German director Werner Herzog  
The films are in no particular order. I started this list of my favorite films in 1998.
 

 

Happy as Lazzaro (Italy, 2018)
Son of Saul (Hungary 2015, Mátyás Erdély)
Everybody Wants Some (2016, Richard Linklater)
White God (Hungary, 2014, Kornél Mundruczó)
Waterloo (British 2018, Mike Leigh)
The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941, William Dieterle)
Nights of Cabiria (Italy 1957, Federico Fellini)
The Tale of Princess Kayuga (Japan 2013, Isao Takahata)
A River Changes Course (Cambodia 2013, Kalyanee Mam)
La Promesse (Belgium 1996, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
Project Nim (2011, James Marsh)
Western (Germany 2017, Valeska Grisebach)
Triangle of Sadness (2022, Ruben Östlund)
First Reformed (2017, Paul Schrader)
Paths of Glory (1957, Stanley Kubrick)
In the Pit (Mexico 2005, Juan Carlos Rulfo)
Midsommar (2019, Ari Aster)
Ten Canoes (Ramingining-Australia 2009, Rolf de Heer)
Honeyland (Macedonia 2019, Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska)
The Thin Red Line (1998, Terrence Malick)
Tár (2022, Todd Field)
Last Picture Show (1971, Peter Bogdanovich)
The Straight Story (1999, David Lynch)
Following Sean (2005, Ralph Arlyck)
We Need to Talk about Kevin (2011, Lynne Ramsay)
Life, Above All (2010 South Africa, Oliver Schmitz
The Return (Russia 2003, Andrey Zvyagintsev)
Never Let Me Go (British 2010, Mark Romanek)
Waste Land (Brazil 2010, Lucy Walker)
Pig (2021, Michael Sarnoski)
Under the Skin (2014, Jonathan Glazer)
Japon (Mexico 2002, Carlos Reygadas)
Agora (Spain 2009, Alejandro Amenábar)
Billy Budd (British 1962, Peter Ustinov)
Sophie Scholl: The Last Days (German 2005: Marc Rothemund)
Moonlighting (British-Polish 1982, Jerzy Skolimowski)
L'America (Italy 1994, Gianni Amelio)
Color of Paradise (Iran 1997, Majid Majidi)
Tsotsi (UK/South Africa 2006, Gavin Hood)
Edge of the World (British 1937, Michael Powell)
A Hidden Life (Terrence Malick, 2019)
What Maise Knew (2012, Scott McGehee, David Siegel)
The Details (2011, Jacob Aaron Estes)
Ordet (Danish 1954, Carl Dreyer)
A Place in the World (Argentina 1992, Adolfo Aristarain)
Days of Heaven (1978, Terrence Malick)
The Rider (2017, Chloe Zhao)
The Rapture (1991, Michael Tolkin)
Every Man for Himself (German 1975, Werner Herzog)
Matewan (1987, John Sayles)
Seconds (1966, John Frankenheimer)
The Ballad of Lester Scruggs (2018, Coen Brothers)
Hud (1963, Martin Ritt)
I, Vitelloni (Italy 1953, Frederico Fellini)
Before Sunset (2004, Richard Linklater)
Toni Erdmann (Germany 2016, Maren Ade)
Leila (Iran 1996, Dariush Mehrjui)
White Shadow of the South Seas (1928, W.S. Van Dyke)
Crip Camp (2020, James Lebrecht, Nicole Newnham)
A Midnight Clear (1992, Keith Gordon)
After the Wedding (Denmark 2006, Susanne Bier)
Harlan County USA (1976, Barbara Kopple)
McCabe and Mrs Miller (1971, Robert Altman)
Up and Down (Czech 2004, Jan Hrebejk)
Ruby in Paradise (1993, Victor Nunez)
Tanna (Australia-Vanatu 2015, M. Butler and B. Dean)
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992, Glengarry Glen Ross)
Ida (Poland 2013, Pawe Pawlikowski)
Rashomon (Japan 1951, Akira Kurosawa)
Shame (Sweden 1968, Ingmar Bergman)
Princess Mononoke (Japan 1997, Hayao Miyazaki)
The Saddest Music in the World (Canada 2003, Guy Maddin)
The Chances of the World Changing (2006, Eric Daniel Metzgar)
Simple Men (1992, Hal Hartley)
Boy A (2008, John Crowley)
Sleepy Time Gal (2001, Christopher Munch)
Fearless (1993, Peter Weir)
Into the Abyss (2011, Werner Herzog)
Children Underground (2000, Edet Belzberg)
The Iron Giant (1999, Brad Bird)
Hereditary (2018, Ari Aster)
Two Lovers (2008, James Gray)
Water (Canada/India 2005, Deepa Mehta)
Sawdust and Tinsel (Sweden 1953, Ingmar Berman)
L'Atalante (France 1934, Jean Vigo)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989, Woody Allen)
Angel at My Table (New Zealand 1990, Jean Campion)
Sorry We Missed You (2020 Britain, Ken Loach)
Zorba the Greek (1964, Michael Cacoyannis)
Selfish Giant (2013 Britain, Clio Barnard)
A Face in the Crowd (1957, Elia Kazan)
All the Real Girls (2003, David Gordon Green)
King of Comedy (1982, Martin Scorsese)
Kontroll (Hungary 2003, Nimrod Antal)
Knife in the Water (Poland 1962, Roman Polanski)
The Elephant Man (1980, David Lynch)
Sister Helen (2002, Rebecca Cammisa )
Blind Shaft (China 2002, Li Yang)
Rescue Dawn (2006, Werner Herzog)
51 Birch Street (2005, Doug Block)
Mountain Patrol: Kekexili (China 2004: Lu Chuan)
Medium Cool (1969, Haskell Wexler)
The Dreamlife of Angels (France 1999, Erick Zonca)
Timbuktu (France-Mauritania 2014, Abderrahmane Sissako)
L'Ennui (France 1998, Cedric Kahn)
Not One Less (China 1998, Zhang Yimou)
Divided We Fall (Czech 2000, Jan Hrebejk)
The Claim (2000, Michael Winterbottom)
The Mirror (Iran 1999, Jafar Panahi)
The Weather Underground (2003, S. Green, B. Siegel)
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Korea 2004,Ki-duk Kim)
The Son (Belgium, 2002, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne)
I Heart Huckabees (2004, David O. Russell)
Moon (2009, Duncan Jones)
Tuplan (Kazakhstan 2008, Sergei Dvortsevoy)

American Job (1998, Chris Smith)
Wonderstruck (2017, Todd Haynes)
Safety Not Guaranteed (2012, Colin Trevorrow)
Dark Horse (2012, Todd Solondz)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011, Sean Durkin)
One Lucky Elephant (2010, Lisa Leeman)
Last Night at the Alamo (1983, Eagle Pennel)
Hear My Song (British 1991, Peter Chelsom)
Lean on Pete (2018, Andrew Haigh)
Warrior (2011, Gavin O'Connor)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020, Eliza Hittman)
The Chocolate War (1988, Scott Gordon)
Daddy Long Legs (2009, Josh and Benny Safdie)
Pinballl: The Man Who Saved the Game (2023,Austin and Meredith Bragg)
The Oh in Ohio (2006, Billy Kent)
Laws of Gravity (1992, Nick Gomez)
American Factory (2019, Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)
Wat Do Dem (2009, Ben Chace, Sam Fleischner)
The Visitor (2007, Thomas McCarthy)
The Witch (2015, Robert Eggers)
Lovely and Amazing (2002, Nicole Holofcener)
Cedar Rapids (2011, Miguel Arteta)
Lantana (Australia 2001, Ray Lawrence)
99 Homes (2014 Ramin Bahrani)
The Nines (2007, John August)
Fresh (1994, Boaz Yakin)
Half Nelson(2006, Ryan Fleck)

Aberdeen (2002, Hans Petter Moland)

Gummo (1997, Harmony Korine)
An absurd, painful, yet hopeful scene from this improvisational if not sometimes exploitative tour of sub-America. Gummo is a grim carnival of human adaptation.

Wildlife (2018, Paul Dano)
Kabluey (2007, Scott Prendergast)
Exit through the Gift Shop (2010, Banksy)
Monsters (2010, Gareth Edwards)
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005, Miranda July)
The Outsiders (1983, Francis Ford Coppola)
Love Serenade (1997, Shirley Barrett)
Monsters (2010, Gareth Edwards)
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench (2009, Damien Chazelle)
Kicks (2016, Justin Tipping)
To Die For (1995, Gus Van Sant)
The Future (2011, Miranda July)
Election (1999, Alexander Payne)
Smashed (2012, James Ponsoldt)
Happy Endings (2005, Don Roos)
Girls Can't Swim (France 1999, Anne-Sophie Birot)
The Castle (Australia 1997, Rob Sitch)
My Name is Joe (Scotland 1999, Ken Loach)
Igby Goes Down (2002, Burr Steers)
Colma, the Musical (2006, Richard Wong)
OT: Our Town (2002, Scott Hamilton Kennedy)
Next Stop Wonderland (1998, Brad Anderson)
The Tao of Steve (2000, Jenniphr Goodman)
Forty Shades of Blue (2005, Ira Sachs)
The Imposter (2012, Bart Layton)
Me Without You (2001, Sandra Goldbacher)
All the Little Animals (Britain 1998, Jeremy Thomas)
Hands on a Hardbody (1998, S. R. Bindler)
The Same River Twice (2003, Robb Moss [documentary])
Cicadas (2000, Kat Candler)
Drag Me to Hell (2009, Sam Raimi)
Higher Ground (2011, Vera Farmiga)
Soul in the Hole (2000, Danielle Gardner)
Dark Horse (2011, Todd Solondz)
Games of Love and Chance (France 2005, Abdellatif Kechiche)
Once (2006 Ireland, John Carney)
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002, Kevin Reynolds)
The Tavern (1999, Walter Foote)
The Visit (2001, Jordan Walker-Pearlman)
Virgil Bliss (2001, Joe Maggio)
The Taste of Others (France 2001, Agnes Jaoui)
Happy Accidents (2000, Brad Anderson)
Man Push Cart (2005, Ramin Bahrani)
Spring Forward (2000, Tom Gilroy)
Spring Breakers (2012, Harmony Korine)
Samson and Delilah (Australia 2009, Warwick Thornton)
Camp (2003, Todd Graff)
River of Grass (1994, Kelly Reichardt)
What Alice Found (2003, A. Dean Bell)
James' Journey to Jerusalem (2004, Ra'anan Alexandrowicz)
Tully (2000, Hilary Birmingham)
Extract (2009, Mike Judge)
The We and the I (2011, Michel Gondry)
51 Birch Street (2005, Doug Block)
Everything Put Together (2000, Marc Forster)
What Alice Found (2003, A. Dean Bell)
Sweet Nothing (1996, Gary Winick)
Lawn Dogs (1997, John Duigan)
Medicine for Melancholy (2008, Barry Jenkins)
Box of Moonlight (1996, Tom Dicillo)
What Happened Was (1994, Tom Noonan)
Desolation Angels (1995, Tim McCann)
What Do Dem (2009, Ben Chace, Sam Fleischner)
Fat Kid Rules the World (2012, Matthew Lillard)
Caught (1996, Robert M. Young)
Clockwatchers (1998, Jill Sprecher)
La Ciudad (1998, David Riker)
Daytrippers (1996, Greg Mottola)
You Can Count on Me (2000, Kenneth Lonergan)
Pieces of April (2003, Peter Hedges)
The Station Agent (2003, Tom McCarthy)
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (2004, Jim Fields)
Mysterious Skin (2004, Gregg Araki)
My Summer of Love (2004, Pawel Pawlikowski)