on election night (america) 2020 i wrote a 'top 100 films of all time' to avoid the twitter cesspit on all sides of the political equation
i might change it next time i come to make a list like this
in time i will add some thoughts to this
but here it is

# title director (country, year)
1 The Son Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium, 2002)
2 Come and See Elem Klimov (Soviet Union, 1985)
3 Hoop Dreams Steve James (USA, 1994)
4 Bait Mark Jenkin (UK, 2019)
5 The Act of Killing Joshua Oppenheimer (Denmark/Norway/UK, 2012)
6 The General Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman (USA, 1926)
7 Paris is Burning Jennie Livingston (USA, 1990)
8 Ikiru Akira Kurosawa (Japan, 1952)
9 Robocop Paul Verhoeven (USA, 1987)
10 This is Spinal Tap Rob Reiner (USA, 1984)
11 The French Connection William Friedkin (USA, 1971)
12 Penda's Fen Alan Clarke (UK, 1974)
13 Finding Frances Nathan Fielder (USA, 2017)
14 Barry Lyndon Stanley Kubrick (USA/UK, 1975)
15 Alien Ridley Scott (USA/UK, 1979)
16 A Matter of Life and Death Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (UK, 1946)
17 The Artist Michel Hazanavicius (France, 2011)
18 Wake in Fright Ted Kotcheff (Australia/US, 1971)
19 Napoleon Abel Gance (France, 1927)
20 The Vanishing George Sluizer (Netherlands/France, 1988)
21 Where is the Friend's Home? Abbas Kiarostami (Iran, 1987)
22 Annie Hall Woody Allen (USA, 1977)
23 Culloden Peter Watkins (UK, 1964)
24 A Moment of Innocence Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran, 1996)
25 Double Indemnity Billy Wilder (USA, 1944)
26 A Short Film About Killing Krzystof Kieślowski (Poland, 1988)
27 Tie Xi Qu: West of the Tracks Wang Bing (China, 2002)
28 The Godfather Francis Ford Coppola (USA, 1972)
29 Au Hasard Balthazar Robert Bresson (France, 1966)
30 Citizen Kane Orson Welles (USA, 1942)
31 From the East Chantal Akerman (Belgium/France/Portugal, 1993)
32 Do the Right Thing Spike Lee (USA, 1989)
33 Gimme Shelter Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin (USA, 1969)
34 Stroszek Werner Herzog (West Germany, 1977)
35 American Movie Chris Harris (USA, 1999)
36 Children of Men Alfonso Cuarón (UK/USA/Japan, 2006)
37 Nuts in May Mike Leigh (UK, 1976)
38 The Thin Blue Line Errol Morris (USA, 1988)
39 Pickpocket Robert Bresson (France, 1959)
40 A Taste of Cherry Abbas Kiarostami (Iran, 1997)
41 First Blood Ted Kotcheff (USA, 1982)
42 The Night of the Hunter Charles Laughton (USA, 1955)
43 Contact Alan Clarke (UK, 1985)
44 Sullivan's Travels Preston Sturges (USA, 1941)
45 Made in Britain Alan Clarke (UK, 1982)
46 M Fritz Lang (Germany, 1931)
47 The Shout Jerzy Skolimowski (UK, 1978)
48 Ghostwatch Lesley Manning (UK, 1992)
49 Xala Ousmane Sembène (Senegal, 1975)
50 The Goddess Wu Yunggong (China, 1934)
51 The Class Laurent Cantet (France, 2008)
52 Shoah Claude Lanzmann (France, 1985)
53 Rear Window Alfred Hitchcock (USA, 1954)
54 Killer of Sheep Charles Burnett (USA, 1978)
55 Rocky John Avildsen (USA, 1976)
56 Megacities Michael Glawogger (Austria/Switzerland, 1998)
57 Andrei Rublev Andrei Tarkovsky (Soviet Union, 1966)
58 Evil Dead 2 Sam Raimi (USA, 1987)
59 Z Costa-Gavras (Algeria/France, 1968)
60 The Passion of Joan of Arc Carl-Theodor Dreyer (France, 1928)
61 Some Kind of Monster Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (USA, 2004)
62 Werckmeister Harmonies Bela Tarr (Hungary/Germany, 2000)
63 Walkabout Nicolas Roeg (UK/Australia, 1971)
64 Dog Star Man Stan Brakhage (USA, 1961-1964)
65 Death by Hanging Nagisa Oshima (Japan, 1968)
66 Victoria Sebastian Schippers (Germany, 2015)
67 Grizzly Man Werner Herzog (USA, 2005)
68 Russian Ark Alexander Sokurov (Russia, 2002)
69 Army of Shadows Jean-Pierre Melville (France, 1969)
70 Mildred Pierce Michael Curtiz (USA, 1945)
71 Catfish Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost (USA, 2010)
72 Gallivant Andrew Kotting (UK, 1996)
73 O Brother, Where Art Thou? Joel and Ethan Coen (USA, 2000)
74 The Straight Story David Lynch (USA, 1999)
75 Sunrise FW Murnau (USA, 1927)
76 Underground Emir Kusturica (Serbia/Bulgaria/Czech Republic/France/Germany/Hungary, 1995)
77 The Titfield Thunderbolt Charles Crichton (UK, 1953)
78 Baseball Ken Burns (USA, 1994)
79 The Blair Witch Project Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez (USA, 1999)
80 Le Bonheur Agnes Varda (France, 1965)
81 Bambi David Hand (USA, 1942)
82 A Sunday in Hell Jorgen Loth (Denmark, 1976)
83 3 Iron Kim Ki Duk (South Korea, 2004)
84 Handsworth Songs John Akomfrah (UK, 1986)
85 The Falls Peter Greenaway (UK, 1980)
86 Closely-Watched Trains Jiri Menzel (Czechoslovakia, 1966)
87 Winstanley Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo (UK, 1975)
88 Kes Ken Loach (UK, 1969)
89 Biggie and Tupac Nick Broomfield (UK, 2002)
90 The Conversation Francis Ford Coppola (USA, 1974)
91 An Impossible Job Ken McGill (UK, 1991)
92 American Animals Bart Layton (USA/UK, 2018)
93 Brother Alexei Balabanov (Russia, 1997)
94 Who Framed Roger Rabbit Robert Zemeckis (USA, 1988)
95 Terminator 2: Judgement Day James Cameron (USA, 1991)
96 Rembrandt's J'accuse! Peter Greenaway (Finland/Germany/Netherlands, 2008)
97 Aliens James Cameron (USA, 1985)
98 Out of the Past Jacques Tourneur (USA, 1947)
99 Baby's Day Out Patrick Read Johnson (USA, 1994)
100 Persona Ingmar Bergman (Sweden, 1966)

some caveats: i watched Beau Travail (Claire Denis, France, 1998) two days after compiling this list and would definitely put that in.
on other days the following films would strongly be considered
- L'Argent Robert Bresson (France, 1983)
- Shadow of a Doubt Alfred Hitchcock (USA, 1942)
- Dead Man's Shoes Shane Meadows (UK, 2004)
- Edvard Munch Peter Watkins (Sweden/Norway, 1974)