The greatest actors of all time are too often said to be male, with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Marlon Brando, James Stewart, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Daniel Day-Lewis all rubbing shoulders in such conversations. Female actors are regularly and wrongly omitted, however, with such stars as Meryl Streep, Michelle Williams, Ingrid Bergman, Viola Davis, and Tilda Swinton deserving the same level of praise.
Having thrived since the start of the new millennium and beyond, Swinton is one of the most beloved modern stars. Thriving in the likes of Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash, Bong Joon Ho’s Okja and even the Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, Swinton is a unique prospect. Praised by critics and fans alike, Swinton has only been recognised for her success on the world stage once, winning an Oscar for her performance in 2007’s Michael Clayton.
Shortly after her awards success, Swinton took the time to sit down with Rotten Tomatoes to discuss her all-time favourite movies, naming an eclectic mix of recent Hollywood movies and a strong dose of foreign cinema.
First on her list is the 1966 classic Au Hasard Balthazar by French filmmaker Robert Bresson. Telling the story of a mistreated donkey and the people around him, this intriguing arthouse classic has inspired countless subsequent films, no less the recent donkey-led movie EO, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, which too follows the animal during its travels across Poland.
Next on her chosen titles is the Mohammad-Ali Talebi 1996 film Bag of Rice, which follows a child and her elderly neighbour who travel to fetch a sack of rice and experience an eclectic adventure en route. Not regularly discussed in modern cinema, the film stars the likes of Masume Eskandari, Jairan Abadzade, Shirin Bina and Hossein Kalantar.
From two arthouse flicks to one of Hollywood’s most puerile comedies, the 2009 Larry Charles movie Bruno makes it in at number three on Swinton’s list. The film, led by the contemporary jester Sacha Baron Cohen, follows a gay Austrian fashion designer looking for fame in America. Part scripted comedy and part real-life mockumentary, Bruno is a comedy from another time and place of modern Hollywood.
We’re going back to reality for Swinton’s fourth entry, with the actor picking the Emeric Pressburger and Michael Powell classic I Know Where I’m Going! From 1945. Starring the likes of Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Walter Hudd and George Carney, the film tells the story of a young English woman who goes to marry her wealthy fiancé but has second thoughts when her trip is delayed.
Take a look at the full list of Tilda Swinton’s all-time favourite movies below.
Tilda Swinton’s favourite films:
- Au Hasard Balthazar (Robert Bresson, 1966)
- Bag of Rice (Mohammad-Ali Talebi, 1996)
- Bruno (Larry Charles, 2009)
- I Know Where I’m Going! (Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, 1946)
- Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson, 2008)
The final movie to make it on Swinton’s list of exclusive favourites is perhaps the greatest vampire film of modern cinema, Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In. Released in 2008, Let the Right One In made an incredible impact upon its release, with the film telling the story of a bullied boy who finds love in a mysterious new girl at his school.