The 2000s was a great year for Canadian movies. Including everything from an emotional journey through Alzheimer’s to horror stories of zombies, werewolves, and genetically engineered hybrids, to comedic and fantastical mockumentaries, to psychological dramas and an emotional and introspective road trip, this list has something for everyone. The curated list of movies below celebrates the best movies made in the 2000s. The list covers a wide range of genres, and styles and features prominent Canadian actors, directors, and locales.
The selected films highlight the work of award-winning directors, Denis Villeneuve, Guy Maddin, Sarah Polley, and the king of body horror himself David Cronenberg. It also features notable Canadian actors such as Carrie Anne Moss, Stephen McHattie, and more. Furthermore, the films showcase Canada’s beautiful landscaoe, featuring a variety of film locales across Canada including Calgary, Alberta, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and various locations in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec. Here are the best Canadian movies of the 2000s, ranked.
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10 Splice
Dark Castle Entertainment
Splice is a science-fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali, who also directed the Canadian horror film Cube. It follows two genetic engineers that conduct secret experiments splicing human and animal DNA. The result is Dren an advanced animal-human hybrid growing at an accelerated rate. As Dren continuously evolves, she soon proves a threat to the young couple.
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9 Fido
Lionsgate
Fido is a dark-comedy set in a 1950s-esque suburbia where zombies are collared and controlled by a governing corporation called ZomCon. The domesticated zombies serve as laborers and pets until, one day, a rebellious young boy questions the status quo. Fido is a clever, funny, and touching horror satire that should not be missed.
8 Fubar
Busted Tranny
Fubar is a mockumentary that follows the lives of two long-time Canadian friends who spent their youth shotgunning beers, listening to heavy metal, and growing mullets. Documentarian Ferral Mitchner brings the archetypal Canadians’ lives to the big screen as they examine their friendship, life’s ups and downs, and drinking beer like a man. Since its 2002 release, Fubar has reached cult-status, particularly in Western Canada. The film also spawned a sequel in 2011, Fubar: Balls to the Wall.
7 Pontypool
Maple Pictures
Pontypool is a Canadian horror film based on Canadian author Tony Burgess’ novel Pontypool Changes Everything. It chronicles a zombie outbreak brought on from a mysterious virus spread through the English Language. The events of the film are broadcast over the airwaves by disc jockey Grant Mazzy (Stephen McHattie). Pontypool was the inspiration behind the 2019 spin-off film Dreamland. There is also currently a sequel in production titled Pontypool Changes, per Bloody Disgusting.
6 My Winnipeg
Buffalo Gal Pictures
Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba explores his hometown in an emphatically enjoyable amalgamation of fact and fantasy. The eclectic tribute is shot in grainy black and white imagery and is narrated by the filmmaker himself. It explores the cities bitter cold winters, amazing history, and the city’s significance to Maddin. Roger Ebert gave My Winnipeg a four-star rating.
5 Ginger Snaps
Ginger Snaps is arguably one of Canada’s best horror flicks ever to be released and quickly gained a cult following. Directed by John Fawcett, the film follows two teen girls with a strange fascination with death. The pair’s world is turned upside down when one of them is bitten by a werewolf. The popular film inspired both a prequel and sequel Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning, and Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, respectively. The two movies were filmed back-to-back and released in 2004. The cult-horror film is also being adapted for the small screen with a Ginger Snaps TV series.
4 A History of Violence
New Line Cinema
Award-winning Canadian director David Cronenberg departs from his typical visceral horror film with the gripping psychological drama A History of Violence. The film follows main protagonist Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), a seemingly ordinary man who intervenes when two thugs try to rob a local diner. Matters are complicated when his spontaneous act of heroism unveils deadly secrets from his past that threaten to re-emerge in his new life.
3 One Week
Telefilm Canada
Joshua Jackson stars as Ben Tyler in One Week, an emotional and touching road trip movie by Canadian filmmaker Michael McGowan. The film follows Ben on his travels across country on his vintage motorcycle while coming to terms with his recent cancer diagnoses. The film showcases several beautiful Canadian destinations across The Great North, from Toronto to Tofino.
2 Maelstrom
Max Films Productions
Before he became one of Hollywood’s most sought after directors, Denis Villeneuve made an impression with this emotional psychological drama told from the perspective of a dying fish, wherein a woman struggles with depression after accidentally killing a man in a hit-and-run accident. Kevin Thomas from The Los Angeles Times, praised Maelstrom as a “stylish, breathless film, very much the dynamic work of a young man [Villeneuve] of talent, passion and brashness”.
1 Away From Her
Foundry Films
Away From Her marks Canadian actress and filmmaker Sarah Polley’s directorial debut. The film chronicles the struggles of elderly couple Fiona (Julie Christie) and Grant (Gordon Pinsent) as they deal with Fiona’s advancing Alzheimer’s disease. The film earned Polley a Canadian Screen Award for Best Director and an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. After the success of her first film, Polley would go on to direct Take This Waltz in 2011, and the documentary Stories We Tell in 2012.
