Gus Van Sant toes the line between independent auteur and mainstream genius. His films are equal parts thrilling, emotionally evocative, and relatable, often focusing on characters struggling to understand themselves and find community in a rigid and cold world. Van Sant is also synonymous with queer cinema, and many of his best films feature LGBTQ+ characters.
Van Sant's prolific career has landed him Oscar nominations and the top prize at Cannes, the Palme D'Or, for his contentious feature Elephant. With 17 movies under his belt, Van Sant has impressed audiences for decades. Here are his 10 most critically acclaimed films, ranked according to their score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Finding Forrester (2000) - 74%
Finding Forrester focuses on two men from very different backgrounds forging a bond due to their mutual love for writing. Sean Connery plays an aging writer named Forrester who connects with 16-year-old Jamal, a teenager from the South Bronx who attends a prep school in Manhattan.
Their friendship seems doomed to fail due to Forrester's disgruntled nature, but he becomes inspired by the teenager's drive to be a successful writer, letting his barriers drop.
Paranoid Park (2007) - 76%
Hitchcock meets Larry Clark, Paranoid Park follows the emotional and psychological unraveling of a teenage skateboarder after he's implicated in the death of a security guard at a train station.
Van Sant fills the film with relatively unknown actors, and the young man who plays the main character, Alex, gives a heartwrenching performance as a confused and distraught teenager whose attempt to escape his circumstances leads to an unintended moment of extreme violence.
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot (2018) - 76%
This understated biopic is based on the life of cartoonist John Callahan, who is played by Joaquin Phoenix. After struggling with alcoholism, Callahan's life comes to a halt when he's involved in a terrible car accident that leaves him paralyzed for life.
Callahan attempts to start fresh, developing relationships with his physical therapist and his new AA sponsor. Phoenix is supported by performances from Rooney Mara and Jonah Hill.
My Own Private Idaho (1991) - 81%
Considered one of the most important queer movies of all time, My Own Private Idaho stars a young River Phoenix as a narcoleptic male sex worker living in Portland, Oregon. Van Sant tells his story through Shakespearean analogs, road trip themes, and first-hand accounts from the lives of homeless youth.
Keanu Reeves also stars in the film as the estranged son of the city's mayor, who takes Phoenix's character on an international journey to track down his mother. This beautiful, moving story about family and acceptance is a fairy tale for social outcasts.
Paris Je T'aime (2007) - 87%
Van San contributed a short entitled Le Marais to this anthology film that shines a light on one of the most loved cities in the world: Paris. Van Sant's segment is a love story between two young men whose ability to communicate is limited due to their divergent native languages.
A customer develops a crush on a man his age who works at a local print shop. When he makes a move, attempting to express his admiration, he finds it difficult due to the employee's small knowledge of French.
To Die For (1995) - 88%
Van Sant's erotic and Hitchcockian thriller about a woman in New Hampshire who aspires to be a celebrity, To Die For won Nicole Kidman a Golden Globe and features supporting performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Casey Affleck.
Kidman plays Suzanne Stone, who is intent upon becoming a local TV anchorwoman in her attempt to make it big. She is convinced her husband, played by Matt Dillon, is in the way, and she recruits a trio of high school students to help her take him out. Full of deception, seduction, and manipulation, To Die For is a taut, effective drama.
Milk (2008) - 93%
Van Sant brought an important queer story into the mainstream with his acclaimed biopic about San Francisco politician and activist Harvey Milk, whose life was cut short by fellow city supervisor Dan White. Sean Penn, in an Oscar-winning role, stars as Milk. The movie also features Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco, and Diego Luna.
Many fans consider Milk Van Sant's most approachable film, even though it doesn't compromise his character-driven style or queer themes. It's also considered an important LGBTQ+ film for its deep and personal look into San Francisco's status as a safe haven for queer folks from the 1960s until the 1980s.
Mala Noche (1985) - 95%
Mala Noche is Van Sant's first feature, and it was shot on 16 mm film with a $25,000 budget. Adapted from an autobiographical novel, it tells the story of a liquor store manager in Portland who falls in love with an undocumented Mexican teenager named Johnny.
A road movie of sorts, Mala Noche uses poverty, queer themes, and unrequited romantic feelings to unravel its narrative. Even though it was acclaimed at festivals, Mala Noche didn't get a theatrical release until after the success of Van Sant's breakout movie three years later, Drugstore Cowboy.
Good Will Hunting (1997) - 97%
Matt Dillon and Ben Affleck won Oscars for their Good Will Hunting screenplay, which focuses on the life of a 20-year-old MIT janitor whose photographic memory and high intelligence makes him a standout among his South Boston buddies.
Highlighting class, toxic masculinity, and unrecognized genius, Good Will Hunting stars Matt Damon in the title role. Robin Williams also won an Oscar for his portrayal of Will's therapist, a man he's forced to visit after assaulting a police officer.
Drugstore Cowboy (1989) - 100%
Van Sant's reputation blew up after the release of Drugstore Cowboy, a dirty and heavy drama about a group of heroin addicts constantly on the prowl for their next high. The movie stars Matt Dillon, Kelly Lynch, and Heather Graham.
The drug-addled and dream-like adventures of these kids who roam around the country robbing drugstores are influenced by the iconic books of William S. Burroughs. The film is directly based on an autobiographical book by John Fogle. Thirty years on, it's still considered Van Sant's masterpiece.