The opening shot of a movie says a lot about the film and sets the audience’s expectations for the remainder of the story. Through the first image shown onscreen, the filmmakers can communicate the stakes, setting, and character dynamics that will fuel the characters' actions and the narrative’s drama. While it’s important for these shots to be beautifully crafted and incredible to look at, they should be more than aesthetically pleasing.Every frame of the movie must serve both a visual and narrative purposeto capture the viewer’s attention.
There are manymovies from the 2010s that will still be relevant in 50 years, and it’s usually easy to tell from the early moments of a film if it’s going to stand the test of time. While there are plenty of movies with gorgeous opening shots that turn out to be boring or uninspired and vice versa, these movies manage to be beautiful and iconic.The 2010s were a landmark decade for cinemawith incredible opening shots. While these are far from the only strong first scenes of 2010s movies, they’re some of the most recognizable and inspired.
10Lady Bird (2017)
Directed by Greta Gerwig
Before Greta Gerwig made history with her blockbusterBarbie, she started her directing career on a much quieter and more intimate note.Gerwig’s feature debut,Lady Bird, stars Saoirse Ronanas the titular character. Lady Bird is a young woman in her senior year of high school trying to establish her identity and navigate a difficult relationship with her mother. This relationship defines the story ofLady Bird, as seen in the opening shot.
This single moment demonstrates the complexity of their relationship and touches upon the struggle that many mothers and daughters face in their dynamic.
Ronan gives one of thebest performances in an A24 movie, and her chemistry with Laurie Metcalf, who plays her mother, Marion, makes their dynamic unforgettable. The opening shot gives the audience insight into the intimacy between the two women and the closeness of their bond, even though many of the interactions between them while they’re awake push each other further away. This single moment demonstrates the complexity of their relationship and touches upon the struggle that many mothers and daughters face in their dynamic.
Lady Bird
Cast
Acting as Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut, Lady Bird stars Saoirse Ronan as Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson, a high school senior who dreams of leaving what she sees as a miserable existence in Sacramento, California, and going to college on the East Coast. Lady Bird’s dreams clash with the overbearing wishes of her mother Marion, played by Laurie Metcalf. As Lady Bird faces the social and emotional challenges of her final year of high school, her relationship with her mother becomes more and more strained the harder she attempts to break free.
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9The Florida Project (2017)
Directed by Sean Baker
The director ofThe Florida Project, Sean Baker, has been at the center of many recent conversations regarding Oscar buzz and representation of working-class Americans thanks to his latest movie,Anora. However,his 2017 film,The Florida Project, was the filmmaker’s first big hit with criticsand audiences. Told through the perspective of Moonee (Brookylnn Prince), a young girl living in a Florida motel near Disney World,The Florida Projectis an incredible exploration of youth and the class struggle of the U.S.
The Florida Projectdeals with many serious and adult subjects, and Moonee escapes through her games and her play with the other children in her area, who face similar struggles. It’s through her childish perspective that Moonee is able to survive her hardships and navigate seeing her mother in intense and often violent situations. As she sits with another child, away from adult supervision, against a brightly colored cheerful wall,the message ofThe Florida Projectis perfectly distilled for the viewer.
The Florida Project
The Florida Project is a drama film that follows a six-year-old girl named Moone and her mother, Halley, as they attempt to enjoy life to their fullest and make ends meet in the Disney-dominated county of Kissimmee, Florida. Halley and Moonee’s lives are fraught with distress while living in a motel. However, Moonee befriends another child in the motel while her mother struggles to keep them above water and hold on to her daughter as the risk of protective services taking her grows ever larger.
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8La La Land (2016)
Directed by Damien Chazelle
The skillfully crafted opening scene ofLa La Landfeatures neither of the movie’s protagonistsbut communicates the dreams and drive that fuels them, as well as any line of dialogue they deliver. A love letter to the city of Los Angeles,La La Landis unabashedly romantic and nostalgic for old Hollywood, even as it lets some cynicism pervade the fantasy. In the opening number, the best and the worst parts of LA are on display, as a traffic jam turns into a tribute to the belief that coming to the city will make your dreams a reality.
It has the golden exterior of a Hollywood dream, but it takes hard work and many days of unending disappointment and sacrifice to achieve this idyllic existence.
As one of thebest movie musicals of the 21st century,La La Landisn’t just about film and music but a tribute to all art forms and the people who pursue their dream to create relentlessly. Despite the sunny and beautiful exterior of the opening number, there’s a deeper message inside the song. It has the golden exterior of a Hollywood dream, but it takes hard work and many days of unending disappointment and sacrifice to achieve this idyllic existence.
La La Land
La La Land follows aspiring actress Mia and jazz musician Sebastian in Los Angeles, portrayed by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. As they pursue their dreams amidst a series of auditions and gigs, their love story is tested by the pressures of ambition and success in the entertainment industry.
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7If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Directed by Barry Jenkins
Based on James Baldwin’s seminal novel of the same name,If Beale Street Could Talkfollows the heartwrenching story of Tish (KiKi Layne) and Fonny (Stephan James), two star-crossed lovers who are torn apart by injustice in the 1970s. ThoughIf Beale Street Could Talkdidn’t receive the same attention as director Barry Jenkins' earlier groundbreaking film,Moonlight, it’s a fantastic addition to his filmography and shouldn’t be forgotten. While there is devastation and prejudice throughout the story, there is also an enduring current of love.
This love is what sustains Tish and Fonny as the racism and systemic oppression of the time continuously pull them apart inIf Beale Street Could Talk. In the first moments of the film, their love pours out of the screen as Tish and Fonny walk arm-in-arm down a quiet, tree-lined street.It’s a beautiful tracking shot that remains on the couple for a long time,giving them space to be alone with each other while communicating a quiet intimacy that their relationship is built on.
If Beale Street Could Talk
Based on the novel by James Baldwin, If Beale Street Could Talk stars KiKi Layne as Tish Rivers, a young woman living in New York City with her boyfriend Fonny in the 1970s. When Fonny is accused of a crime he did not commit, Tish sets out to prove his innocence and get his exonerated before the birth of their first child. Stephan James, Regina King, Brian Tyree Henry, and Ed Skrein also star.
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6Interstellar (2014)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan’sInterstellaris easily one ofMatthew McConaughey’s best movies, featuring an all-time performance from the actor. Watching Cooper sacrifice everything for the sake of humanity’s survival in this epic sci-fi drama brings a tear to the eye, and Nolan doesn’t shy away from just how hard this is on Cooper. However,the solution to humanity’s problems is hiding insideInterstellarfrom the very beginning, and this message is being sent in the opening shot.
Christopher Nolan Already Made His Version Of The Odyssey 10 Years Ago
Christopher Nolan’s next movie is an adaptation of The Odyssey, although he already pulled this off with his acclaimed movie from 10 years ago.
Though the clues inInterstellar’s first scene are only apparent upon rewatch,the first shot is of the bookshelf and the toy spaceship that come to be humanity’s salvation. It takes Cooper a long time to realize that he was the one sending messages back to himself and Murph all along, even if the movie was dropping these clues from the start. Like most of Nolan’s films,Interstellaronly gets better with every consecutive viewing.
Interstellar
From Christopher Nolan, Interstellar imagines a future where the Earth is plagued by a life-threatening famine, and a small team of astronauts is sent out to find a new prospective home among the stars. Despite putting the mission first, Coop (Matthew McConaughey) races against time to return home to his family even as they work to save mankind back on Earth.
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5Boyhood (2014)
Directed by Richard Linklater
In the opening shot of Richard Linklater’sBoyhood, Mason (Ellar Coltrane) stares up at the sky, daydreaming, lost in the imaginary world of his own making.It’s not surprising that this shot was chosen for the poster and a lot of the marketing materialsforBoyhood, as it captures an intimacy and insight into Mason’s character that’s difficult to achieve onscreen. As he ages before the audience’s eyes, Mason becomes almost unrecognizable when compared to the child in the first frames of the movie, though this boy will always be part of him.
Shot over the course of twelve years,Boyhoodwas a long and time-consuming project, but the results speak for themselves. There are few movies that so accurately and tenderly capture the enormous and minuscule moments of coming-of-age and how much these parts of early life shape us. Looking back on the first scene ofBoyhoodafter taking in Mason’s entire life up until college, it’s incredibly moving to see in him such a universal portrait of childhood.
Boyhood
Directed by Richard Linklater, Boyhood depicts the childhood and adolescence of Mason Evans Jr., a young man from Texas whose coming-of-age during the mid-2000s is the main focus of the film. Linklater shot the film over the course of 12 years, chronicling Mason’s childhood in time with the growth of his actor, Ellar Coltrane. Besides Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater also star.
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4Roma (2018)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
The deliberately paced opening title sequence of Alfonso Cuarón’sRomaforces the audience to sit and waitfor the gratification of the remainder of the story. It’s telling that the viewer’s introduction to the narrative is through Cleo washing the floors of the home she works on. As the title sequence progresses, the water slowly overwhelms the frame until it’s flooded by soapy liquid, and the dirt and history of the floor have been washed away.
Yalitza Aparicio is unforgettable as Cleo, one of the cleaners in the affluent Mexican home where most ofRomatakes place.
Yalitza Aparicio is unforgettable as Cleo, one of the cleaners in the affluent Mexican home where most ofRomatakes place. Set in the 1970s,Romatackles the racial and class tensions in Mexico during this period through the lens of Cleo, who watches the comforts and misfortunes of the family she works for from the outside. The domestic and ritualistic practice of washing the floor in the opening shot is reminiscent of the blank slates and new starts that the characters get by the film’s end, even if this is an illusion.
Roma
Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma is a semi-autobiographical story set in Mexico City in the early 1970s. The award-winning black-and-white film follows a young maid named Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio) as she navigates the challenges and complexities of her personal and professional life against the backdrop of political turmoil and social upheaval.
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3Dunkirk (2017)
Like all of Nolan’s work,Dunkirkplays with time and perspective,and this is apparent from the first frame of the movie.Dunkirkunfolds through several different timelines. One of the most stressful storylines is told from the point of view of Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), a British soldier on the ground awaiting evacuation on the beaches of Dunkirk. The film opens with Tommy and his fellow soldiers wandering through an abandoned French town, priming the audience for a movie full of tension and terror.
Byusing an opening shot of British soldiers watching propaganda fall on an empty town,Nolan is referencing how perception can be altered through suggestion and experience. The different timelines inDunkirkare a kind of propaganda, as they tell audiences different versions of the story and showcase how people’s experiences of the evacuation of Dunkirk play into what they view as the most important parts of the conflict. While there are many films about the horrors of World War II,Dunkirkis one of the best in recent memory, thanks to Nolan’s style.
Dunkirk
This epic tale of World War II tells the story of soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France, who are surrounded by the German army, and the dangerous operation that evacuated and saved the lives of thousands.
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2Parasite (2019)
Directed by Bong Joon-ho
Parasiteis widely considered Bong Joon-ho’s magnum opus,and it’s hard to argue this as the film went on to win both Best Director and Best Picture at the Academy Awards, among many other awards that season. However, even without the accolades,Parasitewould be known as an unforgettable film. Inspiring many additional projects that touch upon the stark differences between classes through a darkly comic lens,Parasitetakes many shocking turns throughout its run.
Mickey 17 Looks Nothing Like Bong Joon-ho’s $262 Million Oscar Winner & That’s Great
Bong Joon-ho’s next project is the sci-fi film Mickey 17, which looks completely different from his Oscar-winning movie, and that’s great.
However, the intense social stratification and mind-bending narrative wouldn’t work without the careful exposition that Bong employs both visually and through dialogue. The opening scene is of the family’s socks hanging up to dry as the focus pulls in and out from the socks to the activity on the street outside. It’s a deliberately patient moment that mirrors the dichotomy between worlds the rest of the story examines.It will be interesting to see what Bong has in store for audiences in his upcoming movie,Mickey 17,starring Robert Pattinson.
Parasite
Parasite is a 2019 South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-ho. The film follows the destitute Kim family as they infiltrate the affluent Park household by manipulating their way into various household roles, leading to unforeseen consequences.
Directed by George Miller
The violently explosiveMad Max: Fury Roadis frequently cited as one of the best movies of the 2010s, and the cinematography plays a large role in why this is the case. In both the color and black-and-white versions ofMad Max: Fury Road, the breadth and importance of the opening shot is clear. In a story where machinery is a source of power and influence in a desolate world, the audience sees a character looking out at this wasteland. The setting and stakes of the narrative are communicated in a single moment.
For the rest of the movie, the audience and characters rarely leave this barren desert, as the lack of water and the dystopian reality the characters live in fuels their unbelievable actions. The camera slowly pushes in on Max (Tom Hardy) as he surveys the land and jumps into his car, accompanying the monologue that plays in the background. From the color grading to the instantly immersive setting,there’s no part ofMad Max: Fury Roadthat disappoints the audience after this iconic moment.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
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