Luca Guadagnino has captivated audiences with his deeply personal, intimate, and sensual filmmaking. Unapologetically provocative and delving deep into complex and sometimes even taboo topics, like cannibalism, few movies are as engaging and polarizing in modern Hollywood.
Most recently, Guadagnino’s divisive new movie, After the Hunt (2025), premiered on Prime Video, drawing new audiences to the filmmaker. If you’re interested in delving further into his filmography, you can use our guide to find out where you can watch all Luca Guadagnino movies, ranked to the best, on Prime Video, Mubi, MGM+, and more.
10. The Protagonists (1999)
The Protagonists is Guadagnino’s feature film debut, which follows a film crew as they document the 1994 homicide case of Mohamed El-Sayed (Andrew Tiernan). It’s an interesting film-within-a-film story and utilizes a more unconventional format than most of Guadagnino’s movies. I enjoyed the meta elements and found it impressive that, back in 1999, Guadagnino was already exploring society’s problematic attitude toward true crime.
At the same time, The Protagonists struggle to evade becoming what it warns about. The strange film-within-a-film premise and choppy recreations of a terrible actual crime case don’t say anything profound about it. The format and ambiguity are also quite confusing, resulting in The Protagonists taking last place on this list.
9. After the Hunt (2025)
After the Hunt is a psychological thriller that centers on Alma (Julia Roberts), a Yale professor who finds herself caught in the middle when her student, Maggie (Ayo Edebiri), accuses Alma’s colleague, Hank (Andrew Garfield), of sexual assault. Like most of Guadagnino’s films, After the Hunt contains powerful performances and big ideas. Roberts, especially, dazzles with a quiet but sharp performance, while the increasingly complex web of “he said, she said” keeps viewers intrigued in this talk-heavy drama.
After the Hunt parallels movies like Promising Young Woman (2020) and Luckiest Girl Alive (2022) in terms of its themes, though it maintains a higher level of ambiguity. Even though After the Hunt tackles interesting ideas, its execution is a little shaky. The film is overly long and struggles to say something significant about its topic, preventing it from ranking higher on this list.
8. Melissa P. (2005)
Melissa P. is Guadagnino’s second feature film and tells the story of the titular protagonist (María Valverde), who begins exploring her sexuality while juggling a turbulent relationship with her mother. The film is as erotic and provocative as customary for Guadagnino. It also features his common coming-of-age topics and exploration of complex relationships and sexual awakening. However, it’s even darker than most of his films, as Melissa P. explores human cruelty and sexual predators.
Although the darker subject matter may not appeal to everyone, Melissa P. still reminded me of other well-received movies, such as A24’s Anora (2024) and Eighth Grade (2018). It’s a difficult watch, but there are elements of hope, nonetheless, and a realism that comes from viewing the coming-of-age experience from a teenage girl’s perspective.
7. A Bigger Splash (2015)
A Bigger Splash is a psychological drama that follows rock singer Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) and her husband, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), whose vacation in Italy takes an unexpected turn when they run into Marianne’s former lover, Harry Hawkes (Ralph Fiennes). It’s an intriguing drama with complex relationships and unexpectedly dark narrative twists. Although A Bigger Splash begins as a soapy drama, the plot twists keep it fascinating and add layers of depth and ambiguity.
A Bigger Splash reminds me most of Guadagnino’s other works, Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Bones and All (2022). It boasts the same dreamy, hazy summer-vacation vibes as Call Me By Your Name, thanks to its idyllic Italian setting, while the dark plot twists are reminiscent of Bones and All. However, the ambiguity of the plot means it’s the type of movie you may not get a lot from on the first watch, but that offers a new interpretation with every subsequent watch.
6. Suspiria (2018)
Suspiria is Guadagnino’s remake of the 1977 horror film of the same name and centers on Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson), a young ballerina who begins studying at a prestigious dance academy in Germany and becomes suspicious of its mysteries and odd phenomena. The film accomplishes a difficult task of holding up well against the original. By offering additional plot elements and elevating the brutality, it feels almost like its own project.
Suspiria also shines because of its strong performances, especially Tilda Swinton, who portrays multiple characters throughout and essentially carries the movie. Dark and disturbing with intriguing feminist themes, Suspiria is a thoughtful horror movie. It’s a great film if you enjoy thought-provoking, slow-burning horror like Climax (2018) and Black Swan (2010), though you may be disappointed if you’re looking for more conventional horror.
5. Bones and All (2022)
Bones and All tells the story of two young cannibals, Maren (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), who form a connection while drifting and struggling to make sense of their pasts. Between its mature subject matter and grisly body horror, Bones and All isn’t an easy film to stomach. However, those who enjoy or are ambivalent to body horror will find it’s also a very rewarding and complex coming-of-age romance.
Russell and Chalamet shine as young lovers, navigating a world where they don’t quite fit in. The cannibalism is a little less jarring when one recognizes it can be seen as a metaphor for many things, including substance abuse or trauma. While the extreme nature of its horror prevents it from ranking higher on this list, Bones and All is still an excellent coming-of-age horror-esque tale reminiscent of Raw (2016) and Only Lovers Left Alive (2013).
4. Queer (2024)
Queer follows William Lee (Daniel Craig), an American immigrant in Mexico City in the 1950s, who finds himself falling for a young G.I., Eugene (Drew Starkey). The film strongly parallels Call Me By Your Name, evoking the same dreamlike atmosphere and telling a hauntingly beautiful, intimate tale of love and yearning. However, Queer also seems to adopt a darker, perhaps more realistic, lens.
Whereas Call Me By Your Name is a dreamy, summer romance, Queer centers on two men struggling to subdue their sexuality and desires. There’s a haunted and dark feel to it, though the visuals are gorgeous and Craig’s performance as the desperate Lee is mesmerizing. Like many of Guadagnino’s films, it paints an intriguing portrait of human loneliness and the search for connection.
3. I Am Love (2010)
I Am Love centers on Emma Recchi (Swinton), who begins a whirlwind love affair with a chef. At the same time, her husband and children grow increasingly divided over an inheritance issue involving their paternal grandfather. The film reminds me a bit more of Melissa P. and A Bigger Splash, due to its gorgeous visuals, cinematography, and feminist themes. In addition to its romance tale, it’s a thoughtful family saga and exploration of one woman’s journey to self-discovery.
I Am Love is also the kind of movie that one can rewatch and discover something new about each time, including opening one’s eyes further to the gravity of Emma’s situation. The movie is passionate, visually pleasing, and thought-provoking. However, its relatively standard “trapped/bored housewife” trope prevents it from reaching the heights of the best Guadagnino movies on this list. Still, I Am Love is an excellent watch for fans of A Bigger Splash and Babygirl (2024).
2. Challengers (2024)
Challengers tells the story of tennis coach and former tennis champion, Tashi (Zendaya), as she coaches her husband, Art (Mike Faist), through a Challenger event, where he’ll face off against her ex-boyfriend, Patrick (Josh O’Connor). You’ll never realize just how interesting tennis can be until you watch Challengers. While the central love triangle is one of the biggest draws, the impeccably choreographed, intense, sweaty, and intimate tennis matches throughout keep the pace and adrenaline running high.
Despite the love triangle element, Challengers doesn’t feel like a romance movie. Instead, it plays out more like a psychological thriller, as viewers explore the manipulation, attraction, and betrayal among three people over thirteen years. As a result, it feels a little different and more refreshing than the typical romance drama. It’s a must-see for viewers who enjoy complex romances, such as those in May December (2023) and Shiva Baby (2021).
1. Call Me By Your Name (2017)
Call Me By Your Name is a romance film in which 17-year-old Elio (Chalamet) finds himself increasingly drawn to Oliver (Armie Hammer), the 24-year-old graduate student living with the Pearlmans for the summer. The film is an achingly beautiful and authentic depiction of first love. It captures both the intensity and yearning, as well as the innocence and wholesomeness of true love.
What really makes Call Me By Your Name so appealing is that its themes and depictions of love resonate with a universal appeal. Although it’s a love story between two men, it’s told with such empathy and beauty that many viewers can see themselves reflected in its themes of love and heartbreak, regardless of their sexuality. Call Me By Your Name combines the strengths of all of Guadagnino’s best movies, boasting the authenticity of Queer but with the aesthetics of I Am Love and the passion of Challengers, making it his best film.
