Sandra Hüller’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked

Sandra Hüller‘s filmography is full of brilliant performances and thought-provoking films worth checking out. Hüller is widely recognized for her roles in two of the Best Picture nominees of 2024, Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest. However, the Oscars are just Hüller’s most recent accomplishment. Her career is filled with award-winning performances in international films. Hüller began her acting career in Swiss theater, before moving on to German cinema where she starred in both critically acclaimed dramas and successful comedies in her native language.

Since her film debut, Hüller has received two European Film Awards, a César Award, three German Film Awards, and an Academy Award nomination, among other accolades. She is one of the most highly decorated actresses working today, and her films span across a number of genres and styles, from harrowing horror films to outrageous comedies. Her recent movies may be the most well-known, but much of her past work stands out as well.

10

Above Us Only Sky (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Not Rated

Although it’s an early entry in her filmography, Above Us Only Sky shares several similarities with Hüller’s Oscar-nominated performance in Anatomy of a Fall. In the film, Hüller plays Martha Sabel, a young woman who is shocked to learn that not only did her husband die by suicide, but everything she thought she knew about him may have been a lie. Martha is left on her own to navigate this grief while also attempting to unravel the mystery of her husband’s true identity.

The film is a sensitive and thoughtful look at themes of marriage and what it truly means to know someone. For her performance in the film, Hüller was nominated for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role by the German Film Awards and won the Best Actress honor from the German Film Critics Association.

9

Sisi & I (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 67%

Sisi & I is a black comedy imagining the life of Empress Elisabeth “Sisi” of Austria from the point of view of her lady-in-waiting, Irma Sztáray. Hüller plays Irma, who bends to Sisi’s increasingly eccentric whims as they travel the world together. Their relationship grows even more co-dependent as they spend more time with one another, but the blossoming romance sours as Irma realizes the full extent of Sisi’s control over her.

Hüller’s dramatic and comedic talents are on full display in the film. Irma’s longing for Sisi is charming and relatable, and the performance becomes increasingly gutwrenching as Irma is encouraged to go to greater extremes to appease Sisi’s extravagant and temperamental demands. Director Frauke Finsterwalder won the Bavarian Film Award for Best Director for the film. Sisi & I also received four nominations for German Film Awards, including Best Actress for Hüller.

8

I’m Your Man (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

I’m Your Man is a genre-bending science fiction romantic comedy. The film centers around Alma, a researcher tasked to spend three weeks with a humanoid robot named Tom, played by Dan Stevens, who was designed to be the man of her dreams. Alma is initially reluctant to engage with Tom, but as they spend more time together, Alma begins to recognize his humanity and develop feelings for him. Hüller makes an appearance in the film as a representative of the tech company that designed Tom.

The film was critically acclaimed and received nominations for multiple honors at the German Film Awards and the Berlin International Film Festival. It was also chosen as the German entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. Despite I’m Your Man‘s strengths, it’s worth keeping in mind that Hüller’s role is limited compared to some of her other movies.

7

In the Aisles (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Although Hüller is better known for her more dramatic roles, she shows off her softer side in 2018’s In the Aisles. The film is a sweet, understated workplace romance that highlights how beautiful moments can be found in everyday circumstances. It centers around Christian, a painfully shy grocery store worker played by Franz Rogowski, as he begins a flirtatious relationship with his married coworker Marion, played by Hüller.

As Marion, Hüller is instantly charming and sympathetic. She walks a delicate line between acknowledging her chemistry with Christian and remaining faithful, even in her unhappy marriage. The result is a bittersweet but deeply relatable performance that aches with longing. In the Aisles was critically acclaimed in Germany and won several awards, including the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2018.

6

Requiem (2006)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Requiem was Hüller’s first major role, and she delivers a tour de force performance in the film. She stars as Michaela Klingler, a young woman with epilepsy who leaves behind her strict religious upbringing to discover herself at university. However, she soon suffers a breakdown and a series of medical issues, which she takes as evidence that she’s possessed by the devil. The story was inspired by the real-life Anneliese Michel, who passed away in Germany in 1976 after claiming to be possessed by demons.

Hüller’s performance is stunning, both emotionally and physically. Director Hans-Christian Schmid’s naturalistic style makes Hüller’s intensity feel all the more harrowing. Critics praised the film, citing Hüller’s powerful acting as its driving force. She was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival for her work in the movie.

5

Exile (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%

Exile is a surrealist drama that follows Xhafer, a middle-aged, Kosovo-born man who grows paranoid that his German friends and coworkers are discriminating against him. As his paranoia grows, every interaction in his life becomes evidence of people’s hostility towards him. Even his German wife Nora, played by Hüller, becomes increasingly threatening as Xhafer begins to lose touch with reality.

The film is a thrilling and imaginative examination of the growing problem of xenophobia in Germany. As Nora, Hüller strikes a perfect balance between caring and chilling, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats as they try to determine how accurate Xhafer’s perception of his life truly is. Exile competed in several international film festivals including Sundance.

4

Sleep (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Sleep is a German horror movie from director Michael Venus. It stars Hüller as Marlene, a woman plagued by horrific nightmares centering around an isolated village. After she discovers the village she’s been dreaming about is a real place, Marlene and her daughter are drawn into a web of conspiracies and dark secrets that threaten not only their lives but the lives of everyone in the town.

Sleep‘s approach to horror is surreal and layered, touching on themes of family and obsession without ever sacrificing scares. As the film unfolds and more dark truths about the village’s past are revealed, the tense atmosphere becomes almost suffocating, drawing viewers into Marlene’s descent into madness. The film was a success among critics, many of whom praised Hüller’s nuanced performance, which grounds the film in reality even among all the nightmare-inducing imagery.

3

The Zone of Interest (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

The Zone of Interest was a massive success during the 2024 awards season and for good reason. Jonathan Glazer’s unflinching look into the lives of a Nazi family building their dream home next to the Auschwitz concentration camp is a prescient commentary on how people willfully ignore atrocities, even as they’re actively engaging in them. Hüller’s performance as Hedwig Höss, the wife of Auschwitz’s commander, is bone-chilling.

She doesn’t lean into the inherent villainy of the role, instead highlighting the pettiness and banality of Hedwig’s daily life. It creates a stark contrast with the horrors that the audience knows are occurring right over Hedwig’s garden wall. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards and won two of them, including Best International Feature Film. It also earned several BAFTA accolades, including a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category for Hüller.

2

Toni Erdmann (2016)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Hüller’s breakout role came in 2016’s Toni Erdmann. In the film, she plays Ines, a workaholic whose life is thrown into chaos when her eccentric father creates an alter ego, complete with a wig and fake teeth, in order to pose as her CEO’s life coach. Despite the outrageous circumstances, this stunt slowly brings Ines and her father closer, allowing them to see eye to eye and finally reconnect after years of distance.

As Ines, Hüller is able to show off her comedic talents, while still demonstrating the stoic exterior that is so integral to many of her recent characters. The film was a critical success. Sight & Sound named it the best film of the year, and it received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Most importantly, it helped launch Hüller’s career as an international actress.

1

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

In Anatomy of a Fall, Hüller plays Sandra Voyter, a writer who becomes the center of a controversial trial after her husband is found dead. As suspicion is shifted to Voyter, the ugly realities of her marriage come to light. Hüller’s performance anchors the film and earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. However, Anatomy of a Fall‘s entire cast delivers powerful performances. Even Messi the dog became a star after the film’s release.

Anatomy of a Fall also won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and secured an Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay. The script was written by director Justine Triet and Arthur Harari and explored the complexities of relationships through the lens of a tense legal thriller. Triet and Harari crafted complex, emotional monologues that show off Hüller’s range as an actress. To date, it is the most critically successful film in Sandra Hüller‘s career, but after such a monumental year, it’s clear that there are great things in store for her future.