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The transformation of Kristen Stewart from teen vampire saga star to a powerhouse of dramatic acting is nothing short of remarkable, a fact that Sundance 2024 has stamped with approval.
Here are the 20 best Kristen Stewart movies as per Rotten Tomatoes, where, let's be clear, you won't find a trace of Twilight.
20. "Undertow" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%
In rural Georgia, two brothers, Chris and Tim, go on the run after a violent altercation with their abusive uncle, leading them through a harrowing journey of family secrets and survival.
19. "Welcome to the Rileys" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 54%
Grieving parents Doug and Lois Riley find their lives transformed when they meet Mallory, a troubled teenage stripper, leading them on a path to reconciliation and healing.
The true story of Laura Albert, who created the literary persona J.T. LeRoy, a fictitious writer persona, leading to acclaim and controversy when the character's identity begins to unravel.
17. "The Yellow Handkerchief" (2008) Rotten Tomatoes score: 65%
Three strangers with their own emotional baggage embark on a road trip through Louisiana, forming a bond as they confront their past mistakes and seek redemption.
16. "Lizzie" (2018) Rotten Tomatoes score: 66%
A psychological thriller that reimagines the infamous Lizzie Borden story, exploring Lizzie's life leading up to the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother, and her relationship with the family's housemaid.
15. "The Runaways" (2010) Rotten Tomatoes score: 69%
This film chronicles the rise and fall of the groundbreaking 1970s all-girl rock band The Runaways, focusing on the lives of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie as they navigate fame and music industry challenges.
Set in the 1930s, Bobby Dorfman leaves New York for Hollywood, falling in love and entering the vibrant world of high society nightclubs, only to return to New York and find himself entangled in a love triangle.
A young female soldier, Cole, assigned to Guantanamo Bay detention camp, forms an unlikely friendship with a detainee, Ali, challenging her perceptions of the war on terror and humanity.
12. "Zathura" (2005) Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%
Two young brothers playing a board game are magically transported into an outer space adventure, facing various dangers and challenges, and must complete the game to return home.
Recently divorced Meg Altman and her diabetic daughter Sarah take refuge in their home's panic room during a home invasion, leading to a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse with the intruders.
10. "Crimes of the Future" (2022) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
In a future where human bodies undergo bizarre mutations, performance artist Saul Tenser showcases the transformation of his organs as an art form, attracting the attention of a mysterious group and government agents.
9. "Speak" (2004) Rotten Tomatoes score: 80%
High school freshman Melinda Sordino becomes selectively mute after a summer party where she was sexually assaulted. She struggles with her trauma and finds her voice through art and self-expression.
Maureen, a personal shopper in Paris for a celebrity, also possesses mediumistic abilities and becomes entangled in the mysterious spiritual world while trying to make contact with her recently deceased twin brother.
Harper brings her girlfriend, Abby, home for Christmas, intending to propose, but Abby discovers Harper hasn't come out to her conservative parents, leading to comedic situations and heartfelt revelations.
6. "Into the Wild" (2007) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Based on a true story, Christopher McCandless, a young man disillusioned by a materialistic society, abandons his possessions and savings to embark on a journey across America, eventually seeking solitude in the Alaskan wilderness.
5. "Spencer" (2021) Rotten Tomatoes score: 83%
Over a Christmas holiday with the Royal Family at Sandringham, Princess Diana, facing a crumbling marriage and intense public scrutiny, grapples with her inner demons and the decision to redefine her life path.
4. "Still Alice" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 85% Alice Howland, a renowned linguistics professor, faces the devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The film portrays her struggle to maintain her identity and relationship with her family as her condition deteriorates.
A recent college graduate, James Brennan, takes a summer job at the Adventureland amusement park, where he experiences the ups and downs of young love, friendship, and the gap between expectations and reality.
2. "Clouds of Sils Maria" (2014) Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
An aging actress, Maria Enders, faces personal and professional challenges when she agrees to star in a revival of the play that made her famous, this time in an older role, alongside her young assistant, leading to introspection and a blurring of reality and fiction.
In a small town in Montana, three women – a lawyer, a married couple, and a ranch hand – navigate their personal and professional lives, dealing with complex relationships and the quiet realities of everyday existence.
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