By the age of 26,Saoirse Ronanhad already received four Academy Award nominations and had become one of the greatest actresses of her generation. It all started when she got her breakout role at 13 inAtonement, and since then, the actress has never stopped working on unique, interesting, projects, creating characters who feel lived in, and that make every one of her films worth a watch.
She’s worked on dramas (especially period dramas), comedies, voiceovers, and video clips, and has become part of the repertoire of actors that great directors like Greta Gerwig, Wes Anderson, or Joe Wright always use. All those films have made her one of the most sought-after actresses out there. Her most recent film,Foe, alongside another critical darling, Paul Mescal,has just been released. Here are Saoirse Ronan’s 10 best movies, ranked byRotten Tomatoes.
10Ammonite (2020) - 69%
A lesbian period speculative romance between paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) and geologist Charlotte Murchison (Ronan) is whatAmmoniteis all about. The two actresses are able to sell their lustful love story, showing how their characters evolve from simple acquaintances into full-on lovers, and how that changes their whole demeanor and way of life. The chemistry between the two makes the film much better, as audiences can understand what makes these two women tick, and how they connect with each other.
Stream on Hulu
9Hanna (2011) - 72%
Hannais all about the character of the same name, played by Ronan, a teenage assassin who is trying to get revenge on senior CIA agent, Marissa Wegler (Cate Blanchett), who was responsible for the death of Hanna’s father (Eric Bana) while leaving a trail of bodies behind her of those who are trying to stop her.
This is one ofRonan’s best lesser-known roles, as she’s the heart and soul of the movie, while also proving she can be a badass action hero. The actress shot the film when she was 17 years old, and yet she was able to lead the movie, creating a unique character who is consumed by revenge, and starts wondering if she could be someone else in the world. The film was surprising and unique enough that it received a TV series sequel, unfortunately, Ronan is not playing the titular character on the show.
8The Way Back (2010) - 74%
The Way Backis a survival film inspired by Slawomir Rawicz’s memoir,The Long Walk.The film starts with Janusz Wieszczek (Jim Sturgess) as a Polish prisoner who escapes a Soviet gulag and (allegedly) walks 4,000 miles to get his freedom. He escapes with some other prisoners, like Mr. Smith (Ed Harris), and Valka (Colin Farrell). Ronan plays orphan teenager Irena, whom they meet along the way and who becomes part of their group. Although it’s a supporting role, the character’s backstory is one of the saddest, and the actress is able to sell the tragedy of Irena, while she’s still trying to survive and move past it, showing as much strength and resilience as possible.
Stream on Prime Video
7See How They Run (2022) - 74%
Read Our Review
See How They Runis the latest Ronan film released that appears on this list. The film is a comedic whodunit that is inspired by Agatha Christie.When a murder is committed during a movie shoot, Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) must discover what happened.He gets help from an enthusiastic yet inexperienced Constable Stalker (Ronan).
The actress is having the time of her life playing Constable Stalker, proving she’s just as great in comedies as dramas, showing a new side of her talents, one much more playful, that should earn her new comedy roles, and proving why she’s always great in Greta Gerwig’s films, as she navigates both tones perfectly, and knows how to switch between them easily.
6Atonement (2007) - 83%
Atonementis a romantic period piece, telling the love story between Robbie (James McAvoy) and Cecilia (Keira Knightley), as they’re separated when Briony (Ronan), Cecilia’s younger sister, tells a lie that will change the lives of all three forever. This was Ronan’s breakout role, as she received her first Oscar nomination for it, at 13, becoming one of theyoungest actors ever to receive such an honor. The young actress was the only actor from the film nominated, showing how her performance as Briony, the younger, naive, unlikable, yet captivating younger sister, was one of the best things in the film.
Rent on Apple TV
5Loving Vincent (2017) - 84%
Loving Vincentis a unique film, as it’s an animated biopic about the painter’s life, centering on Van Gogh’s last days and how he died through the eyes of Armand Roulin (Douglas Booth). What makes this film much more different than most animated movies is the fact that it was hand-animated using Van Gogh’s oil technique, making for a very visually stimulating movie. Ronan plays the supporting character of Marguerite Gachet, who knew the painter very well.
About the film,Ronan told Girl.com: “I knew that the whole concept was new and that it’s something that hasn’t been done before! That’s why I wanted to become a part of it, I was really interested to see what the process was going to look like. I knew we were all going to be painted in these Van Gogh paintings. I’m really excited about this!”
Stream on AMC+
4The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) - 92%
The Grand Budapest Hotelis one of Wes Anderson’s best films; one thatmight have a hidden meaning. This movie is all about the memories of Zero (Tony Revolori) and his experiences as a young lobby boy in the hotel, especially those when he lived with hotel concierge, Monsieur Gustave H. (Ralph Fiennes). As with any Anderson film, that cast is more than stacked, not only with Fiennes, but also Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, and Ronan (in their first collaboration together).
She plays Agatha, a baker’s apprentice who is also Zero’s love interest, and who helps him and Monsieur Gustave evade the police. It’s a small role, but Ronan is able to fit into Anderson’s tone perfectly (not an easy feat), making her eccentric character funny, yet plausible in this unique world.
3Little Women (2019) - 95%
Little Womenis the latest adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s novel that tells the story of the four March sisters in 19th-century Massachusetts. This was Greta Gerwig’s second film, and she reunited with Ronan again (let’s hope these two keep making films together, like Scorsese and De Niro), and she surrounds Ronan with an incredible cast; Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, and Eliza Scanlan play her sisters, and Laura Dern their mother.
Ronan’s performance as Jo gives new colors and layers to Jo March, as here she becomes a stubborn, ambitious, independent, feminist icon who knows what she loves, and won’t stop fighting for it, even if she goes against the conventional wisdom of the times, while also trying to keep her family together.
Stream on Starz
13 Best Saoirse Ronan Movies, Ranked
Saoirse Ronan has proved again and again that’s she’s a major player in acting. Here are her best movies.
2Brooklyn (2015) - 97%
Brooklynis the film adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s book of the same name, and tells the story of Eilis Lacey (Ronan), a young Irish immigrant who goes to New York to get a job in the 1950s, and ends up finding a life and love with Tony (Emory Cohen) there. When she has to go back to Ireland for a family emergency, she must decide if she wants to stay back home, or go back to New York. Ronan’s performance is what makes this film great, as she sells how homesick and lost she feels at the start, and how she gradually blossoms in the States, making for a layered, beautiful, performance that holds the audience’s attention from start to finish.
On why she wanted to do the film,Ronan told Entertainment Weekly: “To see a woman on screen who is faced with two worlds and two choices and can only pick one if she gives up the other, that is an incredibly daring thing. (…) but ultimately this strong woman starts to kind of blossom before our eyes and is almost dragged back down again but she fights her way back up and makes the decision that’s right for her. I think that’s an amazing thing to see on screen, and we don’t see that very often.”
1Lady Bird (2017) - 99%
Lady Birdmight still beGreta Gerwig’s best film. This is the story of Christine MacPherson, aka Lady Bird (Ronan), a 17-year-old girl who lives in Sacramento and has a unique, last year in high school. She constantly fights with her mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf), and yet they love each other. She has a best friend, Julie (Beanie Feldstein), and has some flings with teenage boys Danny (Lucas Hedges) and Kyle (Timothée Chalamet), while trying to find what she loves in life.
This coming-of-age story is beautiful and wouldn’t work without Ronan, as she’s able to sell all the different pieces of Lady Bird’s personality, showing how she’s feeling at every second, and bringing out both the comedic and dramatic parts of her character. A special mention goes to all her scenes with Metcalf, as they both show the unique dynamics between a mother and her teenage daughter. Both actresses were nominated for Academy Awards, and deservedly so.
