New movies that look old: 9 black and white films made in the color era
Nine new movies shot in black and white by choice, from The Artist, Frances Ha and Ida to Nebraska, Cold War, Roma, The Lighthouse, Mank and Belfast, with directors and cast.
Color and HD are everywhere, yet some filmmakers choose black and white on purpose. This list gathers nine recent films that look like classics, in release order, with posters, the directors and the cast.
For each film we explain why the director chose black and white, what that choice adds to the story and what else the film is known for. Some are tributes to old Hollywood, others are personal memories, and a few use the lack of color to make a strange world feel even stranger.
Why choose black and white today
For decades, black and white was simply how films were made. When color became the norm, black and white turned into a choice, and today it is almost always a deliberate one. Directors use it to evoke a period, to honor the cinema they love or to strip an image down to light, shadow, faces and shapes.
Without color, the eye pays more attention to composition, texture and expression. A wrinkle, a reflection on wet asphalt or the grain of a wooden wall becomes more visible. Many cinematographers say black and white forces them to light every scene more carefully, because they cannot rely on color to separate one element from another.
It is also a commercial risk. Studios and streaming services often fear that audiences will avoid films without color, so each of these titles had to fight for its look. The fact that several of them won Oscars and festival prizes shows that the risk can pay off when the choice serves the story.
How we chose
We chose films from the 2010s and 2020s shot mainly in black and white by artistic choice, by critical reception and style. This is not a numbered ranking.
We only included feature films made mostly in black and white, not films with a few monochrome scenes. Most of them are dramas, but the list also has a silent comedy, a horror film and a coming of age story, to show how different the results can be.
Awards were part of the choice, since several of these films won major prizes, but we also looked at how they used black and white. In each case, the lack of color is not a trick but part of what the film is saying.
The Artist (2011)
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Starring Jean Dujardin, Bérénice Bejo.
Why it matters: The Artist, by French director Michel Hazanavicius, is a silent black and white film about a star of the silent era who loses everything when talking pictures arrive. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture, and Jean Dujardin became the first French actor to win Best Actor. The dog Uggie became a celebrity of his own.
Watch how the film uses the language of the 1920s: title cards, a full orchestral score, exaggerated gestures and the old square frame. There is a brilliant scene where sound suddenly appears in the hero's nightmare, and everything around him makes noise except his own voice.
It is a perfect introduction to silent cinema for viewers who have never seen one, light, funny and romantic. Film lovers will spot many references to classic Hollywood, while everyone else can simply enjoy a charming love story told with music and faces.
Frances Ha (2012)
Directed by Noah Baumbach. Starring Greta Gerwig.
Why it matters: Frances Ha, directed by Noah Baumbach and co-written with Greta Gerwig, who also plays the lead, follows a dancer in New York who is not quite ready to grow up. The black and white images were a conscious nod to the French New Wave and to classic films about the city.
Pay attention to the scene where Frances runs and dances through the streets to David Bowie's Modern Love, a moment full of joy and a tribute to an earlier French film. The film is made of small moments: moving between apartments, awkward dinners, a short trip to Paris.
Frances Ha became a favorite of people in their twenties who feel a bit lost, and it helped launch Greta Gerwig as a writer and director. It is short, funny and tender, ideal for viewers who like character comedies more than big plots.
Ida (2013)
Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. Starring Agata Trzebuchowska.
Why it matters: Ida, by Pawel Pawlikowski, follows a young novice in 1960s Poland who, before taking her vows, learns that she is Jewish and that her family died during the war. It became the first Polish film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Watch the composition of the images: the film uses an almost square frame and often places the characters at the bottom of the shot, with a lot of empty space above them, as if the weight of history were pressing down. Every shot looks like a carefully composed photograph.
The film is short, quiet and intense, and it rewards patient viewers. It is ideal for those interested in European history and in films about faith and identity. Its restraint makes the emotional moments hit even harder.
Nebraska (2013)
Directed by Alexander Payne. Starring Bruce Dern, Will Forte.
Why it matters: Nebraska, directed by Alexander Payne, follows an elderly man convinced he has won a million dollars in a sweepstakes, and the son who agrees to drive him across the state to collect it. Bruce Dern won the award for Best Actor at Cannes, and the film received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.
Pay attention to how black and white turns the flat Midwest landscape into something sad and beautiful at the same time: empty roads, small towns, old bars. June Squibb, also nominated for an Oscar, steals several scenes as the outspoken mother.
The film mixes comedy and melancholy and talks about aging, family and the dreams we carry for a lifetime. It is ideal for viewers who enjoy road movies and stories about parents and children, and it often hits harder with those who have elderly parents.
Cold War (2018)
Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski. Starring Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot.
Why it matters: Cold War, also by Pawel Pawlikowski, tells a love story that spans fifteen years across Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris after World War II. Pawlikowski was inspired by his own parents and won Best Director at Cannes. The film received three Oscar nominations, including Best Director.
Watch how music drives the story, from Polish folk songs to Parisian jazz. The main song changes arrangement as the lovers change countries and lives, showing how politics and exile reshape them. The film is compact, with long gaps in time between scenes.
It is a good choice for lovers of romantic dramas who do not need everything explained. The black and white images and the music make it one of the most beautiful European films of its decade, and it works well paired with Ida.
Roma (2018)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Starring Yalitza Aparicio.
Why it matters: Roma, written, directed and shot by Alfonso Cuarón, recreates his childhood in Mexico City in the early 1970s through the eyes of Cleo, a domestic worker. It won three Oscars, for Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography, and Yalitza Aparicio, in her first role, was nominated for Best Actress.
Pay attention to the long, slow camera movements that observe everyday life in the house and the streets, and to the details of sound all around. The beach scene near the end is one of the most powerful moments in recent cinema, filmed in a single take.
The film moves at a slow, contemplative pace, so it is best watched without distractions, ideally on a large screen. It is ideal for viewers who love films about memory and family, and it also offers a portrait of Mexico at a time of political tension.
The Lighthouse (2019)
Directed by Robert Eggers. Starring Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson.
Why it matters: The Lighthouse, by Robert Eggers, was shot on black and white film in an almost square frame, to give it the look of a film from the 1920s or 1930s. Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson play two lighthouse keepers isolated on a rocky island who slowly lose their minds. The cinematography was nominated for an Oscar.
Watch the textures: rain, wind, salt and soot seem almost tangible. The dialogue imitates the language of old sailors, and Dafoe delivers monologues worthy of the theater. The film mixes psychological horror, dark humor and myth, with nods to sea legends.
It is a strange, intense film, not for everyone, but unforgettable for fans of unusual horror. Viewers who enjoyed films that leave room for interpretation will find a lot to discuss afterwards, especially about what is real and what is madness.
Mank (2020)
Directed by David Fincher. Starring Gary Oldman.
Why it matters: Mank, directed by David Fincher from a script written by his late father, Jack Fincher, follows screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he writes Citizen Kane. The film received ten Oscar nominations, the most of that year, and won two, for cinematography and production design.
Pay attention to how Fincher imitates the style of 1940s films: deep blacks, dissolves, even the sound, which was designed to sound like an old recording. Gary Oldman plays Mank as witty, self-destructive and politically aware, in a Hollywood ruled by powerful moguls.
The film is full of references to old Hollywood and to the politics of the 1930s, so it rewards viewers who know Citizen Kane. For others, it works as a portrait of a brilliant writer fighting his demons. Watching Citizen Kane first is a good idea.
Belfast (2021)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Starring Jude Hill, Caitríona Balfe.
Why it matters: Belfast, written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, is based on his childhood in Northern Ireland at the start of the Troubles in 1969. It won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, Branagh's first Oscar win after many nominations. The film opens and closes in color and moves to black and white for the memories.
Watch the story through the eyes of Buddy, a nine year old boy played by Jude Hill, who sees violence arrive in his street while also discovering films, school crushes and the songs of Van Morrison. Judi Dench and Ciarán Hinds play warm and funny grandparents.
The film balances fear and tenderness and is ideal for viewers who like family stories and coming of age dramas. It also offers an accessible introduction to the beginning of the conflict in Northern Ireland, told from a child's height.
Where to start
Choose by mood, from light to intense:
- Light and charming: The Artist or Frances Ha.
- Family and memory: Belfast or Roma.
- Bittersweet road movie: Nebraska.
- European love and history: Ida, then Cold War.
- For film buffs: Mank, after watching Citizen Kane.
- Something strange and intense: The Lighthouse.
If you rarely watch black and white films, start with The Artist or Frances Ha. Both are short, funny and easy to follow, and they show that monochrome does not mean old fashioned or slow. Once your eyes adjust, the absence of color stops being noticeable after a few minutes.
Watch these films in a dark room, on the best screen you have. Black and white depends a lot on contrast, and a bright room or a phone screen can make the images look flat. Several of them, like Roma and The Lighthouse, were made to be seen big.
Frequently asked questions
Why do modern movies use black and white?
Directors use it for mood, a timeless feel, a nod to classic cinema or to focus attention on light, shape and performance.
What is the best modern black and white movie?
Roma, Ida, Cold War and The Lighthouse are among the most praised, and The Artist won the Oscar for Best Picture.
Is The Artist a silent movie?
Yes. It is largely silent and in black and white, a tribute to Hollywood in the 1920s.
Did any modern black and white film win Best Picture?
Yes. The Artist (2011) won the Oscar for Best Picture, among five Oscars in total.
Are these films shot on black and white film?
Some are. The Lighthouse was shot on black and white film stock, while others were shot digitally and finished in black and white.
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Sources: official studio releases, filmographies and public records.
