The Golden Globe classics that still leave us breathless

The only thing keeping me awake in this post-holiday melancholy are the upcoming film awards: the nominations and speculation, the red carpets and the speeches that will be recounted (and shared) for months to come. After the Critics’ Choice Awards, it is now time for the 2026 Golden Globes, which could once again serve as an important springboard for Oscar contenders, especially in this year’s exceptionally tight acting categories.

The competition for Best Actor, for example, is particularly fierce, with two major nominees: Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme and Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another. Another win for Chalamet (who beat DiCaprio at last weekend’s Critics’ Choice Awards) could bring him even closer to an Oscar.

A similar situation is unfolding in the women’s categories, where Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) and Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another) are competing for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. A first major win could also prove crucial in Infiniti’s race for an Oscar nomination.

Either way, the Golden Globe Awards will take place on the night of January 11 to 12, and before we officially welcome a new wave of award-winning blockbusters, this weekend we are revisiting, from the comfort of our homes, the best films of the new millennium that took home Golden Globes in the drama and musical or comedy categories.

La La Land (2016)

“Do you believe in dreams in a big city?” La La Land is a cinematic spectacle that blends music, love, and ambition. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone shine in this modern musical fairy tale, which won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 2017, along with five additional Globes that same year, including Best Director for Damien Chazelle.

The film pays homage to classic Hollywood musicals, but with a contemporary twist: Los Angeles is portrayed almost like a dreamscape, bathed in lights, rooftop dances, and Justin Hurwitz’s jazzy soundtrack.

Photograph: Allstar/Lionsgate

Green Book (2018)

One of those films whose emotional weight lingers long after the details of the plot begin to fade. At first glance, the two protagonists seem to come from completely different worlds, especially in the deeply divided and openly discriminatory American South of the time.

Inspired by true events, the film follows the journey of pianist Don Shirley and his driver, Tony “Lip” Vallelonga, showing how unexpected friendships can change not only individual lives, but society as a whole. The question that remains is a simple yet unsettling one: how far are we truly willing to step outside our own boundaries in order to reach out to someone else?

As expected and fully deserved, Green Book won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama in 2019, along with four additional awards for Screenplay, Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor.

Photo: Universal Pictures

Atonement (2007)

A single mistake can change your life forever. Atonement is a drama about love, guilt, and redemption that unfolds across decades. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in the Drama category, and its visual language left an indelible mark on modern cinema.

Joe Wright directed Ian McEwan’s novel with unmistakable British precision and elegance, while Cecilia Tallis and Robbie Turner anchor a story in which one false accusation sets off a chain of tragic consequences.

Photo: MUBI

12 Years a Slave (2013)

How do you survive in a world where freedom means nothing? A question that feels just as urgent today. 12 Years a Slave is a harrowing and unflinching account of slavery in America, one that earned the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama in 2014, confirming its profound impact.

Steve McQueen delivers a stark, realistic portrayal of suffering, resilience, and human strength, while Chiwetel Ejiofor gives an unforgettable performance as Solomon Northup. The film does more than recount a chapter of American history, it prompts a deeply introspective response: how much strength does it take to survive, and to hold on to one’s sense of self?

Photo: Fox Searchlight

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

True genius, more often than not, comes hand in hand with inner battles. A Beautiful Mind explores the life of mathematical prodigy John Nash, suspended between reality and psychosis. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama in 2002, with Russell Crowe delivering a standout performance in the leading role.

Jennifer Connelly brings emotional depth as his wife, while Ron Howard blends biographical storytelling with an artistic sensibility, allowing the audience to experience intellectual challenge, vulnerability, and warmth all at once. In the end, one question lingers: how much can the human mind endure in its search for meaning and love?

Photo: Netflix

Boyhood (2014)

Perhaps the most experimental title on this list, Boyhood is a unique film that was shot over more than 12 years, capturing growing up and family dynamics in real time. In 2015, it won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama, with Richard Linklater demonstrating extraordinary vision and patience. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette create complex, multi-layered portraits of parenthood, while young Ellar Coltrane delivers an immediate and singular portrayal of a boy coming of age through school, first loves, disappointments, family life, and the gradual shaping of his own identity.

Photo: IFC

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

When humor slips into absurdity, the world becomes more vivid – and no one understands that better than Wes Anderson. The Grand Budapest Hotel is a visually exquisite comedy about friendship, art theft, and adventures across a fictional Europe. The film won the Golden Globe in 2015 for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, as well as awards for screenplay, direction, and best actor. It is impossible to overlook Anderson’s meticulous attention to detail – symmetry, color palettes, and costumes – as he creates a true visual spectacle and reminds us that even in chaos, there is still beauty.

Photo: Fox Searchlight

The Revenant (2015)

Would you survive revenge in the wilderness? The Revenant is an epic story of survival and redemption, with Leonardo DiCaprio delivering a career-defining performance that earned him his first Oscar. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama in 2016, along with numerous other awards. Alejandro González Iñárritu guides viewers through lethal landscapes and human determination, while Emmanuel Lubezki uses natural light to create almost hypnotic visual sequences that still linger in memory today. Every frame carries the unbearable weight of pain, but also the immeasurable strength of the human spirit.

Photo: MUBI

Lady Bird (2017)

That feeling when you dream of a life “somewhere else,” far from the constraints of home and your own insecurities. Sound familiar? Lady Bird is a story about the final year of high school, first big dreams, and the complex relationship between a mother and daughter. Directed by Greta Gerwig (and inspired by her own life), the film unfolds without major plot twists, but with plenty of introspection and emotional turbulence within and between its characters.

Lady Bird is about belonging, ambition, and a kind of love that often hurts the most when it is closest. It also reminds us that growing up is not one single defining moment, but a series of small, often unnoticed choices that slowly shape who we become. The film won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 2018.

Photo: A24