The 10 best Kristen Stewart films, ranked (including 'Love Lies Bleeding,' not 'Twilight')
Plenty of folks have cross words about the merit of the “Twilight” movies. What that series thankfully did give us is the very intriguing – and now Oscar-nominated – filmography of Kristen Stewart.
The gems are her indie film and left-of-center stuff, like "Lizzie" or "J.T. LeRoy," where Stewart, 33, has carved out a niche in her signature understated way. And she was royally great as Princess Diana in "Spencer," which earned Stewart her first best actress nod. But she's starred in a smorgasbord of projects – the ones where she’s in a love triangle with a vampire and werewolf, obviously, but also the “Charlie’s Angels” redo, Hulu's holiday romantic comedy "Happiest Season" and her latest effort, director Rose Glass' bodybuilding neo-noir revenge thriller "Love Lies Bleeding" (in theaters now).
So while Bella Swan doesn’t show up in this ranking of the 10 best Stewart movies (sorry, Twihards!), consider it a greatest-hits package to kick off a deep dive into a sneakily impressive resume.
Stewart trades movie-star glam for Army camo in this gripping military drama that stars the actress as a very green private assigned to a mostly male group of guards at Guantanamo Bay. She showcases simmering rage in dealing with misogynistic peers, as well as both disdain and care for prison detainees.
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10. ‘In the Land of Women’ (2007)
Sweet and captivating wins the day with this little gem that stars Stewart as a teenager who strikes up a growing relationship with an older dude (Adam Brody) visiting next door, who himself finds a closeness with the girl’s cancer-stricken mom (Meg Ryan). Complicated emotions abound, for sure, but it draws you in with its unmistakable heart.
9. ‘Lizzie’ (2018)
The mystery surrounding Lizzie Borden and infamous 1892 ax murder of her father and stepmother allows for speculative dramas like this twisty thriller, where the bloody situation unfolds alongside a forbidden romance between lonely misfit Lizzie (Chloe Sevigny) and reserved Irish housemaid Bridget (Stewart) that gets discovered by Lizzie’s domineering jerk of a dad (Jamey Sheridan).
8. 'Crimes of the Future' (2022)
Stewart doesn't have a large role in this ultra-bizarre sci-fi drama but, in her own way, symbolizes its commitment to weirdness. Her character Timlin is a seemingly uptight bureaucrat working for the National Organ Registry who – as one might think with her gig – meets a performance artist (Viggo Mortensen) whose work involves the removal of extra organs that grow inside him. Timlin's increasing obsession with his art turns oddly kinky and Stewart gets to purr the movie's defining line: "Surgery is the new sex."
7. 'Charlie's Angels' (2019)
Forget the atrocious box office or even director Elizabeth Banks calling the reboot a "flop": "Angels" is a super-fun, proudly quirky action comedy, and Stewart almost singlehandedly makes it all work through sheer charisma. She dazzles in glamorous dresses and whups bad guys as the hero trio's resident heiress-turned-criminal-turned-oddball, stealing the movie using cool style rather than brute force.
6. ‘Still Alice’ (2014)
Julianne Moore won an Oscar for her portrayal of a linguistics professor diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, and while the cast is strong across the board, the highlight is the relationship between Moore’s Alice and Stewart as her actress daughter Lydia. At the beginning of the movie, Alice is highly critical of Lydia's life choices, though by the end, as Alice’s condition has taken hold, Lydia is the one in the family most supportive of her mom.
5. 'Happiest Season' (2020)
Stewart flexes considerable comedic chops in one of her most wide-ranging roles with Clea DeVall's LGBTQ holiday film. Abby (Stewart) is invited by girlfriend Harper to the annual Christmas family gathering, but because Harper's conservative parents (Mary Steenburgen and Victor Garber) don't know she's a lesbian, Abby has to pretend to be her roommate. Dysfunctional high jinks and emotional truth ensue, plus Stewart finds a great scene partner in Daniel Levy ("Schitt's Creek"), who plays Abby's gay best friend.
4. 'Love Lies Bleeding' (2024)
In the 1980s-set romantic thriller, Stewart is a nervy, introverted hot mess as gym manager Lou, who falls for a bisexual bodybuilder named Jackie (Katy O'Brian) stopping through town on the way to a competition. Sparks fly but Lou's shady family dealings create friction in the nascent relationship, and soon Jackie finds herself murderously in over her head while Lou courts trouble threatening her arms-dealing dad (Ed Harris).
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3. ‘Clouds of Sils Maria’ (2014)
The film-festival fave casts Juliette Binoche as A-list film star Maria and Stewart as her assistant Valentine, who keeps her client sane as Maria is asked to again do the stage play that made her famous years ago – one that centers on a turbulent, same-sex May/December romance. Binoche and Stewart are great together as the younger woman tries to get Maria on board with the reinterpretation, while their relationship begins to mirror the play.
2. ‘Personal Shopper’ (2016)
“Shopper” is noteworthy for a stellar Stewart performance where she's by herself for much of the film – or is she? The actress plays Maureen, a globe-trotting personal shopper for a celebrity who yearns to communicate with her twin brother, recently dead of a heart attack. The open-ended ending is great, as is Stewart’s haunting exploration of a woman caught between the right here and the hereafter.
1 'Spencer' (2021)
It's hard to believe in hindsight that there was a chance that Stewart might miss out on an Oscar nomination, because she brings so much vulnerability, quiet power and a winning maternal streak to Diana in Pablo Larrain's psychological drama. The princess' life becomes a claustrophobic horror show over the Christmas 1991 holiday, as she's forced to confront old ghosts, an insane public life and the implosion of her marriage – all while keeping the love and protection of her two sons as her top priority.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Love Lies Bleeding': Kristen Stewart's 10 best films, ranked