our review

Sea Fog

Director: Shim Sung-bo

South Korea

Based on a true story, and selected as the SK foreign language entry for the 87th Academy Awards, this is a riveting nightmare of blockbuster proportions.

Click here to read our review

Aberdeen

Director: Pang Ho-cheung

Hong Kong

A rare comedic departure from Pang Ho-cheung explores family dynamics with a star-studded cast that includes Louis Koo and Miriam Yeung. Whilst a showcase of the director’s breadth of genre-directing talent, it’s a pity he hasn’t shot many films out of his stereotyped comedic comfort zone since.

Click here to read our review

Ode To My Father

Director: Yoon Je-kyoon

South Korea

Following the 1950’s Hungnam Evacuation during the Korean War, this was a critically acclaimed powerful family drama.

Click here to read our review

Ten Years (Hong Kong)

Directors: Kwok Zune, Wong Fei-pang, Jevons Au, Chow Kwun-kai, Ng Ka-leung

Hong Kong

A sci-fi anthology film set in 2025, exploring human rights and the increasing influence of Mainland china on the future of Hong Kong. Ten Years won Best Film at the 35th Hong Kong Film Awards.

Click here to read our review

Happy Hour

Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Japan

This 5hr+ epic explores the lives and relationships of friends in their thirties. Unique, pondering and deeply emotional, this is a film for a long rainy day like no other.

Click here to read our review

Veteran

Director: Ryoo Seung-wan

South Korea

This action/comedy box office smash is unbelievably fun and reinvigorated a Korean genre that, at the time, was becoming worn and prone to stereotypes.

Click here to read our review

The Boy and the Beast

Director: Mamoru Hosoda

Japan

A film of two tonally contrasting halves, and offering a palate cleanser to the more traditional Japanese anime offerings. This summer blockbuster is full of character and one for all the family.

Click here to read our review

The Assassin

Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien

Taiwan

Shu Qi slays in this visually gorgeous wuxia co-production. One of the true highlights of the decade, and we were only halfway done at the time!

Click here to read our review

Read the reactions of the easternKicks crew here

Right Now, Wrong Then

Director: Hong Sang-soo

South Korea

The master of unreliable narrative returns for a film about human connections and quiet humour. Whilst not his best work, it’s still as thoroughly enjoyable and delightful as ever.

Click here to read our review

Our Little Sister

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Japan

Based on the manga series Umimachi Diary, it’s a gentle-paced film that follows the relationship between three sisters. This kind of work symbolizes the career of Kore-eda.

Click here to read our review

Port Of Call

Director: Philip Yung

Hong Kong

Based on a real 2008 murder case, Aaron Kwok stuns in his role as a veteran police detective. The easternKicks editor Andrew Heskins rated this 5*****

Click here to read our review

Train To Busan

Director: Yeon Sang-ho

South Korea

Premiering in the Midnight Screenings section at Cannes, this zombie epic fuelled the fires globally for Korean cinema in a furor that was only beaten recently by Bong Joon-ho.

Click here to read our review

Your Name

Director: Makato Shinkai

Japan

One of the highest-grossing Anime and Japanese films of all time, everyone globally heralded Shinkai’s latest as the coming of the new Ghibli-beating messiah. Personally, I just think this cute romantic drama about the connections between people is very powerful, and well worth your time.

Click here to read our review

Mad World

Director: Wong Chun

Hong Kong

An impressive debut with standout performances from Shawn Yue and Eric Tsang, this analysis of mental illness is a treat of cinema rarely seen.

Click here to read our review

The Wailing

Director: Na Hong-jin

South Korea

This supernatural horror movie won our Easternkicks Film Of The Year in 2016, and features two career-defining performances from Hwang Jung-min and Kwak Do-won.

Click here to read our review

The Mermaid

Director: Stephen Chow

China, Hong Kong

The directorial return of Stephen Chow broke tons of box office records and is currently the 7th highest grossing film of all time in China. Not too shabby for a fantasy rom-com about playboys and mermaid assassins.

Click here to read our review

Shin Godzilla

Director: Hideaki Anno & Shinji Higuchi

Japan

The 31st installment in the Godzilla franchise, and the 3rd reboot, Shin Godzilla is a 5* affair that refreshes the kaiju genre and truly brings back the ‘king’ to the king of monsters.

Click here to read our review

I Am Not Madame Bovary

Director: Feng Xiaogang

China

Whilst lesser-known overseas, Feng Xiaogang is one of China’s most popular directors. Skilled storytelling, perfect comedic timing, this film shows both Feng Xiaogang and Fan Bingbing at a career-best.

Click here to read our review

The Handmaiden

Director: Park Chan-wook

South Korea

Erotically harrowing, and yet entirely compelling, Park Chan-wook’s adaption of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith was the highest-grossing foreign language film in the UK when it released in 2017.

Click here to read our review

The Day After

Director: Hong Sang-soo

South Korea

A black and white dramatic tale of adultery, this is Hong Sang-soo at his finest in a script that revels in exposing both the worst, and sometimes the best, of human nature.

Click here to read our review

The Bold, The Corrupt, And The Beautiful

Director: Yang Ya-che

Taiwan

A lush crime family melodrama where the women run (and steal) the show. The plot is nothing new, but the modern gangster resolution of revenge is a potent and powerful mix.

Click here to read our review

Okja

Director: Bong Joon-ho

South Korea

Competing at Cannes and Netflix-funded, the drama around the streaming platform helping create this film was almost as dramatically resounding as the environmental message pushed through loving CGI giant pigs.

Click here to read our review

Bad Genius

Director: Nattawut Poonpiriya

Thailand

The most internationally successful Thai film of all time, this heist-thriller about exam cheats was voted as Easternkicks’ 2nd best film of 2017.

Click here to read our review

A Taxi Driver

Director: Jang Hoon

South Korea

Focusing on real-life events around the 1980 Gwangju Uprising, this made it onto our ‘Top 10 Films of 2017’ list, and was labeled “an invigorating and tumultuous ride of a movie”.

Click here to read our review

1987: When The Day Comes

Director: Jang Joon-hwan

South Korea

Jang Joon-kwan’s real-life political thriller feels like a powerfully important event, our own reviewer Theo Howe claims it to be “a triumph that should not be missed”.

Click here to read our review

Shoplifters

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Japan

Winning the 2018 Palme d’Or, Kore-eda’s critical commentary on themes of family and poverty is probably one of the best films of the decade.

Click here to read our review

A Land Imagined

Director: Yeo Siew Hua

Singapore

The first Singaporean film to win big at a major film festival (Locarno), this tech-noir mystery is gripping and pulse-pounding, and is now in the history books.

Click here to read our review

Shadow

Director: Zhang Yimou

China

A thrilling and sumptuous wuxia epic; Yimou’s striking visuals and Lao Zai’s Spartan score create one of the most memorable wuxia films in years.

Click here to read our review

Burning

Director: Lee Chang-dong

South Korea

Based on a short story from Haruki Murakami, this ‘thriller that defies convention’ went on to become one of the must-see films of 2018.

Click here to read our review

Ash Is Purest White

Director: Jia Zhangke

China

One of the finest performances of Zhao Tao’s career, and a return to form for Jia Zhangke, the fact it lost out on the Palme d’Or to Kore-eda’s Shoplifters is testament to just much of a heavy hitter Jia Zhangke is.

Click here to read our review

One Cut Of The Dead

Director: Shinichiro Ueda

Japan

Made with a low budget, a cast of unknown actors, and going on to break box office records by making its’ budget back over a thousand times, this is the best film you’ve never seen. Oh and it was also unanimously votes as easternKicks’ 2018 film of the year.

Click here to read our review

An Elephant Sitting Still

Director: Hu Bo

China

Sadly director Hu Bo committed suicide before his first film had its world premiere in Berlin and went on to win critical acclaim. One of few epic-length features on our list, this soap opera of romance and death is a triumph of Chinese filmmaking, and most likely one of a kind.

Click here to read our review

The Farewell

Director: Lulu Wang

USA.

Premiering at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, this bittersweet culture-clash comedy is as authentic and involving as a family drama could be, and the perfect vehicle for the talents of Lulu Wang and Awkwafina.

Click here to read our review

Born Bone Born

Director: Toshiyuki Teruya (Gori)

Japan

A surprise hit of 2019 that hilariously explores the ancient Okinawan death rituals, with plenty of cringe-inducing moments. This dramady is a rollercoaster test of emotions you’re sure to enjoy.

Click here to read our review

The Crossing

Director: Bai Xue

China

The directorial debut of Bai Xue that went on to create a huge festival buzz in the early part of 2019. Her exploration of naïve youth is lavishly shot and has some true commentary on Hong Kong troubles.

Click here to read our review

Parasite

Director: Bong Joon-ho

South Korea

The first Korean film to win the prestigious Palme d’Or, and get selected for the 92nd Academy Awards. There’s no doubt why Parasite is on our list.

Click here to read our opinion of Parasite

So there you have it, that’s the full easternKicks list of the best films from the last decade in 2010 to 2019. Let us know in the comments if we’ve missed any films you think should make the list. With such a wide array of genres, narratives, and film talent, we can’t wait to see what great films are released in the 2020s.

Why not check out our previous Top 10 Films Of The Year lists, to see in more detail what films each year the easternKicks team enjoyed!

Click here – Top Films of the Year 2014

Click here – Top Films of the Year 2015

Click here – Top Films of the Year 2016

Click here – Top Films of the Year 2017

Click here – Top Films of the Year 2018

Click here – Top Films of the Year 2019